Nairobi Restaurants

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.

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.

(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.

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It is advisible to take the taxi when hanging around in the evening hours. First, because it is very cheap and second because this guys know where the good restaurants are. I wanted to have some european food and the taxi driver suggested me "Trattoria" which is well know Italian restaurant in Nairobi. The restaurannt itself is situated in not friendly area, especially for the white people, and I was suggested not to pull out my camera. Later in the evening I saw with my own eyes, it was a good suggestion.

Favorite Dish: It is indeed the real Italian restaurant not the fake one. As a first dish I've ordered "spaghetti, aglio, olio e peperoncino", a traditional Italian dish which can proof weather the cook is Italian or not. To tell you the truth, better than this you cannot get even in Italy. The second dish was mixed grillled meat, not that soft but pretty good. My companion and I had a bottle of red Italian wine which was of acdceptable quality. The dinner for two cost me about 2.500 Kshs, which is less than 30 euros.

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We had heard all about the Carnivore Restaurant all the way in the states before arriving into Kenya.
Hearing about exotic roasts such as Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest and the such, we were a combination of put off by the thought of eating these beautiful creatures and the natural curiousity that accompanies talking about what it would be like to try something never made available in the western market.

Imagine our surprise (and relief) when we found out the most exotic game they serve nowadays is farm raised Ostrich meatballs, Cammel & Lamb! Beef, Turkey, Chicken, Fish and other such dishes are also available.

The restaurant, bordering a giant spit full of roasted meats and situated in a building which surrounds a beautiful garden area which is reserved for live music and private parties certainly has it's individual charm and flavor - but you go home smelling like a giant BBQ spit!
I made it a point to seal my clothes into a Zip-Lock bag at the end of the evening to keep the rest of my wardrobe in my suitcase from smelling like a cook-out.
The service was also excellent and the whole theme centers around a little white flag on your table.
As long as that flag is raised, colorful waiters will keep bringing you food - and piling it up on your plate...As much as you want!
Colorful, flavorful sauces are also set on your table and described as suggested accompanyments for your meal. Mustard sauce with the cammel, Mint sauce with the lamb, etc.

Good luck getting a reservation. Most reservations are only available through major tour operators which block out large portions of the restaurant months in advance.
2 seatings nightly and twice daily for lunch at designated times. We chose the 7:30pm seating.

Favorite Dish: We loved, loved LOVED the turkey! Most succulent, moist turkey I've ever had!

Ostrich meatballs were a big hit as was the lamb (and I'm not a lamb lover).

Cammel was tough and gamy but the sauce that accompanyied it was delicious.

Potatoes, with all the fixings, as well as seasonal vegetables were also good.

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Have the munchies or desire for a last minute meal after that long flight?
How about a quick night cap to wash away all the adrenaline rush and excitement of finally having arrived in Kenya?

Intercontinental Hotel, along with it's fine accomodations is able to provide you with excellent service, strong drinks and wonderful varied menu in a late night cafe which is open 24 hours a day!
Best of all, you are sitting outside the main dance venue which allows you to enjoy music from the comfort of your chair.
Not so close so that you have to scream at one another yet near enough to tap your feet to the music.

Favorite Dish: Various local dishes, including curries AND, 24hr breakfast served!

Waiters are extremely friendly and willing to offer suggestions. As it was our first night in Kenya, we took them up on ther suggestions and were not dissapointed.
The Beef sandwhich was delicious and tender.

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For someone who is not known for his meat eating preferences, a restaurant caled `Carnivore' wouldnt be first up on a list of priorities.. yet, the enthusiasm of the others on the crew meant that a table was booked, a taxi hired, and we were off... to sample every kind of meat that Africa may be known for...

The restaurant is located in a rather interesting spot, just outside the Nairobi national park. I certainly did wonder if the animals we could have being seeing on our planned safari the next morning, were the ones ending up on our plates:P but i guess it is perfectly legal, since it is a really popular spot in Nairobi, I decided to eat...

There are four choices of wild game, roasted on traditional Maasai swords over a huge charcoal pit near the entrance of the restaurant.
The waiters carry these swords around the restaurant, carving unlimited amounts of the meats onto your plate.
Salads, vegetables and a variety of exotic sauces are already at the table, and then there is that little carnivore flag above it all-- you will be served as long as your flag is up!

I think there are a variety of options on the menu, though i`d reccomend the set option- which will get you- soup and appetisers, unlimited servings of meat, dessert, and coffee or tea.

Favorite Dish: The Crocodile was the most exotic meat on the menu that night... i couldnt help trying to drown out the thought that it was a reptile that i was about to eat!
But it had to be done... how many times do you end up sitting at a restaurant in Africa and being served crocodile?? It seemed hard, there were bones, and i took the tiniest piece there was.

That apart, i had Gazelle, Ostrich, Buffalo, chicken, beef and lamb.

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There are couple of restaurants in the city centre offering traditional Kenyan dishes. Some of them are good and I enjoyed eating there. There is, however, my observation regarding meat which is in some way rigid. Most of the European cuisines practicing previous treatment in order to soften meat, in Kenya they don't.

Favorite Dish: There are at least two dishes one should taste when in Kenya, first one is "ugali" while the second one "nyama choma". Ugali is stiff porridge made by boiling maize or millet meal flour in water and it is ubiquitous in East Africa.
Nyama (meat, flesh) choma (burn) is what we in Europe call grilled meat or barbecue. Besides by "kuku" (chicken, poultry), which is most often, you can get it by "mbuzi" (goat) or "ng'ombe" (ox, calf, cattle) meat. "Kachumbari" (Kenyan salad) is served along with nyama choma. The best and most delicious to me was nyama choma by poultry.