Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant
Ranked in Best Casual Dining in Ukunda
What visitors say
Visitors praise the unique cave setting and generally good food and service. Several reviews say the restaurant is pricey, with some describing the food as good but not exceptional for the price. Two reviews found the desserts disappointing.
About
Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant is a restaurant in Ukunda, Diani Beach. It is set in a cave.
Highlights
- Dine-in
- Serves beer
- Serves wine
- Dinner
- Vegetarian options
- Takes reservations
HoursClosed
Google reviews
- Mohamud A.Google review · 3 Oct 2026
Our sincere and heartfelt compliments to the chef and the team in the kitchen for the flawless execution on each meal. We came for a meal and left inspired. A big thank you to the rest of the team for the great service. We had a great time and we ordered the Chilly crab, Yellow fin Tuna Carpaccio,Chicken, Black Steer Beef Fillet and cave food Swahili,for dessert we had, coconut and lime panacotta, Passion Mousse, Lime semi-Freddo Cheescake and Chocolate Delight, The drink menu takes care of nondrinkers as well. Exceptional experience. Will definitely be back to exhaust the menu. Cheers guy 🥂.
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- Marie S.Google review · 2 Oct 2026
A truly extraordinary experience, the meals are excellent (although the desserts are a bit of a letdown and not quite up to the standard of the main courses) and the setting is magnificent.
- Andre L.Google review · 1 Oct 2026
Wunderschönes Restaurant in einer Korallenhöhle mit einer Öffnung durch welche die Sterne schienen. Etwas hochpreisiger Küche mit professionellen Service. Für die umliegenden Hotel gibt es auch einen Shuttleservice.
- Gichangi D.Google review · 1 Oct 2026
Absolutely amazing place. The caves are breathtakingly beautiful. The atmosphere is warm and welcome. The service was absolutely outstanding. Felt taken care of from the moment I walked into the door to the moment I left. The food was delicious. 10/10. I had the feta and candied walnuts salad, the chilli prawns and the cheesecake for dessert. I especially loved the cheesecake. Great value for money.
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- Purple M.Google review · 3 Aug 2026
Exceptional location, menu, and service. Dinner in a cave under the moonlight, and oysters starter dish underscored the romance of the evening. The Lobster Thermidor, was everything delicious. Had icecream for dessert which was weird because it was served on plates.👀 Wasn't the best icecream either. But, the evening was a dream. Loved all of it.
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- Leo J.Google review · 20 Jul 2026
Everyone will tell you to eat here. But for me it was a one time deal. The prize/quality is way off. The food is just about ok. I send back the appetiser (duck breast with passion fruit) The combination was off specially when the passion fruit was not sweet. The duckbreast had 0 seasoning and was weldone. It was sour and tasteless. The crispy squid is just 4 calamari fritters. (1600 ksh) I had the seafood platter as main. 4 of the seafood was deep fried. Lobster tail and scampi was way over cooked. Food was under par for such a beautiful environment. It is overpriced definitely and they live on the atmosphere. The whole setting feels rushed. We had 3 courses and we were in and out in 90 minutes. If you gonna have a romantic evening filled dinner. I will advise you to go somewhere else. They don't allow children in the restaurant and tbh, you can find dozen romantic beautiful spots in Diani if you want a nice quiet romantic dinner.
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Show more reviews (3)
- Y. N.Google review · 1 Jul 2026
Went with my partner for a surprise birthday dinner celebration for me. The food was alright; good presentation, neat. Maybe a little overpriced for the quality. I loved the cave vibe. The network is low or not there; so definitely a good setup to enjoy fulfilling conversations. However, when you tell a restaurant that you’re coming to celebrate someone’s birthday (which is what my partner told them), you don’t expect the waiter to come to the table and say stuff like “Uko sure kuna birthday?” Or “what flavor would you like the cake” after my partner told them it was a surprise in their conversation via email/whatsapp. So it caught us off guard because I didn’t even know he’d planned it, but then the surprise was already ruined. So we just ended up getting put off by that and left without all of that. Because what’s the point of a surprise if it’s already ruined?
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- Magda Z.Google review · 28 Mar 2026
The Cave Restaurant truly is a unique venue - you make a reservation, descend into a cave and the space is breathtaking with an open hole in the cave ceiling that lets you gaze at the moon and stars. However, the atmosphere feels overly formal. The waiters, while professional, seem very serious. Their smiles come off as forced and you feel like you’re at a formal dinner rather than a relaxing evening. There’s potential for something fantastic here if only the staff were more relaxed and warm, focusing on the guests’ comfort rather than rigid procedures. As for the food, the prices are a bit higher than the hotel restaurants nearby and while the food is good it’s not exceptional. We also noticed that larger groups - those likely to spend more - received more attention than couples at smaller tables. In the end, it’s a beautiful setting but it could be so much more inviting if the warmth matched the scenery.
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- G W.Google review · 23 Feb 2026
We have had many unique restaurant experiences in North American, Europe and Asia, but this venue had a different feeling. The restaurant is a 120,000 year old coral cave which set a unique natural warm atmosphere. The food was also a fine dining experience. It started with an impressive bread platter, and then we had Octopus, Crab bisque, lobster risotto. This was a dining experience we will always remember. Our server, Stephen, was always attentive to our needs. Highly recommend.
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Location
Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant Ground N/A Beach Road, Mombasa, Kenya
Ukunda
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