Eat · Merkato
Street food, Merkato
Sambusa and shiro wat with injera from a stall near the market entrance: eat here for a fast, cheap lunch before or after browsing — go with a small day bag, no valuables on show.
- Cheapest hot lunch near Merkato
- Vegetarian-friendly shiro
- Fast
- Near: Merkato market lanes and Anwar Mosque.
- Order: Sambusa or shiro wat with injera
- Counter seating
- Walk-in window: 11:00–15:00
- Vegetarian options
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
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, when you can walk in, what to order
Go now?
Open?
Hours not published
Easiest walk-in
11:00–15:00
Reservations
Walk-in, no reservation
Per person
ETB 100–2002026 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
- AskVegetarian / allergies · Shiro wat (chickpea-flour stew) is vegetarian by default and a safe, filling choice; check sambusa filling before ordering. · say: “Ask staff directly.”
- AskHalal
- AskGluten-free
Paying
- Cash is the safer default outside hotels and Bole restaurants.
Booking
- Booking
- Walk-in, no reservation
- Reservations
- Not taken
- Note
- Street stall; no reservations.
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 Merkato: this place has no exact point on file.
More places in Merkato
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 (birr) only.
Diet and allergies
Yes means there is something for you; ask means possible with care; no means go elsewhere.
- Vegetarian / allergiesask
Shiro wat (chickpea-flour stew) is vegetarian by default and a safe, filling choice; check sambusa filling before ordering.
Show: Ask staff directly.
- Halalask
- Gluten-freeask
What is in the dishes
- Sambusa (fried pastry, lentil or meat filling)wheat
Read from the menu names and notes; recipes vary and cross-contact is not tested. Check with the kitchen.
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 | Most stalls work daytime only; check locally. |
Comfort, facts and cons
Hygiene and comfort
- Seating
- Standing or a shelf: no proper seats
- Kids
- Shiro wat is a mild, familiar option for most children; sambusa is a popular snack
- Access
- step-free: check
Hygiene
- Choose a stall with hot, freshly cooked food and steady turnover.
Facts
- Reservations
- Not taken — Street stall; no reservations.
- Capabilities
- food
- Diet
- vegetarian: yes · gluten free: ask · halal: ask
- Getting there
- Streets near the Merkato market entrance · ~5 min walk
Cons
- Standing or low-stool seating only at most stalls.
- Keep bags close and leave your passport at the hotel — Merkato is a pickpocketing hotspot.
Dish glossary
| On the menu | What it is | Order it how |
|---|---|---|
| Sambusa | A fried pastry triangle filled with spiced lentils or meat, similar to a samosa. | — |
Deep dive
Questions, alternatives, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Is it safe to eat street food here?
Choose a busy stall with visible, fast turnover and freshly cooked food; that's the best guide anywhere in the city.
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.