Cafeography
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Cafés in Addis Ababa macchiato, normal or strong

A standing macchiato at Tomoca's Wavel Street bar in Piassa, a German bakery on Cameroon Street in Bole and fasting macchiatos made with creamer near Bole Medhanialem.

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Photo: Abenezer Muluken, Pexels License

68Cafés listed
0Open by 6am
1Open past 10pm
1Specialty & roasters

Addis Ababa, Amharic for "new flower", was named by Empress Taytu Betul and Emperor Menelik II after settlement began in 1886, and the city sits at 2,355 m.1 Coffee runs through the working day. People drink it at home, from a neighborhood seller who brews it in a jebena (clay coffee pot), or standing at the counter of a Tomoca branch before heading back to work.2

The counter drink is the macchiato, popularized during the Italian occupation of the late 1930s and early 1940s, though some date its arrival to 1900.2 The Addis version turns the Italian one around: a glass of foamed milk stained with espresso, and probably the commonest order in the city's cafés.3

Piassa, the old center, keeps the oldest counters. Tomoca opened in 1953, and its original branch on Wavel Street, near the Piassa Cathedral School, is still a standing bar with no armchairs.4 The newer chains spread east toward the airport. Moyee has a branch near Bole Medhanialem, where a tsom (fasting) macchiato is made with creamer instead of milk.2

Start with a sefer

Addis Ababa by area

Addis Ababa is divided into sub-cities. Piassa belongs to Arada, the historic core in the north of the center, and Olympia, Lancha and Kera to Kirkos.1314 The widest choice of cafés is in Bole, out along the road to the airport, while the oldest counters are in Piassa.

Piassa

The old center around St. George's Cathedral, with Tomoca's standing bar on Wavel Street.

8 cafés

Mexico, Sar Bet & Old Airport

Southwest of the center, from Mexico Square past the African Union to the Old Airport.

7 cafés

Bole

Cafés off Bole Road, from Medhanialem to the airport, with bakeries on Cameroon Street.

22 cafés

Olympia, Lancha & Kera

Africa Avenue south of Meskel Square, with a roaster near Olympia and early pastries in Kera.

11 cafés
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Pastry shops & bakeries

Keik bet cake houses and bakery-cafés, from Cameroon Street to Merkato.

10 cafés

Piassa 8 cafés

More about cafés in Piassa

Arat Kilo & Sidist Kilo 1 cafés

Merkato 5 cafés

Kazanchis & Urael 5 cafés

The Blue Hen

  • Mon–Sat 08:00–21:00 · Sun 08:00–19:00
  • +251 99 172 1626
  • Outdoor seating
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Meskel Square & Stadium 3 cafés

Mexico, Sar Bet & Old Airport 7 cafés

More about cafés in Mexico, Sar Bet & Old Airport

Bole 22 cafés

More about cafés in Bole

Olympia, Lancha & Kera 11 cafés

More about cafés in Olympia, Lancha & Kera

Hayahulet & Megenagna 5 cafés

Mekanisa 1 cafés

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Coffee chains in Addis Ababa

Branches by area

Before you sit down

How coffee works in Addis Ababa

Buna (ቡና) is the Amharic word for coffee.5 Brewed the traditional way in a jebena, it comes black and sweetened with heaped teaspoons of sugar, and popcorn is almost always served with it. Spris, coffee and tea mixed in one cup, gets the same heaped spoonful.6

Macchiato strength is your call. Tomoca's baristas ask whether you want it normal or strong, and at Mamokacha the choice is strong, light or "normal", though no two cafés define the terms the same way.62 At Tomoca, a 2017 visitor found no such thing as coffee to go: you drink it at the bar.7

Check which clock a time refers to. Almost all Ethiopians use a 12-hour clock that starts at dawn, so 07:00 is 1 o'clock in the morning and noon is 6 o'clock.8 Tipping is modest: round up the bill by about 5% in local places, and leave about 10% in restaurants aimed at foreigners when no service charge is included. Carry cash, because card acceptance is growing but still limited.9

Beans make the easiest souvenir. Tomoca sold roasted and ground coffee at 2,560 Br a kilo in March 2025, after a 20% rise.10 Departing passengers may carry up to 2 kg of coffee without special authorization; buy roasted, sealed bags, because raw green coffee needs an agricultural permit to leave the country.4

What coffee costs in Addis Ababa

DrinkTypical price
ቡና (buna)
Cup from a traditional coffee vendor		25 Br
Mesalemia, March 2025
ቡና at Tomoca
Cup of coffee at Tomoca		95 Br
Tomoca, March 2025
ማኪያቶ (macchiato)
Macchiato at a café near 4 Kilo		120 Br
Reboot Coffee menu, October 2026
Iced latte
Iced latte, same café		240 Br
Reboot Coffee menu, October 2026
ቡና, 1 kg
Tomoca roasted or ground coffee		2,560 Br
Tomoca, March 2025

Street and Tomoca prices are from Addis Fortune's March 2025 report: traditional vendors in Mesalemia had raised a cup to 25 Br, while Tomoca held its cup at 95 Br and put up bean prices instead.10 The macchiato and iced latte are from Reboot Coffee's online menu in October 2026.11 Budget for more: coffee and other non-alcoholic drinks cost about a third more in July 2026 than a year earlier.12

Sources

  1. Addis Ababa, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Addis Ababa, Sprudge (Tidenek Haileselassie, March 17, 2025), accessed October 2026
  3. The Legendary Macchiato, Reqiq (November 10, 2023), accessed October 2026
  4. Where to Drink Ethiopian Coffee in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Driver (Abel Gizaw, September 2026), accessed October 2026
  5. ቡና (bunna), Wiktionary, accessed October 2026
  6. Jebena Buna Is the Only Way to Drink Ethiopian Coffee, Vice (Colin Cosier, June 22, 2015), accessed October 2026
  7. In Ethiopia, Coffee Requires Community, Edible Jersey (Hillary Richard, January 1, 2017), accessed October 2026
  8. Time in Ethiopia, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  9. Money: travel information, Boundless Ethiopia, accessed October 2026
  10. Brews Feel Heat of Spiraling Prices, Addis Fortune (March 16, 2025), accessed October 2026
  11. Menu, Reboot Coffee, 4 Kilo (online menu, October 2026), accessed October 2026
  12. Ethiopia's Inflation Surges to 15.3% As Sugar, Coffee Prices Soar, Addis Standard via AllAfrica (August 26, 2026), accessed October 2026
  13. Arada (district of Addis Ababa), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  14. Kirkos, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
More to read

Guides

Coffee cultures

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony: buna, the jebena and three rounds

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony step by step: green beans roasted for guests, the clay jebena, abol, tona and baraka, Addis macchiatos and 2024/25 export figures.

FAQ

Cafés in Addis Ababa: common questions

What is a macchiato in Addis Ababa?

In Addis Ababa a macchiato is a glass of foamed milk stained with espresso, closer to an Italian latte macchiato than to the espresso-based original. It became popular during the Italian occupation of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Baristas will ask how you want it: normal or strong at Tomoca, and strong, light or normal at Mamokacha.

Which neighborhood of Addis Ababa has the most cafés?

Bole and Olympia, Lancha & Kera have the most cafés, followed by Piassa. Bole stretches out to the airport and has the newer chains and the biggest group of pastry shops. Piassa keeps the oldest counter in the city, Tomoca's standing bar on Wavel Street.

How much does a coffee cost in Addis Ababa?

In March 2025 traditional coffee vendors in Mesalemia charged 25 Br a cup, and Tomoca held its cup price at 95 Br. In October 2026 Reboot Coffee near 4 Kilo charged 120 Br for a macchiato and 240 Br for an iced latte. Prices keep rising: coffee and other non-alcoholic drinks cost about a third more in July 2026 than a year earlier.

Do you tip in cafés in Addis Ababa?

Tipping in Addis Ababa is modest. In local places, round up the bill by about 5%; in restaurants aimed at foreigners, about 10% is usual when no service charge is included. Carry cash, because card acceptance in Ethiopia is growing but still limited.

How much coffee can you take home from Addis Ababa?

Departing passengers may take up to 2 kg of coffee out of Ethiopia without special authorization. Buy roasted, sealed bags, because raw green coffee needs an agricultural permit to export. In March 2025 Tomoca sold its roasted and ground coffee at 2,560 Br a kilo.

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