Restaurants and Bars in Addis

Here are all the restaurants and bars that I recommend in Addis. I have grouped them into fancy (upmarket), relaxed, brunch, fun, and world cuisine. There is also a google map below that I have created of all the restaurants that I recomend in Addis. Bon appetite!

5 * Restaurants – best place for a fancy meal – worth driving across town for

1. Hotto, Bole Atlas – this is a posh fusion of Ethiopian and Japanese cuisince. Funky atmosphere, well stocked bar; dress smartly. Possibly the best Sushi in Addis. It’s on the first floor of “The Place” building in Bole Atlas and you can park underneath the building. Probably my favourite restaurant in Addis!
2. Markus Addis Restaurant, CBE Tower – recently opened in conjuction with famous chef Markus Samuelsson, this restaurant is at the top of the tallest building in Addis and so the views are incredible. It has a great atmosphere and great food. The valet parking is also handy since the car park is underground. They have private rooms which are fantastic if you’re in a group. They have a brunch on Sunday’s from 12 to 5pm with free-flow alcohol; it’s a lot of fun.
3. Jade Restaurant, Sheraton – Consistently excellent Asian food. The sushi is great but so are the other Asian dishes. Spicy edamame is to die for. They also offer a Teppanaki (Japanese cooking show) which is fun and delicious if you’re in a group. The atmostphere in Jade is more relaxed and elegant than Markus and Hotto, which are more fun. I love Jade for lunches and usually sit outside.
4. Castelli’s, Piazza – so exclusive that they don’t even have a sign! Just follow google maps and you’ll find a brown door. When you go in, you’ll find excellent Italian food in an atmosphere that hasn’t changed in 50 years. Brad Pitt has been to this restaurant twice, and I recomend that you do too. The saffron pasta is a speciality.
5. Le Basilic, Mega – great attention to detail, nice atmosphere, and the best pizza in Addis (that we’ve found so far!). It’s a small, owner-run restaurant and highly recomended.
6. Kaz, towards Piazza – excellent sushi and great atmosphere. It’s in an unsuspecting location but as you enter, it’s a super cool restaurant. It’s also small and owner-run. They only opened last year but they instantly became very popular which proves the theory that if you make something good, people will come.
7. C-PREM, Bole Atlas (next to Habesha 2000) – new and highly exclusive restaurant serving incredible food. If an Addis Restaurant would receive a Michelin star, this would probably be it. Service takes a while, however, so if you want to be done in under 3 hours, just let them know that you’re in a hurry! You need to book in advance.

Use the map to find a restaurant in your area

4 * Restaurants – still good but more relaxed – worth dropping by if you’re in the area

These restaurants are also good but more relaxed. Definitely worth trying if you’re in the area.

1. Mesott Cultinary Experience, Arat Kilo – Meskott could almost be described as fancy but definitely a great place for lunch or dinner with friends. Good cocktails, great menu. I was not disappointed with the burger.
2. Betucci, Old Airport Area – really nice atmosphere with a garden and some small artisinal shops within the compound. The Italian food is top notch and Betucci is likely to become your local if you live nearby.
3. La Louvre, Kebele – Also a hotel, this restaurant has a fun atmosphere and good, French style food. It’s run by a French couple who have been in Addis forever.
4. Dok Topview, Megagnana – decent Italian but past it’s heyday.
5. Entoto Bistrot, Bole Airport Road – longstanding fine dining restaurant. Really good food and nice, posh atmosphere. It’s not huge so book ahead to get a table.
6. Mamma Mia, Kazanchis – exceptionally good Italian food in an understated environment. I understand that this restaurant is closed now… please let us know if you hear of it reopening.

Cafés with Food

1. Gateau – Old Airport – great food and great coffee. They also have some nice western products to buy. Gets very busy on the weekends.
2. Enitawawek – Mega – great food and they also host lost of activities (Yoga, ballet, art)
3. Koba – Various locations – good atmostphere, consistent quality food and cakes

Where is the best place for Ethiopian food?

1. Addis Ababa Restaurant – Piazza – unique, truly traditional and well worth visiting. They burn incense inside the restaurant which gives it a unique mystique, and the food is great! The kind of place you take your family when they visit you in Addis.
2. Werka Cafe – Bole Medanhialem – this place is trending on social media and was packed when we visited, and you can see why. The dishes are traditional but with a modern touch. It’s small and local (staff speak limited English) but the food is great. This is where the locals are eating right now!
3. Kategna Restaurants – there are many around the city but this one near the airport was great. Good atmosphere, clean, and tasty food. My only gripe was that they wouldn’t allow me to take a picture of the bar – what are they hiding?
4. If you are looking for a meal and a show, then od Abyssinia (here or here), Toto Restaurant, and 2000 Habesha all offer traditional Ethiopian food and cultural performances.

World Cuisine

• Middle Eastern:
  • Allebnany is the only restaurant that is specificlly Lebanese. The food is good, the setting is ok. They also sell Lebanese sweets in a separate shop around the corner.
  • Beit al Mandi – Bole Atlas – great food of both Lebanese and Yemeni style.
  • Aladdin – Old Airport – great food, mix of middle eastern and Armenian.
  • The Kitchen – Hyatt – great quality food in a posh setting. Super clean – the least likely place in Addis to get sick.
• Chinse:
  • Panda Private Kitchen has excellent Chinese cuisine. It is not expensive and has a relaxed atmosphere.
  • There are lots of small chinese restaruatns in Bole Japan area where most of the customers are Chinese ! They are small, quirky, and it feels like you’re actually in China.
• Japanese:
  • Hotto – Bole Atlas – whilst Hotto is technically fusion, they have our favourite Sushi in Addis. In the evening the music is a bit loud and, if you haven’t booked, you might be sat next to a giant LED screen which is far too bright, but you can avoid this by going at lunchtime.
  • Jade – Sheraton Hotel – our second favourite Sushi place in Addis but they also offer other Asian dishes which are FAN-tastic!
  • Sakura – Bole Rwanda – really good and authentic Sushi at reasonable prices (all the others mentioned here are considerably more expensive)
  • Kaz – near Monarch Hotel – a relatively new restaurant with a cool vibe and great sushi.

Best Places to see Live Music in Addis Ababa

1. Fendika was an incredible live music venue but it was sadly demolished recently. They are trying to raise money to rebuild it. If you would like to contribute, see here. From 11 December then will restart their Monday evening performances at the Hyatt Regency.
2. Moseb Cultural Centre – this is like the up and coming Fendika. It is more recent and less established than Fendika, but has a super cool chilled out vibe and it’s cheap. The website is of the band, rather than the location, but you can find it here.
3. African Jazz Village is another great live music venue (thanks to Nina for the reminder!).
4. Many other places have live music on certain days, such as Union Bar and Atmosphere, both listed below.

Best place to go for a drink in Addis (like a pub)

If you’re only looking for a drink, and you don’t fancy live music or food, try these places:

1. Union Cocktail Bar and Restaurant has a great view overlooking Meskel Square. It also has a funky atmosphere and good cocktails. Sometimes they turn the music up too loud but apart from that, it’s a great place for a drink, either with a partner or with friends.
2. Atmosphere – as the name suggests, there is a very cool feeling to this place and the perfect place to chill out with a beer. They hold lots of events here with decent food too.
3. Le Louvre Hotel has a nice bar atmosphere with seating inside and outside.

Where’s the best breakfast buffet in Addis?

Good question! I have tried to breakfast buffets at Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, Skylight, Raddison Blu, Doubletree by Hilton, and Best Western in Bole Centre. Here’s my personal ranking but to be honest, they are all pretty good!:

1. Hyatt offers the best overall breakfast due to the wide range of food and good atmosphere. It’s the kind of place you could spend a few hours enjoying. They don’t have bacon, which is a serious setback, but the range of other random stuff makes up for it. It’s a bit of a challenge with young kids because they just want to jump in the fish pond, but if I’m without kids, this is my overall favourite.
2. Hilton breakfast is very good and they (usually) have bacon. They often offer salmon too! It’s a more relaxed atmosphere and so good to go with children and they have a playground for after breakfast. It’s 2,500 for the full breakfast or 1,500 for a continental buffet (no bacon!)
3. Sheraton is pretty good and there is lots of space for the kids to run around. The breakfast is good – they even offer sushi on the breakfast buffet – but not as good as those above. The atmosphere is also hit and miss… sometimes you feel that you’re eating in a big open space. It’s 2,500 a head.
4. The newly opened Doubletree by Hilton punches way above its weight and has a good view from the 7th floor. They have very crispy bacon and pork sausages, but those at the Hilton are better. It’s a small buffet but they really have everything you need and the service was fantastic – they brought crayons and colouring paper for my kids. I think it’s still quite because it’s quite new but I think it will get more popular with time.
5. The Best Western Plus offers a really nice buffet in a relaxed atmostphere, also good for kids. It’s really near our house so we’ve been here many times, and always leave satisfied.
6. The Skylight Hotel has two options; one in either side of the hotel. The main one offers an extremely diverse selection (chinese dumplings, breakfast hot dogs, egg salad) and costs 2,700 per person. The other side breakfast buffet is good but lacking in atmosphere. Can’t remember the price.