Open House

August 21, 2024

Open House is a very traditional family style restaurant. This was my first time visiting even though I know it’s been in existence in Nairobi for ages! I went to the Karen branch which is located at the crossroads shopping centre. I loved the homey ambience you feel when you walk in, it feels like you’ve walked into someone’s (very grand) but very comfortable dining room. The waiter was quick to get us a table and give us a breakdown of the menu since we wanted to try a bit of everything!

The menu is very vast as Indian cuisine menus usually are, it can get a bit overwhelming for people so I recommend asking your server what they would recommend and go from there. For starters we had the paneer chilli fry (KSH1200) and the Hara kebabs (KSH800). The portions felt a bit small for this price and if sharing amongst more than two people but they tasted fantastic! That paneer chilli fry especially has my lactose intolerant heart to this day😋

For mains we had: butter chicken, chicken korma, Punjabi chicken curry, palak paneer, vegetable korma, mutton korma, and veggie fried rice and lots of butter naan and masala cheese naan.

That butter chicken (also known as chicken makhanwala) was bursting with flavour😍 So so good! Butter chicken at most Indian restaurants will always be a top tier dish👌🏾 The chicken korma to me tasted more like your usual chicken curry - which is funny because korma is actually a version of curry in Indian cuisine, just less spicy. This dish was just okay for me.

The Punjabi chicken curry though…🤤 That spiced onion and tomato gravy the chicken is tossed in is so thick and delicious - perfect dish to have with some fresh butter naan… gosh now I’m hungry all over again!

Palak paneer is also another dish that can never go wrong in any Indian restaurant - also because my love for cheese knows no bounds… that flavourful spinach curry with paneer cheese is a taste you won’t be forgetting any time soon. Another place that does a really tasty palak paneer is Dilli’s curries from Ando foods - so good.

The vegetable korma has a sweetness to it and a good level of spice to it, it actually ended up being the most spicy of the 3 kormas we tried. The mutton korma is very rich in flavour - I think the mutton brings out the spices and flavours more than chicken would so that’s probably why I enjoyed it the best.

Special shoutout to the Masala Cheese Naan. I never knew these existed until I went to Open House. Where have they been all my life??? Cheese + bread… Naan bread in particular? Match made in heaven😋 The naan is filled with cheddar cheese, tomatoes and onions - looks like a pizza minus the crust😄 I couldn’t eat too many of them lest the cheese decides to ruin the rest of my night but I’d highly recommend this and of course you can never go wrong with the OG butter naan.

For my first time at Open House, I quite enjoyed it and the wait staff were so nice to us. We were there for a birthday dinner and they were kind enough to make a little ice cream cake for the birthday boy that we hadn’t even asked for - it’s really the little things that make an experience so great.

Open House seems like a great place for dinner for large groups, like for birthdays, family dinners etc… I don’t know if I’d suggest it for a date night unless you both are willing to eat A LOT of food at once😄 Indian food is served in small but many portions so it fits a family/friend group style setting more.

I need to find a reason to go back particularly for that cheese naan and the Punjabi chicken curry.