"Dar's Ethiopian institution since 1998, eaten by hand on injera under garden umbrellas — book ahead for a relaxed first date."
Addis in Dar has served doro wot under garden umbrellas off Ursino Street since 1998. The family-run Ethiopian restaurant sits behind a leafy terrace in Dar es Salaam, where guests eat from a shared platter of injera with low chairs and no cutlery. It has spent more than twenty-five years as the city's default answer for Ethiopian food, and reservations are wise because the garden fills.
There is no named head chef; the founding family has cooked Ethiopian standards here since 1998. The kitchen builds around the combination platter, a spread of stews scooped with injera flatbread by hand. Doro wot, the slow chicken stew, is the dish to order; misir wot, spiced red lentils, anchors the vegetarian side, with gomen greens and lamb alicha wot rounding out a platter. Kitfo, minced beef with spiced butter, is there for those who want it.
Prices read as moderate by international standards and a touch high for Dar, with most mains around TZS 45,000 and two dishes near TZS 90,000; a combination platter is built to share. Fodor's and the city's regulars rate it the leading Ethiopian table. See the Dar es Salaam dining guide; for a seafood evening instead, Karambezi Café sits on the water.
The setting is a garden terrace: low chairs around small woven tables, traditional umbrellas, and a tranquil, leafy feel rather than a formal dining room. It is quiet enough to talk, lit softly at night, and relaxed about pace and dress. Eating is communal and hands-on, so the room rewards people who lean into the ritual. It seats couples, solo diners and groups alike.
Book Addis in Dar for a first date because the garden is calm and private, the shared platter breaks the ice, and the slow pace gives you the whole evening to talk. Eating injera by hand is a built-in conversation. See the best for a first date guide, or 6 Degrees South for a livelier night.
Not for anyone in a hurry or set on cutlery — the food arrives on shared injera, is eaten by hand, and the kitchen cooks at its own unhurried pace.
Yes, if you want Dar es Salaam's most established Ethiopian table. The family has run it since 1998, the garden setting is calm and atmospheric, and the stews eaten by hand on injera are the real thing. Prices sit a little above local norms, but regulars and Fodor's still rate it the city's best Ethiopian food.
Not difficult, but worth doing. The restaurant opens at 17:00 and the garden fills on busy evenings, so phone ahead on +255 713 266 299 rather than just turning up, especially for a group. A same-day call is usually enough outside peak weekend nights.
Casual. This is a relaxed garden terrace with low chairs and woven tables, not a formal dining room, so everyday clothes are right. Because you eat with your hands from a shared platter, comfortable, easy clothing beats anything you would worry about spilling on.
Most mains run around TZS 45,000, and two dishes land near TZS 90,000, which is moderate by international standards and slightly high for Dar es Salaam. The combination platter is designed to share, so a couple can eat well by ordering one platter between them plus a few extras and drinks.
Order the combination platter so the table can taste several stews on one sheet of injera. Doro wot, the slow-cooked chicken stew, is the signature; misir wot lentils and gomen greens cover the vegetarian side, and kitfo suits anyone wanting spiced minced beef. Everything is scooped by hand, no cutlery needed.
Phone +255 713 266 299 to book. The garden fills in the evenings, so reserve ahead; opening is from 17:00.
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Addis in Dar's quiet garden and shared injera platters make it one of Dar es Salaam's easiest rooms for a first date.
See the first date guide →