Nairobi's Italian food scene is more sophisticated than you might expect. With a well-established Italian expat community and a local appetite for quality pasta and pizza, the city has developed a network of Italian restaurants that range from family-run wood-fired pizzerias to fine dining establishments serving handmade pasta and fresh seafood.
As of early 2026, the Italian restaurant landscape in Nairobi spans multiple neighborhoods with distinct personalities, and understanding where to find authentic Italian cuisine is key to navigating Nairobi's diverse dining scene. Karen attracts families and romantics to garden restaurants with wood-burning ovens. Westlands draws the corporate crowd and date-night diners to upscale spots. And scattered across the city you'll find hidden gems run by Italian families who've been perfecting their craft for decades.
This guide covers the top Italian restaurants in Nairobi, organized by what you're craving: wood-fired pizza, handmade pasta, fine dining experiences, budget Italian, and the places that blend Italian cooking with other influences.
Top Italian Restaurants in Nairobi by Neighborhood
Karen: Garden Italian and Wood-Fired Classics
Matteo's Italian Restaurant & Bar — off Ngong Road, opposite the Karen Road junction
Matteo's was created by Italian residents Pino Checchini and Leonarda Langiano, who have been in Kenya since 1975, and is run with their family. The extensive grounds were formerly a residence and horse farm, and the restaurant is named after one of the stallions that lived there. Some of the barns have been converted into indoor dining. Pizzas come out of a wood-fired oven in a small hut called the Pizza House, and the restaurant also serves fresh pasta and salads. There are three distinct dining areas, including a garden under ancient trees with parasol shades.
Best for: families, garden lovers, wood-fired pizza
The Talisman — Ngong Road, Karen
Talisman is one of Nairobi's best-known garden restaurants. It is not an Italian restaurant: its menu is global fusion with South Asian influences, using herbs and vegetables grown on site, in a lush garden setting. It is a special-occasion destination favored for anniversaries.
Best for: romantic dates, special occasions, global fusion
La Cascina — The Hub, Karen
This cozy Italian pizzeria occupies a corner of The Hub shopping complex with a rustic, woody atmosphere. It is run by Brescian-born Gianpaolo Zappa, who has lived in Kenya since childhood, and is known for fresh products arriving from Italy alongside locally sourced meat, fish and vegetables. La Cascina is a favorite for family brunch on weekends.
Best for: family dining, Karen brunch, traditional pizzeria
Westlands: Business Dining and Upscale Spots
Bambino Kitchen & Bar — 9 West, off Parklands Road
Bambino is part of Nairobi's Food Library group (which also includes INTI, MeSo, Botanica, Mercado and Slate). It is at the 9 West building off Parklands Road in Westlands.
Best for: date nights, groups
Urban Eatery — PwC Tower, Chiromo Road, Westlands
Urban Eatery operates as a multi-kitchen concept restaurant with separate stations for different cuisines, including Italian. This makes it ideal for groups with diverse tastes, though the Italian section is not as specialized as standalone Italian restaurants.
Best for: groups, variety seekers, business lunches
Lucca — Villa Rosa Kempinski, Chiromo Lane, Westlands
Lucca is the Italian restaurant at Villa Rosa Kempinski, reached from the driveway without entering the hotel. It serves traditional Italian dishes from classic pasta to pizzas baked in traditional ovens, with a Sicilian chef and à la carte and family-style dining. Seating is split between a front terrace, a mini dining area, the main dining area and an outer terrace facing Waiyaki Way.
Best for: business dining, upscale dates, hotel Italian
360 Degrees Pizza — ABC Place, Waiyaki Way, Westlands
360 Degrees opened in Nairobi in 2013 and is a premium Neapolitan pizza brand under the Java House umbrella. Its pizzas are baked in a hand-crafted Stefano Ferrara wood-fired oven, in the style of Naples. This is where Italian food purists go for Naples-style pizza.
Best for: pizza purists, Neapolitan-style pizza
Kilimani and Other Areas
Crave Kenya — Ring Road, Kilimani
Crave Kenya is a halal restaurant with an international and fusion menu, from breakfast through late dinner, rather than a specifically Italian one. The atmosphere is casual and minimalist, making it good for relaxed group dinners and dates.
Best for: casual dates, groups, brunch
Argenti — State House area, Kilimani
Argenti is a restaurant and lounge in the State House area of Kilimani, with an upscale residential neighborhood feel.
Best for: upscale dates
La Salumeria — Korosho Road, behind Valley Arcade
This authentic Italian spot is tucked away behind Valley Arcade in the Dhanjay flats. Owner Stephano Rusticali came to Kenya in 2013 to bring authentic Italian dishes to the country. It serves homemade pasta such as ravioli gorgonzola and fettuccine prosciutto, and sells wines, cheeses, cured meats and porcini flown in from Italy.
Best for: anniversary dinners, date night, handmade pasta
Enchanté — Nairobi
Enchanté is a French restaurant tucked into a residential house, serving a mix of French and Italian dishes including pasta, pizza and risotto, with live classical guitar at lunchtime and a parking lot behind the building.
Best for: special occasions, French-Italian cooking
Gigiri
Solo Grano — Gigiri Lane Craft Centre
This Italian-run pizzeria opened during the pandemic in 2020 and built a loyal following for its thin-crust pizzas. The menu includes 14 classics, 13 gourmet pizzas and a handful of fried options. It is also a hub, with a bar for aperitifs and cocktails, an artisan bakery (Mondo Pane) and a sandwich shop (Rimini).
Best for: Italian-style pizza, thin crust
Pizza Specialists vs Pasta Specialists
Where to Go for Pizza
Nairobi's pizza scene is competitive. The top wood-fired specialists are:
- 360 Degrees (Westlands) — Neapolitan-style pizza from a Stefano Ferrara oven
- Matteo's (Karen) — wood-fired pizza in a garden setting
- Solo Grano (Gigiri) — thin-crust pizza, with 14 classics and 13 gourmet options
- Lucca (Villa Rosa Kempinski) — pizzas baked in traditional ovens
- La Cascina (The Hub, Karen) — rustic Italian pizzeria
Chain pizza places like Domino's, Pizza Hut, and Pizza Inn exist throughout Nairobi but focus on quantity over quality and are not recommended for "best pizza" experiences.
Where to Go for Pasta
Handmade pasta is harder to find than great pizza in Nairobi. Your best bets:
- La Salumeria (behind Valley Arcade) — homemade pasta is a specialty
- Matteo's (Karen) — fresh pasta
- Lucca (Villa Rosa Kempinski) — classic pasta dishes from a Sicilian chef
- Enchanté — pasta and risotto in a French-Italian menu
Fusion and Multi-Cuisine
Several restaurants blend Italian with other cuisines:
- Urban Eatery — multi-kitchen including an Italian station
- Enchanté — French-Italian menu
- Talisman — global fusion (not Italian)
Fine Dining Italian
For special occasions, several restaurants elevate Italian cuisine:
Lucca (Villa Rosa Kempinski, Westlands) — Hotel fine dining brings polished service and classic Italian preparations, with a Sicilian chef.
Enchanté — French technique and Italian dishes in a house setting, with live classical guitar at lunchtime.
La Salumeria — homemade pasta and imported Italian delicatessen ingredients in an intimate setting.
Bambino (Westlands) — Part of the Food Library group, alongside INTI, which does Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) cuisine on the 20th floor of One Africa Place.
Italian Delis and Bakeries
While Nairobi has a strong Italian restaurant scene, dedicated Italian delis and bakeries are less common. La Salumeria sells imported cheeses, cured meats and wines, and Solo Grano houses an artisan bakery (Mondo Pane) and a piadina shop (Rimini).
For Italian grocery items and imported ingredients, you'll also find selections at larger supermarkets such as Carrefour and Chandarana.
Several Italian restaurants offer takeaway and delivery through Uber Eats and Glovo, including La Salumeria.
The Contrarian Take: Judge the Oven, Not the Owner's Passport
Some of Nairobi's most-talked-about Italian food comes from places run by Italian families, such as Matteo's (created by Italian residents who arrived in Kenya in 1975), La Salumeria (owner Stephano Rusticali, in Kenya since 2013) and Solo Grano. But Italian cooking in Nairobi is also in the hands of Kenyan and international chefs.
The best approach? Don't judge Italian restaurants in Nairobi by who owns them. Judge by the oven (wood-fired is superior for pizza), the ingredients, and the execution.
How Nairobi's Italian Scene Compares
Italian Expat Community — A long-established Italian community has created demand for authentic ingredients and cooking methods. Several restaurants are run by Italian families, and La Salumeria and Solo Grano import ingredients from Italy.
Competition with Other Cuisines — Italian restaurants compete with equally strong Indian, Chinese, Ethiopian, and Japanese scenes in Nairobi. This competition pushes quality up across all categories.
Local Ingredient Adaptation — Restaurants such as La Cascina source meat, fish and vegetables locally while importing key items like cured meats, cheeses and wines from Italy.
Where to Find What You're Craving
Neapolitan-style pizza: 360 Degrees (Westlands)
Wood-fired pizza in a garden: Matteo's (Karen)
Thin-crust pizza: Solo Grano (Gigiri)
Family-friendly Italian: Matteo's (Karen), La Cascina (The Hub)
Italian fine dining: Lucca (Villa Rosa Kempinski)
Handmade pasta: La Salumeria (behind Valley Arcade)
Garden setting: Matteo's (Karen)
Final Thoughts
Nairobi's Italian food scene in 2026 offers genuine quality across neighborhoods. You can eat Neapolitan-style pizza from a Stefano Ferrara oven at 360 Degrees, homemade pasta at La Salumeria, or wood-fired garden pizza at Matteo's.
The city's Italian restaurants fall into two camps: traditional Italian spots (Solo Grano, 360 Degrees, La Salumeria, Lucca) that stay close to Italian techniques and ingredients, and multi-cuisine spots (Urban Eatery, Enchanté) that blend Italian with other influences.
Start with pizza at Matteo's, try Neapolitan-style at 360 Degrees, explore homemade pasta at La Salumeria, and celebrate special occasions at Lucca. That progression will take you through the best of Nairobi's Italian food scene as of early 2026.
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Related guides:
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