Top 10 Best Restaurants in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ethiopia is not about a one culture or flavor. It is a mixture of several, and the food in Ethiopia represents that blend. From very old fare to modern cuisine to some of the best pizza this side of the Mediterranean, Addis Ababa has a lot to provide the adventurous gastronomer. A visit to any place is not complete without diving into the range of culinary delights it has to offer, so with that said, ensure to include these locations to your bucket list for your next visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Check out our selection of the top 10 best restaurants in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:
Here are the top 10 best restaurants in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2020:
1) Kategna
Kategna is largely known for its big menu. There are tibs (sauteed meats or grilled with peppers and onions), firfir (shredded injera) doro wat, kitfo (chicken stew), and dirkosh (air dried injera), just to name a few. The service at Kategna is fast and the presentation is charming. If ordering the yetsom beyeynetu, expect a big mixture platter of injera topped with range of vegetarian stews, sides, and sauces. One of the most relaxing aspects of Ethiopian traditional meal is ripping off the pieces of spongy injerawith your hands, and scooping up all the meats and sauces the plate has to provide. Kategna has a dynamic energy, and should not be missed.
2) Itegue Taitu Hotel
Built in 1898, the Itegue Taitu Hotel was titled after Empress Taitu Betul was the primary hotel to be built in Ethiopia. The silent hillside setting and the tranquility of the surrounding plans make this a wonderful location to dine. The hotel seeks to honor the tradition of the establishment and the pride in the nation’s food culture. The best restaurants Addis Ababa uses domestically grown ingredients when accessible and the chef craft traditional Ethiopian dishes while stilling incorporating creative combinations. The best restaurants in Addis Ababa even provide guests a vegan buffet lunch every day of the week.
3) Effoi Pizza
Addis Ababa is not a location famous for pizza but here is the second pizza location on our list, but the first in our hearts. Effoi has taken the pizza art to new heights. They begin with a thin crust, include a unique tomato sauce and layers of fresh, true mozzarella, then bake the pie to perfection. This is a pizza that rivals any you might find in New Jersey or New York. Be prepared to wait: this is one of Addis Ababs most famous hang-outs.
4) Lucy Gazebo Restaurant
The Lucy Gazebo best restaurants in Addis Ababa 2020 is placed inside the Ethiopian National Museum compound, and is a remarkable place for visitors and expatriates visiting Addis. The best restaurants in Addis Ababa with a view is placed outside and the view is green with tropical plants, Ethiopian art and decorative sculptures. The Alfresco dining is fun and the menu has choices both for vegetarians and those feeling more carnivorous. Ethiopian fare is offered, as well as soups, pizzas, and pasta dishes. The place next door to the National Museum affords the visitor a remarkable location to have a bite and then continue exploring Ethiopian treasures.
5) Yod Abyssinia
In a city rife with tasty cuisine from the Horn of Africa, Yod Abyssinia stands out as one of the top. The decoration is traditional Ethiopian, highlighting the culture and history of one of the oldest civilization in Africa. The smells coming from the kitchen attract and entangle your senses. Gomen, doro wat, and kitfo are just a few of the specialities that yod dishes out daily. This location is not just about the food. As a culture center, you will learn about the songs, rich traditions, and dances of Ethiopia while you enjoy your meal. This is a experience value seeking.
6) Bata Traditional Bar and Restaurant
The Bata traditional bar and restaurant is placed in the heart of Bole in Addis. The Bata garden view alone is a draw for many of the best restaurants in Addis Ababa visitors. Many of the tables are placed around the remarkable and lush greenery of hotels gardens, and it offers a scenic and silence atmosphere in which to dine. Bata also provides traditional coffee ceremonies all through the day. The restaurant menu specs the traditional Kitfo beef prepared with the special of Ethiopian cheese and spices. There are also vegetarian offerings, or what locals call, fasting, yetsom beyeynetu dishes. They contain cabbage, spinach, lentils, carrots, and potato, all seasoned with domestic spices and herbs.
7) Brundo Butchery
If there is single dish that highlights the best of Ethiopian cuisine and culture it is raw meat. Mainly, kitfo, made from the finest parts of red meat. The meat is mixed and ground with spiced butter and mitmita, an Ethiopian mixture of spices that contains cloves, cardamom seeds, pepper and salt, and ground chiles. Brundo Butchery, placed in front of the Western Commission for Africa, served up the top Kitfo in Addis Ababa. Do not love the idea of eating raw meat? Try the Kitfo leb-leb, which is heated kitfo and resembles minced beef. Try the taste honey wine as an accompaniment and you will discover you have got to food heaven.
8) 2000 Habesha Cultural Restaurant
This best restaurants Addis Ababa is along the city’s main road, Bole, and is placed in a tukul, a traditional hut with low wooden tables. Ethiopian cuisine is served without cuttlery, as the custom is to eat with single hands. One of the specialties here is Injera (made from a sour wheat-like grain, a tef, mixed with chill water and a touch of yeast to provide it a spongy consistency), served with sautéed spinach, spicy potatoes, caramelized onions, red peppers and an assortment of raw beef cubes and several vegetarian choices. Eating Injera is a celebration of the Ethiopian grainds and produce as much as it is a sensory feast. The best restaurants in Addis Ababa 2020 also has traditional dancing every evening at 8 pm.
9) Dashen Traditional Restaurant
Near to the city centre, this location with its African art and stone walls, is a much more authentically traditional best outdoor restaurants in Addis Ababa where the food is not dumbed down for soft visitor taste buds and, at lunch time mainly, loyal locals vastly out number foreigners. It is value trying the tibbs (fired slices of meat with chilli and garlic) and fasting foods ( a combination of vegetarian dishes traditionally served only on Fridays ) here.
10) Totot Kitfo
A domestic recommendation, Totot Kitfo is placed in a residential place, and is popular for its kitfo. The best restaurants Addis Ababa is generally so crowded that finding parking close to the place is hard, but the food is well value the wait. The restaurant is traditionally decorated and is also packed with people loving Kitfo, drinking domestic beer, and chatting animatedly with their families and friends. Kitfo is traditionally served alongside varieties of ayib, domestic cheeses similar to cottage cheese that comes plated on a banana leaf and served with injera. The meat is generally extremely spicy for most, mainly for visitors, so the ayib helps to cut the heat. The best restaurants in Addis Ababa is placed in the subcity of Bole, next to Nexus House, just off the circular road in between the Megenagna Circle and Bob Marley Circle in Gerji.
11) Center Point Addis 360° Revolving Restaurant
Center Point Addis 360° revolving restaurant was the first of its kind in East Africa.
- Night Club
- Bars
- Bistro
- VIP Lounge
Restaurant serving delicious international and traditional cuisines
Breakfast 6AM – 10AM
Lunch 12AM – 2PM
Dinner 6PM – 11PM
