Lamu Island Restaurants

Set in a nice neighbourhood, hidden behind a corner near the Riyadha Mosque more inland of Lamu Town, is a great shop for Ice Creams.

The friendly owner here produces his own icecreams using fresh fruits, the specialty being the avocado taste.

Very refreshing and tasty, extremely popular with local kids. It all makes it well worth the effort of searching endlessly for this spot (otherwise you might encounter vendors on the Promenade selling these products too)!

Favorite Dish: * Avocado Icecream (EUR 0,07)

Bathawabu Restaurant became soon my favourite spot for breakfast;

Popular with locals but not regularly visited by tourists, still well recommended for its small snacks such as mahamri and loads of other little things made of sweet bread, sticky rice or fritters filled with spicy vegetables and/or minced meat.

Traditionally served with sweet milk tea.

Also available is cheap traditional food such as beans and rice.

Favorite Dish: Dishes taken:
* milk tea with several sweet bread snacks (at EUR 0,02-0,05 each).

Coconut Juice Garden has a great rooftop location overlooking a busy part of the Main street, especially in the evenings. In the daytime a nice and cool place to read your daily newspaper.

The brother of the owner who runs the rooftop area, is great company for a chat.

Especially recommended here are the homemade yoghurts, daily produced from own cow products.

Downstairs (same owner) is a restaurant serving local dishes. I had the beef soup which I will never forget for its incredible greasiness. Hours later grease was still sticking in my mouth.

Favorite Dish: Home made yoghurt (EUR 0,30 a glass)

Bush Garden, centrally located near the jetty along the Promenade, is a relatively large restaurant that definately attracts most foreign customers of all seafront restaurants.

Menu is almost a copy of the neighbour Hapa Hapa restaurant, but I thought Bush Garden was more professional when it comes to service. Still, I didn't especially like this place for lack of cosy ambience.

Food allways fine, but nothing exceptional. When it's crowded in the early evenings, it can take a long while for the food to get ready.

The only special reason to come here was for the awesome Coconut Milk Shake!

Also some rooms available.

Favorite Dish: Dishes taken:
* various in the EUR2 - EUR4 range.

Specialty: Coconut Milk Shake (EUR 0,60)!!!

If you need a real Western Style treat while in Lamu, Whispers might be the best choice.

In a secluded, atmospheric garden setting, you may like to choose from a variety of homemade cakes accompanied by a cup of expresso or cappucino, of which everyone seems to rave about.
Magazines and Newspapers are available, as well as a souvenir shop.

Whispers also offers a very distinctive quality and range of food, maintaining Western standards.
The menu includes Italian food like homemade pastas and pizzas that comes with good portions of nice cheese and, if you like, a choice of wines!

Juices were good too, although not better than elsewhere and more expensive; meals were not particularly large and lack of wind can make the hottest hours of the day unappealing to sit here.

Favorite Dish: Dishes taken:
* Tagliatelle with minced meat, Banana Lime Juice (EUR 4);
* Black Coffee with Lime Cake (EUR 1,50).

Might be the single most popular restaurant in Lamu for locals. Serves a whole range of local and regional dishes in canteen style setting at very affordable prices.

It all reminded me of the countless fast food chicken and chips restaurants in the streets of Central Nairobi.

To find good chicken dishes in Lamu is hard, but in New Minaa, the Chicken Tikka was outstanding as was the chicken stew with rice.
Chips however were much too greasy and soft, the fresh juice watery, and the salad drenched in a pool of cheap tomato sauce.

Service is extremely fast and friendly, tables are cleaned continuously, and for entertainment there's a TV with local channels.

Favorite Dish: Dishes taken:
* Chicken Tikka, Chips, Salad, Orange Juice (EUR 1,70);
* Chicken Stew, Coconut Rice, Orange Juice (EUR 2,10).

You may find also "bornless chicken" on the menu, which I din't try...

One of the most popular tourist restaurants in Lamu Town, has a fantastic seaside location offering great people watching, and a good breeze coming in.

Hapa Hapa was my single most favourite hangout for fresh juices and milkshakes. Passion Lime juice is really awesome, as well as the Avocado Milkshake!
Such a Juice goes really well with a banana or mango pancake for breakfast.

Extensive menu, including Italian dishes, but food quality seems to vary depending on how busy it is, generally satisfying but nothing outstanding.

Chess and Bao games available.

Favorite Dish: Dishes taken:
* banana pancake + Passion / Lime juice (EUR 1,10);
* Seafood Spaghetti + big juice (EUR 2,60);
* Fish Curry and coconut rice (EUR2,20).

Absolute favourite here: Avocado Milkshake (EUR 0,60)

When we arrived on Lamu Airport, we were welcomed by a number of blokes promoting guesthouses. I said I had already made reservations and when they asked where, I made up "New Star". That now confused them since there's only a restaurant with a name like that. Funny, since I never heard of it before...

So I thought I had to go there for a lunch. A rather big and popular place for locals in unappealing setting along the Main street serving local dishes like rice, beans, ugali etc at very cheap prices. They can also make special dishes on demand.

Waiters were extremely helpful, but with dirty clothes and sweaty faces not really top.
Ugali not recommeded (very dry, almost like a stone), the beef soup much better.

Favorite Dish: Dish taken:
Beef soup and Ugali, 0.5 ltr CocaCola (EUR 0,80)