Last December, I visited News Café in Kilimani with my beautiful friend, Wendy. I’d heard people rave about it, so when Wendy suggested it for brunch, I thought ‘Why not?’. Also, they have a catchy slogan!

It’s about the vibe

Unfortunately, it’s been a while since my visit, so this isn’t the greatest, most detailed review, but I hope it gives you a feel of what I thought of the place.

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Ambience

Modern ambience with a striking balance of warm lighting and wooden accents, and crisp cool tones and metallic detail. The terrace is nice for people-watching, but doesn’t provide the most romantic view. It can get noisy because of the vehicular traffic, and it gets packed around lunch-time. So you may want to call ahead of time to make a reservation.

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Food and Drinks

The cocktails here are out of this world. The colours, the flavours, the names, it’s all so unique! With names like ‘Pangalactic Gargle Blaster’, you have got to have them.

For food, I had the eggs benedict. The hollandaise sauce was lovely and not too ‘eggy’. Presentation was great, although they plated my food on a massive plate. I don’t like oversize plates, but I can appreciate the modernist aesthetic that they bring. The portions looked small but were genuinely filling.

Wendy had a burger (sorry I don’t know which), and her portions looked much bigger than mine.

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Menu

They have a breakfast menu, which is great. It’s got cereal, fruit and warm options. For lunch and dinner, you can have grills, burgers, salads, sandwiches and wraps. They have enough for you to drink, from teas and coffees to smoothies and shakes. Alcoholic drinks are available too. I highly recommend their cocktails! I didn’t make a note of the wines list, unfortunately.

Very very very disappointing vegetarian menu. This is a recurring issue in Nairobi restaurants. There’s simply nothing for vegans/vegetarians. Save for a salad here, a sandwich there. Frustrating.

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Service

I’m writing this post about 3 months post-visit, so I can’t quite remember the details of the service.

I do remember that the waiter came to tell me that management didn’t allow for me to take pictures within the restaurant. It drives me nuts when they say this because 1) I’m just a blogger trying to put out content and I do not care enough to steal your plans and designs. I just want pretty pictures. Which, if you’re smart, could work in your favour. Free publicity, you know. 2) I am not a security threat. You know full well that no terrorist walks around in plain view with a camera as the gateway to a momentous attack. 3) Kenya is literally (OK, maybe not literally) the only country on this planet where people give you grief about taking pictures in public places. I’m not hurting anyone by taking pictures of my food or friend. I swear it drives me crazy. Anyway, I respected the order since ‘MANAGEMENT RESERVES RIGHT OF ADMISSION’. On a bad day, I would have had lots to say back.

*end of rant*

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Price

My eggs benedict cost sh850. Meals cost anywhere from sh700 to about sh1200. The cocktails were a bit on the higher side (sh700+), but worth every damn cent.

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Would I go back? I don’t know. Only because they pissed me off with the ‘You can’t take pictures here bullcrap’. Although, maybe YES! For those cocktails.