Expatriates Forums in Ethiopia

NIGHTLIFE IN ETHIOPIA / ETHIOPIA NIGHTLIFE GUIDE

Ethiopia Info — Wed Feb 28, 2007 4:21 am

Author: Ethiopia Info

Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 4:21 am

NIGHTLIFE IN ETHIOPIA

GENERAL

The small Azmari Bet, the small funny bars, the open-air bars, the traditional and modern night clubs with a friendly atmosphere will make your nightlife in Addis Ababa very enjoyable.

Basically Addis is famous for its nightlife. People from all over Ethiopia and also from neighbouring countries like Djibouti come here to enjoy its thrilling nightlife.

Generally it's a safe city but you should avoid going through the small and dark streets at night which are always not very safe in any city.

All kind of drinks are available in all the bars, from blue label to vodka. A warning to male travellers, outside of the Gaslight, The Blackrose and other expat haunts, women in Ethiopian nightclubs are almost all prostitutes. The Concorde and Memos are particulary famous in this regard.

If you want to drink the national drink of Ethiopia, you have to try the 'tej' which brewed from honey. You can also try 'tela' which is like a beer.

INTERESTING PLACES TO UNWIND

* Gaslight is the fancy nightclub at the Sherton. If the famous owner Al Moudi is in town, you may catch a glimpse of him here. Inside, it feels like an upscale Western disco. Be sure not to wear jeans or sneakers, as they have a fairly strict dress code.

* Memo is a seedy nightclub with a pretty good dance floor. Be sure to try the bozena shiro in the outdoor courtyard.

* Club Illusion is the best in Addis. There is a cover charge but the drinks inside are very inexpensive. The music and dancing is great. Like usual, the main problem is the bathrooms.

* Meda Sports Bar and Grill has a large, spacious bar which is comfortable for chatting or watching a game. The downstairs lounge provides a more intimate setting for quiet conversations. And upstairs, the loft has a relaxed, casual dining atmosphere – all the best of Ballston, VA in one convenient stop!

* The Black Rose has an energetic atmosphere that is both comfortable and fashionable, and the bar serves a variety of drinks. The bartenders mix the best Cosmo this side of the Nile.

* Divine on Bole Road, on the top floor of Sheger House, is currently one of the coolest clubs in Addis. It features a very western-orientated playlist along with ample space for relaxing and a pumping dance floor on weekends.

FOOD & DINING IN ETHIOPIA / ETHIOPIA DINING GUIDE

Ethiopia Info — Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:59 am

Author: Ethiopia Info

Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:59 am

FOOD & DINING IN ETHIOPIA

Ethiopian food is one of the most unique in the world; most would agree that the look, feel and taste is quite different from other types of foods served around the world. The constant is a soft, flat bread known as Injera. It is made out of teff, a grain harvested only in Ethiopia. Injera is served with various meat and vegetarian sauces.

Menus in the best hotels offer international food and Addis Ababa also has a number of good Chinese, Italian and Indian restaurants. Traditional restaurants in larger cities serve food in a grand manner around a brightly coloured basket-weave table called a masob. Before beginning the meal, guests will be given soap, water and a clean towel, and the right hand is used to break off pieces of bread with which the rest of the meal is gathered up. Cutlery is not used.

National specialties

• Ethiopian food is based on dishes called we’t (meat, chicken or vegetables, cooked in a hot pepper sauce), served with or on injera (a flat spongy bread).

• Dishes include shivro and misir (chickpeas and lentils, Ethiopian-style) and tibs (crispy fried steak).

• There is a wide choice of fish including sole, Red Sea snapper, lake fish, trout and prawns.

National drinks

• Ethiopian coffee from the province of Kaffa, with a little rue added for extra aroma, is called ‘health of Adam’.

• Local red and dry white wines are worth trying.

• Talla (Ethiopian beer).

• Kaitaka (a pure grain alcohol), cognac (a local brandy) and tej (an alcoholic drink based on fermented honey).

PLACES TO DINE

Castelli Restaurant
Infront of Mahmoud music shop,
Piassa,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 11 1571757

Don Vito Restaurant
Debre Zeit Road,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 11 4653809

Habesha Restaurant
Next to Sabit Building,
Bole Road,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 11 5518358

il Caminetto Restaurant
In front of Brass Hospital,
Bole Road,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 11 6625587

Le Jardin Restaurant
Meskel Flower Road,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 11 4166956

Loti Restaurant
3rd Floor Tebaber Berta Building,
Wolo Sefer,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 11 5531313

Makush Gallery
2nd Floor Mega Building,
Bole Road,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 11 5526848

Rico's Restaurant
Next to Assay Public School,
Bole Road,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 11 5539462

Top View Restaurant
Up the hill from the Megenagna Roundabout,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 11 6627340

SHOPPING IN ETHIOPIA / ETHIOPIA SHOPPING GUIDE

Ethiopia Info — Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:00 am

Author: Ethiopia Info

Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:00 am

SHOPPING IN ETHIOPIA

Special purchases include local jewellery (sold by the weight of gold or silver), woodcarvings, illuminated manuscripts and prayer scrolls, wood and metal crosses, leather shields, spears, drums and carpets. In marketplaces, bargaining is expected, but prices at shops in towns are fixed.

Shopping hours

Mon-Fri 0800-1300, 1400-2000; Sat 0900-1300, 1500-1900 (with local variations).

Banking hours

Mon-Thur 0800-1500, Fri 0800-1100 and 1330-1500, Sat 0830-1100.

Currency

Ethiopian Birr (ETB) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of ETB100, 50, 10, 5 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents.

Currency exchange

US Dollar bills are the most convenient currency to exchange.

Credit & debit cards

Diners Club and MasterCard are accepted on a very limited basis (only the Hilton Hotel is certain to accept them). Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travellers cheques

To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.

Currency restrictions

The import of local currency is limited to ETB100. The export of local currency up to ETB100 is permitted, provided the traveller holds a re-entry permit. The import and export of foreign currency is unlimited, subject to declaration on arrival.