Eat · National Museum & Holy Trinity
Kitfo house, Museum Quarter
Finely minced beef mixed with spiced butter and chili powder, served raw (tere), lightly warmed (leb leb) or well-done (yebesele): choose your doneness when you order.
- Ethiopia's defining minced-beef dish
- Choose your doneness
- Museum Quarter convenience
- Near: National Museum and Holy Trinity Cathedral.
- Order: Kitfo (minced beef, rare or well-done)
- Table seating
- Walk-in window: Lunch, 12:00–14:30
- Menu with prices on Voykit
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
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Map & directions
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Plan
Open now, when you can walk in, what to order
Go now?
Open?
Hours not published
Easiest walk-in
Lunch, 12:00–14:30
Reservations
Walk-in, no reservation
Per person
ETB 350–6002026 estimate · check
Walk-in windows
A walk-in lunch is only planned as primary when your arrival lands outside the “impossible” window.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
How to order, tip and pay, allergies, and booking
Tipping
Rounding up is enough: far less than the 15–20% you would leave in the US.
Allergies and diets
- NoVegetarian / allergies · Ask for yebesele (well-done) if you'd rather avoid raw or rare beef; vegetarians should order a shiro or beyaynetu platter instead. · say: “Ask staff directly.”
- NoHalal
- AskGluten-free
Paying
- Cash is the safer default outside hotels and Bole restaurants.
Booking
- Booking
- Walk-in, no reservation
- Reservations
- Not taken
- Note
- Walk-in at most kitfo houses.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where this place is, how to get there, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
The pin marks the centre of National Museum & Holy Trinity: this place has no exact point on file.
More places in National Museum & Holy Trinity
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
How to order here, in full
How to order here
The order of play at the counter or table, what to say, how much to order and how to pay.
No shared language? Point at the dish or a photo of it. For a printed menu, translate a photo of it.
What to say
| In English | Say or show | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| How much is this? | Sint no? | sint noh |
| Not spicy, please | Yalkeberekem | yahl-keh-beh-reh-kem |
| The bill, please | Bill / Ansteyen | bill |
| Hello | Selam | seh-lahm |
| Thank you | Ameseginalehu | ah-meh-seh-gih-nah-leh-hoo |
Paying and tipping
Rounding up is enough: far less than the 15–20% you would leave in the US.
- Cash is the safer default outside hotels and Bole restaurants.
At the table
- Eating with your right hand, tearing injera to scoop the stew, is the norm; cutlery is offered but not expected.
- Fasting days (Wednesday and Friday, plus longer Orthodox fasting periods) mean many restaurants serve a meat-free menu by default — an easy day to eat vegetarian.
Paying, diet and allergies
Paying
Cash preferred; some houses take cards.
Diet and allergies
Yes means there is something for you; ask means possible with care; no means go elsewhere.
- Vegetarian / allergiesno
Ask for yebesele (well-done) if you'd rather avoid raw or rare beef; vegetarians should order a shiro or beyaynetu platter instead.
Show: Ask staff directly.
- Halalno
- Gluten-freeask
Who it suits, booking and the kitchen
Who it suits, booking, closures
- Dress code
- Casual.
| When | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly or holiday closures | check before you go | Check the specific restaurant's weekly closing day. |
Comfort, facts and cons
Hygiene and comfort
- Seating
- Chairs at tables
- Kids
- Rich and spiced; a well-done, mild portion works better for children
- Access
- step-free: check
Hygiene
- Choose an established, busy kitfo house; well-done reduces food-safety risk versus raw preparations.
Facts
- Reservations
- Not taken — Walk-in at most kitfo houses.
- Capabilities
- food · seated_rest
- Diet
- vegetarian: no · gluten free: ask · halal: no · note: Kitfo is beef; not halal-certified by default at most houses.
- Getting there
- Museum Quarter, near the university area · ~5 min walk
Cons
- Raw and lightly warmed preparations carry a higher food-safety risk than well-done; ask for yebesele if in doubt.
- Spiced butter (niter kibbeh) is rich; a smaller portion is available at most houses.
Dish glossary
| On the menu | What it is | Order it how |
|---|---|---|
| Kitfo | Finely minced beef mixed with mitmita chili powder and niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter). | — |
| Yebesele | Well-done preparation, the safer choice for visitors. | — |
Deep dive
Questions, alternatives, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Is it safe to eat raw?
Established kitfo houses handle it carefully, but well-done (yebesele) is the lower-risk choice for a visiting stomach.
Checked 2026-09-29 · Voykit desk
If it is closed or full
All places to eat in Addis Ababa, with filters →
Used as a seated rest node in Addis Ababa in 4 days.
Sources
- secondaryWikivoyage — Addis Ababa (eat)
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Source: Price per person
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Prices are 2026 estimates from the menu or the price line on file. Check on the day.
Source: Opening hours
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Source: Best time
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
The easiest walk-in window or the quietest hour in this guide. Crowd levels are desk estimates, not counts.