The perfect evening in Addis Ababa

Ah, Addis Ababa evenings. If you know how to spend them, life in the Ethiopian capital becomes a delightfully retro movie out of Mad Men (with a pleasant touch of Habesha culture).

If you’ve never been to Addis Ababa, this article is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich descriptions of this Ethiopian evening, getting a glimpse into the magic of life in this exotic destination.

If you are in Addis: let’s create memories and make Addis Ababa nights the best of our lives.

The key to enjoying Addis Ababa is embracing the blend of the cozy, nostalgic, old-fashioned atmosphere with the newly modern, glamorous, chic air of the capital.

A perfect evening in Addis is a unique experience. It combines good food, good music, good wine and good people.

Now, a perfect Addis Ababa evening can come in many different ways, which is why I have planned 3 different guides for 3 different types of evenings. One is The Retro Addis Ababa Evening, for jazz clubs and cozy restaurants from the 50’s.

One is The Modern Chic Addis Ababa Evening, for when you miss glamorous, grandiose, elegant, fashionable, contemporary spaces to delect yourself in tasteful cocktails and dishes, not without a very musical, rustic touch to the evening. Remember, in Addis, it’s all about the balance of past and present, modern and rustic.

And, lastly, there’s the Classic Addis Ababa evening, a slow-paced, glamorous, and absolute classic of diplomatic Ethiopian evenings.

The first article of this series focuses on the Retro Addis Ababa Evening, a night that’s delicious for the mouth, for the eyes and for the ears. This night is a wonderful combination of many pleasurable qualities of human enjoyment. Thrilling views of the capital’s skyline, deliciously cold, exotic cocktails, cozy Addis Ababan villas, fresh italian pasta, three course meals and a complete surrender to the ecstasy of the one and only ethio-jazz in the dimmed, glamorous, dream-like African Jazz Village.

Let’s get started.

1)Drinks at Union

Starting out evenings at Union Restaurant is always a good idea. The loungey, relaxing atmosphere, with what is possibly the best view of Addis Ababa, really sets the mood right. It is so relaxing and so glamorous to meet friends at Union to sip some pretty drinks while catching up. The electric ambiance re-energizes and soothes one from a long day of work or exploration. Union truly feels like a breath of fresh air, in the heart of Addis Ababa. Enjoy the best view of the capital, admiring the futuristic skyline and the beautifully illuminated Meskel Square at your feet while sipping the most original cocktails of Ethiopia. Loungey afrobeats, a fantastic collection of unique cocktails, and glamorous city views make Union an incredibly pleasurable place to meet for happy hour. (From my article The Best 3 Places to Meet Up in Addis Ababa)

2)Dinner at Mamma Mia

Credits to Fitsum Teklu

After a glamorous time at Union Restaurant, head to Mamma Mia for a delicious, sumptuous yet light dinner. The lightness of this restaurant balances the evening perfectly, with the best energizing afrobeats cocktail bar of Addis before and the iconic, overwhelming and mesmerizing African Jazz Village afterwards. Mamma Mia’s cozy interior, incredibly tasty yet simple food and overall casually happy and welcoming atmosphere is a perfect balancer, bringing this memorable evening to a perfect equilibrium.

Mamma Mia is an old villa from the 50s, and its history is palpable in every corner of this beautiful house. The warm purple walls, the luminous yet cozy lighting, the homey chimney and the wooden planked floors all combine wonderfully for an extremely relaxing and pleasant time. However, it’s the food that brings it all together. Made from probably the freshest ingredients of Addis Ababa, the delectable ingredients all come together in a refreshing, tasty, rich yet simple Italian cuisine. The pastas, the salads and the meats are all classics, so delicious and so to the point. No overcooked meals, no foods bathing in oil, no complex combinations of spices. It’s Italian cuisine with beautifully fresh ingredients in a vintage old Addis Ababan villa, nothing less and nothing more.

Mamma Mia is like a breath of fresh air, a delight for your tastebuds, your stomach and your eyes. It’s one of the rare restaurants where you actually feel more refreshed when you leave than when you make your entrance. So satisfying and comforting, so tasty yet refreshing, Mamma Mia’s calm, happy atmosphere and delicious food will flush your cheeks with joyful contentment and leave you fulfilled and satisfied.  

Bruno, the owner, always welcomes you with a big smile. The hospitality, elegance and deliciousness of Mamma Mia makes this restaurant a well-liked, happy place in Addis Ababa.

My recommendation from the menu is orecchiette bolognese. The pasta tastes fresh and perfectly al dente, with a rich, gluttonous and comforting bolognese ragout, tasty to perfection.

Credits to Tin Tin Dinh

3)Listening to ethiojazz at the African Jazz Village

Photo by Travel To Ethiopia

African Jazz Village, owned by the very father of Ethiopian Jazz, Mulatu Astatke, is a marvel. Ethiojazz is an unbelievably thrilling, exciting, and complex music genre. An intricate, elaborate yet free and easy fusion of jazz and traditional Ethiopian music, the African Jazz Village scene is the creme de la creme, the one place in the world you should go to if you want to immerse yourself and get lost in the dreamy, complex melodies of lyres, saxophones, pianos and stringed instruments of the Ethiopian Highlands. The dark, dimmed atmosphere has a pleasant, glamorous dream-like quality. With cold Habesha beers or some velvety red wine, good friends or the perfect company of your ears, sitting down on the plushy couches of African Jazz Village to feel every vibration of the overwhelming beauty and complexity of ethiojazz in every cell of your body is surreally beautiful. African Jazz Village sees the most cultured people of Addis Ababa in its warm, comfortable, loungey interiors on cool, crisp Addis nights.

A good life involves good music, and having a glamorous haven of good music in your city is essential for a fulfilled desire for culture and harmony. The simple act of crossing African Jazz Village’s doors feels like stepping into a different world, an enclosed planet of dimmed lights, passionate musicians, jazzy melodies, hypnotizing piano solos, serpentine refrains of Ethiopian lyres and silky red wines from the Ethiopian Rift Valley.

This classy sanctuary for lovers of good art is a marvelous part of Addis life, a haven turning your Ethiopian life into a glamorous vintage movie, mixing seductive elegance with the exoticism of Abyssinia, while simultaneously fusing groovy Western jazz with the haunting beauty of captivating traditional Ethiopian melodies.

Good food, good views and great music. This evening is a dream-like moment in time, a refuge filled with purple skylines, invigorating afrobeats, scrumptious Italian food in cozy, historical villas, and the one and only, iconic ethiojazz club of African Jazz Village. Succumbing to the relaxing pleasures of this night will give you quality time in an exciting city, opening a world of supreme enjoyment in the gorgeous capital of Ethiopia: አዲስ አበባ.