Talisman is a beautiful restaurant located in Karen. It’s been around for as long as I can remember, I actually can’t recall a time when Talisman didn’t exist. What started out as a small family restaurant back in the 90s has since grown into one of the most iconic restaurants in this city. The house turned restaurant is settled in a beautiful corner of the Karen neighbourhood. There are cozy indoor seating options and the restaurant opens up to a beautiful outdoor setting surrounded by greenery and pockets of seating for either big or small groups.

This charming restaurant is located along Marula lane in Karen. I love how vibrant it is right from the entrance with beautiful art works on display along the vast corridor that opens up to a stunning garden setup with lots of seating space and fun decor draped with lesos and ankara fabric. I really like that they have a bonfire area for those cozy evening dinners. The menu is quite standard with various dishes available for breakfast lunch or dinner.

This place was formerly the Tortuga Rum Bar (not sure what happened to them) and now it’s a Korean restaurant and bar. Located on riverside lane, Chimek House looks pretty chill and nice for a Saturday afternoon. They didn’t change up the decor as much and no one uses the pool still (including us). The menu is mostly fast food, including their famous Korean fried chicken. I tried to get an iced coffee but my order was constantly forgotten until I gave up on it and that’s when they remembered and brought it - it wasn’t good coffee.

Hemingways Eden is a boutique hotel located deep in the heart of Karen. Like really deep in Karen, if you don’t live in or near the Karen environs just put aside a good 40min to drive there. Once the roadtrip is done though, you are welcomed into a most serene space! The hotel’s restaurant, the Deck, is perfectly positioned next to a lagoon and borders the Giraffe Sanctuary forest, giving it such a picturesque view.

Hooyos is a nice and spacious cafe along Dennis Pritt road. There’s lots of greenery both inside and on the outdoors, lots of seating space and I love the big windows which bring in so much natural light into the space. Being a Somali establishment, the menu boasts lots of Somali cuisine plus continental breakfast items and typical menu items you find in most menus. Of course it goes without saying that this place is halal.

The rooftop culture in Nairobi is really growing and I’m here for all of it, I love a good rooftop hang. The 270° rooftop is a restaurant located on the 18th floor of the Escada building along Lantana road. Being on the 18th floor already is quite high up so you can imagine the views you’ll see up there. The restaurant has both an indoor and outdoor section, so if you’d like a bit more privacy or more quiet you can choose to sit inside or if you want the full 270 degree experience - step out onto the rooftop and pick a spot to enjoy basking in the Nairobi sun.