Restaurants in The Coast
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Olympic Restaurant
Further south near the waterfront woodyards, the Olympic serves the usual favourites. It's less popular than its more central rivals, but no worse off for that. The owners are very friendly and it's a favourite with a slightly older crowd.
reviewed
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Singh Restaurant
The Sikh temple near the bus stands operates this small cafeteria restaurant, tipped by Mombasans in the know as one of the best places in town for vegetarians.
reviewed
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Hapa Hapa Restaurant
Advocated vehemently by its regulars, this waterfront eatery is a bit more informal and African under its low thatch than your average.
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Mombasa Coffee House
Take the opportunity to escape above Moi Ave for fresh coffee and snacks, or local meals away from the daily grind.
reviewed
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Tamarind Restaurant
Perhaps the finest of the various Tamarind ventures, eating on the terrace of this grand Moorish building overlooking the water is a romantic splurge you can't afford to miss. Seafood is the focus here, but meat eaters won't go hungry and vegetarians even get their own menu. The only bum note is the rather cheesy keyboard music, which takes a few dawas (vodka, lime and honey cocktails) to drown out. There's a casino upstairs - just remember you'll need some money for the taxi back to town.
reviewed
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Bush Gardens Restaurant
The Bush Gardens is the template for a whole set of restaurants along the waterfront, offering breakfasts, seafood - excellent fish, top-value 'monster crab' and the inevitable lobster in Swahili sauce - and superb juices and shakes mixed up in panelled British pint mugs. Somehow just about every traveller on Lamu ends up here at some point, and it remains a great meeting point and a firm favourite with repeat visitors. We hear the samosas are quite good, with a squeeze of lime of course.
reviewed
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Little Chef Dinners Pub
Thankfully this funky green-hued pub-restaurant has nothing to do with the British motorway diners of the same name, dishing up big, tasty portions of Kenyan and international dishes from pilau to stroganoff. The 1st-floor bar has a pool table and a great breezy balcony, one of the most relaxed places in town for a beer. The company has a couple more outlets in the area, but this is by far the nicest.
reviewed
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Old Man and the Sea
Definitely the daddy of Malindi's restaurants, this old Moorish house on the seafront really has no competition in its class. The food's superb, service is attentive, you can get decent wine by the glass and the guestbook is effusive and entertaining reading - apparently Tupac Shakur returned from the grave to eat here. A 16% VAT charge is added to the bill.
reviewed
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Siesta Bar & Restaurant
You say mzungu, they say gringo…we just say olé! This is quite possibly the only Mexican restaurant in East Africa, set in a fine garden above the harbour by the Nyali Bridge. It's great for a sunset beer (or tequila if you've got the cojones) and the near-authentic food comes highly recommended.
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Island Dishes
Once your eyes have adjusted to the dazzling strip lights, feast them on the tasty menu at this whiter-than-white Lamu-themed canteen. Mishkaki (kebabs), chicken tikka, fish, fresh juices and all the usual favourites are on offer to eat in or take away, though the biryani (curry and rice) is only available at lunchtime.
reviewed
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Rozina House Restaurant
Walk along Moi Ave in the evening and you're bound to be approached by touts for this would-be upmarket eatery. The food is reputedly very good, with plenty of seafood, but if you've just been dragged in off the street the prices are distinctly off-putting. Cheaper meals are available at the café next door.
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Whispers Coffeeshop
In the same building as the posh Baraka Gallery, this is a great place for an upmarket meal, a freshly baked cake or a real cappuccino. There's a lovely palm-shaded courtyard and simple meals such as pasta, fish and chips and pizza are available even during Ramadan, though it closes in low season.
reviewed
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Mangrove Centre
Facing the main jetty, you'll find a video store and an informal cinema behind the eating area here, though sadly you can't watch the films as you eat. The restaurant does a lively trade at lunchtime, and it's handy for a juice while you wait for a boat, or while you find your feet on arrival.
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Surahi Restaurant
What, no spaghetti? Break the habit with an Indian meal at this big restaurant, which has a variable menu and a particularly good range of naan and paratha (Indian flatbread). It's down a long, bumpy dirt track off Lamu Rd, and sadly seems to go to pieces slightly outside high season.
reviewed
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Splendid View Restaurant
You'll be looking in vain if you expect magnificent vistas from the street seating here - the name merely refers to the Splendid Hotel opposite. Luckily the food compensates for this sly misnomer, covering styles from tandoori to Chinese-influenced pili pili, a kind of curry.
reviewed
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Blue Room Restaurant
The Blue Room is hugely popular for its fast food - anything from cakes and sandwiches to curries, steaks and pizzas. Drinks are made with filtered water and there are no fewer than two back-up generators in case of power cuts. There's also a highly recommended ice-cream parlour.
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Fontanella Steakhouse & Beer Garden
A popular open-air place in a courtyard off Moi Ave, with nyama choma (barbecued meat), steaks and Western offerings such as spag bol. There's a large bird cage for entertainment, though without many outside lights you can hardly see it (or the menus) at night.
reviewed
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New Minaa Café
On the road towards the Riyadha Mosque, this busy, clean rooftop café serves Swahili favourites such as beef kebabs, maharagwe (beans in coconut milk), chicken tikka and samaki (fried fish). It's cheap and popular with both locals and travellers.
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Baron Restaurant & Pub
While it appears at first like a pretty average drinking hall, a glance at Baron's ambitious menu reveals a lot more than cold Tusker passing through the kitchen. Crocodile, ostrich, guinea fowl and lobster all feature, and even the drinks list takes up a page or two.
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New Chetna Restaurant
This is a very popular South Indian canteen restaurant with a long list of vegetarian goodies, including masala dosa (curried vegetables inside a lentil-flour pancake) and idli (rice dumpling). The various thali (set meals) are great value.
reviewed
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Malindi Sea Fishing Club
A popular hang-out for the deep-sea fishing crowd. The walls feature some huge stuffed sharks and billfish in dramatic poses. The seafood is excellent. It's a great place for a sundown beer, but it closes early and you have to pay a temporary membership fee.
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Shehnai Restaurant
Mombasa's classiest curry house specialises in tandoori and mughlai (north Indian) cuisine and has a huge menu, complimented by a tasteful line in drapery. It's very popular with well-heeled Indian families and the food is authentic and very good.
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Karen Blixen Restaurant
A fine (wait for it…) Italian terrace restaurant hinting at Art Deco style. The menu has all the usual and an added dose of Chinese, seafood and grill dishes, plus crocodile and warthog (!). It's also good for a morning cappuccino.
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Cozy Inn
A rare new addition to the Old Town scene, classical music soothes the senses as you surf or snack in this friendly little café. Lunch and dinner are planned weekly, with just four Italian-themed main dishes available each day.
reviewed
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Cladena Swiss Restaurant
It's not often you get a taste of the Alps in coastal Kenya, so if you have a hankering for fondue and sausage this is the place to come. It's also the site restaurant for the self-catering cottages run by the same owners.
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