5 Best Addis Ababa Restaurants for Peace Corps Volunteers

Yellow Tent

Yellow Tent may not be its real name (and we couldn’t tell you what it is even if we wanted to), but it has been crowned the Jewel of Peace Corps Volunteer bonding since…well, we don’t know when, either.

It is right up the street from our usual ‘in the city for whatever training’ pad. Featuring a lovely outdoor patio, a series of yellow tents and plastic tables, and a somewhat, generally stocked bar, all you need to do is ask for a Turbo.

While they generally have their usual eats like shiro and bayunet, they will occasionally have tibs or even shakla.

Fasting? Don’t worry, so are they! Fasting options feature fish tibs and, wait for it, more shiro!

Stop on by, grab a beer, and join in some good, old-fashioned shenanigans here at the Yellow Tent!

Five Loaves

If you’re looking for a special occasion spot or need a classy taste of the finer frenji life, this is the place for you! A staple for all those holiday and homesick needs, Five Loaves is a beautiful restaurant somewhere in Addis Ababa. Google or your random taxi driver probably know where to go.

Come spend your money at the pricey, yet totally worth it restaurant. Their main draw for our volunteers is their fabulous brunch, great for Easter or Christmas…or even, dare I say, a date!

It includes such favorite, exotic delights as Eggs Benedict or waffles. The chef and staff are caring and boast fantastic English skills. Feel at home amongst the frenji and Addisian elite as you sit down with a bubbly mimosa.

Opium

Again, up the street from our home away from home away from the village, Opium is a five-star-for-a-volunteer kind of place.

Veritably a clone of the surrounding suks on the outside and a classy, cramped, atmospheric experience on the inside, you’ll get a chance to taste delicious Central Ethiopian standards.

They even have some Tigrinian specialties to boot!

Bonus, I have not once gotten any kind of infection, food poisoning, or disease from this great spot!

Timsalet

You have got to love a good female-run, help-the-women initiative. Timsalet was established with the goal of helping its Queens by providing skills and jobs while giving its staff work and leadership experience.

It has delectable entrees from traditional to foreign, including some bomb lasagna and great barbecue chicken pizza. They serve delightful bayunets, too.

You’ll feel great from both the food and the charity while sipping that really special Special Tea*.

*Includes alcohol

Pizza Hut

Homesick? Brand new and poppin’, the Pizza Hut in Bole is home away from home, truly.

You think you won’t want it, but a month or two at the village will have you begging for a slice. Gooey, cheesy, and with all the toppings we know and love, you’ll be handing over that birr faster than grease pops in a skillet.

Yes, it may be on the expensive side, but hey, this is Addis.

Don’t forget to try their crunchy chicken and grab a Heineken because you won’t get this kind of class in your village.

*Disregard all sarcasm upon completion.