We love new restaurants here in Kampala. It’s a chance for more food! More coffee! More booze! No matter how many standby favorites we have, we could always use another. So we ought to all give a warm welcome to Raves. Brand new and located down Kanjokya Street (near Kisamenti), this new café certainly didn’t skimp on its presentation.
The interior is a mix of smooth wood finishes and glass. A sleek look that lends elegance to your usual basic café experience. There is an outside area, inside area, and upper deck area with a view of the street. The outside, a mix of tables, plants, and decoration is a great place on a hot day. It’s sunken stone floor making it cool even when temperatures are scorching.
Inside there is chic assortment of seating options. Soft cushion seating lines the walls, which fairly common around Kampala. However, they also have cushioned diner-style seating. Solving the age old battle between my boyfriend and I. Who gets the soft cushy seat and who sits on the rickety chair? Now nobody has to. We both get cushy seats and a pleasant start to the dining experience.
Also a plus are the smoking and non-smoking sections, which are sadly absent in most restaurants. If you want to smoke, there’s plenty of seating both above and outside. You’re covered from rain and enjoy a nice soft breeze. For those who prefer to eat without smoke interrupting their meal, the airy interior gives you that option as well.
The assortment of food on the menu isn’t anything too creative or exciting, but they do have the usual salads, sandwiches, pizza, and pasta, that round out continental cuisine. I must say that the Greek Salad on the menu is one of my favorites so far in Kampala. Rather than trying to make it so acidic and salty (not everything Greek = salt), they sweeten it up with a honey based dressing that you can either have on the side, or drizzled over the olives, feta, and tomatoes. The sandwiches are also made with good bread and the portion sizes are hefty enough that those with light appetites could easily share a plate.
For drinks they have a wide assortment of shakes, juices, sodas, coffees, and teas. The juice is absolutely fresh squeezed and lacks the usual pound of sugar poured into it before it hits the table. The shakes are also made with real ice cream.
Because it’s so new, Raves is still very much trying to impress with fantastic service. Waiters are quick and attentive and very apologetic for any issues that fall out of their control. For instance, when I arrived it was a blazing hot day in Kampala. The power was out, however, so iced coffee was out of the question. Still, the latte I had was decent and they did their best to work around the issues.
Raves is in a somewhat strange location. It probably won’t get too much traffic going past it, unless you live or work in the Kisamenti area. However, it is very much worth checking out. The chic interior and sunken atmosphere takes you far away from the traffic and dust of Kisamenti, letting you simply enjoy your meal in peace. And with so much thought put into the layout and interior, it’s not hard to imagine this becoming a regular mainstay amongst Kampala’s café culture.
Address: Plot 67B Kanjoykya Street, Kamwokya
[WPMAP;58]
Leave a Reply