Nairobi Restaurants

Vegetarians beware! No (meat-eating) tourist visit is complete without a stop at Carnivore's. You saw the animals in the wild....now, admit it, weren't you wondering what they would taste like?!? Well, here is your chance to find out! For about KSh1300, you get an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of meat delivered up to your table. Vegetables? Whatever! Besides the normal beef, pork, chicken, and lamb, you can try ostrich, eland, hartebeest, wildebeest, zebra, or crocodile. They were pretty tasty, except for the crocodile. I'll skip it the next time I go to the zoo.

Favorite Dish: Meat. Oh, and did I mention the meat?

My most unfavourite restaurant was The Carnivore in Nairobi. This is a barbecue restaurant specialized in 'exotic' meat: crocodile, impala, antelope, etc.
Exactly, the animals we liked so much during our safari! What an anticlimax!
It's also a tourist trap, as really every package tourist will have lunch or dinner at The Carnivore. You're seated at long tables and, apart from the meat that is freshly barbecued, all the rest is mass-production.

Favorite Dish: No favourite dish.

Sun Sweet Centre seems to have been around since the year dot serving up no nonsense good value vegetarian meals. The set lunch is a real bargain with a range of curries bhagia and lassi. It could well be the only Indian restaurant left in the centre of Nairobi.

UPDATE NOV 2010. On my most recent trip I had a very poor meal here and it no longer is good value for money. Looks like I'll have to go to westlands for an Indian

The first time I arrived in Nairobi the city was brim full of Indian restaurants. All the best Indian restaurants used to be located in the centre of Nairobi, Satkar, Mayur, Dhaba, Three New Bells, Supreme, Minar (2 branches). They have all fled to Westlands or packed up completely.

It is a pain having to go to Westlands for a Curry. I’ve been a frequent visitor to Nairobi since 1990 and had never had to venture up to Westlands till a few years ago. If I do bother going up there I’d eat at Chowpatty, I’ve never been to Haandi in Nairobi but Haandi is my favourite in Kampala. There is also a Haandi in London as well that is I think part of the same group?

Favorite Dish: The daily lunch is a good deal and for a veggie you can't go wrong.

The Safari restaurant in the Nairobi Safari club was a pleasant experience. The food was well presented and tasty. The service was a little slow but our waitress I think was under training and we were in no rush. We had lunch there and the price was very reasonable

The Mandhari restaurant is situated in the Nairobi Serena Hotel. We sat out on the terrace taking in the sounds of an African night, frogs croaking a gentle breeze and not a hint we were in the centre of Nairobi. The food and service were excellant with a choice of local and western food. We had an enjoyable end to our second evening in Nairobi

At Adams Arcade, you will find Java House. A hangout of many ex-pats serves lovely coffee and a range of great cooked food including a tasty pepper steak.

There are several braches of this throughout the city.

(The mall Shopping centre, Ring Rd, Westlands Mains Kshs 600-995)

An international award winner widely regarded as the best Indian restaurant in Kenya.

Haandi has sister restaurants in Kampala, London and Middlesex and sells its own souvenir T-Shirts.

The menu reads like a recipe book crossed with a guide to Indian cuisine, and includes a wonderful Mughlai (North Indian) and Tandoori dishes and plenty of vegetarian curries

Favorite Dish: The Tandoori dishes are excellent. I definitely recommend it to people looking for curry and Indian food.

It is one of the most popular restaurants that tourists are very fond of.
Its spectacular meat grilling on half-open fires.
A great variety of cuisine found here, not only Kenyan.

Favorite Dish: The food is decent, but the price has gone through the roof. Now I know why they do not post the price on their website. Be prepared to spend $35 per person, not including drinks.

The many sauces offered help with the dryness but you really should be a meat-lover to fully enjoy this place.

Tusker and White Cap beers (which are brewn in Kenya) are safe, and are available troughout the country. But drink local beers, called muratina, at your own risk. It's good to have some medication with you for stomach problems, etc. As stated above - this is not to say that you shouldn't eat at all in the cheaper restaurants, but always use some common sense.

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It is located approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) south of the centre of Nairobi, Kenya's capital city, with only a fence separating the park's wildlife from the metropolis.

Be sure to get a seat under the covered area of the Restaurant because if you get a table in the surround gardens you are not sure if the table is so clean. Baboons visit are often here.
There is a possibility that you will have a visit of some baboons.
Be alert and keep your bags in a safe place. They might snatch them.

Favorite Dish: Fresh salads, fried fish, and grilled meat.
There is a cook next to the grill who is in charge of the grilled meat of the restaurant.
The smell coming from the grilled spot is great!