Waterfront Bar and Restaurant

My colleague and I went to Dar es Salaam for a weekend of civilization away from the small Tanzanian village where we were staying. On our last night there we tried to go to dinner at a local nyama choma joint which we discovered was closed on Mondays so we went to the only other restaurant we knew in the area that had been recommended by her friend; Waterfront. 

Location: It's located in Slipway shopping center next to the Double Tree Hilton hotel in Masaki on the peninsula.
Price: Entrees seemed to range anywhere from 8000-25,000 TZS.  Drinks were a bit pricey for what I've seen reflected in other establishments throughout Tanzania; they were more indicative of Nairobi prices with house wine costing 5,000 TZS. 
Atmosphere: The shopping center is Village Market-esque with upscale stores overlooking the ocean. There are several restaurants inside; Waterfront is located in the back directly over the water.

La Salumeria

Fellow foodie, frequent dining companion, and drinking buddy, Cocktail Contessa, writes about one of our favorite (and conveniently located) Italian joints in Nairobi: 

One of my favorite culinary discoveries since first arriving in Nairobi two months ago has been a little Italian joint by the name of Salumeria, located dangerously close to my flat on Gitanga Rd. It's dim candlelit atmosphere and inside/outside seating options offers the perfect environment for both casual indulgence and/or emotional overeating, depending on your state of mind. Start off with a litre/half litre carafe of the house red (again, depending on your emotional state of mind) while gorging yourself on the bread basket, which comes with an assortment of slightly undercooked and slightly overcooked options. According to our Nairobi Nightlife Guru, Micah, "The squishy bread is the best, the hard bread sucks. It's like a rock." I have to agree, although I was forced to consume large quantities of the hard stuff due to Micah's aggressive nature when it comes to bread baskets. Drowning it in oil helps.

Local Moshi Lunch Spots

While working in Moshi my work colleague and I both wanted to find affordable options for lunch so each day we walked around town and picked a small local place to try.  Here's what we found:

Name: Chrisburger / Club Alberto

Location: On Kibo Road next door to the Impala Coach office just near the clock tower roundabout

Price: Their fast food menu is quite affordable.  Samosas are 500 TZS each; veg rice is 1500 TZS; and chai masala is 1000 TZS.

Atmosphere: the covered patio is enclosed with greenery and is a nice place to relax over lunch. Apparently it doubles as a bar/club in the evenings.

The service here is just as slow, if not slower, than most restaurants in Kenya. They forgot to charge us for our samosas one day and when we returned several days later for morning tea they hit us up for the amount. In general I find that very unprofessional since it was their mistake and it's not like they gave us a written bill in the first place so they couldn't show that we hadn't paid. However, I was worried the money had come out of the waitress' own pocket so we didn't comment.  

Indoitaliano: Updated

To combat the boredom of cooking dinner sans electricity in our new rural locale about 45 minutes outside of Moshi, my work colleague and I stayed in town after work one evening to grab a bite to eat and a drink. We hadn't been in Tanzania long so we just kind of wandered down one of the main roads and asked around for this restaurant since one of her friends had recommended we try it. We finally found it just off a side street near the backpackers hotel.

Location: Corner of New Street and School Street near the Buffalo Hotel
Price: approximately 800-1000 TZS per main dish; 2500 TZS for local beer
Atmosphere: very expat-y: when we arrived there was one large table of expats with a few tables of locals, but by the time we left around 7:30 it was expat central up in there. Randomly, it is also one of the only places I have ever seen a mzungu waitress.

Seven Seafood and Grill: Updated

This was my third visit to Seven but my first time for dinner. Previously I had only sampled their drink selection. Their dinner options had always looked a bit pricey for what you get and I'd been told that their lunch menu is a better value but the desire to celebrate my birthday on 7/7 at Seven (at 7pm) was too hard to resist. (I'm a sucker for the cutesy factor.)

Location: ABC Place (corner of James Gichuru and Waiyaki Way) next to Mercury

Price: definitely one of the pricier joints in town. As the birthday girl I wasn't allowed to pay for my meal, much less see the bill, but from what I heard the total for a table of 14 ended up somewhere between 55-60,000 KSH (approximately $611-667 USD).

Atmosphere: They have a small area for outdoor seating but even inside the whole restaurant feels very open.  It's got a very hip, modern feel about it.

Planet Yogurt

While wandering through the mall last weekend looking for a Safaricom store my friends and I stumbled on something wonderful, a fro-yo place. For those of you not in the know, fro-yo is frozen yogurt and a delicious, and (in my head) healthier substitute for ice cream. Since I'm not a huge fan of Kenyan ice cream, I was quite excited to try this place.

Location: Junction shopping center at Ngong Road and Kingara located inside by the elevator in the new section of the mall
Price: Um, the Handsome Hamburgler paid so I don't remember; I think it was less than 500 KSH (~$5.50).  It's done by size and weight.
Atmosphere: I felt like a teenager again hanging out at the mall with my friends.

Suggestions Welcome

Dear People of the Interwebs:

I have a request for you.  I feel like I have visited many great places to eat and hang out in Nairobi (some of which I may or may not have gotten around to blogging about yet), but I would like to know where your favorite happy hour places, restaurants, pubs, or late night hotspots are in Nairobi and around Kenya. 

My stomach thanks you.

Phoenician Sushi and Lebanese Restaurant: Updated

Location: Junction shopping center at Ngong Road and Kingara on the patio adjacent to Mediterraneo AND Matundu Lane
Price: 800 KSH (~$9) for edamame, Bento boxes start at 1100 KSH (~$12.50), Sushi platters start at 1200 KSH (~$13.50) We were also informed that the restaurant no longer accepts credit cards so make sure you are carrying cash; if you're caught without but craving some sushi Junction has just about every ATM known to man located just across the parking lot. 
Atmosphere: The atmosphere at the sushi bar outside the mall cannot compare to the garden patio at their former location on Karuna Road in Westlands. It is directly next to the entrance to the new section of the mall and while you don't notice your fellow diners at the restaurants nearby, I do wish the potted plants had taller trees to block all the foot traffic in and out of the mall. 

Abyssinia Exotic Ethiopian Restaurant: Updated

In my quest to eat my way through all of the Ethiopian restaurants in Nairobi I revisited Abyssinia. A former work colleague was in town for a couple of nights so I introduced him to the deliciousness, because while in Kenya why not gorge yourself on Ethiopian food?

Location: Brookside Grove behind Safaricom House in Westlands
Price: Beers 200 KSH ($2.50), Around 300-600 KSH per dish ($3.75-$7.50)
Atmosphere: There is a large outdoor patio as well as private rooms around the perimeter of the parking lot. It's surrounded by trees and set up in an old house like most Ethiopian restaurants in the area. It has always been quiet and a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy a leisurely dinner.

Sierra Bar and Brasserie

Location: Yaya Centre, the bar is on the 2nd floor next to the food court and the restaurant and terrace is upstairs on the 3rd floor
Price: Starters and platters cost between KES 500-1800 ($6.25-22.50), entrees range between KES 800-1800 ($10-22.50), beers KES 180-200 ($2.25-2.50), wine KES 350 per glass (~$4.40)
Atmosphere: While the restaurant is located inside Yaya, which doesn't sound like the place you want to go for a fancy dinner, once you're seated on the terrace (or beer garden as they refer to it) you don't even think about the fact that you're at a mall.  However, the same can't necessarily said about the lounge on the 2nd floor.  It is directly next to the food court and surrounded by shops so you don't get the same quiet effect as when you dine upstairs.