Sishu: an oasis in Addis

Sishu is currently the one and only restaurant in Ethiopia where I truly feel like we could be in America when we are there.  It's comfortable, affordable, beautiful and delicious!  Truly a gem in Addis.

At Sishu you can enjoy American style hamburgers while surrounded by stylish 60's vintage decor.  The lovely co-owner, Sishu, has made design a priority and maybe that's why spending time at this restaurant is such a pleasure.  There's plenty of space to sit and grab a book to read. 

There are ottomans and side tables as well as perfectly upholstered chairs. Everything is up-cycled and the entire collection feels comfortable yet carefully curated  Another perk for families is the incredibly high ceilings in the warehouse, so kid noise gets completely lost.  This is a huge plus for our family.

Most definitely the delicious cheeseburgers and perfect french fries keep us, and all other, customers coming back time and time again.  It's a cheeseburger I'd seek out in the States to eat.  The buns are handmade and you can watch them rising in the big open air kitchen.  The staff is friendly and helpful and the eco friendly paper mache furniture is delightful to inspect and explore. 

We run into friends at Sishu every time we go.  Who wouldn't want to spend an afternoon eating delicious American comfort food in this hip spot?  It's like going home!

Sishu is now located across from the Abattoir behind GM furniture

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.

Aba Guben Bakery

I am always elated to be introduced to a new restaurant in Addis Ababa. I guess I thought we'd find three good restaurants and have to rotate between them for two and a half years.  It's not the case! Justin often finds little gems and then take us on the weekend.  That's exactly what we did today.  Justin has been raving about Aba Guben Bakery for a week.  We all went today for lunch.

The atmosphere is really nice.  Upstairs is an airy dining room with large windows.  The downstairs area has cafe style seating with a dessert display case and the brick oven for the pizzas.

Pizza is where the girls got hooked.  There is pizza all over Addis Ababa.  Some of it is decent.  Some of it is a sad representation of pizza.  Aba Guben's pizza is good.  The cheese is good and the girls liked the olives.  The dough is a tad underdone and floppy for me but I noticed the outer edges were burnt a bit.  Maybe they need to adjust the oven a bit.  I'm being picky here but I like my thin crust nice and crisp.

The little Italian bakery/restaurant has their own unique hot tea blend called Aba Guben tea (chai).  It's a spicy ginger tea infused with oregano and sweetened with honey.  It's an explosion of flavor.  I've never tasted anything like it.  It's definitely the best thing on their menu.  Justin loves it so much I promised him I will try to replicate the amazing ginger oregano honey combination at home.  Oregano?! It sounds strange but it's so wonderful.

Justin had a spicy red sauced pasta and I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli in a mushroom cream sauce.  It was delicious.  The pasta is made fresh and the sauce was flavorful.

Abu Guben really won me over with the little appetizer plates full of seasoned tomatoes and croutons provided complimentary with your meal.  I'm a sucker for starters.

I'm also a sucker for gorgeous rustic pottery.  So I pretty much loved this place.

The girls dug the dessert case.  Sadly, the cream puffs we brought home we lacking.  First off, they were labeled beignets in the case but most definitely were cream puffs.  Both girls weren't fans of the cream in the middle.  I told them we can do better at home.

For a map and directions

The Four Sisters Restaurant

As you can imagine, Gonder worked it's way into my heart immediately.  Justin said the moment he arrived in Gonder a few weeks ago he took one look around and said "my wife would love it here, I'm bringing my family back". He was right and he did!  The history, the culture, the smells and sights and sounds.  It honestly felt like I might have walked through time back to the 18th century (only I brought the hot water heater with me for showering).

One of the gems of our trip for me was eating amazing Ethiopian food.  Justin travels a ton and eats more local cuisine that me. I don't have an Ethiopian cook to make me tibs and injera every week so I am always craving Ethiopian food (usually when Justin's craving a burger).  Our cravings don't always match up so I was thrilled to be "stuck" eating Ethiopian food in Gonder this weekend.





We lucked out because The Four Sisters Restaurant in Gonder is superb.  The atmosphere is wonderful and the dinning area is up to Western standards; simply top notch.  Everything was authentic and delicious and oh boy the bozena shiro was amazing.  I could have eaten it for three meals a day both days we were in town.  The four sisters were there and actually own and run the restaurant.

Tej pouring

Their mother brews the Tej which is honey mead or wine.  It's the best Tej I've ever tasted.  The flavors are complex and it's not too strong.

coffee beans roasted for coffee ceremony

They perform a traditional coffee ceremony for all the guests.  Coffee beans are roasted right in front of you and let you smell them after they are roasted.  Then they brew the coffee and you get a cup after dinner.

hand washing

traditional music

incense burning

In Gonder I don't think there is any other place you need to visit to eat.  The tibs and injera were delicious, the vegetable rice, spinach and cabbage were flavored well.  But the bozena shiro won my heart.

ceilings painted with traditional Ethiopian paintings