There are few positive aspects left from the black clouds of the period of pandemic restrictions in Kenya and especially in Nairobi. One of these concerns the catering sector and particularly that linked to Italian excellence, which combines our enogastronomic tradition with experience, good service and the ability to adapt to the standards required by an increasingly competent and demanding local clientele and an international one, which in the Kenyan metropolis appreciates the right balance between classic dishes, reinterpretations and creativity.
In this sense, a sort of natural selection has been created that has privileged quality Italian restaurants, which over time have built a credibility that goes along with the appreciation of a clientele that has not only not forgotten them, but has returned to frequent them assiduously.
This is the case of La Terrazza, a restaurant in the lively and pulsating Ngong Road, inside the safe and quiet "Green House" shopping center. An elegant penthouse managed by the Italians Murielle and Stefano, from which you can dominate Nairobi and at the same time immerse yourself in an environment full of art (the works of Gianpaolo Tomasi) and references to our wine heritage.
But La Terrazza is above all a cuisine that knows how to combine the tradition of homemade with the search for genuine flavors that exalt the Italian culture of eating well.
The author of this enterprise is undoubtedly Murielle Minchella, already appreciated in the city for having managed until a few years ago another successful restaurant in Lavington.
It is she who personally conceives and creates the dishes (if not jousting directly between the stoves) and chooses the best Italian products on the market, including burrata and other cheeses, cold cuts and many fresh delicacies coming from our country. But also to prepare the daily arrival of the catch of the Indian Ocean in order to bring to the table for example a perfect grouper all'acquapazza or invent spaghetti with smoked sailfish with a decidedly Mediterranean touch. Not to mention the fresh pasta (ravioli are a must-try) and homemade bread and focaccia, as well as homemade desserts (a killer almond parfait).
"Our customers appreciate the philosophy of La Terrazza," explains Murielle, "which is to remain faithful to recipes that express the authenticity and variety of flavors of our country of origin and at the same time present them as "experiences," or moments of insight into why Italian culinary art is so famous and appreciated around the world, making them appreciate the reasons for certain combinations and certain preparations.
On the tables of the restaurant, at lunch and dinner, there is no lack of ketchup and hot sauces, but fewer and fewer regulars are using them. Among them, in the two-storey rooms where it's difficult to find a place for dinner without a reservation, there are often VIPs and prominent figures from Kenyan politics and society.
"We are happy to be able to contribute in our own small way to the recovery of the capital's social life, which cannot but pass through good food and the pleasure of finding it in an environment where everyone feels at ease, with that Italian touch that becomes the hallmark of a quality restaurant".

(VIDEO IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE)