La Terrasse

October 8, 2025

Today we’re in the heart of Karen at La Terrasse, another Vietnamese restaurant in Nairobi. I love that there’s a good variety of these to choose from nowadays.

La Terrasse is a beautiful space located on Marula Lane, the same place where the farmer’s market usually takes place. I love the outdoor setup especially on a nice sunny afternoon facing the lush forest backdrop. I came here for lunch on a Friday afternoon and it was quite empty, so I think it gets busier on weekends.

They pride themselves in making fresh authentic Vietnamese dishes using indigenous Asian vegetables and fresh herbs that they grow themselves in their farm at Marula lane. That day though they seemed to be out of a couple of things so we didn’t get to try a good variety of stuff. I really wanted some pho but they didn’t have it so we opted for some chicken wings (cahn ga ran, KSH600) and the bbq platter for 2 (KSH2950)

I also had to try the coffee because the Vietnamese have truly won the coffee war, their coffee is amazing no matter where you try it. A cup is KSH650 though so try it… but don’t overdo it. Our server showed us how to get a nice strong cup of phin drip coffee and as a coffee lover, I was very satisfied. That one cup had me wired for the rest of the day.

The chicken wings may be small but they’re very tasty and I liked the sweet and sour sauce that was its accompaniment. The bbq platter is a dish that includes pork belly, spare ribs, mince meat balls and is served with a side salad and your choice of fried rice or sauté potatoes.

We had ours with fried rice and that rice… oh my days, that rice was 10/10! So so good! I think I ate more rice than meat that day lol, it was very delicious. I enjoyed the ribs and pork belly from the platter but the meatballs weren’t as good. The pork is grilled to perfection and very well marinated, the flavours really encapsulate you with each bite.

The platter is smaller than I’d have expected but then I remember Asians tend to have small food portions so it was authentic to their practice. It seemed small but that’s how they get you because we could feel ourselves getting full quickly as we ate from the platter + the rice and the salad. Everything tasted fresh and very much felt like a home cooked meal.

I can’t say too much about the service since we were possibly the only other customers there besides one other table so they truly had no reason to not be attentive, so the service was generally good and our waiter recommended coming back on Saturday for their happy hour as that’s when it’s usually more lively with music and a nice crowd. Told him next time for sure.

La Terrasse seems like a nice place for an afternoon plan with friends, or family especially on farmers market days or if you’d prefer a more quiet lunch then avoid the farmers market day. Great place for a date if you want complete privacy on a weekday because there’s barely anyone and you can experiment with the various dishes on the menu. Would definitely love to go back and try their Pho.