The one place every coffee lover should visit in Addis Ababa is the original Tomoca in Piassa, a standing coffee bar serving the city's classic macchiato since the 1950s. After that, try a modern local café such as Kaldi's, and make time for a traditional ceremony poured from a clay jebena. Coffee, buna in Amharic, is part of daily life here, and the best coffee trip through the city tries all three styles.

Below are the places worth your time, plus practical advice on buying beans to take home. They are spread from the old centre in Piassa to Bole, so the easy way to do a coffee day is with a car and driver: we drop you at each café door and pick you up again, and your bags of beans stay in the car.

Why is Tomoca the place everyone mentions?

Tomoca was established in February 1953 and is still family-owned. The name comes from the Italian Torrefazione Moderna Café, roughly "modern coffee roastery", and it is often described as Ethiopia's first commercial coffee roaster. The original branch on Wavel Street, near the Piassa Cathedral School, is its oldest shop, and it is still listed as open.

Do not expect armchairs. The Piassa café is known for having no seating: you order, drink at a tall table or the counter, and move on, which is part of the charm. The macchiato is the drink visitors recommend again and again, and you can ask for it medium or strong. Tomoca also sells packaged beans and ground coffee, which make popular gifts.

Tomoca has several other branches, so you do not have to go to Piassa. There are shops on Bole Road around Wello Sefer, inside the Radisson Blu hotel, in Sarbet opposite the Canadian embassy, and a roastery outlet in Bole. If you have time, though, the original is the one with the history.

What is Addis Ababa's macchiato culture?

Tomoca's Italian name is a clue: it is known for Italian-style coffee made with Ethiopian arabica beans, and the macchiato, espresso marked with milk, is the drink most associated with it. You will find macchiato on almost every café menu in the city, so it is an easy way to compare places as you go.

Which other cafés are worth a stop?

• Kaldi's Coffee. Ethiopia's largest local coffee-house chain, with branches across Addis Ababa, often called the local answer to Starbucks. It has seating and full menus, which makes it an easy place for a first coffee after landing.
• Mokarar (Harar Coffee). A long-standing local café and roaster in central Addis, good both for a cup and for freshly roasted beans. Locals know it as the Harar coffee shop, so use that name when asking directions, and check it is open before you make a special trip.
• Garden of Coffee. A specialty café owned by Ethiopian entrepreneur Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, focused on single-origin Ethiopian coffee brewed several ways, with bags to take away. Check its current location before you go.

You will also pass countless small coffee spots on the street and in neighbourhood cafés. Many are excellent, so follow the queues and the smell of roasting beans.

Where can you try a traditional coffee ceremony?

The ceremony is how coffee is shared at home: green beans are roasted in a pan, ground, brewed in a jebena and poured in several rounds, often with incense burning nearby. It takes time, and that is the point.

As a visitor, the easiest ways to try one are at a cultural restaurant, in hotels and cafés that offer ceremony coffee, or, best of all, at the home of an Ethiopian friend. Our guide to the Ethiopian coffee ceremony explains each step and the etiquette.

How do you buy Ethiopian coffee beans to take home?

1. Buy roasted, sealed bags. Roasters such as Tomoca sell packaged coffee. Ask for whole beans if you have a grinder at home, as they stay fresh longer.
2. Choose a region. Labels usually name the origin, such as Yirgacheffe, Sidama, Harar or Limu. Each tastes different, so try a cup first where you can and buy what you liked.
3. Stay within 2 kg. Departing passengers may take up to 2 kilograms of coffee products without special authorisation from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority. A brief ban in September 2023 caused confusion, but the 2 kg personal allowance then applied again.
4. Avoid green (raw) coffee. Raw coffee is among the goods that need an agricultural permit to export. Roasted coffee is the simple choice for travellers.
5. Check your home country's rules. Some countries restrict food items or require you to declare them, so check your destination's import rules before you pack.

What is a good coffee day in Addis Ababa?

A simple plan: a morning macchiato standing at the original Tomoca in Piassa, a walk around the old centre, lunch, then a ceremony coffee in the afternoon and a final stop at a roaster to buy beans on your way back to your hotel. Traffic between Piassa and Bole can be slow, so it helps not to be watching the clock. With a driver by the day you don't need to find taxis between stops: the car waits while you drink, walk and shop.

If you only have one morning, prioritise the original Tomoca and a bag of beans. Everything else can happen naturally as you move around the city, because good coffee is never far away in Addis.