The Arbor

April 17, 2024

I’ve been wanting to visit the Arbor for many years now and finally got to do so a month ago with my aunt. Located on Manyani East road, the Arbor is a serene garden cafe that feels like a little escape from the city’s hustle and bustle.

When you enter, the restaurant opens up to a vibrant garden with outdoor and some indoor seating as well. I came here on a sunny Sunday afternoon so it was nice to sit out in the sun but also get a nice shade from the big trees enveloping the whole garden.

The menu is quite vast, with an array of eclectic dishes to choose from. For starters we ordered the deep fried wontons (KSH1200) and the calamari rings (KSH1000). I didn’t try the calamari because I’m not a seafood fan but my aunt really enjoyed them. The fried wontons were a miss for me… they were filled with a mix of prawn and chicken and I thought it would taste like a fried dumpling but it was just meh tastewise.

For mains, I got the sweet chilli snapper (KSH1600) which is essentially red snapper fillet cooked in a sweet chilli sauce and served with fried rice. The portion was perfect. Love that the snapper mix had cashew nuts as well to add a little crunch to the mix. This dish was yummy and quite spicy - just the way I like it😋 The fish was fresh and flakey, the sweet chilli mixed in with all the seasoning gave it such a nice flavour coating too. The fried rice was also good and the freshness of the salad was a nice balance to the hot and spicy fish. For those who don’t like chilli - this may not be a dish for you.

I had no room for dessert by the time we were done eating but I did have a cinnamon swirl (KSH350) earlier as I was waiting for my aunt to arrive… that pastry was not it, it fell very flat sadly and was way too sweet even for me🥴 Think I had about two bites and just left it.

I’d like to go back and try more stuff from the Arbor, particularly the Pho because my friend praises it so much and maybe that will contribute to raising the rating because currently… the menu is at 50/50 for me🤷🏾‍♀️

The place is great for lunch plans esp with friends or family or a nice date out in the sun. They have a little playground in the garden for your little ones and they also have a kids painting section which I found really cool so the kids are not only limited to the playground.

The Arbor is also in the same compound as The Aromatics Spa so if you and your girls plan a cheeky spa date, you can head there for lunch or coffee after😊