Budget
Restaurants that do not have an English menu are cheaper. Example: Connection between Bole Road and Tele-Bole, next to Bole roundabout, at NOC-Fuelstation, close to German Kantine. You can have lunch local food, spaghetti for less then 20 birr. If you don't have a translator, ordering is a lot of fun.
Addis has hundreds of cake and coffee cafes. They sell various coffees, tea - black unless you ask for "machiatto" - and sometimes fruit juices. There are also juice beits.
The cafes along Bole Road and around the Piassa area are of a high standard and relatively inexpensive. Most are very similar to each other. Most cafes serve the common drink called 'sprice juice' which is just fruit pulp served in layers in a glass. There are usually three layers from a selection of avocado, mango, papaya, banana, guava etc. The juice is eaten with a spoon. It is colorful and tastes delicious. Single fruit juices are also great, such as orange, papaya, mango, and pineapple - beautifully fresh. 7 birr up to 25 birr in Hilton.
Cafe Chocolata
On victory road near shoppers mart supermarket serves drinks and snacks and is very nice. all the staff are former street girls and prostitutes who are trying to make something of their lives.
City Cafe on Bole
Has delicious cakes and pastries as well as high quality ethiopian espresso coffees. you can sit on the porch and watch the activity on one of the main roads in addis.
Midrange
Canaan
from the airport-roundabout, down bole rd, turn left (before bole mini. very nice pizza. less then mid-range, a bit more than budget
Pizza Deli Roma
Bole rd, coming from airport, go to the right (pass alizee club, after about 50 m on the right side; bole road on the left side on the way from demble building to meskal square). achain with at least 3 locations. one of the best pizza in town.
Addis Cuisine
Wollo sefer. bole end of ethio chinese friendship rd,on the north side of 6 lane road. good western and ethiopian food.
Habesha
Bole rd. this cultural restaurant has traditional singing and dancing at night. if you're feeling brave, try the gored gored cubes of heavily salted and spiced raw beef. waiters are well mannered and kind, and most are very talented dancers.
Top end
Aladdin Restaurant
Bole rwanda. serves middle-eastern food. very expensive but authentic and delicious.
Top View Restaurant
past bole airport near gutara. very good food but can be expensive for a dinner meal.
Green View Italian Restaurant / Pizzeria
Bole mickey leland st, near atlas hotel. for an excellent pizza. there is another location near cmc.
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a typical meal for one, including soft drink: | |
| Budget | Below 50 ETB |
| Mid-range | 50-250 ETB |
| Splurge | 250 ETB+ |
Food is generally cheap. Make sure you try the national dish Injera at least once, since there is no other food like it. It is is a yeast-risen flat bread with a unique, slightly spongy texture. It is traditionally made out of teff flour. In making injera, teff flour is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for several days, as with sourdough starter. As a result of this process, injera has a mildly sour taste. It's what the locals eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most ordinary Ethiopian restaurants have it, and a serving for 2 people with free refills can be as cheap as 15 birr.