Repub Lounge — Restaurant in Kimihurura

I made a reservation at this restaurant because it appeared as one of the "best views in Kigali" on a couple of lists. We were going to be a large group, so I followed the instructions and sent a WhatsApp message, which was promptly replied to - very impressive and much appreciated.

Once we arrived, we were led upstairs to the terrace and sat inside, which was fine, but as we looked out at the other tables, there was no view at all. Just bushes and vines and maybe a tiny sliver of the city visible through a window. Fine, no view.

Since we were a large group with some dietary restrictions, we had looked at the menu posted online ahead of time to see what the options were and to be ready to order. We had considered the "group" option, but had not finalized it. Once sat, the server only handed us drink menus but no food menu and talked about the group menu. Thankfully, our group was in the mood for what would be served under the group menu, but we were given the impression that a la carte was not an option, which seemed strange. So, if you are a large group, be prepared to only be allowed to order the group option.

Now, the food was EXCELLENT. Great spread, amazing taste - lots of familiar and new things to try. Definitely happy with the food and would highly recommend!

Then came the bill. We would be charged 35,000 per person, which was the higher rate with dessert, but we were never served dessert. When we pointed this out and asked to be charged the lower 30,000 rate without dessert, the server said it was impossible because he had already printed this check (this should have been our first warning that something strange was happening). He said he would bring dessert, and everyone sat back down to wait even though everyone had been ready to leave.

When I tried to pay the bill the second time, I was told the card reader was not working properly. No network or something like that. I handed over another card, just in case, and no - that did not work either. Server grabbed another device - still did not work. Then (red flag two), he suggested that we pay the half the bill on the card and half in cash. How would that make a card reader work if there is a network error? Still, I asked him to keep trying, and still no success with the two machines he brought to us.

Finally, fed up and ready to leave, we asked how much the bill would be in USD. We were given an amount with a very low exchange rate (regular is ~1329; they stated 1200) and between all of us, we handed over the cash. Then the server had the audacity to say, "This does not include the tip." After all the inconvenience and being penalized for THEIR machines not working, I was very angry. One of my friends handed over some money for a tip, and we all left. They also kept the receipt and would not give it back to us.

Guess what - as we were walking downstairs past the bar area, we SAW them swiping CREDIT CARDS for other guests. Long story long - the food is great, the service is okay, but beware that they may scam you of your money. If they say they cannot accept card, stand your ground confirm that what they say is true. Or just be ready with plenty of local currency, even though they advertise that card payments are...

We have often been to the Repub Lounge for dinner in previous years. The food was always very good and also has a lot of African influences. I've often had the grilled tilapia in lemon butter. However, this time the fish was covered in onions and garlic, which I've never had before. There was a fish on the menu that was described in exactly the same way. But our waitress insisted that it was the grilled fish with lemon butter, but you couldn't taste any of it because of all the onions. As I can't eat onions, I was pretty disappointed and didn't eat much.

The ambience is very, very nice and the new Repub. A lot has been taken up from the former Republica. It makes everything very cosy and sitting on the terrace is really great. The service is usually good, but this time it didn't meet our...

We lucked out this evening and without booking got a great table on the terrace on a Saturday night.

Service was just lovely - attentive and unobtrusive. Olive was fab who looked after us. We had only planned to come for dinner but ended up staying all evening as it was so nice.

We split a coconut curry fish and lemon butter fish with coconut rice and ginger rice, had wine and beers and tried the cocktail list (latter were as strong and tasty as we’d hoped!). Dinner and drinks were also excellent value for money and we were able to take a couple of drinks back to our hotel in takeaway cups.

We loved the birdwatching at dusk from the terrace and thoroughly enjoyed our evening. If you’re in Kigali and have an opportunity to try this...