Things to do in Addis/Going Out

Dawit & Terri's guide to going out in Addis!

Though we tend to be creatures of habit and go to the same places most of the time, there is quite varied night-life in Addis. Here's some places we recommend you to go to when you're here (we'll try to bring you out too).

Around Kazanchis

Kazanchis is a central area, between Haile GebreSelassie Road and the Palace, with lots of small local bars and asmari bets. Asmari is a traditional form of music and singing, with the music played usually on a single-stinged instrument called the masinko and hand drums. The singers often sing about the people in the bar at the time, sometimes praising them, sometimes slagging them off. It's traditional to give them money - this might help get more praise! Money is given by sticking it somewhere on the person of the performer while they perform - sticking to the forehead is common, or into their clothing! And yes, that means notes rather than coins. Asmari is usually also accompanied by professional dancers who'll amaze you with the ways in which they can move their bodies, in traditional dress and doing the various different Ethiopian dances.

Le Bateau Ivre is a French-owned bar in Kazanchis, with interesting multi-coloured walls inside, a good vibe and a pleasant outdoor area (billed as 'the only beach in Addis'). The crowd is a mix of ferenjis and Ethiopians, helped by the fact that it's not ex-pat prices, more local prices. There's usually a small choice of hot food available in the evenings and they do a great lunch on week-days. There's live jazz music on Monday evenings.

Our evenings in Kazanchis often start in Le Bateau and continue onto Femdika, an asmari bet up the road. The musicians and dancers are excellent and the craic can be really good - though you might need an interpreter to tell you just what's being sung about you!

A good spot for dinner and drinks and late-night disco dancing is Rominas, up the road and across from Femdika. The food is very good and you can watch it being prepared as the kitchen is actually in the middle of the dining area. The Ethiopian tibs (small chunks of meat cooked in local spices) are excellent there.

There is another French-owned bar in the area, A La Vautre. This is on the Aware Rd (the turning opposite the Total station). There's good food here also and a regular clientele, often French but not exclusively so. Dawit's even played petanque out the front a few times (in between watching rugby matches - this is the place to go to catch rugby internationals on tv).

Around Haya Hulet

We live around Haya Hulet (literally - 22), so we frequent a few bars around there. Franco's is a late-night bar (actually, I think it's fair to say that most bars in Addis are late-night) that does a limited selection of traditional food. You can't go wrong with beer & tibs, really. Franco's is a few doors along on the left after you go through the lights on Haile GebreSelassie Rd, coming from the Meskel Square direction.

A few doors along is a Tigrayan dancing place - as in, they have live music, almost always Tigrayan music, and a bar. The double Tigray beat is quite catchy and you will find yourself dancing around in a circle, shuffling your feet and shrugging your shoulders as stylishly as you can!

Across the road is Segen bar & night-club - 'open 24 hours', as it says outside. Dawit's been there once or twice, Terri hasn't (not a 24 hour kind of girl these days ;)).

Pride Bar, on Togo St (turn left at the traffic lights if coming from Meskal Square), is a small, local bar. It's popular with VSOs, being just down the road from their office, and is cheap 'n' cheerful. Limited selection of Ethiopan food such as tibs or shiro.

If you take the road at the other side of the traffic lights junction from Togo St, you'll find lots of small bars that stay open very late. Some have 'bar girls' in them, some have music and dancing. Havana club is good for dancing.

Bole Rd.

Bole Road or 'off Bole Road' is where most of the trendy (or wanna-be trendy) places in Addis are. They also tend to be more expensive than other places for drinks. But we're not that trendy so we don't venture down there all that often :) But we can tell you about some places you might like to visit.

Black Rose is a lovely bar with comfy seating and lots of floaty decoration. They do cocktails as well.

Harlem Jazz is a bar and music venue, it can have good gigs going on, including local reggae bands. We once saw Steve Wall (of The Stunning and The Walls) play a few songs there (how could Terri ever have thought, all those years ago, that she'd again jump around to Brewing Up a Storm, in her 30s in Addis Ababa!!).

Night-clubs

Some hot-spots for night-clubbing are Memo's, Gaslight at the Sheraton and Fahrenheit (opposite Bole Medhane Alem, the big church/beside Edna Mall/Matti Multiplex).

The Koffee House is a live jazz venue, near Sedist Kilo, on the road to the Egypt Embassy. They also do food.