beit é selam - ቤተ ሰላም — Restaurant in Highridge division

Food poisoning served with poor customer service with racist and unprofessional staff.

Typing this while reeling from a week of food poisoning. I travel a lot and I don't always have local currency. On this night I had Kenyan shillings, only to be told they do not accept cash and I need to have M-PESA. This was after ordering my drink and food and eating it.

The staff provide extremely poor service, are they underpaid, underappreciated or both? One can only assume because there is a man that supervises the staff (he wears a coat) and he is extremely unprofessional, rude and very condescending. He told me to look for M-PESA at night even after I expressed to him that I do not have a local phone number nor M-PESA, nevermind how unsafe it may be to do that in the middle of night.

Afterward he told me I have to finish my drink and leave. This is after he accepts money for my bill, and refuses to accept any more money. Mind you, it wasn't even anywhere near closing time.

The service is faster for the non blacks and non African patrons, but the second class treatment variés. They obviously cater to specific clientèle. It's mind boggling that an African themed restaurant mistreats anything that remotely resembles what it supposedly represents.

The day after my visit I woke up vomiting with extremely running stomach. This has lasted a week, I only ate here on that day/night, and after reading the reviews here, I realize many other patrons have suffered food poisoning from this specific establishment.

If you want food poisoning, poor service and treatment based on your skin color, this is the place for you. The tagline for this restaurant should be "African themed restaurant that mistreats Africans" Go through the other reviews and you will see my food poisoning, poor service and racist experience is not one of few...

I’ve been to beit e Selam a few times before, and honestly, everything was good,,, even great. The food, the vibe, even the waitress who served me earlier before , for my meal and drinks was amazing.

But then it all went DOWNHILL today.

The way I was treated toward the end of my visit was unacceptable. I’ve never experienced that level of rudeness from service staff before. It was so abrupt, dismissive, it could easily be perceived as racism—and to even suspect that, as an African in Africa, is incredibly painful. I don’t want to believe that’s what it was, but the way it was handled, and how others around me were treated differently, really made me question it.

I get that they book out quickly in the evenings —but while I was still sitting there, still a paying customer. It had started raining, and I was simply trying to find a dry spot to finish my work. They told me no seating was available inside, which I understood. But then they told me they had also already given away my table outside which i was still using (waiting for a friend to join me) away for a reservation at 6pm. No conversation before hand, no courtesy—just a cold instruction to move to the bar area or leave if i "want".

So yeah, while I’m still angry and upset and had to write this review because that’s just how I feel, I do want to say though when I mentioned it to the manager on-site, she did apologize on their behalf. And I appreciated that. But this kind of thing needs to be addressed. I wouldn’t want anyone else to go...

When we entered the lovely gate we had no idea we would be welcomed into a charming courtyard- really an indoor/outdoor bar and restaurant. The atmosphere was both relaxing and upbeat. The bar was undercover (inside) but visible from our outdoor dining seats. The lighting and wonderful jazz music encouraged dining but added to the ambiance. The mostly African art work grabbed your attention. Even the rain gutter drains were interesting. It is obvious that a lot of attention to detail went onto designing the place.

The service and food were equally as impressive as the environ. Our waiter, Timothy, was charming and efficient. He certainly made us feel comfortable and offered terrific suggestions for our group of six. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals. We shared appetizers including the chicken wings, corn ribs, and trio of dips. We argued over who got to lick the bowls! The entrees where also fabulous. Fish was cooked and seasoned perfectly and the lamb burgers were succulent. The chai dipping sauce for the Mandazi was just plain yummy and a great way to end the meal. (Mandazi are like donuts.)

The owner, Zalalem, stopped by our table to welcome us. He was warm and gracious. It is obvious that this lovely place is a reflection of this man.

If traveling to Nairobi on business or safari (as web were), GO mot this place! Uber works...