The beautiful plot in Kololo where The Barn Steakhouse used to reside is now a second branch of Ranchers Seafood & Steakhouse. Avoid hectic Garden City Mall and head to a quieter, more relaxing version of the chain restaurant.
Ranchers has two sections: the upstairs bar and the downstairs restaurant. Just to be clear, my review is on the restaurant but I feel it would be unfair to not even comment on the bar so here goes! I suppose my husband and I are the only people silly enough to go for sundowners on a rainy day. We arrived around six in the evening and, unfortunately, because of the rain everything was a little discombobulated and damp. At this point, we were the only people in the bar and the TV was set to the local news station with the volume turned up. It wasn’t too long before they redeemed themselves and put on chill music and served me a nice Leffe Belgian beer. One notable thing about the bar is that it’s located on a roof deck and has one of the best views in Kololo!
Switching gears to the real reason for this article: the restaurant. I can’t say enough about how lovely this restaurant plot is. The main dining area has an open-air layout situated under a vaulted thatch roof. If you’ve dined at fellow Kololo restaurant The Lawns, it looks quite similar! There are also a few tables outside in the well-lit garden area. As for the ambiance, the plot is so lovely but I really think that the dining room décor could be taken to the next level. Right now, it’s clean, simple, and quite minimalistic with white linen tablecloths and spread out tables.
Ranchers menu is pretty straightforward…think ‘surf and turf.’ I really appreciate that they offer a simple menu and only serve items that fall under their specialty. Unlike other restaurants in town that try to support a 10-page menu offering six different genres of food, Ranchers knows what they’re good at and sticks to it! Their menu is divided into the following categories: beef, chicken, lamb, pork, or seafood and most items are in the 22,500- 35,000 UGX range. Enjoy the free basket of warm rolls as your mouth begins to water over the menu!
I mean… in typical male fashion, all it took was a waitress passing our table with a giant plate of ribs for both men at our table to go BIG and order the 600 grams portion each! This jumbo portion of pork ribs sells for 37,500 UGX and they unanimously agreed that they were heaven! My friend ordered the chicken burger and was able to easily customize it to her taste by adding avocado and bacon. It was a large portion for her so she packed half of the meal for take-away! I ordered the blue cheese burger. Wow! The lightly-toasted bun, perfectly grilled burger patty, and melted blue cheese made for the perfect combo. It was delicious and the chips were nice, too. Let’s just say that there were no leftovers on my plate by the time I was finished!
We capped off our dinner by splitting the coffee brownie for 15,000 UGX, which was their “cake of the day.” It was pretty good and came with a small scoop of chocolate ice cream on top and a slight dusting of cinnamon. Other dessert items on the menu include the crème caramel, cheesecake, and ice cream.
Our experience with the service was an exceptional one! Every one of us kept noting throughout the evening that the staff was really attentive and had a true sense of customer service. For example, a few of us ordered a double gin and tonic. However, when the gin arrived, it looked like too small of an amount so we asked our server to check with the bartender. A few minutes later–no questions asked– the server came back with an extra shot of gin for each of us and apologized for the mistake. Later, when our food arrived, the pepper grinder on our table wasn’t working and within seconds, two different servers had brought us a new one. We were all very impressed!
Ranchers Seafood and Steakhouse in Kololo is a great restaurant for quality meats and seafood dishes in a nice ambiance. Make sure you come hungry and you’ll be sure to leave satisfied!
Hours: Monday: 4 – 10:30pm, Tuesday to Thursday & Sunday: 11am – 10:30pm, Friday & Saturday: 11 am – Midnight
Address: 34 Windsor Cresent, Kololo, Kampala
Phone: 0312 517 068
Email: ranchersseafood@gmail.com
[WPMAP;60]
Hey, this is a very nice piece on Ranchers. Ever since I came back to Uganda Ranchers is my favourite hang out place. My favourite meal is Chicken kiev and I also like their Salmon. The customer care is on point, the waiters are always there to pamper you. I would also like to have another review about their Seafood. Am very sure it’s the best Seafood in town.