MAMBO ITALIA LAVINGTON — Restaurant in Nairobi

Lovely food, but an odd and uncomfortable experience with the management/supervisor.

I visited Mambo Italia Lavington recently for a casual date night. We ordered two pizzas, enjoyed our meal, and I had a glass of white wine with dinner, while my date had a beer.

As the evening progressed, I decided to have a cocktail to finish off the night after our meal — especially since it was happy hour and there was a good offer on the margaritas.

Unfortunately, what should’ve been a relaxed and enjoyable evening took a strange turn.

As I was sipping on my cocktail, the floor manager came over to our table and commented — rather bluntly — that she just wanted to see “who this was” that managed to have wine and then cocktails. She said she was surprised, adding that she had "never seen this before" at their restaurant. This went on and on for an uncomfortable amount of time.

I was honestly taken aback. It felt unnecessary and a little embarrassing, especially since we were just enjoying our evening quietly and hadn’t done anything to warrant attention.

It’s not unusual to have wine with dinner and a cocktail afterward — and certainly not something that should draw commentary from management.

The food was great and the ambiance lovely, but that moment left me feeling uncomfortable, profiled, judged, and unwelcome. It was incredibly embarrasing, especially as I was on a date. It really killed the vibe of the evening, and we just left after that.

A more thoughtful and respectful approach to customer interactions would make a...

Mambo Italia- Lavington, once a promising dining option, has been consistently disappointing in recent visits. A lunch visit on November 25th, 2024 revealed a menu with half the items unavailable. While the fish I ordered was passable, my companion's ravioli was subpar at best.

Again, on November 20th, I called to reserve a table and was told the kitchen closed at 9:30 PM. Despite arriving at 9:15 PM, I was informed the chef had already left, contradicting the earlier statement.

The final straw came on December 3rd when a friend convinced me to give Mambo Italia another chance. We arrived at 8:50 PM, well within their listed closing time of 9:30 PM, only to be told yet again that the kitchen was closed. Pointing out the clearly posted hours made no difference.

In an economy where customer loyalty is hard-earned, it’s baffling that Mambo Italia seems intent on turning away business and offering such inconsistent service. Coupled with an unreliable menu, the restaurant’s disregard for its customers is a recipe for disaster.

Regrettably, this will be...

Been a keen customer of mambo Italia. However, they nuked my favourite meal; carbonara and jacked up their prices significantly... Value for money hit the ground floor. So we stopped making it a fortnightly pilgrimage. We recently visited their Lavington branch. It was scarcely populated; so we expected good service. Lo! And behold, twas not to be. Our waiter recorded the options we were discussing of as orders. We got an extra meal; the wrong one was served. On complaining, he referred the matter to a supervisor; who was not to be seen. The supervisor ruled that food once cooked cannot be returned. The waiter then delivered what we had ordered. So there we are, looking at a meal we didn't want and the kitchen didn't want; I think the meal was also checking us out with doe eyes... We eventually had the meal wrapped for takeaway. It was the last meal I'll ever take from Mambo Italia. Once burned; meh! twice burned, take note. Anymore and...