Hashmi’s is a staple in the Kenyan food industry scene having been around since the mid 1990s up until now. Y’all remember they shut down for a while and we thought it was forever and went there in droves only to have it open back up in a different building a few months later? That was smart marketing targeting customer loyalty. Hashmi’s BBQ is now located at Broadwalk Mall in Parklands and this is their biggest branch yet within Nairobi.

This fine dining restaurant is located at Galana plaza in the heart of Kilimani. It’s a French cuisine restaurant with an additional African flare to all their dishes. A hostess meets you at the door when you enter to direct you to your table. I found the place quite inviting - warm lighting, ambient music and well spaced seating so it doesn’t look too cramped. For a fine dining restaurant though, I felt like their decor and furniture was quite dated, giving it a more aged feel as opposed to luxury… I think they need to spruce it up a bit to match their brand and their prices.

Dawn is a cosy and intimate restaurant located in Kilimani, at the Loft Apartments. It’s not too big but also doesn’t feel cramped either. It has seating space both outdoors and inside, very simple decor with an emphasis on their wine selection so this is a place for wine lovers in particular. I went there for dinner on a weekday and it was pretty empty, think we were the only ones there for quite a while, which I didn’t mind, felt like we had reserved the whole place for ourselves.

We are in Tigoni today at the very picturesque Fig & Olive. It has such a nice, quaint farmhouse vibe, lots of bohemian decor and a very stunning vintage Ford Model A & VW Beetle right at the entrance. When you walk in you’ll be met by their retail store first which is fully stocked with unique home decor pieces, cool stationery and a variety of food products. I’ve been here twice (once on a weekend and once on a weekday), and both times the place was equally busy so reservations are definitely required beforehand.

Cotton Tree is another new Vietnamese restaurant located in Gigiri. It has such a beautiful outdoor setup, the decor is very boho chic. It has lots of greenery and space for kids to play in. So because of its popularity, you can’t be assured of space if you just walk in, you definitely need a reservation. I tried to call in the morning to make a reservation but no one answered the phone so I decided to just go and try my luck.

So my very first impression of this place wasn’t the best… but given that I didn’t die in their final destination style parking lot, I said I’ll still give them a chance. I’m really that person who won’t go somewhere if parking is going to be an issue, it’s too much effort to be stressing about parking just to go have a meal. No one warned me how bad the parking situation is at Crave but I’m letting y’all know now… if you can avoid driving there, just avoid it.