Addis Ababa - Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland - page 100

STREET NAMES

Finding a street sign in Addis can be something of an art form and then, when you do find one, it's likely that no
local will actually know the street by that name. In fact, aside from a couple of streets (Churchill Ave, Bole Rd,
Meskal Sq and a few others) it's highly unlikely that any local will have any idea what the street is called. Most
people, taxi drivers included, use landmarks in order to enquire about the location of something. When trying to get
to a specific place, asking for the nearest big hotel to it, or shopping centre or well-known restaurant, is more likely
to garner a result than merely giving a street name.

We have included the names of the major streets on our maps, but even so it's likely that with many of these loc-
als will have half-a-dozen different names or no name at all for the same road. So, the moral of the story? Get creat-
ive when trying to locate something!

CENTRE

Dashen Traditional Restaurant $$
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( 0115-529746; off Itegue Taitu St; mains Birr100-145; 10am-10pm) From the out-
side, this Ethiopian eatery doesn't look promising. However, if you venture in past the
courtyard, you'll find a lovely, low-key dining area, with stone walls, local art and bam-
boo furniture. The soft lighting and intimate surrounds are perfect for your first awkward
attempts at injera . Its fasting food is particularly good (it's also available with fish).
There's live music Wednesday to Sunday evenings.

ETHIOPIAN

Shaheen $$$
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( 0115-171717; Sheraton Hotel, Itegue Taitu St; mains US$11-35; noon-3pm &
7-11.30pm) Set within the Sheraton's confines, Shaheen is Addis Ababa's most sophistic-
ated Indian restaurant. The decor in the restaurant is grand and the melange of Indian cur-
ries and tandooris is vast.

INDIAN

Stagion $$$
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( 0115-171717; Sheraton Hotel, Itegue Taitu St; mains US$14-29; noon-3pm &
7-11.30pm) If vitello caluzza (sautéed veal scaloppini with diced tomatoes, peas, white
wine and garlic served with spaghetti) or cartuccio di pesce persico del Nilo con patate e

ITALIAN