I was thinking that it would be a good time to give some of you some tips on things to do in Kigali with kids while you are here. Meeting them this morning, motived me to get busy. So, all of you who are about to travel or who are going crazy and need something to keep your mind occupied while waiting for an email or phone call...this is for you!
Today...Food!
There are so many fabulous restaurants in Kigali. The big thing to remember with kids in Africa is that you could easily end up waiting an hour or more for your food. Be prepared with little ones to have something to keep them occupied. An ipad, itouch, or iphone works great! Or, sometimes we bring coloring books, story books, small card games, etc. It depends on how old your kids are. You can't be too prepared. We have waited 2 hours for lunch before! Not fun when it runs over nap time.
If you are planning on dinner, remember that most restaurants here close between lunch and dinner. Most of them don't reopen until 6pm. Ask at your hotel if they know the times or if they can call for you if you plan to go out earlier than that. We like to get to a place right when it opens to save on the wait time. Most restaurants have outdoor dinning as well so remember to bring a light sweater or a scarf you bought that day at the craft market. It doesn't hurt to put a bit of bug spray on your ankles either. I usually wear long pants at night to dinner because of the cold and bugs.
I am putting the neighborhood in Kigali that the restaurant is located too so that you can easily communicate where you are going to a taxi driver.
Here are a few of our favorites that are near downtown:
Rwandan
Africa Bite in Kimihurura-If you want to try the local cuisine, go to Africa Bite for lunch. It has a great buffet for a great price. We love taking Emma here because you don't have to wait! They also have an open yard for her to play in when she starts to get restless. She loves the food so I'm sure your kids will, too.
Mambo Club in Kimihurura-This place is every kids dream! You pay 1,000RWF to enter the club. This gives you access to a playground for the kids, beach volleyball, and a basketball court. They also have a kiddie pool and a full size pool for 1,000RWF for kids and 2,000RWF for adults. The buffet is Rwandan food and usually a western dish as well. On Sunday's they have a great brunch buffet. The price is also very reasonable.
Asian
Flamingo in Kimihurura-great food. great price. Spring rolls and sweat and sour pork are super.
Zen in Nyarutarama-This is our favorite. It is a bit on the pricey side but it has an incredible atmosphere. Maybe a great place for a final date before you get your little wonder. Matt loves the sushi and I love the duck rolls! It's a bit more on the Thai side of asian I would say. It is also out of downtown a bit so about a 15 min taxi ride to get there. Closed on Mondays.
Indian
Zaafran in Kiyovu-This place is fantastic! And-they deliver! So, if you are in your hotel right now and you really don't feel like going out for dinner, call them up! Make sure to tell them if you like mild, medium or hot! I recommend the garlic and cheese nan along with Murg-e-Malai (cashew chicken) and Subzi Taka Tin (vegetables with flaffel.) The coconut fish is great, too. We haven't taken Emma here but they are pretty quick with your order so most kids would probably do fine.
American (I say that loosely!)
Heaven in Kiyovu-This is fantastic food! You will not be disappointed although it is on the pricey side. It's about 7,000RWF for a meal at night but so worth it! Again, this would be a great night out before you have your little one. They actually do a dinner buffet and a movie w/popcorn on most Saturday nights. It's a great date night! There is a small art gallery attached as well as locally made crafts for sale.
Republika in Kiyovu-If you are in the mood for steak, this is the place to find it! Great food as well as a fantastic shop downstairs. The brochettes and garlic potatoes are great, too!
Cafe' Bourbon downtown in the UTC-If you are wishing that there was a Starbucks around the corner from your hotel, this is the closest thing we have. It has a very western feel. In fact, we call it Mzungu Central because it is usually full of westerners. Emma's favorite things are the Very Berry Smoothy and the chicken fingers. If you have kids who are craving something familiar, you might want to pop in here for lunch. And, get yourself a yummy iced coffee or carmel mochiato Mommy!
La Sierra downtown near Gorilla Roundabout-great price. They have a buffet for lunch and a take away deli type bar where you can grab egg rolls, samosas, burritos, pancakes, waffles, etc. Great grilled cheese, too. Best potatoe and tortilla chips in town! Very kid friendly food and it is close to all the major hotels downtown. You could easily grab someting and take it back to the hotel if you wanted some time in while the baby is napping.
Middle Eastern
Shokola in Kiyovu-amazing atmosphere! You realy feel like you are in the middle east. The food is not all middle eastern though. There is a pretty large menu with some mexican dishes as well. There is an open area where the kids like to play while waiting.
Italian
O Sole Luna in Kacyiru-Great Pizza! If you have been to Italy, this pizza will remind you of your time there. It is a bit out of the downtown area so it will take you about 10-15 minutes by cab. Worth it though if you want pizza. They have take away if you call ahead.
Those are all places we have been to and I can personally say are great. Now there are many other fabuous places to eat in Kigali. Some that friends would recommend are:
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant in Remera
New Cactus in Kiyovu-french food and pizzas. I think you can do take away pizza here if you call ahead.
Chez Robert in Kiyovu right by Mille Collines-mix of continental dishes
So, hopefully that will keep you busy and full during your time in Kigali.
Next time...Shopping!!
Thank you so much for this!!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your post on shopping. I'd love to find lots of great fabric.
Thanks Carrie! I will make sure to talk about the Fabric Market. It's great!
ReplyDeleteOh....can't wait!!! My husband especially loves to try new food! Hopefully see you before toooo long :)
ReplyDeleteWish we were on our way! Thanks for this-- it'll be helpful soon (we hope!!)
ReplyDeleteAlways love getting recommends from locals!
ReplyDeleteIf you have time, a bit about what baby/child supplies are readily available there would be great - that allows us leave more room in the rucksack for donations!
It's getting printed off and put in my 'Rwanda' file. Thank you Jeana:)
ReplyDeleteYou are a RAD chick Jeana. I'm sure this will be invaluable for families. Wish I had that when we went to Ethiopia.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should hire the Pals out when we get there in August and that way they can get their meals speedy quick!! It would only cost the cost of the lunch or dinner =)!!!
Great idea on the baby supplies! I will take a look next time I'm in town and let you know. It was really helpful to know that when we went to China.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking the time to do this. I've been trying to make my own list of places whenever someone mentions a place on their blog but this is AWESOME! Much appreciation. Thanks!
ReplyDelete