Top Restaurants to eat from in Kampala City Uganda

Kampala is a busy city by day and vibrant by night. It from this constant activity and rush hour that the locals living and working in the city and the foreigners that visit are always on the lookout for the best restaurant to have lunch, breakfast or dinner. Kampala restaurants offer delicious meals at affordable rates and Uganda being a country with fertile soils and good weather, a lot of the food grown by the farmers in Uganda is fresh and healthy.

The restaurants in the city offer different cuisine and the menus are usually extensive offering the customer an array of foods to choose from. Over the years the restaurants in Kampala Uganda have evolved to cater to specific interests so you will find as mentioned in this article, restaurants that mainly serve Indian food or Asian food or Chinese food. This is good for the people who visit Uganda to still have a feel of home while in another country but also for Ugandans to indulge in the food from other nations and appreciate the difference in taste.

Below are the top restaurants in Kampala;

Meza and Salt

Located opposite the main entrance of Acacia Mall, one of the largest malls in Kampala city Meza and salt is a great option when choosing a place to have lunch or dinner. The restaurant is one of the best Middle Eastern restaurants in Kampala. The food is well known for being affordable, the restaurants serves large portions of food and the main chefs are Middle Eastern. Aside from the Middle Eastern menu, Meza and salt also offers other fast food options like French fries, burgers, pizzas, sandwich wraps and fried chicken.

The one thing that makes Meza and Salt popular is the “shawarma” which is the hot selling item at the restaurant. The restaurant offers both beef and chicken shawarma as well as shawarma platters. Shawarma is a Middle Eastern wrap that is made of a flour tortilla filled with chicken or beef slices, pickles, vegetables, garlic sauce and chips. The shawarma meal is a must try and you can be sure to find the best shawarma at Meza and Salt. The food takes about 15 – 20 minutes to arrive depending on what item off the menu you have ordered.

Meza and Salt has ample sitting space making it a good meeting point. The restaurants has a down stairs section and upstairs section. Both sections have staff waiting to attend to customers as soon as they arrive. The down stairs section gives you great views of the Acacia mall entrance and the busy life of the locals as they go about their day. Meza and Salt gets very busy so if you are looking for quiet place to work, this might not work unless you go during morning hours that is between 9 am and 11 am. The restaurant is typically great for friends, workmates, family to meet for meals and talk, have lunch or dinner stop overs and for travelers who wish to have a quick meal before heading out to the parks for their safari in Uganda.

Chicken and Beef Shawarma meal at Meza and Salt

Café Javas

Café Javas is a chain of restaurants in the city of Kampala. Café Javas is well known for its exceptional service as the food is always under 10 minutes after your order has been taken. Café Javas is also the preferred restaurant for city dwellers and visiting tourists as it has many branches making accessibility easy especially as a lot of the hotels and residential areas are near a Café Javas. Café Javas has different branches that include one at City Oil Kamwokya next to Acacia mall, Lugogo mall next to Carrefour Uganda hyper market, Bombo road right before wandegeya traffic lights, Kampala Boulevard Branch next to Yummy Uganda, and Café Javas along Parliamentary Avenue just above the Food Hub Kampala.

Pancake Sampler Breakfast at Cafe Javas comes with a glass of juice and your choice of tea/coffee

The cafes offer an a la carte menu that features a number of different meals for example sandwiches, burgers, salads, tacos, pasta meals, chicken meals, steak, soups and appetizers, snacks, fish meals, kid’s meals, desserts and curries. The best sandwich that is worth ordering at Café Javas is the “Philly Cheese steak sandwich”. The most popular meal at the cafes is the Caribbean jerk chicken that is also worth a try as it is a mouth-watering and delicious meal. The menu also has different drinks from pinacoladas to mojitos to milkshakes, smoothies and specialty juices. Coffee and tea is also part of the Café Javas menu and the tea especially their African tea which goes well with a slice of their chocolate fudge cake.

Café Javas has ample parking space on all their locations. The cafes also offer great sitting areas and the interior is well designed to accommodate customers who desire to have work meeting, family meetings or work at the café throughout the day. Each section of the restaurant has hostesses to attend to all the client’s restaurant needs.

All in all the exceptional and quick service of Café Javas makes the chain establishment the best place to meet or stop over for a meal.

The Patio Café and Restaurant Uganda

The Patio Uganda is a café and restaurant located along the Bukoto – Ntinda road in Kampala city. Situated in the suburbs this restaurant is a perfect place to meet for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The restaurant has a bar as well and can be a great way to spend the evening relaxing and sipping on a gin and tonic or a glass of wine. The café and restaurant has a great location right by the road side and for people living or staying at a hotel in the areas of Naguru, Ntinda, Bukoto, Kamwokya and Kololo which are all suburbs in Kampala city, the restaurant is accessible and close by for a stopover.

The Patio Uganda offers fine dining services and offers an a la carte menu where you can order according to your desire. One of the best meals to order is the ‘chicken teriyaki”. Aside from the chicken teriyaki the café and restaurant offers fish meals, chicken meals, pasta, pizzas, soups, drinks and breakfast combos. The ambiance of this café is one of the best in the area and is perfect during the day for personal work while you have a meal, meeting and is a good option if you are looking for a less busy quiet restaurant.

The Patio has an indoor section that is well lit with comfortable sitting and beautiful wall art giving you the perfect mix of coffee shop and restaurant. The restaurant has an outdoor sitting area as well that overlooks the bar area. The Patio Uganda has some of the best mixologists in Kampala so be sure to order their cocktails when on an evening or night out. The bar area also hosts live band nights which is a good experience of Kampala night life.

Inside the Patio Restaurant

Nawab’s Asian Bistro Kampala

Nawab is one of the best restaurants in Kampala and offers Indian, Chinese and continental cuisine. Located at Acacia mall the restaurant offers the perfect location right in the heart of Kampala city. The restaurant chain has two restaurants at Acacia mall, one of the restaurants is located on the second floor of Acacia mall at the Food Court while the other restaurant is located at the Acacia mall Roof top.

Nawab’s Group has created a chain that caters to the needs of their clientele because the two locations provide a balance so if you need a quiet less busy restaurant you can opt for the Nawab at Acacia mall roof top. If you need a restaurant to grab a quick meal before heading out for a movie at the cinema or before going on with your day, you can then opt for the Nawab restaurant at the Food Court at Acacia mall on second floor.

The restaurant has excellent and attentive staff and the food is great. They offer delicious Indian and Chinese food in great portions.

Nawab’s Asian Bistro at Acacia Mall Rooftop

The tipping culture at restaurants;

Uganda’s restaurant culture is different and it is not a must to tip however we greatly encourage it as a form of appreciation to the waiting staff at the places you eat.

10 – 20 % of your total meal can make for a good tip while on your dining experience.

All in all food is a very important aspect of our lives as it not only feeds our stomach but it’s part of our culture and oh how beautiful it is to fully indulge in different unique foods.