Addis in Cape Ethiopian Restaurant — Restaurant in City Centre

UPDATE:

It is rare that an establishment ups its game in response to feedback, but happily, Addis in Cape Ethiopian Restaurant improved its offering by reducing the concentration of tables and seats upstairs which makes the dining more relaxed.

The lighting has also been improved which immediately improves both the ambience as well as the vibe of the experience. And the wait? Reduced to just under 30 minutes from the previous wait of an hour and a half.

Sephi was a wonderful server and he makes it his mission to give you the full Ethiopian experience, including the ritual handwashing and taking pictures for your socials.

For wheelchair users, the access is hard and they will likely only have seating downstairs as there is no elevator.

The bathrooms are lovely- really first class and adds a touch of class to the venue, as does the neat outdoor seating (in summer).

It has an authentic Ethiopian atmosphere in Cape Town (which is a big deal to get right). Wait staff are friendly and great in assisting newbies in selecting the dishes that will work for them.

The food is tasty but it's more than just food. The whole place is an experience - think of it as gastronomic entertainment. Yes, and eating with your hands is cool.

I also hit the prep area with a sideways glance and saw it was clean and tidy, though very busy.

And this perhaps is a management problem: On a Saturday night, the wait was almost an hour and a half for the meal - that's way too long.

Sure there were apologies, but it's a management issue of not hiring enough staff to cope with crowds.

The restaurant also tries to maximise profit by place too close together - if your table is having an awkward silence, you can eavesdrop on your neighbouring table.

It's not wheelchair friendly - and even someone on crutches will struggle up the twisting staircase.

Don't expect cheap for this kind of experience and not everyone will get...

Please avoid at all costs! [Shared in Cape Town Vegan community] I ordered the vegan 3 course set menu and my friend ordered the meat one, where we clearly demanded that we want 2 sets so each of us will get a bread topped with their 8 dishes. The waiter acknowledged this would be fine as they "don't let people share the set". He hastily took the menu's from our hands saying he understands what we want, even though we wanted to look at which dishes we would get.

What we were served: one set having one starter, 4 meat dishes and 4 vegetarian dishes that the waiter added on to the same bread (without asking if if I have an allergy, or if I am fine with meat on the same plate which guests in the past have complained about in their reviews as well). When the bill came we were charged for 2 sets and the waiter got visibly angry that I was pointing out he didn't understand our order correctly, or his failure to point out intially if restaurant has a conflicting policy. What aggravated the situation was that the waiter cut the incorrect amount rather than what was stated on the bill.

He further added that the order would be the same even if there were 3 people (or more), but we would be paying 3 times the price (imagine 4 of your friends sharing same food in one plate, that too enough for 1 person). For reference, the cost to us of this 4-dish/person basic meal was R375 per person plus R80 for one drink. At the top-rated Gold restaurant, you each get a 14-dish meal for R455 (with unlimited drinks and entertainment) where each dish is exquisite. Please look at the guest-shared pictures of food from both places, and make the...

This was our favorite restaurant in all of Southern Africa! My husband and I ordered almost every entree on the vegan menu (11 dishes), including their 3 course set menu with 3 sides (we're foodies!). Every single one was delicious and made with fresh, healthy ingredients. My favorite was the Defin Misir Alicha - a brown lentil dish. I am going to try to find a recipe to make it back home in America! My husband raved about every dish that was seasoned with Berbere. He ordered a cocktail (the Spice Ethiopian Tosgne) which he still talks about because it was so good (and he's very picky about his cocktails, since he's an unofficial expert mixologist).

The service was exceptional. Our waiter (Linga?) was friendly and cheerful, prompt, personable, and respectful. The brief interactions we had with other waiters (and I think the owner) were all remarkably friendly. Our courses felt perfectly timed - neither rushed nor tardy. Our waiter even noticed that after the sun set, there were some mosquitoes near our outdoor table (we hadn't noticed) and was thoughtful enough to bring out some burning frankincense to repel them. It worked and smelled great!

Everything looked and felt clean. The tables, chairs, plates, and decor all crafted an atmosphere that felt authentic, pleasant, and not overdone.

They had so many options that we'd be comfortable bringing people there with all kinds of different needs - people who don't like spice or love spice, vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, dairy-free, whatever. It's very...