The best restaurants Addis Ababa

The restaurant at the Hyatt Regency hotel is a good place to eat at any time of day. We love the wide choice of refined Levantine dishes (hot and cold mezzés), as well as the extensive menu of Western and Ethiopian dishes, wraps and sandwiches. We loved the labneh with beet and dried mint, the different lake fish of the day, such as the samak mashwi with turmeric, coriander, lemon, zaatar and chilli, the shawarma in its homemade bread, the fatoush salad... The interior is really pretty, bright, in beige tones and decorated with Ethiopian crafts.

The restaurant, housed in the beautiful gardens of the Hilton Hotel, is an elegant option for lunch or dinner of international specialties, with a few local options. A fusion menu allows you to choose from fried chicken, grilled rib steak, pasta, club sandwiches, pizzas and burgers. Excellent cocktail menu for aperitifs. Every Sunday, a brunch featuring an original buffet and live music is organized.

Among the numerous cafés that border Bolé Avenue, this one (which has three signs) is to visit at least once during a stay in Addis Ababa, the time of breakfast, a quick meal or a snack. Fresh fruit juice, croissants, pizza, sandwiches, omelettes, waffles, pancakes and pastries of all kinds are served on the terrace or in the room decorated with paintings from Montmartre and Moulin Rouge. Not always easy to find a place so popular is popular with residents.

Indian vegetarian cuisine is all the rage in Addis Ababa. Ethiopians practice fasting, i.e. fasting until midday mass, then eating dishes without meat or animal products (vegan in short). This restaurant, opened by a woman, Indian chef Radhika Goenka, offers creative vegetable and grain-based dishes such as curried dhals, as well as an "Indo-Chinese" fusion menu. The place is elegant, frequented by Ethiopian businessmen, with brick walls behind the counter.

Burgers can be found on every street corner in Bole, with varying degrees of quality. This one is delicious, one of the city's best, and the setting is pretty cool, with a modern decor. There's nothing really fancy here, the burgers are pretty basic - we're a long way from Brooklyn - but they're good, the meat is fresh and the place is popular. It's really a fast-food restaurant, with menus displayed on luminous boards behind the counter. The advantage is that you're served quickly, it's good and efficient, and the hours are extendable.

This Yemeni restaurant, set up on the first floor of a house in the Bole district, is a real culinary discovery and a great place to eat. It offers hearty Middle Eastern dishes, with lots of fresh vegetables, overflowing with well-seasoned grilled meats and fresh fruit juices. A good place to try mezzes (the oriental tabbouleh, full and hummus were delicious) or meat dishes with saffron rice. Addis Ababa's Arab community has made this their canteen. The setting is neat and tidy.

There are four successful restaurants in Addis Ababa, including two in Bole. The whole of Addis Ababa can be found here. Traditional Ethiopian dishes are prepared here with the utmost finesse and accompanied by local and Italian wines. Enjoy a real shiro wot, gored gored, chechepsa, the famous kifto (Ethiopian tartar of raw meat) or the special kategna, a signature platter with lots of small dishes to taste placed on a large ingera. The decor is magnificent, whichever kategna you choose. Contemporary coffee ceremony to match the setting.

For those nostalgic for vitamin-packed bowls and raw vegetable salads, Moyos Cafe offers organic, veggie or just plain healthy meals. At breakfast, its signature dish, the keto diet, consists of eggs, multiple slices of avocado, tomato, cheese and broccoli. For lunch and dinner, you can find sandwiches and fresh juices, as well as free-range chicken with pasta carbonara, eggplant lasagne, grilled fish, a wide selection of salads, all in a brand-new green-and-white setting, and even a children's playroom.

If you're nostalgic for Turkish kebabs after ingesting far too much ingera, this is the address for you. The menu features all the classic Turkish grills: tavuk shish kebab (chicken), mutton, kefta, etc., as well as Turkish pizzas. Everything is prepared with fresh, quality produce, and the dishes are absolutely delicious. What's more, the setting is pleasant, with a lovely garden where you can sit at any time of day.

The Alliance éthio-française bistro is a good place to eat in a neighborhood not far from the Mercato. You'll appreciate the parking space, the large garden where you can sit in pretty surroundings, the fast service in French and, above all, the tasty, well-executed dishes. The menu is Western, with French specialties of course, particularly the desserts, which are accompanied by a good cup of coffee and are well worth a gourmet afternoon break. Don't hesitate to take a stroll through the gallery to enjoy the current exhibition. Closed evenings except Thursday.

What a beautiful open table near Piazza (which was lacking in them)! The restaurant's photos and arty setting set a chic tone for the space. The specialties here are wonderfully Italian, from wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas to pasta dishes worthy of the Botte. You can enjoy hearty breakfasts and, at all hours, focaccia, bruschetta, basil and arugula salads or more regional dishes, including Nile perch with local sauce. In the evening, don't miss a refined cocktail.