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!

Located in the leafy suburbs of Gigiri, Traventure cafe feels very welcoming from the onset and I think that’s mostly because it was someone’s home before. You get into the lobby/living room area and you’re immediately drawn to the back garden where the majority of the restaurant sits. There’s lots of seating areas, lots of greenery, lots of grass and a swimming pool! So you can already tell this is a more big group, family style setting.

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.

This place has been hyped for so long I was really wary of going to visit. I went there for lunch on a Sunday afternoon and for a place that is that popular it was quite empty at the time (1pm) which I didn’t mind. The place is expansive, I like the airiness, the vast outdoor seating, the bar that feels like an island in the middle of the restaurant… set-up wise they got it hands down.

This beautiful rooftop garden restaurant is located in Westlands at Delta Towers. For those who remember it took up the space where Buddha Bad used to be. I haven’t been to peppertree in a very long time, probably in like four years now. It’s not somewhere that really left a mark on me foodwise so I never thought to go back but as this was a birthday dinner plan, I decided to go and see if anything’s changed over the years.

Frangos is a Portuguese style restaurant, their focus being their chicken. I had the lemon & herb half chicken which comes with two sides of your choice, I had coleslaw and corn on the cob. Loved the chicken, very moist, very flavourful, and the corn had a nice chilli added to it as well. The coleslaw was just average. My friend had the rice option as a side which I tried and really liked how well spiced it is.