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Restaurants in Nairobi

The most famous restaurants in Nairobi are out in the suburbs, but there are some good downtown choices catering to a mixture of tourists, office workers and expats. Taxis loiter around outside the top spots in the evening, offering a safer alternative to walking back to your hotel at night.

The Nairobi restaurants below have been grouped into three pricing categories:
Expensive (over Ksh1,500)
Moderate (Ksh500 to Ksh1,500)
Cheap (up to Ksh500)
The above prices are for a three-course meal for one and do not include drinks or service.

Tipping is not necessary in cheaper restaurants in Nairobi. In more expensive establishments, a 10% service charge may be added to the bill. If you pay by credit card, you may incur an additional 17% VAT charge.

Malindi Dishes

Price: Cheap

Just northeast of the centre of Nairobi, this lively canteen is a great place to sample food from the Swahili coast, including fish cooked in coconut milk and Indian-style biryani (fried rice). When it comes to starch, take your pick from naan bread, boiled rice or ugali (maize porridge).

Address: Gaberone Road, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: (020) 333 191.

Trattoria

Price: Moderate

A bustling downtown restaurant with waiters in blazers, convincing pizzas and pasta, and street-facing balconies that spill over with pot plants. It’s a big hit with Nairobi office workers, and it feels much more connected to Africa than the expat restaurants in the suburbs.

Address: Corner of Wabera Street and Kaunda Street, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: (020) 340 855.
http://www.trattoria.co.ke

Haandi

Price: Expensive

With branches in Nairobi, Kampala and London, this upmarket restaurant serves sophisticated northwest frontier cuisine, rich on flavours and spices. Despite the shopping mall setting, this is an upscale dining experience, and the menu is a feast of exotic curries and meats from the tandoor.

Address: The Mall, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: (020) 444 8294.
http://www.haandi-restaurants.com

Carnivore Restaurant

Price: Expensive

An outing to this restaurant, just outside the city, is an essential part of any visit to Nairobi. Nairobi's most famous nyama choma (roast meat) restaurant is arranged around an enormous roasting pit, and the barbecued meat keeps coming until diners say ‘enough’. Carnivore no longer serves plains game, but you can dine on farmed camel, ostrich and crocodile, as well as mainstream meats like beef, lamb and pork. The attached Simba Saloon is Nairobi’s most popular nightclub, attracting a mixed crowd of middle-class Kenyans and wealthy expats.

Address: Langata Road, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: (020) 600 5933.
http://www.tamarind.co.ke/carnivore

Nairobi Java House

Price: Cheap

This justifiably popular coffee shop, one of seven branches in Nairobi, serves some of the best breakfasts in the city. Portions are generous, and the wide variety of coffees and cakes is excellent.

Address: Mama Ngina Street, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: (020) 313 565.
http://www.nairobijava.com

Panda

Price: Moderate

Nairobi's favourite Chinese restaurant is tucked away on the first floor of an unassuming building, but the food is a cut above the average. Waiters zip around the spacious, Chinese-styled dining room, and the menu includes rice wine and excellent Peking duck.

Address: Fedha Towers, Kaunda Street, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: (020) 221 3018.

Seasons Restaurant

Price: Cheap

A handy place for a quick, cheap meal if you’re taking in a movie at the Nairobi Cinema. Food is served canteen-style, with a mix of African and Western staples. It’s a relaxed spot, attracting a varied crowd, and there’s a popular bar and beer garden.

Address: Uchumi House, Aga Khan Walk, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: (020) 227 697.

Tamarind Nairobi

Price: Expensive

Nairobi's finest fish restaurant is elegant and expensive but well worth the money. Fresh fish, crab, lobster and prawns are flown in from the coast daily, and the menu also runs to venison and excellent steaks. Service in the Arabic-styled dining room is excellent and the atmosphere outstanding.

Address: National Bank Building, Harambee Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: (020) 225 1811.
http://www.tamarind.co.ke/tamarind-nairobi

Thorn Tree Cafe

Price: Moderate

Travellers have been gathering in this historic café-cum-brasserie since 1959 to escape the bustle of downtown Nairobi and post messages on the thorn tree in the courtyard - the current tree is actually the third to stand on the site. The menu runs to sandwiches, pizzas and cakes, and live bands play most evenings.

Address: Sarova Stanley hotel, Corner of Kimathi Street and Kenyatta Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: (020) 222 8830.
http://www.sarovahotels.com/stanley
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