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Nairobi, Kenya

Top food to try in Nairobi

6 dishes to eat in Nairobi, what is in them, and where they belong.

Last updated 2026-08-11

1. Nyama choma

Nyama choma
Photo: hktang · CC BY 2.0 · source

Goat or beef roasted over charcoal, cut at the table and eaten with kachumbari.

Watch outAgree the per-kilo price and see the meat weighed before it goes on the fire.

2. Ugali and sukuma wiki

Ugali and sukuma wiki
Photo: 'Bacardi' · CC BY 2.0 · source

Maize meal with braised collard greens — the everyday plate for most of the country.

3. Pilau

Pilau
Photo: avlxyz · CC BY SA 2.0 · source

Coast-style spiced rice with meat, heavier on cardamom and cumin than the inland version.

4. Mandazi

Mandazi
Photo: 'Bacardi' · CC BY 2.0 · source

Lightly sweet fried dough, taken with chai in the morning.

5. Samosas

Samosas
Photo: konradfoerstner · CC BY 2.0 · source

The Indian-Kenyan version, usually minced beef, sold everywhere from kiosks.

6. Dawa

Dawa
Photo: DFID - UK Department for International Development · CC BY 2.0 · source

Vodka, honey, lime and crushed ice — the name means 'medicine' in Swahili.

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