Most of the interesting shopping in Asmara is in or around the central market and Medeber. The central market has spices (especially berbere), basketwork, ceramics, and silver and gold jewellery in the covered souk. Bargaining is gentle and tourists are charged something close to local prices.
Medeber is the place for upcycled craftwork: coffee pots beaten from old oil drums, lamps from food tins, simple kitchen tools. These make the most distinctive souvenirs in the country. For modern goods, the small shops along Liberation Avenue sell Eritrean coffee beans (excellent), local honey, and Asmara Beer T-shirts.