Five Locations in One at Mesale

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The neighborhood behind Bole Medhanialem Cathedral Cathedral on Cameroon St., where Mesale (me-ssa-lé)  Bar and Restaurant opened for business with meat dishes as its specialty, used to be a quiet residential place, hardly known for its dining spots a few years ago.

But slowly it came to boast some of the more famous eating establishments in town, starting with Yod Abyssinia, a traditional restaurant, which had already made a name for itself with its colourful and vibrant cultural music shows near Desalegn Hotel before moving to this place.

Next followed Hat-Trick, a sports bar which started catering to the interests of the growing football watching crowd. Now the narrow street is crowded with cars who park on the side, to go to these restaurants on a nightly basis.

It was this changing landscape that made owner of Mesale, Solomon Girma, open a restaurant three weeks ago on the 1000 sqm land located on the same street as Hat-Trick, although he originally meant to use it as a residence.

But that decision was not the only time he would change his mind. Although the father of four had initially envisioned opening an Italian restaurant it was friends and family that made him change his mind to turn his eye towards serving local foods, with meat as a specialty. Read more