Pop's Diner

Pop’s Diner, located in Mwanzi Market, Westlands is possibly Nairobi’s first American style diner and as someone who spent a good chunk of her life on that side of the world, I was very excited to have a classic diner experience right here without incurring a flight cost.

They really hit the mark on the decor, working in different elements of classic America like the juke boxes (wish they had one that actually works!), the retro posters on the wall, the old school TVs, the vintage booths in vibrant inviting colours… the music they play! Such a vibe - their interior designer did not skip a beat.

An American diner remains a classic because the food is always fresh, affordable, nice big portions and they stay open at all times. You can check in for a 7am coffee, a late lunch, an early dinner or a late night snack at 2am so this Kenyan version being open 24hrs offers that same cozy open door policy and I love that! Because sometimes you just wanna get some food in the middle of the night and not have to go to a bar/club to get it.

The menu offers a good array of American style dishes and they have brunch AND breakfast all day! Two things I absolutely love to hear. I’ve been here a couple times already for late night breakie, late night dinner, a Sunday brunch and just a random drive by. Here’s a bit of what some friends and I have tried to so far:

The eggs any style (KSH900), the apple pie (KSH850), the buffalo wings (KSH1500), the classic cheeseburger (KSH1950), the maple syrup dunked chicken (KSH1700), blue berry flapjacks (KSH1550), avocado toast (KSH800), vanilla milkshakes (KSH750) and a single scoop ice cream.

The eggs any style dish is a perfect breakfast dish that you can make to your liking and is very filling as it comes with mushrooms, bacon, home fries and a grilled tomato. Quite a hearty plate of food. Their chicken & waffles dish was very delicious! Perfectly crispy chicken, no limits on the maple syrup (if only other restaurants could take note of this please), good amount of bacon and a nice crispy and fluffy waffle to top it off. The only thing I wish they could do is add some whipped cream or berries to it, like a mix of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries - just to add some colour to the plate.

Their pancakes are of course very American style fluffy pancakes and a stack is really a lot so order one plate to share. I thought their blueberry flapjacks would have the blueberries cooked into the pancake but they just give you a small dollop on top… didn’t hit as well, I think they should try mixing the berries in the batter because there’s not much difference between these and the classic currently.

The classic cheeseburger has two patties and comes with a mix of fries and onion rings. It’s quite a big burger so also could be shared depending on your appetite. I couldn’t finish it in one sitting. Didn’t care too much for the onion rings but I enjoyed the burger. The buffalo wings were meh… the wings were quite small and I switched them out for bbq wings because I don’t like buffalo sauce but the bbq sauce was very toned down, very light and didn’t do much for the wings. For a KSH1500 dish… it wasn’t worth it.

The milkshakes were good for those who tried them (my lactose intolerance won’t allow me to enjoy a milkshake in my big age sadly) but they wanted them a bit thicker in texture. The apple pie - was just okay to me. Again, having lived in the states my expectation for a good apple pie is quite high and the only place that’s gotten it right so far is O’s Oven & Talisman, sorry to say. The ice cream was great though! Don’t know who they source it from but I had both vanilla and coffee ice cream which they so nicely offered as a complimentary and it was really good.

Pop’s diner I think is a great start to what I hope will be a continuing trend of having 24hr restaurants or at least places that stay open later than 9pm. A lot of us don’t really wanna hang in clubs or bars all the time so this offers a good chill alternative.

I do think they are quite pricey for a typical diner but we’re also not in America and they have to put up with Ruto’s economy so something’s gotta give unfortunately. It’s a great place to try for the first time, be it for a date or just a hang with friends. Great place to get a bite after a night movie or evening event that ends late.

I have to really commend the service, it’s been 10/10 every single time I’ve been there. The servers are friendly, helpful and just seem happy to be there which also adds to your experience.

Ratings

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Service: ⭐️️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ambience: ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Halal: ❌

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