Where to Find the Best 10 Indian Restaurants in Nairobi

What many first-time visitors don’t realize is that Kenya has a significant Indian population, often referred to as the country’s 44th tribe. Indians first arrived by crossing the Indian Ocean to work as traders and build railways. After Britain established control over Kenya in 1895, subjects of the British Empire began migrating to Nairobi. By 1963, Indians made up 35% of the city’s population (Dizikes, 2015). Many of these immigrants arrived as indentured laborers working on the railways, but over time, many became successful entrepreneurs, exporters, and shopkeepers.

After Kenya gained independence in 1963, approximately 100,000 Indians remained, and their influence on the country’s food scene is still unmistakable more than 60 years later. Today, with many in the community settled in areas like Westlands, Indian cuisine in Kenya reflects a fusion of cultures shaped by history. Here’s a curated list of Indian restaurants that offer a taste of this rich heritage.

1)    Open House – Gallant Mall, Parklands Road.

2)    Haandi - Has 2 locations, at The Mall and the Westgate Mall

3)    Piri Piri Barbeque- Diamond Plaza, Parklands

4)    Hashimi’s Barbeque - Located off Mweha Lane, Parklands

A fusion between Indian food and nyama choma. Delicious halal meat, would recommend it for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

5)    Red Ginger - Located off Second Parklands Avenue, next to CITAM Parklands

Serving Mughlai, Chinese, Italian and other dishes, Red Ginger offers a local take in a great ambience.

6)    Anghiti Restaurant- located on Rhapta Road, Nairobi

7)    Grand Café and Indian Cuisine - Lenana Towers 843, Lenana Road

8) Social 8 Restaurant- Rivaan Centre, Ground Floor, Muguga Green Road, Off Brookside Drive

Works Cited

Dizikes, P. (2015, April 9). Passage from India: New book details how Kenya’s Indian immigrants established a foothold in a foreign land. . Retrieved from MIT News: https://news.mit.edu/2015/book-kenya-indian-immigrants-0409