The best bars and cafés Asmara

An address for connoisseurs since you need to go back to the Capri pension, barely reported from the street, and move forward to the back of the room to discover where everyone is to sip the best fruit juices in the city. Papayas, goyaves and bananas are packed huge on the desks while waiting to be mixed alone or with ice cream. Eat without moderation!

The Impero is one of the most famous places in Asmara. It's one of the only two cafés to have a terrace on Harnet Avenue, and, of course, it always the day. With some luck, it is sometimes possible to find a small place to contemplate the passeggiata while drinking a macchiato. The TV screen in the interior attracts crowds of football game nights, so it is unthinkable to try to enter a toe there.

Just opposite the former Alfa Romeo factories. This small bar is not exceptional, but the atmosphere is relaxed and quite intimate and then prices are attractive. It's a good address when you want to avoid the trendy or too noisy places.

The hotel bar is a pleasant place to enjoy a beer before or after dinner. Jazz concerts are organised every Saturday.

With its seats covered with zebra skin and tribal masks hanging on the walls, this bar is part of the trendy places of the capital. The atmosphere is relaxed and the manager, Teame, ensures that your passage here is perfect. It's possible to nibble very good hamburgers, which makes it a «before night» stop.

Just opposite the British Council, The Tavern is the ideal place to enjoy a few beers before you go to dinner. The counter carved in a tree trunk and the decor exclusively wooden give a certain charm to the only "pub" in Asmara. If it is often empty during the week, it fills itself considerably when the weekend comes.

A little less frequented since its change of decoration in March 2011, Zara still remains the great favourite of trendy Eritrean youth and Western expatriates. With large leather armchairs and high glass tables, the place looks like a Parisian lounge bar. The light is sifted, the DJ passes the latest U.S. hits and the cocktail list is impressive.