safari HW Creations uit in nairobi

Places to eat

The no. 1 international restaurant in Nairobi is called the Tamarind. This place is not cheap, but offers an exquisite culinary experience. The waiters here are probably the most professional ones you're ever likely to meet in Kenya. Seafood is particularly excellent here, and warmly recommended. The Tamarind is a must-visit when you go to Nairobi, click here to visit the Tamarind Nairobi website.

The restaurant at the Carnivore is an unmissable experience for non-vegetarians. The price is KES 1600 (€16) per person. Waiters will continue to supply fresh roasted game meat from ostrich, antelope, zebra, camel, crocodile and other specialties until you lower the flag on the table. The "dawa" - a mixture of Kenya Cane, honey and lemon juice is surprisingly delicious, and worth a try click here to visit the carnivore website

There's quite a number of sushi restaurants in Nairobi these days, this is a good one restaurant its called Chez l'Ami/Shinjuku, located in Hurlingham. This odd combination of a French and a Japanese restaurant that are co-located has really nice garden section. Service here is decently quick, and the sushi is surprisingly good.

The Cellar is not mentioned in any tourist guide. Located in Lavington, this is a place where mainly affluent locals and well-informed expatriates go. Their specialty is steaks, and the place is totally worth many visits.

Like elsewhere in the world, Chinese restaurants are everywhere in Nairobi. our favorite place is called For You, located in Lavington, almost next to the Cellar. They have a huge garden, excellent service, and an owner whose goal in life seems to be to create a place where people want to come back. Two thumbs up!

If you like Lebanese food, it would be a crime not to visit the Cedar, on Lenana Road. This place is owned by a Norwegian businessman who does not compromise when it comes to style and quality in his restaurant. Their Mezze are absolutely mouth-watering! Hang around in the bar after dinner, and you're likely to bump into quite a few members of Kenya's political and business elite.

Ethiopian restaurants are booming in popularity in Nairobi. Ethiopian food usually consists of various spicy meat sauces, served with the traditional injera. If you haven't tried it, we can warmly recommend it, but be aware that it's highly addictive! Habesha in Hurlingham is our favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Nairobi. Due to its reputation for excellence, it tends to be crowded though. The Motherland along Ngong Road, and Red Sea on Lenana Road are also definitely worth trying.

Nyama choma. Roasted goat meat is the ultimate Nairobi experience. Preferably, it is consumed in a 'choma' place along with a Tusker beer. Choma places can be found in all qualities and price classes. The Buffet Park in Hurlingham and Visa place on Upper Hill are only two out of many good alternatives to choose between. These are popular places for young professional Nairobians, and always have a good atmosphere. 'Choma' evenings are an integral part of the Nairobi lifestyle, and if you're inviting many guests over for a party, it might even be an idea to buy a whole goat. Nyama choma is usually served with lots of salt (to dip the meat), kachumbari (chopped onions and tomatoes) and a choice of either ugali, irio or chapati (all traditional side meals) .

Trattoria is een Italiaans restaurant in Kaunda street, het staat bekend voor de goede kwaliteit van het eten, het zelf gemaakte ijs en de goede bediening.
Je kan hier uiteraard uitstekende pasta's en pizza's eten maar ook de vis en vlees gerechten zijn van hoge kwaliteit, dagelijks geopend van 07.30 tot 00.30 uur, ook voor een heerlijk ontbijt met verse croissants.
klik hier om de website van Trattoria te bezoeken om te kijken wat ze op het menu hebben.

Een ander zeer goed restaurant is Casablanca in Lenana road (kilimani) dit restaurant is van dezelfde Italiaanse eigenaar als de nachtclub met dezelfde naam (zie night life) , wie een maaltijd nuttigd in het restaurant kan zelfs zonder entree te betalen (normaal 300Ksh) de nachtclub binnen, het eten is ook hier van zeer hoog niveau en erg lekker, het bedienend personeel is van hetzelfde niveau als het eten, prijs voor een goede pepper steak is 800 Ksh zo'n €9.00.

Night life

The vibrant night life is actually one of the main characteristics of Nairobi. If there's any city made for partying in Africa, Nairobi is that place. Partying is simply an integral part of the Nairobi lifestyle, which you can't fail to notice whether you're there for 24 hours or 10 years.

The Carnivore is much more than a restaurant. It is also a gigantic night club. The place has 5 bars and is usually open until 6am. Each night has its own theme, and rock night on Wednesday is the main attraction of the week. Being born party people, Nairobians are not deterred by the idea of going out in the middle of the week!

Casablanca, on Lenana Road, is a North African style night club, with some of the best cocktails in Nairobi. They also have sheeshas, and a great atmosphere. The Pavement in Westlands is a popular place for expatriates, but not among my favorites. This place is usually really overcrowded. Along Koinange Street in the CBD, there's a place called the Florida, usually referred to as the "Madhouse". This place is among the hot spots in Nairobi, and is very popular among expatriates and tourists. It is also notorious for the many women in the world's oldest profession.

K1 in Parklands is one of the local upmarket night clubs. You'll hardly find any tourists, and just some very few expatriates here, so the atmosphere is truly Nairobian. If you're in for karaoke on a Friday nite, then Café Cream at the Yaya Centre is a nice place to go.

If you go for an all-nighter in Nairobi, you're likely to end up at the Madhouse or the Florida 2000 on Moi Avenue. However, even these places will eventually close some time between 6 and 9 am. If you have a lot of guts, and you're not carrying any big amount of cash or any visible valuables, you might want to try some of the places that no tourist guide will ever tell you about - just for the kick of it. On the "wrong" side of Moi Avenue, there are plenty of places that stay open as long as there's people there, such as Thiba, Fameland, and Good Hope. It is important that you're accompanied with one or several trustworthy locals when going to any of these places.

The Business Club of Africa

Nairobi is undoubtedly the business hub of Eastern Africa. Economically, it is one of the most important cities on the continent. An increasing number of multinational companies choose to locate their African headquarters in Nairobi, and basically all the major regional companies are based in the city.

Nairobi also hosts the headquarters of UN Habitat and UNEP, making the United Nations one of the major employers in Kenya, and an important source of business for thousands of people and companies.

The strong economic growth in Kenya is further boosted by a high influx for foreign investment. Despite some very apparent flaws, the Kibaki regime has managed to remove barriers and create a healthy environment for foreign investments in Kenya. The Kenya Investment Authority, where I've previously worked myself, has also been restructured into a very potent agency for marketing Kenya as an investment destination, and for bypassing bureaucracy to facilitate foreign investment.

Living in Nairobi

For a westerner, Nairobi is a ridiculously cheap place to live. With its broad selection of restaurants, night clubs, coffee bars, plus some good movie theatres and big, modern malls, you can easily afford a quite extravagant lifestyle for considerably less than in any European country.

Nairobians tend to be party animals. With a good selection of good night clubs, there is always somewhere to go, any day of the week. Few Nairobians will ever say no to catching a few drinks.

In general, people are very friendly and helpful, and you will always feel that you're welcome as a foreigner. Having seen the attitude with which too many Africans are met in Europe, one can get ashamed.

Almost everybody speaks English, and no one expects foreigners to learn Swahili or any of the other local languages. If you do, however, you will be met with outright admiration!