Jolly Bar & Grill

Jolly Bar and Grill dates back to 1959. This is one of Addis Ababa's oldest restaurant/bars. Their cocktails are as crisp as they come and they believe you’ll struggle to find a more perfect martini in the city. They aim to be a ‘reliable’ place for you to go and get a decent cocktail in Bole. Their bar tenders are talented and know their trade. As many have said, Jolly Bar exudes a certain kind of old Hollywood cool combined with a modern European flare; but you can still practically taste the history of the place.

Musician Loraite Afework Tekle was a regular here, musical genius Mulatu Astatke is spotted regularly as well. Other famous personalities who frequent the bar are Dr. Professor Eshetu Andreas, Teddy Afro and beauty pop queen Sayat Demissie. Bob Marley even made a stopover during his visit to Ethiopia. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was also known to drop by during his time at the university located a few blocks away.

It is easy to see why the restaurant appeals to such great men and women of appetite. Their service is impeccable, regardless of who you are. A large proportion of their clients at the bar will
stay on for a night of dancing and abandonment at the Jolly Bar after dinner. The live music showcased is the finest in Addis, same to the house music played by the DJs.

A fine place to dine, the only challenge you might face is in finding a table as it gets quite busy later in the evening, so please do call in advance for seating or reserve a spot for bottle service.