Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Henok Guest House $
( 0116-624234; off Mike Leyland St; r Birr165-330)
The rooms here are set around a
sun-baked courtyard and are clean and as well-cared for as you can hope to find in this
price range. It's tucked away up a maze of dusty tracks, so it stays nice and quiet.
HOTEL
Melat Pension $
( 0118-951287; off Mike Leyland St; r without bathroom Birr150, r with bathroom Bir-
r200-250)
This smart, new guesthouse has well-cared-for rooms; the larger ones are kitted
out almost like miniature suites.
GUESTHOUSE
Eating
You lucky, lucky souls…you've either just stepped off a plane (Welcome to Ethiopia!
Lucky you!) and can experiment with your first genuine Ethiopian meals, or you've just
arrived from several weeks in Ethiopia's wilds (How amazing was that?! Lucky you!) and
can now say goodbye to repetitive
injera
and
wat
(stew) and sloppy pasta. Middle Eastern
or Italian? French or Ethiopian? It's all here for you to enjoy.
Many restaurants, particularly the smarter ones, add a 15% tax and 10% service charge
to their bills; check before you order.
Many Ethiopian restaurants offer a 'traditional experience': traditional food (called 'na-
tional food') in traditional surroundings with traditional music in the evening. You sit in
short traditional Ethiopian chairs, eating from a communal plate on a
mesob
(Ethiopian
table).
If you feel more adventurous, try the
kitfo bets,
which are typically ignored by tourists.
These restaurants usually serve little other than
kitfo
(minced beef or lamb like the French
steak tartare, usually served warmed - but not cooked - in butter,
berbere
- red, spicy
powder - and sometimes thyme).
If meat isn't your thing, you'll love Wednesday and Friday because fasting food (a vari-
ety of vegetarian dishes) is served by all Ethiopian restaurants.
Cafes and pastry shops are omnipresent in Addis, and you'll find them perfect for an af-
ternoon or early-morning pick-me-up. For places that stand out for their drinks,
Click here
, while those that make the grade in the edible end of the spectrum are found here.
Check out the Ethiopian Cuisine chapter,
Click here
, for more information about
Ethiopian cuisine and eating etiquette.
