Nairobi City is heaven for food lovers. You can entice your taste buds with almost any cuisine available globally. We all know the underdog restaurants make the best food. These restaurants operate under the radar with very few seating spaces, but the food is glorious enough to shift you through time and space. These are the hidden gems of Nairobi.
I’ve heard about these fascinating spaces around restaurant circles, and fortunately for you, I took a couple of weeks to sample some of their amazing food. I was impressed!
In no particular order, the following are some of the best-hidden gem restaurants in Nairobi that offer finger-linking good cuisine. Enjoy!
Boho Eatery
Boho Eatery isn’t your typical fancy restaurant in Nairobi. It really isn’t concerned with numbers. It’s the kind of establishment developed by a food lover, driven by their passion for conscious and sustainable living.
Driven by the goal of healthy living and eating clean – Boho Eatery in Nairobi believes a huge part of clean living involves clean eating. You’ll be swept away by the ambiance, arrangement, and aesthetic architecture of their setup before you get to see their menu. This establishment makes you want to pitch a tent, write a novel, or indulge your creativity.
Boho Eatery offers four dining options: Kitchen, Sip (a custom beverage section), Bloom, and Graze by Boho (a Catering arm). The kitchen aims to curate a range of gastronomically interesting and delicious food. Sip is the beverage arm that makes some of the most amazing cocktail syrups with complex flavors from local ingredients.
The menu includes halloumi Saganaki, Beef Tataki, Roasted Cauliflower and fennel, Gazpacho, a Wellness Bowl, a Mezze Platter, Crispy Chicken Tacos, Garlic Cheese Dosa, a Bliss Burger, Assorted Desserts, and drinks.
Average Cost PP/Meal: $5 – $20.
Location: 114 Ndovu Road, Hardy, Karen, Nairobi. Open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Phone: (+254) 727 502 416. Email: info@boho.co.ke.
BaoBox Cafe
BaoBox Cafe isn’t your typical restaurant with seating space, a kitchen, a bar, and a garden. The establishment incorporates play spaces into its offering. Yes! And it’s not to keep the kids busy while the menu gets prepared by the chef – it’s for all diners.
Think board games and food. That’s BaoBox Cafe for you! While it was initially set up as a board game cafe, it has evolved into a space that hosts comedy shows, quiz nights, Karaoke, and even Dirty Bongo games. It’s a hidden treasure to check out in Nairobi.
BaoBox Cafe has games for all ages and genres. For diners who love tech, the establishment has set up a digital table tennis, golf simulator, and Batfast. For diners looking to take it to the next level, there’s a pool table, mini golf strip, and darts board.
While you enjoy your games, BaoBox Cafe has a menu for all food lovers, with easy picks like Burgers and Sandwiches, pizza, Pasta, and Grill.
Menu: Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizzas, Pastas, Ribeye Steak, Grilled Tilapia, Lamb Chops, Roast Chicken, and Paneer Tikka.
PS: BaoBox Cafe is ideal for small gatherings and groups. It would also make up for an interesting date to break the ice.
Average Cost PP/Meal: $10 – $20.
The location is General Mathenge Drive, Westlands, Nairobi. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Phone: (+254) 715 226 269. Email: play@baobox.co.ke.
PiriPiri Barbecue
As the name suggests, PiriPiri Barbecue is a meat-lover paradise ideal for savoring authentic cuts, sipping drinks, and sharing good times. PiriPiri Barbecue is a hidden Indian barbecue restaurant located in Westlands, Nairobi.
Like most fancy Indian Restaurants, PiriPiri Barbecue offers a variety of tasty dishes, from succulent Choza Chicken to exotic-flavored Paneer Tikka. You’ll love their sumptuous mutton kebab rolls, grilled to perfection and rolled in traditional Indian tandoors.
While there’s a bounty to eat – I recommend ordering their spiced lamb chops roasted on charcoal with an accompaniment of your liking. It’s to die for. For meat lovers, their Chicken Chooza (roasted on charcoal) or Mixed Grill ( chicken, lamb, beef, mutton) roasted on charcoal will entice your taste buds. PiriPiri Barbecue is ideal for dates, small gatherings of friends, groups, or family.
Menu: Charcoal-grilled lamb, chicken, beef, and mutton served in different styles with different accompaniments—assorted drinks and beverages.
Average Cost PP/Meal: $8 – $20.
Location: Diamond Plaza, Westlands, Nairobi. Open Monday – Sunday: 12:00 pm to 10:30 pm.
Phone: (+254) 0112 608 396. Email: info@piripiri-bbq.com.
Hidden Gem
As I mentioned earlier, you can get a taste of the world in Nairobi. Hidden Gem is actually a hidden restaurant gem offering a taste of Italy on Kenyan Soil. You’ll love the artsy design and iconic mosaics of this fancy restaurant.
Nestled in the upmarket neighborhood of Lavington, Hidden Gem restaurant gives authentic, warm, intimate vibes perfect for city rendevous, romantic dates, or regular meet-ups with friends. It’s the type of restaurant you won’t just bump into anyone you know.
If you are looking to make some fun-loving memories of the city with your lifelong friends, I recommend making this a regular hangout. You’ll love their extensive menu, which offers some of the best pizza and pasta in Nairobi. I’ll gladly hold myself accountable for this statement.
If you are a wine lover – I recommend checking out their expansive wine collection from western Australia, Mad Fish, Celestial Bay, and Vina Pomal.
Menu: Best Pizza and Pasta blended with quality ham, cheese, olives, and other ingredients of your liking, assorted cocktails, and wine.
PS: This is an ideal hidden gem in Nairobi for hanging out with close friends. I recommend visiting late evenings; the lighting upstairs makes up for some exotic destinations abroad on Kenyan soil.
Average Cost PP/Meal: $10 – $25.
Location: Lavington Mall, Lavington Neighborhood, Nairobi. Open Monday – Saturday, 11:00 am – 10:30 pm.
Phone: (+254) 751 647 118.
Tortuga Rum Bar
Well, if you enjoy a good drink and authentic food to wash it down in a fun-lit environment, I recommend checking out Tortuga Rum Bar in Nairobi. As the name suggests, this establishment deeply focuses on quality rum.
While most people believe a hidden gem should be all about mellow vibes – I beg to differ. A hidden gem could be anything it needs to be, and Tortuga Rum Bar is one of those classic Caribbean establishments that will offer an experience worth repeating.
The Caribbean culture is all about upbeat, vibrant vibrations, and Tortuga Rum Bar checks all the boxes. Other than the restaurant and bar, this establishment has a pool. The menu is also Caribbean-inspired, with island food that will leave you wanting more.
Menu: Plantains, Jerk Chicken, Vegetarian options, fruit desserts, all the rum you can request, assorted island cocktails, and wine.
Average Cost PP/Meal: $15 – $25.
Location: Riverside Lane (off Riverside Drive), Nairobi. It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1:00 to 11:00 p.m.
Phone: (+254) 011 360 7785.
Marula Mercantile
Marula Mercantile is a hidden gem restaurant and Bar in Nairobi’s lush neighborhood of Karen, offering innovative, exotic cuisine, cocktails, and coffee. You’ll love its American-inspired menu, inviting setup, and homemade soda specials.
Upmarket restaurants always have a mellow vibe, and Marula Mercantile is no different. Its green, cozy garden, coupled with rustic furniture, makes up for its contemporary style that merges traditional and modern design.
Marula Mercantile is perfect for romantic dates or chill afternoons working on your computer. You’ll love the lighting in the late evenings. It’s enchanting and awe-inspiring. The menu includes 10-minute fries, burgers, steak, Chicken, coffee, and cocktails.
Menu: Desserts, Crispy Squid, Butternut fritters, Beetroot Carpaccio, Turkey, Pork, Lamb, Vegetarian offerings, Gravies, and more.
PS: I recommend ordering Porchetta rolled belly of pork with apple and thyme or Turchetta rolled boneless turkey with heavy breadcrumbs.
Average Cost PP/Meal: $10 – $20.
Location: Marula Studios, Marula Lane, Karen, Nairobi. Open: Monday to Sunday.
Phone: (+254) 706 224 444. Email: Info@marulamercantile.com.
The Purdy Arms
The Purdy Arms is one of my best hidden gem restaurants in Nairobi. It’ll almost never come up in conversations about restaurants, and that’s because it’s unique, with an offering unlike any other. Visiting this establishment gives me Out of Africa vibes thanks to its colonial setting and history dating back to the 1950s!
The Purdy Arms restaurant is set on 22 acres of land in this colonial home. The landscaping, gardens, and architecture will take you back, while the exotic menu and assorted drinks from its bar will make you relaxed and have a good time.
The Purdy Arms is an ideal hidden spot in Nairobi for family gatherings ( expansive kids’ playground and parking), late-night romantic dinners, events, and even as a regular watering hole. You can also check in as a resident in its Bed and Breakfast and feel British history in Kenya.
The Purdy Arms menu features local Kenyan flavors, exotic delicacies, and a nostalgic English pub grub. It also has a kids’ and vegetarian menu.
Menu: Purdy’s Zanzibar Fish Soup, assorted Salads, Burgers, Purdy’s well-hung steaks, lemon Chicken Strips, Chicken Kyiev, Vegetable Lasagna, Grilled King Fish with Herbs and Olive Oil, Classic Purdy English Battered Fish and Chips, Pizzas, Kids Menu, Desserts and more.
Average Cost PP/Meal: $5 – $25.
Location: 61 Marula Lane, Karen, Nairobi. Open Monday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Phone: (+254) 712 007 001; (0) 732 007 001. Email: reservations@purdyarms.com.