Asmara – the UNESCO World Heritage capital of Eritrea – gave us our name, our inspiration, and the architecture of beauty that shapes everything we do in Manchester.
Asmara is not just a name. It is a city perched 2,325 metres above sea level in the highlands of Eritrea – and it is one of the most architecturally extraordinary places on earth.
Known as the “City Above the Clouds,” Asmara was built during the Italian colonial era with a sweep of modernist, Art Deco, and Futurist buildings that have earned it UNESCO World Heritage status. Palm-lined boulevards, gleaming cinemas, and a café culture that runs from morning to night – Asmara is a city of extraordinary vitality and grace.
Why Asmara?
Our founders chose the name Asmara Bella – Beautiful Asmara – as a tribute to that heritage: to the elegance of the city, the warmth of its people, and the depth of Eritrean and Ethiopian culinary tradition.
“Every time we cook,” says our team, “we are trying to bring a little of that warmth to Port Street, Manchester.”
Manchester and Asmara
Manchester, like Asmara, is a city that has been shaped by the cultures that found a home here. It is a city of music, food, energy, and welcome. It felt like the right place to tell our story.
We opened on Port Street in the Northern Quarter and have been proud to serve Manchester ever since – with the food, the coffee, and the hospitality that Eritrea and Ethiopia have given the world. Read more about us in our story.
