Café de la Gare — Café / Breakfast, Djibouti City
Café de la Gare sits beside the historic Djibouti-Addis Ababa railway station — the terminus of the line built by the French between 1897 and 1917 that connected the Ethiopian highland capital to the Red Sea coast. The railway itself is now operated by Chinese contractors, but the café beside the colonial-era station carries the layered history of a century of Horn of Africa commerce.
The morning menu is French-colonial: café au lait, baguette with butter and jam, and the occasional croissant that arrives on the Djibouti-Paris freight connection. The quality has been consistent since the current family took over from the previous family in the 1970s.
The coffee here is made with Ethiopian beans — sourced from the highlands that the railway was built to connect — roasted locally and brewed in a large French press that has been in the family for decades. It is among the better cups in the Horn of Africa.
The morning session at Café de la Gare captures something of what Djibouti City's commerce has always been — a crossing point for people and goods from the highlands, the coast, and the sea. The clientele is correspondingly varied.
Best Occasion: Perfect for Solo Dining
Coffee at the railway station café at the end of the Addis Ababa line. The location alone justifies the visit; the coffee is an added benefit.
Best Occasion: Works for Informal Deals
For meetings that benefit from the neutral ground of a café and the implicit authority of a location with 130 years of Horn of Africa commerce as its backdrop.