Antica-the best pizza in Addis Ababa

When we first learned that we'd be moving to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Justin sheepishly kept mentioning the consolation prize of our new home would be the ability to get an abundance of good Italian food.  There would be mozzarella and tomatoes and pasta available because the Italians don't occupy anywhere without bringing, and then leaving these things, right?  I had a hard time believing it at the time.

After living in Addis for a year, I am happy to say he wasn't wrong.  There is good Italian food in this city.    The mozzarella IS plentiful, as well as the ricotta, tomatoes, olive oil and Farina.  There are a few good Italian restaurants who make homemade pasta.  Pizza is everywhere.  There is a ton of mediocre pizza being made in this country.  But there is also some really decent pizza being made.  I'm not sure that I really needed a consolation prize after falling in love with the local culture and food, BUT having good pizza as a restaurant option is a highlights of Ethiopia for me.

We've tried a lot of pizza joints and we thought we'd found our favorite until we tried Antica a few weeks ago.  It was one of those restaurant names that kept floating around in conversation and we never knew quite where it was until one day (when Megan was in town) we found it!  We'll never go back to the other pizza places.  In a place where all the restaurants have access to the very same ingredients, Antica does brick oven thin crust pizza the best.  They have the best quality cheese, ham, mushrooms and a larger selection of combinations. My very favorite is the Buffalo chicken pizza which is topped with grilled chicken and blue cheese.  In the chaos that is lunch with our three children, the Buffalo chicken pizza was not the one sitting in front of me for the easiest photograph.  Below is the mushroom and ham pizza.  A very good option as well.

We tend to frequent restaurants at times when we're the only patrons so it's always quiet, if a bit dark on the inside.  I can picture the vibe in the evening as cozy and jazz club-esque.  The staff is friendly and the pizzas come quickly and fresh.  It's a perfect combination for our family.