Tarboush Cafe

During my two week vacation in Mombasa, I found out that most times I would just walk in to a random eatery and the food would be exceptional. I think this is my favorite thing about the coastal town. On this day, my friends and I went exploring Old Town Mombasa which is smack in the middle of town. We walked mostly or took the local transport, tuktuk, to wherever we needed to go. By about noon we were beat and needed an icy beverage and some steaming food. We strolled back into town and were looking for a favorable place that looked the most popular. This led us straight to Tarboush Café. Tarboush is write on the street, with some part of the dining area out on the street while some indoors.  If you choose to sit outdoors, there is a tent-like shelter and you have full view of the streets- which was amazing because coastal architecture and the people are so lovely. We were welcomed in the most gracious Swahili welcome and the sat us at a nice corner.  The aromas were already so tantalizing and I couldn’t wait to order. The staff handed us menus promptly while making lovely conversation with us since it was highly obvious we were tourists. This gave me a homely feeling of your local cafe, where they know you by name and are super-friendly. I love the intimacy of local cafés. We ordered the biryani – which is coastal rice cooked just right with spices and meat which is poured right on top of the rice. We also ordered the ukwaju, which is tamarind juice that they make themselves and refrigerated so it’s just right for the extremely humid weather. The waiter took our orders and no more than ten minutes later, our food arrived. I love chilli with everything so of course I sprinkled a little on my food just before I started eating. I am not exaggerating when I say that that was the best biryani I had ever had the pleasure of tasting. The rice was just right, cooked to perfection with traces of cloves and the meat stew gave it a nice texture that wasn’t dry at all. The portions were quite generous and I didn’t think I would even finish. The café is quite a family one with some kids and some businessmen who worked around the area coming in for lunch. The staff mostly converse in Swahili but they speak English as well. The only thing I regret was not trying the shawarma but oh goodness, I was quite full. The biryani and the juice cost us around 600/- per person which was certainly worth it.