Macchiato, Spris and Addis Ababa Cafe Culture

Sudo Menu Editorial · 3 November 2026

Ethiopia has two coffee cultures living side by side. One is the slow, three-round coffee ceremony brewed in a clay jebena. The other is fast, loud and modern: the espresso bar, where people stand at the counter for a macchiato on the way to work. In Addis Ababa, the espresso bar is everywhere, and it has developed a style all of its own.

How espresso came to Addis

Espresso machines arrived in Ethiopia with Italian influence in the twentieth century, and the cafe culture that grew around them borrowed many Italian words. Macchiato, cappuccino and even pasti (pastry) are part of everyday Amharic. Over the decades, though, Ethiopians made these drinks their own. A macchiato in Addis is not quite what you would get in Milan, and spris does not exist in Italy at all.

The Addis macchiato (ማኪያቶ)

In Italy, a macchiato is a small espresso “stained” with a spot of milk foam. In Addis Ababa, a macchiato is usually served in a small glass, with espresso and steamed milk in roughly equal parts and a cap of foam on top. Poured well, it shows distinct layers: dark coffee at the bottom, a creamy middle and white foam at the top.

Most people take it with sugar, and many cafes bring sugar to the table automatically. If you want it without, say ya-le sukar (ያለ ስኳር). Some cafes also offer a “dark” macchiato with less milk for a stronger cup, or a larger glass for those who want more milk.

A macchiato is not a fasting drink, because of the milk. On Wednesdays, Fridays and during Lent, many regulars switch to black coffee or spris.

Spris (ስፕሪስ)

Spris is one of the most Ethiopian drinks you can order in a cafe. It is half tea and half coffee, poured carefully so the two stay in distinct layers in the glass. The tea is usually sweet and sometimes spiced, and the combination is lighter than a coffee but stronger than a tea.

Because it contains no milk, spris is a popular fasting-day drink. If you have never tried it, it is worth ordering at least once, if only to see the layers.

Other cafe staples

• Buna (ቡና): an espresso or a small black coffee. In a traditional setting, buna means coffee from the jebena.
• Jebena buna (የጀበና ቡና): traditional pot-brewed coffee, often served from a small charcoal stove near the cafe entrance, sometimes with popcorn.
• Shai (ሻይ): tea, often spiced with cinnamon, cloves or cardamom, and usually served sweet.
• Cappuccino and latte: available almost everywhere, generally milkier and larger than a macchiato.
• Fresh juice: many cafes double as juice bars. The layered avocado, mango and papaya juice, sometimes called spris juice, is a famous treat.

Cafe etiquette

Ethiopian cafes are relaxed, but a few habits are worth knowing:

• Ordering at the table or the counter. In many cafes a waiter takes your order at the table. In busy espresso bars, people order and drink at the counter.
• Paying. Bills are often settled at the end. VAT is usually included in menu prices, while hotels and some restaurants add a service charge. Mobile money payments, for example via Telebirr, are increasingly common alongside cash.
• Greeting. A short greeting before ordering, such as selam (ሰላም), goes a long way.
• Time. Nobody will rush you. Cafes are meeting places for friends, colleagues and business partners, and lingering over a single macchiato is completely normal.

What makes an Addis cafe special

The best cafes in the city combine the speed of an espresso bar with the warmth of the coffee ceremony. You might see a barista pulling shots at a gleaming machine on one side of the room while, on the other, a host roasts green beans for jebena coffee and the smell of frankincense drifts through the air. The coffee itself is local, often from Sidama, Yirgacheffe, Guji or Harar, and many cafes roast their own.

Cafes are also social spaces in a way that is hard to find elsewhere. They are where students study, where neighbours meet, where business is done over a second round and where friends settle arguments about football. Many have televisions for big matches and are at their busiest in the morning and early evening.

Ordering like a local

1. Greet the waiter: selam.
2. Order: “and macchiato” (one macchiato) or “hulet spris” (two spris).
3. Say ya-le sukar if you want no sugar.
4. Ask for the bill with hisab.

Numbers help: and (አንድ) is one, hulet (ሁለት) two and sost (ሦስት) three.

Cafes and digital menus

Busy cafes have long menus of coffees, teas, juices and pastries. A clear bilingual menu, scanned from a QR code on the table, lets guests browse at their own pace, see what is sold out today and spot fasting-friendly drinks at a glance. That is exactly what Sudo Menu provides to cafes across Ethiopia, free of charge.

In short

The Addis macchiato is creamier and sweeter than its Italian ancestor, spris is a uniquely Ethiopian layered drink, and the cafe itself is one of the city’s great social institutions. Order a macchiato in the morning, a spris on a fasting day and, when you have time, a full jebena buna, and you will have tasted the whole of Ethiopian cafe culture.