Carnivore

chloe_day
chloe_day
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
5
Reviews
4
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Carnivore

  • October 17, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by alusainc from Columbia, Maryland
No visit to Kenya is complete without a trip to the Carnivore. You get to try the different meats (hartebeest, zebra, crocodile, gazelle, and ostrich). You are given a white flag that you can put up once you can't take another bite. If you drink, I challenge you to try the drink Dawa (medicine in swhaili). I am not sure what they put in it but it is strong. The music is great too with various theme nights.

From journal Hanging in Nairobi

Carnivore Restaurant

  • September 18, 2005
  • Rated 2 of 5 by Dr. Mitch from Agoura Hills, California
Carnivore Restaurant

Located near the Wilson Airport, there has been much to do about this well-known restaurant. Its fame comes from its reputation of BBQ African game served on a skewer to your table in endless quantities. The restaurant is clean, well appointed, the service is good and the food is excellent. However, note that as of several months ago, Kenya no longer permits the consumption of game. The restaurant is now restricted to chicken, beef, pork, lamb, croc, and ostrich. The restaurant primarily caters to tourists but that should not put you off. It is located within a fenced compound with guards at a gated entrance. Driving up to the front, it looks like any chic restaurant one might find in the US or Europe. It is large with seating both inside and in a covered outdoor area with green grass, small metal statues, and fountains. In the center of the restaurant  there is a large, round, modern BBQ area. The waiters are all dressed in zebra stripped aprons all with a great attitude. For those worried about food hygiene and sanitation (as well as the quality of the food), it is probably not an issue here. While game is no longer served, the food is actually very, very good. Adjoining the restaurant, there is a well stocked native crafts shop. Prices are higher than in hotel shops but the collection is unique. There is also a shop selling Carnivore logo products.

From journal My Journey into East Africa

The Carnivore

  • July 21, 2004
  • Rated 4 of 5 by lslay78 from Tacoma, Washington
The Carnivore is truly a unique dining experience! Ask your tour company or at your hotel and they will know where it is - this place is quite well known for tourists. We were shown to our table looking out into a jungle courtyard and our waiter explained the eating process. We had drinks and soup and were given a large tray of sauces to try with our dinner. Once the little flag is put up on the table, waiters begin arriving with a spit of meat hot off the fire. They'll say, "This is zebra, you should try it with this sauce," and point at something on your tray. Then if you give them the nod, they'll slice off a piece of meat onto your plate and bon appetit! Different meats come around quite frequently, and you can have regular things like chicken, beef, pork, etc. The game meat is the most interesting - we had zebra, hartebeest, crocodile... They serve a different selection each night. If you have the chance to try a warthog meatball, don't pass it up! Yum!

From journal Kenyan Safari 2004

Carnivore

  • March 30, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Tania Riddell from Gold Coast, Australia
For lunch or dinner, you have beef, port, lamb, ham, chicken, sausages, and three game meats (ostrich, eland, hartebeest, crocodile, zebra or wildebeest). Barbecued on Maasai spears and brought round by the waiters, who carve hunks off until you tell them to stop. It is as much as you can eat and also includes salad, bread, dessert and coffee. Truly a dining experience you do not want to miss.

From journal Dreams Do Come True

Editor Pick

Carnivore

  • September 16, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by chloe_day from Wakefield, United Kingdom
Carnivore

Dining at Carnivore can be quite an experience. It's a bit of a wazungu (white people's) hangout, but unlike other places, like the Safari Park Hotel, there are usually some black and Asian people there too.

The main food on offer, as the name would suggest, is nyama choma or barbecued meat. This usually includes pork, beef, chicken, etc and about four types of game meat, all of which you can see being spit roasted as you enter the restaurant. There are also other foreign foods on offer, and there's a good vegetarian buffet--if vegetarians can stomach being there to start with.

One of the main attractions is the all-you-can-eat option. This costs KSh1600 (£15/$22) and for that you get the waiters to slice as much meat as you want straight onto your plate at the table whenever you want. If you want to try some game meat but don't really fancy paying £15 for it, then there's a platter available which has your choice of meat (plenty of it) and costs KSh350 (£3.20/$4.60). I tried hartebeest, warthog, zebra, and crocodile. All were nice except the crocodile, which was really meaty but tasted strongly of fish. I'm told that impala is very good.

Matatus and buses #15 and #24 (aswell as others) go past here on the main road but this leaves you with a 1km walk and a taxi is a better option. All in all this place is a bit different, definitely worth a visit and doesn't have to be expensive.

From journal Nairobi Needn't Mean Nairobbery for You

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