More than 70 restaurants across Nairobi have opened their doors for the first Restaurant Week since the annual culinary showcase was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
The 10-day dining festival runs until 1 February, marking the return of one of East Africa’s most well-established food events after a year-long hiatus caused by pandemic-related closures and restrictions.
The official launch took place at the Novotel Nairobi hotel, where members of the city’s food community gathered for an evening reception ahead of the public festival. This event set the tone for what the organisers describe as an opportunity to explore Nairobi’s evolving food scene.
“NRW allows restaurants to gain exposure, foster brand loyalty, introduce speciality dishes to a wider audience, and participate in a community culinary event that boosts the local economy and promotes Nairobi as a culinary destination,” EatOut writes on its official website.
When Nairobi Restaurant Week first began in 2013, just over 20 restaurants took part in what was then a small‑scale experiment.
This year’s edition sees more than 80 venues involved, underscoring how much the city’s dining landscape has grown since then.
Participating restaurants have put together specially crafted menus at set prices for the duration of the festival.
Many feature multi‑course offerings and dishes not normally found on regular menus, giving diners an incentive to revisit familiar spots or try new ones.
EatOut Kenya, the organiser and operator of the city’s largest reservations platform, handled the launch and coordinated participating venues.
The platform processes more than one million seat bookings a year across Nairobi establishments.
Its format follows similar “restaurant week” events held in global cities such as New York, Dubai and London, where curated menus and limited‑time offers encourage residents and visitors to sample a wide range of local dining.
“Nairobi Restaurant Week is an exciting opportunity for our city’s restaurants, chefs and food lovers. We are proud to support this initiative, which promotes Nairobi as a culinary destination and celebrates local talent,” said Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
Running from January 22nd to February 1st, 2026, the event is officially endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, Magical Kenya and the Nairobi City Council, marking it as a key highlight on the tourism and hospitality calendar.
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