Places to eat in Rwanda

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This restaurant is very pleasant, on the first floor of the corner building. The buffet has plenty of tasty local dishes. You pay only 2 euros which includes a free drink.
It is open from 7 am until 8 pm.
It is very popular with locals and you can also enjoy your meal on the small balcony.

Rue Kalisimbi – near Isimbi hotel and the Bank of Kigali.

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How bad is the food and service? Yes, it is bad. Famously bad.
There were even newspaper stories in August 2009 about the staff and managers they had to all fire because of poor service and worse food. If you are staying in Kigali for a while, this is a great place for a coffee and to use your laptop. Now they do get good reviews on their coffees and fast, free internet. It is located next to the Nakumatt Supermarket in the Union Trade Centre, so if you need a fix – pop in for a latte

Favorite Dish:
You are advised, by many travellers on the internet, not to eat here. I didn't.

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This humble little bakery in Gisenyi makes the absolute BEST Samosas in the entire world! I stopped in just to see what they had on offer and noticed a large basket of samosas in a glass cabinet. I asked for one, expecting a cold, bland snack. Instead I was given a hot, fresh, meat samosa that absolutely exploded with flavour in my mouth. Super delicious! It was spicy, but not hot. They had just made them and I went back for more! I have travelled the world and I can assure you these are the best Samosas I have ever had.

For those not familiar with samosas, they are triangular pastries filled with meant and/or vegetables. Their name derives from a Persian word and were probably invented in Central Asia. And now you know where you can get the best samosas!

Boulangerie de Gisenyi also makes fresh bread, stock canned foods and has cold soft drinks. For a budget traveller this is a good place to get supplies.

Favorite Dish:
A cold apple juice and some wonderful meat Samosas made in Heaven.

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Just go to the front of the Mille Collines Hotel and look for the Elephants. This is the dramatic REAR entrance to Chez Robert and a good buffet meal. Chez Robert is a real guy from Brussels and the restaurant is quite good. The outside grounds and gardens are decorated with animals and dancing men in costumes. Inside is a dark wood bar and serving room. The dining terrace is lovely and they play CNN and international news on a large screen in the smaller inner garden. The food varied between fresh bread, salad, some seafood, hot meat dishes, rice, friend bananas, rice and a range of desserts. For $20, including a few big Primus beers, it was a nice meal. Not great, just nice.

The staff were super friendly and I even had my picture taken with one of the gardeners. I was also able to pick up a copy of THE EYE magazine. The outdoor tables were quite interesting being tiled and the environment was cosy despite being a large place. The dining room staff kept opening the dishes for me to look at and select from. My beers were cold. So if you are in Kigali, you might want to have one meal here.

Favorite Dish:
Several beef and pork dishes, fried fish (better than it sounds), a nice seafood salad and some roasted vegetables. All washed done with a massive, cold Primus beer. All enjoyed on the terrace.

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This is the best Ethiopian Restaurant in Kigali. It may actually be the only one, but you do not want to miss this restaurant if you love Ethiopian food. If you have never tried Ethiopian food then you have an amazing opportunity to sample Ethiopian cuisine at its finest. I had a chance to meet some of the staff earlier in the day before I came to eat here. They are a friendly group of folks and I had the pleasure to meet the main cook who produced all the mouth-watering food I enjoyed. I was made to feel very welcome, a cold beer was never far away and the décor has some cool Ethiopian themes.

So why do I say it’s a 10 out of 10 and a good place to try Ethiopian food? Because their Menu item number 10 is a combination of 10 different dishes! And its all tastes absolutely delicious! I ate every bite.

The restaurant is huge and could easily accommodate large groups. If you don’t see the staff, they are nearby, just call out and they are there instantly. The staff are local people who do speak some Amharic (the majority language of Ethiopia). It is owned by an Ethiopian gentleman named Mesfin Asfaw and he moved the restaurant here in 2007. Some guidebooks still have this located at ‘One Love Club’.

Their menu includes coffee (invented in Ethiopia!), Tibs (stir fried meat), Doro Wott (chicken & egg in a spicy but not overly hot red chilli dish), Kitfo (beef either raw or cooked) and goat (legs or ribs). As Ethiopia is famed for its vegetarian dishes, there is a selection for non-meat eaters.

So what’s did I get to eat in my 10 for 10? Please read below.

Favorite Dish:
The number 10 dish is called ‘Siga Beyeantu’ and contains such fantastic dishes as Tibs, Doro Wott, Kitfo, Key Wott, Fir Fir and several vegetable dishes. All this was served with Injera (the flat spongy bread the food is on) and some cold Primus beers.

Amazing.

The food is absolutely tasty! These guys cook something different every day! Very nice salads and soups! I say when ur in Kigali make sure u have at least one meal here evryday!

Favorite Dish: Cant point my finger to any but there's a day they cooked beef with cheese...hmmmm amazing is all I can say. Writing about it makes me hungry..!

great location at lake Muhazi, the owner is James Ndoli who also runs the Jambo Guesthouse in Kigali
Nice tasty local cuisine prepared to high standard and affordable.
The lakeside terrace and water pier setting is unbeatable at sunset..best early evening
You can camp here as well with all basic amenities.

The talent of Celestine, the artist/bartender, is just one of the reasons to stay in for dinner. The poolside restaurant offers a delicious buffet with a nice variety of food, including build-your-own omelettes and fresh pineapple and other fruit on the breakfast buffet and a beautiful dessert buffet to top off dinner.