7 Kenyan Favorite Restaurants With Secret Ingredient – Kenya is a good haven for food tourists. It boasts of award-winning restaurants from fine-dining, casual, and buffet experience. Most fine dining restaurants merge the global culinary traditions with the available Kenyan local ingredients. For example, culinary traditions from France, Greece, Switzerland have all been blended into a single offer.
If you are visiting Kenya for the first time and wondering where to eat that great “Ugali” that Kenya is known for, and which the Former US president Barack Obama proudly has praised when he visited Kenya, then wonder no more. I’ll take you some nice foodie ride around Kenya.
We’ve written on this platform extensive details on African cuisine and delectable food. This article will be “Gold” for you as it highlights the best spots to walk in and have a taste of the great delicacies that many Kenyans living in the diaspora will confess to have being missing. Africa is a home to soulfully satisfying food, hence you should not return from a trip to Africa without a positive and memorable vibe that makes you crave such foods again. Now, prepare to note these details down as we explore these 7 Kenyan Favorite Restaurants.
Let’s go….
7. Mama Oliech “Fish” Restaurant
The restaurant is dominated by fish on the menu served with brown “ugali” (cornmeal) and kachumbari (onion and tomato salsa). It is at Mama Oliech restaurant that first-time visitors in the country are introduced to enjoy the traditional style of “Luo” fish. Mark Zuckerberg, on his first visit to Sub-saharan Africa, dined at this popular restaurant in Hurlingham despite being located in an area that has a lot of western-style eateries.
Photo credit: UDAKU KE, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Mama Oliech’s – Nairobi eating fish and Ugali for the first time in his life.
6.Tamarind
Photo credit: Nairobi info
Tamarind restaurant is located in the leafy suburbs of Karen, Nairobi Kenya. If you are a seafood enthusiast you will find this restaurant exceptional. The menu has an extensive selection of seafood options and meaty options. There are seafood and meat platters if you are visiting as a group and you are on a budget. Do not be intimidated if you are a vegetarian as there is a separate vegetarian menu with excellent selections. At Tamarind you can sample a glass of your favorite sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, or pinot noir as the sun sets and as you wait for your dinner date.
5. Carnivore Restaurant
Photo credit:African Spice Safaris– Nyama choma at Carnivore
Carnivore restaurant is a hub for meat-eaters as the name suggests and it is a great place to experience the Kenyan love for “ Nyama Choma” or roast meat. Here, there is a wide selection of various meat items from both domestic to wild and it ranges from lamb, beef, pork to crocodile meat. Carnivore is an open-air restaurant.
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4.Steadmark Garden Karen “The floating restaurant”
Photo credit:Tripadvisor
The Steadmark Restaurant is located near Giraffe center in Karen and has a beautiful nature trail. The restaurant has a heated swimming pool and the pool is open to the public, a gym, and an Amusement park for the kids. While here you will get to see the birds and snakes. If you are brave enough you can feed the animals, carry the turtles, tortoises, and snakes. At the park, you will have an opportunity to see the lions, crocodiles, baboons, Llamas, antelopes among many other animals.
3.Trattoria Restaurant
Photo credit:Facebook
From the name, Trattoria is an Italian restaurant. Located at the heart of Nairobi City, the restaurant offers magnificent views of the city from the balcony. While at Trattoria there is a wide selection of traditional Italian Pasta and your favorite glass of Valpolicella wine to pair with. If you are into drinking, make sure you order Limoncino liqueur as a digestif after enjoying the pasta.
2.Graze Steakhouse, Sankara Nairobi
The Graze Steakhouse is located in Sankara Nairobi Hotel. As the name suggests, it serves a selection of beef steaks. It is here that you will taste the best Ribeye or Sirloin steaks from Morendat as well as the dry-aged Angus beef to be specific.
1.The View Revolving Restaurant Nairobi
Photo credit: Movenpick Hotel
Located at the heart of Westlands in Nairobi City, The View restaurant has aptly been named. The restaurant is on the 24th floor and offers a fantastic culinary orbit! The 360-degree revolving restaurant offers panoramic views of Nairobi city and is open for lunch and dinner only. Make sure you reserve a table as it gets fully booked especially during the weekend.
Conclusion
Kenya’s culinary scene has a lot to offer and the list is subject to change as various restaurants are mushrooming every day. The quality of food, level of service, and ambiance are some of the factors to put into consideration before deciding on the restaurant. Whenever in doubt, always read reviews on TripAdvisor. Hope you found this article insightful, and now have an idea on cool places to dine on your visit to Kenya. Karibu Kenya!