Places to eat in Eritrea

ASMARA

We loved the Spaghetti House on Harnet Avenue, which did the best pizzas and crepes in Eritrea, though they're a bit expensive. For Eritrean food we loved the Asmara Restaurant next to the post office at lunchtime, and the Blue Bird in the evening, though both do lack atmosphere. The Albergo Italia is a dining option for a bit more grandeur and romance, and we enjoyed our food there. During the day, the Casa degli Italiani, opposite the Travel House, has a beautiful sunny courtyard and serves nice Italian food. There is a great selection of coffeeshops for morning coffee and brioches. Bar Vittoria was one of the best. Order coffee and you'll end up with a very, very milky drink. For an ordinary cappuccino, ask specifically for a black cappuccino. Or ask for tea, which is served black with sugar and lime.

MASSAWA

Options are quite limited, and most people suggest eating at the hotels (the "cheap option" being Luna, and the "expensive option" being Red Sea, but neither are especially cheap). The cuisine is nothing to write home about, but our favourite place to eat was the Massawa Hotel on Massawa Island, in the main square. Sit outside and watch the nightlife warming up as you eat.

KEREN

Options are very limited. On the Giro Fiori roundabout, there is a sweet little restaurant called Peace and Love, with Eritrea and Italian food. Otherwise the best options are the Keren Hotel and the Senhit Hotel. We found the other restaurants a bit intimidating, though if you like fish, Mackerel looked promising.

FILFIL
The only place to eat is the Mendip Hotel, 7km before Filfil. It was deserted but quite pleasant.

Eating in Eritrea means choosing from a delightful variety of Ethiopian, Arab and Italian cuisines. As is the case with everything else in the country, food is very cheap, good and excellent value for the money.

This was in my opinion the best sea food restaurant in Massawa - perhaps in all the country? The specialty is Yemeni BBQ fish dishes.
Being Yemeni Moslem, Sellam will not serve beer or wine. But the waiter will get it from elsewhere if you ask him to help you. It's not "off", it's the eqv. of BYO. A quick stint down the road and he'll be back with the required drinks. A "corkage fee" to the restaurant and waiter will be good.
It is located in the Turkic quarter of Massawa island, still partly in ruins because of the liberation struggle.

Favorite Dish: Yemeni spiced, hot fish grilled in a tandoor and served with nan-like breads.

Absolutely great grilled fish of differrent recipies and varieties of species can be had in the restaurnats in the old Turckic quarter of Massawa Island.

Favorite Dish: BBQ fish - nearly any style. But I think I would return to Sallam's Yemeni fish...

Italian style coffe has found its apex in Asmara's high street cafes and coffe houses.
The closure of the border with Ethiopia led to Eritrea beginning to buy coffee from Yemen and Djibouti. In both cases the coffee is Ethiopian export quality, and thus much better than what they originally had from Ethiopia previously. The price shot up, too, of course, but for this coffee, anybody with cash at hand would be prepared to pay more.

Favorite Dish: Macchiatto

From surface, the places looked good. But once you go in, you sense trouble from the start. Flies own the places. The washrooms are malodorous and without soap. The waitresses are touching their hair and brushing their face without the need to clean up. At one resturant, I was so involved shooing the flies away, I had to leave without eating much. I was surprised that these diner's were meant to be the better ones in town. Having visited Cairo and Addis Ababa before coming here, I was shocked by the sharp contrast in quality and cleanliness in Asmara. This city has a long way to go before it attracts good tourism. As an Asmaran who wants to see chaneges for the better, I have given my feedback to the resturants but they were not always appreciated. I have now learned that the antibiotic Cipro was indeed a great companion during my visit in Asmara. Without it, I would have spent many hours at the men's room begging for mercy.

Favorite Dish: I was distracted by the lack of cleanliness to appreciate any particular dish.

Asmara. There are many good restaurants in Asmara. The Castello, Alla Scala Hotel, Legese Hotel, Inter-Continental Hotel, Blue Nile Restaurant, Red Star Chinese Restaurant, to name a few.

Favorite Dish: Owing to the Italian influence of Eritrea, many Italian dishes are available, as well as national dishes.

Do not go in the new restaurants of Asmara...those who try to look like a NYC restaurant!
it is expensive and not tasty at all...
go to the pizzeria, to the little restaurants..;they serve all the same: spaghettis, injera...a mix of eritrean and italian food. Not expensive at all, and tasty...The beer is good, the wine is...african!
In Massawa, the best restaurant is the SALAM restaurant, on a little place in the old town. Fresh fish cooked in the eritrean way, served with bread.Great...they don't serve Beer...so ask a boy to buy it for you at the next dor restaurant!