An elevated indoor-outdoor dining experience at Nabo Bistro

Want to give the impression that you are serious yet relaxed, classy but unpretentious? Take your date or business investors to Nabo. Nabo is a beautiful Bistro tucked away in Lavington. It has an elevated indoor-outdoor dining setup with Edison lights, velvet chairs, and elegant glassware. The restaurant is spacious. They have room for more tables and chairs, but as it is, it feels like those high-end stores with four clothing racks and a couch. You get a curious mix of openness and privacy. The décor is a mix of the rustic and industrial styles. Despite the grey of July, the space exudes warmth with rustic greens, browns, and burnt orange. 

The eatery describes its menu as a French-American bistro style. I found it more American than European with your burgers, steaks, and tacos. Moreover, the European influences were more Latin and Anglo than French. I think the only French dish was the Brioche French Toast. Maybe the French in French-American is the ambiance. From the pictures I’ve seen, Nabo seems to fit the style of French restaurants.

Elevated is a good word to describe Nabo’s menu. Even though it is filled with food you find in many cafes and restaurants in Nairobi, the presentation makes it feel less common. Classy without being pretentious. I was there for breakfast, so I ordered the Brioche French Toast. It comes with bacon, maple syrup and strawberries. I thought about getting the Egg Florentine but settled for a side of scrambled eggs. I don’t like runny eggs, and I haven’t encountered a scrambled egg breakfast I didn’t like.

I liked the scrambled eggs. They were fluffy and well-seasoned. The brioche French toast was perfect – thick sliced, not eggy, not soggy, dusted with powdered sugar with strawberries on top. It paired nicely with the hot chocolate, making for a luxurious breakfast. The bacon rashers that came with the French toast were over cooked, though. This was disappointing because there were three rashers of back bacon.  

I was impressed with the service at Nabo. It’s attentive and accommodating. I was seated at one of the warmer areas of the restaurant and was offered a heater as well. My waitress made herself available at regular intervals, so I wasn’t sitting with empty plates or glasses. The only blight in an otherwise stellar service was being informed that the chef hadn’t arrived ten minutes after placing my order. The waitress was so gracious and apologetic, so I decided I could wait. Even with the delay, my food arrived quickly. My entire stay was 40 minutes.

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