Cafeography
Addis Ababa · Piassa

Cafés in Piassa

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

Photo: Lan Yao, Pexels License

Piassa, also written Piazza, is a neighborhood of Arada, the sub-city in the north of central Addis Ababa, at an average of nearly 2,444 m.1 The name is Italian for an open square. Mussolini's forces imposed it during the occupation of the 1930s, and Piazza grew into a center of commerce and culture.2

For coffee, Piassa means a counter. Tomoca, founded in 1953, still runs its original branch here as a standing bar, on Wavel Street by the Piassa Cathedral School.3 Around it are Trianon Cafe & Restaurant, Oslo (ኦስሎ ካፌ), Namrud Cafe, Hermon cafè & Restaurant, Alem Buna and Mamokacha Novis on Hailesilase Street, and on Churchill Avenue, Gâteau Café and ቁጥር ፰ ቡና (Number 8 Coffee).

Local tip: Drink your first macchiato standing at Tomoca on Wavel Street, then buy a bag at the same counter: the beans are sold packaged, whole or ground.3

At a glance

8Cafés listed
1With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
20:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Gâteau Café, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–20:00).
  • Most listed streets: Churchill Avenue (2).
  • Most common features: bakery café (13%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Addis Ababa.

Coffee chains in Piassa

Tomoca on Wavel Street

The classic order is a macchiato, medium or strong, and the shop sells packaged beans and ground coffee to take away. Don't expect armchairs.3 In 2015 Vice described Tomoca as a 60-year-old café whose first owner was Italian, pulling its macchiatos on two old espresso machines.4

Its prices have held better than most. By March 2025 the cost of 17 kg of coffee had jumped from 3,000 Br to 11,000 Br within months, yet Tomoca kept its cup at 95 Br and raised the price of its roasted and ground coffee by 20% instead.5

St. George's Cathedral and Churchill Avenue

St. George's Cathedral stands at the northern end of Churchill Road. The Italian engineer Sebastiano Castagna built it in 1911, and it is named after St. George because the church's tabot (ark) was carried to the Battle of Adwa, where Ethiopian forces defeated the Italians.6

Fascist authorities set the building on fire in 1937, and Haile Selassie restored it after the liberation of 1941. Empress Zewditu was crowned there in 1917 and Haile Selassie in 1930.6 Walking south down Churchill Avenue, Gâteau Café opens every day from 07:00 to 20:00 and has a pastry counter.

Taitu Hotel and the old streets

Empress Taitu Betul, wife of Menelik II, founded the Taitu Hotel in 1905 on Dejazmach Jote Street. It is described as the oldest hotel in Ethiopia, and a major fire damaged its main buildings on 11 January 2015.7 Menelik II Square, the Hager Fikir Theatre and Charles de Gaulle Square are in the same district.1

Redevelopment has changed the streets. A development project demolished parts of Piazza and left few old buildings standing; one survivor, the Italian-era building that housed the restaurant Castelli, was under renovation when Addis Fortune reported on it.2

Getting to Piassa

The light rail's Blue Line runs 16.9 km north to south from Menelik Square to Kaliti, and it opened on 20 September 2015.8 Menelik Square, its northern terminus, is in Arada, close to the cafés.1

By road, the trip from Bole can be slow. A morning in Piassa followed by lunch nearby works better than crossing the city twice.3

Sources

  1. Arada (district of Addis Ababa), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Fading Flavors, Addis Fortune, accessed October 2026
  3. Where to Drink Ethiopian Coffee in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Driver (Abel Gizaw, September 2026), accessed October 2026
  4. Jebena Buna Is the Only Way to Drink Ethiopian Coffee, Vice (Colin Cosier, June 22, 2015), accessed October 2026
  5. Brews Feel Heat of Spiraling Prices, Addis Fortune (March 16, 2025), accessed October 2026
  6. St. George's Cathedral, Addis Ababa, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. Taitu Hotel, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  8. Addis Ababa Light Rail, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Piassa cafés: questions

Where is the original Tomoca in Piassa, Addis Ababa?

Tomoca's original branch is on Wavel Street in Piassa, near the Piassa Cathedral School. Founded in 1953, it is a standing bar without armchairs, where the classic order is a macchiato, medium or strong. It also sells packaged beans and ground coffee to take away.

Why is Piassa in Addis Ababa called Piazza?

Piazza is Italian for an open square. Mussolini's forces imposed the name on the district during the occupation of the 1930s, and it grew into a center of commerce and culture. Piassa is part of Arada, the sub-city in the north of central Addis Ababa.

What landmarks are near the cafés of Piassa in Addis Ababa?

St. George's Cathedral stands at the northern end of Churchill Road; it was built in 1911, and Empress Zewditu and Haile Selassie were crowned there. The Taitu Hotel, founded by Empress Taitu Betul in 1905, is described as the oldest hotel in Ethiopia. Menelik II Square and the Hager Fikir Theatre are also in the district.

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