Kalamata Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Nairobi

What we had anticipated to be a relax, chill and good vibes evening for my friends and I turned out to be a sad, devastating and horrible experience!

We were five ladies and the first of us arrived circa 5.30pm last night. She was starving and ordered for food. As the rest kept trickling in, her food order came in at 8.30pm, 3 HLURS LATER. When staff was asked, they said they got confused with the instructions, that they were told to wait till the last of us arrived, which wasn't correct.

One of us then later ordered for 2 shots of a drink. 45 minutes later as were in the heat of our stories,we notice she doesn't have her order. The table next to us had a Caucasian man and a non Caucasian man who were both drinking beers. The waiter who was attending to us kept serving them and frequenting their table, and refilled their drinks even when they were halfway done, while we still waited for ours. We called him and complained to him what we noticed and he mentioned he forgot. The same waiter, to our shock, came back again to the Caucasian table and served the other gentleman with another beer despite him not even finishing his first, again! while we STILL did not have the shots we ordered. That is when we decided to complain again and as we waited we decided to speak to the supervisor as our table was also very cluttered and no one seemed to come to clear it. The service was just terrible and we needed to raise all our issues. The supervisor unfortunately kept excusing the waiter's behaviour and we didn't feel heard. We then asked to see someone else like the owner whom we noticed was around and we indeed confirmed from the supervisor that he was actually the owner (possibly the son) as he kept walking around the restaurant and talking to waiters.

The owner/son by the name Aman, was called by one of the supervisors and to our shock, the supervisor came and told us that he (the owner) was busy and he will "try" to come. We were watching all this from our seats. The whole night he was walking around and talking to his waiters. We insisted that he comes to listen to us of which he reluctantly and grudgingly did and with a lot of attitude, as if we were bothering him, and when we asked him why he doesn’t want to listen to us, he said he is busy. We tried to reason with him and he said it his not his job to listen to us. We asked him how is it not his job as he is the owner. He said he has supervisors that we should complain to. We said that we had done so and they kept excusing the poor service and that is why we needed to speak to somebody else. He started interrupting us and raising his hand visibliy annoyed, saying that's why he didn't want to come and doesn't like such, and raised his hands almost in a protest fashion. It is at that point we decided to ask for our bill and leave, and the owner LITERALLY walked away from us telling us that he doesn't have time for such. We watched in shock and disbelief.

How can an owner of an establishment say to our faces that he does not have time to listen to us and literally walk away from us?

The other staff were a bit sympathetic to our plight and tried to engage with us. We were so done and we chose to leave. The food was good, their Gelato was not good. Their service was TERRIBLE! Their customer service was inexcusable!

We are definitely not...

CAUTION: LONG DETAILED RANT

A friend invited us for her birthday last week and I should start by saying she’s a meticulous planner. By Wednesday; two days before, she had already shared the menu with all her guests. She also booked the place well in advance and (knowing her) probably gave them a heads-up that her group would be HUGE.

Now, onto the experience itself. From our cab driver struggling to find a drop-off point to us figuring out the entrance = an absolute nightmare. Roadside parking was all that’s available, and let’s just say it’s not the most convenient setup.

We finally make it inside, only to find… no host or hostess. So there we stand, confused, looking around like lost, until someone from the party directed us. Eventually, someone clearing tables “assisted/pointed” to the party area. But I must admit, the place looked good. I had hope. Sigh.

The birthday girl, being the gracious host she is, hands us some of her pre-ordered Prosecco/Mimosas while we wait to place our own drink orders. But where is the waitstaff? Nowhere in sight. So, at 8:20 p.m., I take matters into my own hands and go looking for one and place the orders near the restaurant sitting area. A while later, a waitress finally comes around and starts taking food orders. I remind her that we’re still waiting on our drinks. She calls someone else, who takes our drink orders again. This is now 8:50 p.m.

To be fair, serving over 25 people is no small feat and our waitress seemed completely overwhelmed. But when we flagged this to management, we were assured she could handle it.

With the way things were going, we had no expectations of getting our food in under two hours. And right on cue, 1 hour and 45 minutes later, it finally arrived, drumrolls please….. minus cutlery, minus condiments and still no drinks since our original order at around 8:30 p.m. We ask for the missing items again. At this point, the food is getting cold, so we just dig in. Tell me why I found myself wedging slaw between my chips?! No cutlery measures and hunger called!

We remind the staff about our drinks again and a completely different waiter takes the order again. When do they all finally show up? When we’ve already finished eating. The cherry on top? All our orders were duplicated. So two hours later, glasses of wine, Veuve Ambal Blanc, sweet red wine, and several Savannahs arrived in abundance. A little late for that, no? We could have enjoyed them while waiting for the food, but at that point, we just took each one and cancelled the duplicates.

As “compensation”, management offered us gelato. A chance at redemption? Perhaps. But when I say they served us a slither, more like a tablespoon of gelato, I knew it was over.

Kamalata needs a serious overhaul of staff training and customer service. And if they care about their reputation, they might want to do some damage control because, as it stands, 25+ guests left unimpressed. Annnnnd that, my friends, is how my one night out as a millennial mum went...

I finally had the opportunity to explore this hidden treasure, nestled along the perpetually bustling James Gichuru Road, adjacent to the Jahazi building. Kalamata Restaurant & Bar offers a serene and picturesque setting that is truly captivating. My curiosity about its intriguing name, "KALAMATA," led me to discover its meaning via Google—it's actually a variety of black olive cultivated in Greece. How fascinating! 😯

The establishment boasts a stunning interior and exterior design, with the outdoor setting exuding equal charm, especially as the night falls and the lights and decor create a mesmerizing ambiance. Unfortunately, my visit coincided with a rainy day, and I dearly wished to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere with my partner. Nevertheless, I look forward to experiencing that at some other opportunity.

From the very moment we arrived, the service was impeccable. The staff greeted us warmly, swiftly found a table for two, and greeted us with genuine smiles 😊. It truly shines as an outstanding venue for dinner engagements 🍽️.

Our food arrived promptly, and while it was quite delicious, I found the meat slightly chewy, which was a bit of a letdown 😔. Despite this minor flaw, the rest of the meal upheld high standards.

The washrooms were impeccably clean 🧼, matching the pristine quality observed throughout the restaurant—commendations to the diligent staff for maintaining such standards.

The ample parking space and top-notch security provide peace of mind for visitors concerning their vehicles.

Despite the slight disappointment with the meat, our visit was thoroughly enjoyable 😌. I am certain to return and hereby wholeheartedly recommend this place. Pictures will follow soon to...