There’s always that heavenly divine connection between books and coffee, almost as if the two were always meant to go together. There’s nothing quite as fulfilling as reading a good book whilst enjoying a good cup of coffee. That said, instead of always enjoying your book and coffee at home, you could switch it up and visit some of Nairobi’s top coffee houses whose ambience and general set-up will definitely blow your mind away. Here’s a list of some of my favourite coffee houses in Nairobi.
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Connect Coffee Roasters.
Located at The Riverfront, off Offside Drive, in Chiromo, Connect Coffee Roasters is definitely worth the visit. The first thing that you’ll notice when you walk in is the incredible setup, the lighting and the extremely spacious layout of the shop, all of which add to the cool and relaxing ambience of the place. Occasionally, there’ll be some cool soft music playing in the background, also adding to the incredible experience. Their coffee is also quite good and they serve it in their own customized crockery, which is also cool. Also, the shop is surrounded by glass walls, which is incredibly spectacular, especially when the sunlight starts to jet in. There are also numerous sockets inside the shop, so you could carry your laptop and get a little bit of work done while inside. The staff are also extremely professional and friendly and their prices are also quite affordable (they even have a discounted price for students) so Connect Coffee is definitely a must-visit.
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Jumuia Coffee House.
Located inside the All Saints Cathedral Compound, along Kenyatta Avenue, Nairobi, this is another definite must-visit. The coffee shop is right at the centre of the compound, making it inevitably not hard to notice. The setup is also quite unique, with some table seats with umbrella shades right outside the shop. The layout of the shop is also quite good, with ample seating space not only on the ground floor but on the top floor as well. The furniture, as well as the design of the coffee shop, have that rustic and classic kind of feel, adding to the cool artsy kind of ambience the place has. Also, on the top floor, there’s some more seating space outside on the balcony, which is overlooked by a couple of trees, thereby providing a cool and relaxing breeze out on the balcony. Their coffee is also quite good with their prices also being quite affordable. However, the coffee shop is almost always full, especially in the evenings, so you might want to get there a bit earlier to reserve that perfect spot.
Coffee and books. Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/384424518183581492/
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Pointzero Café
Located right at the entrance of The Nairobi Gallery, just next to Nyayo house, lies the little-known coffee shop that is Pointzero Café. Its location is pretty strategic and significant, considering it is right next to The Nairobi Gallery, which houses some of the most significant and historic art collections. Its setup is also quite unique, in the sense that, the shop itself is not housed under a building but rather, under a tent-like covering, with seats and tables neatly arranged underneath, with potted plants surrounding the tent-like structure. Since it is not an actual building, there are not as many sockets within, making it the ideal place to carry and enjoy a book. The staff there are also friendly and their prices quite affordable but the serving portions may be a tad too small for some people’s liking. Looking For A Book Club? Try The Pointzero Book Club
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Pasara Café and Bar
Located at Lonrho House, along Kaunda Street, within the city’s CBD, this is definitely another favourite. Apart from the cool ambience, friendly staff and good coffee, the most striking attribute about Pasara is its vintage vibe. The walls are plastered with vintage posters, mostly of classic films such as Pulp Fiction, Casablanca and famous personalities such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. There is also a bar inside, and a pretty affordable happy hour menu in case you like your drink a bit stronger.
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The Mug.
Also located along Kaunda Street, inside the Jubilee Exchange Building, The Mug is another definite must-visit. The layout of the shop is pretty good, modern design with lampshade lighting hanging from the neatly furnished ceiling tops. The furniture is also neatly arranged, with ample seating space all across the restaurant. The most attractive feature though is the calmness and the quiet within the restaurant. You almost forget for a minute that you’re within the ever-noisy and busy Nairobi CBD, which goes to show just how conducive the environment is for a quiet time, preferably spent lost in a good book. The service is generally good as well but the items on the menu are a bit pricey. You may need to part with a few more extra coins to enjoy the serene and cool ambience here than you would need to at other coffee shops.
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