The 15 Best Restaurants in Kilifi (2026): A Local Guide to a Food Scene Finally Taking Off

Looking for the best restaurants in Kilifi, Kenya? The short answer: Best food overall- The twisted fig, Salty's on the Creek for sunset seafood and sunset, Tribal Table on Bofa Beach for an elegant dinner, Indigo Vibe for coffee and pastries in air conditioning, Saltys for casual beach front chilling, The Boatyard for crab samosas, Asian Kitchen on the cliffs for the noodles and sushi nobody else in town does, and Village Dishes for the cheapest and best local food and fresh juice in Kilifi. Fifteen places, all of them worth your time!

Kilifi was limited for restaurants for a long time. Locals will tell you the same thing: the good places were good, and you worked your way round the same rotation or go back again and again to your favorite spot. That is finally changing... Quite a few new spots have arrived recently and the whole scene has more energy than it has had in years, with more choice for residents and for anyone passing through. The places that have been here a while are still excellent, and the new arrivals have raised the ceiling. It is still growing, which is the most exciting part.

The newest additions are Asian Kitchen, Tribal Table and Non Solo Gelato, all of which have landed in the last stretch and all of which have found an audience fast. This is our honest, local list of the fifteen best places to eat in Kilifi right now, from elevated dinners on the beach to a shawarma that costs very little. For the wider picture of the town, read our complete guide to Kilifi.

Tribal Table is the newest restaurant in Kilifi and it has arrived with real confidence. It sits on Bofa Beach, and you look out at the water through the palms with the breeze coming straight off the ocean, which is about as good as a dinner setting gets on this coast. The place is open, elegant and quietly romantic, so it is the one to book when the evening actually matters, whether that is an anniversary, a birthday or simply the night you want to make a fuss of someone.

Tribal Table, Beachfront restaurant on Bofa Beach

The menu is varied and it is not afraid of a twist. The crab burger is the one people talk about afterwards, and it is a good example of what the kitchen is doing: familiar idea, done properly, with something unexpected in it.

Seafood comes in fresh from the Kilifi dhows, and the cooking leans on fire and seasonal produce. The cocktails are very good and the service is warm without hovering. This is elevated dining that still feels like the coast.

Find it here: Tribal Table on Klickenya.

The location is the headline here and it deserves to be. The most unique restaurant of the list... Salty's on the Creek is a floating restaurant that sits in stunning and unique spot on the water in the middle of the creek! At sunset it is hard to beat anywhere on this stretch of coast. The light comes across the creek, the water goes still and gold, and the whole place slows down. If you do one sundowner in Kilifi, do it here! You get there a small boat transfer, check their social media to see the schedule. You can also privately book it...

Saltys floating restaurant on the creek

The food leans heavily and happily into seafood, and it is done seriously well. The cocktails are soo delicious and they take them seriously. It definitely sits at the higher end of the Kilifi budget range, but you are paying for a setting that does not exist anywhere else in town, and for cooking that holds its own. Come early enough to get the good seats and stay through the beautiful African sunsets. Ps they're also open for lunch

*Portions can be quite modest if you are very hungry...

Find it here: Salty's on the Creek on Klickenya.

Probably the highest quality food on this list, expect a very good and flavorful meal from here... Although not waterftont, it also has one of the most beautiful settings of any restaurant in Kilifi County, perched on the festival grounds with a view out over a valley thick with forest. It is a high budget option, and it is the sort of place you go for the whole experience rather than just a meal, with handcrafted breads, good seafood and a menu that has clearly been thought about. Another highlight is that you sit and dine beneath massive, ancient baobab trees- its rather special.

What makes it more special now is the arrival. They recently built a suspension bridge, which makes access much easier than it used to be and turns the last stretch into a small adventure. Walking out over the valley with the canopy below you before you have even sat down is a lovely bit of theatre, and it is the part people describe first when they get home. You can still drive in from the highway if you prefer.

*You must reserve for this restaurant and opening times vary... check before going.

Find it here: The Twisted Fig on Klickenya.

Asian Kitchen is very new and it has become popular very quickly, for a simple reason: nowhere else in Kilifi does this food! Noodles, sushi and a proper spread of Asian dishes, in a town where the choice used to be Italian, international, Swahili or grilled seafood. If you have been in Kilifi for a while and you are craving something genuinely different, this is the answer, and if you are just passing through it is still worth the trip.

Asian Kitchen cliffside restaurant in the plantation

The location does a lot of the work too. It sits on the plantation side on a clifftop, and the views down over the Ocean are dramatic in a way that the flatter beach spots cannot match! The waves have an energy crashing against the cliffside... Sitting up there with a bowl of noodles or sushi as the light goes is a lovely way to spend an evening. If you like Asian food at all, put this near the top of your list!

Indigo Vibe is a new cafe and it is a must visit. The breads and pastries are so yummy, the coffee is some of the best in Kilifi and it has air conditioning, which on a hot Kilifi afternoon turns out to be seriously valuable! They also sell refreshing lemonades and have a food menu that features salads and sandwiches. It is the kind of place you plan to stop at for twenty minutes and leave ninety minutes later. - Good WIFI too if you work online

Indigo Vibe cafe and restaurant

The owner is lovely, kind and friendly in a way that makes the place feel like somewhere you belong after two visits, and that matters more than any single dish. They also do cocktails, and they host small events from time to time, so it quietly doubles as an evening spot rather than only a daytime cafe. Easily the best new addition for anyone who wants a proper coffee and somewhere comfortable to sit.

Find it here: Indigo Vibe Cafe on Klickenya.

A must visit when in Kilifi! The Salty's group has three sites around Kilifi, including the Kitesurf Village on Bofa, the floating creek location, and a steak house 'salt and smoke' The beachfront bar and restaurant on Bofa is the most laid back of them and is really a Kilifi favorite. It sits on a stunning stretch of Bofa beach and the atmosphere is easy, nobody is rushing you, and it is the sort of place where lunch drifts into the afternoon without anyone minding.

Saltys beachfront restaurant and bar on Bofa beach

The menu changes daily, which is an interesting plus, It means what you get is fresh but it also means there is not a huge amount of choice on any given day. The dishes are simple but tasty and the location right on Bofa beach is really the star of the show! - Hang out, enjoy the beach bar vibes, go for a swim, sunbathe in Kilifornian paradise...

Many people visit just for a drink (or a few) and they host events quite regularly. Their fresh juices are particularly delicious

Find it here: Salty's Beach Bar and Restaurant on Klickenya.

The Boatyard has been here for ages and it has earned its place. This is a real Kilifi hangout, the spot where you run into people you know without arranging it, and where the crowd is a mix of residents, sailors and visitors. It's located in a real boatyard where people keep their boats.

The classic, Kilifi boatyard

The crab samosas are the thing. They are amazing, and everyone will tell you the same, so just order them before you have opened the menu properly. Beyond that the food is reliably good across the board. They also do a popular ribs night on Wednesdays. Popular with an older crowd

Find it here: Kilifi Boatyard on Klickenya.

Mnarani Club is the safe choice in the best sense, the one that works when you are feeding a group with different tastes and somebody has decided they do not want seafood. The menu is long and varied, the prices are mid range, and the odds of everyone at the table finding something they want are very high.

Mnarani Club restaurant with creek view

The reason to choose it over other all rounders is the view. The upstairs restaurant looks out over Kilifi Creek and it is beautiful, particularly in the late afternoon. You can also eat the hotel buffet here if you would rather graze than order, which suits a long lunch or a hungry family. Comfortable, dependable and one of the nicest outlooks in town.

Also a nice spot for an evening drink with views over the creek.

Find it here: Mnarani Beach Club on Klickenya.

The Food Movement sits in the middle of the plantations and it is delightfully casual, the sort of place with no ceremony at all where the food quietly outperforms the setting. The menu is small, which is usually a good sign, and everything on it is very tasty!

The food movement in the Kilifi plantations

This is the one for a relaxed lunch when you do not want an occasion, just something genuinely good to eat somewhere peaceful and green. It is also a nice excuse to drive out through the plantations, which is a lovely part of Kilifi that visitors rarely see...

Their tacos are particularly popular and there is a great coffee spot next door too!

Find it here: The Food Movement on Klickenya.

Village Dishes is a Kilifi classic and it is the place we send everyone. Swahili and coastal local food buffet style, barbecue, shawarma, all of it fast, all of it tasty, and all of it so cheap that you will check the bill twice. If you want to understand how people actually eat in Kilifi rather than how visitors eat, start here! We love it here so much...

Kilifi Village Dishes- the best local food in town

The fresh juice deserves its own paragraph. It is genuinely outstanding. Ask for the avocado, mango and beetroot mixed together, which sounds like a strange combination and is one of the best things you will drink on this coast, or go for the pineapple if you want something simpler. Either way, do not treat the juice as an afterthought to the food. Plenty of locals stop in for the juice alone!

Find it here: Village Dishes on Klickenya.

Baharini does local food in Kilifi and does it very well. A little more pricey than village dishes and is a la carte, not buffet style. The menu is very long with an enormous number of options, and the portions are generous for what you pay, which is a combination that makes it easy to keep going back. The fish curry is excellent and it is the thing to order first. The fresh juice here is incredible too, and it is worth ordering even if you would not normally.

bahari local restaurant with creek views

Sit upstairs. That is where you get the creek views and a proper breeze coming through, which makes a real difference in the middle of the day. It is a lovely, unfussy place to eat well for a good price with a view most restaurants would charge for.

Finally, gelato in Kilifi! Non Solo Gelato is one of the newest arrivals and it fills a gap that residents have been complaining about for years, which is why it was busy almost immediately. They do food as well, so it is not only a dessert stop, but the gelato is the reason to go. This chain is well known and loved throughout Watamu and Nairobi

Non solo gelato gelateria, cafe and restaurant kilifi

It sits above the Rubis petrol station, which is not a glamorous address and does not need to be. This is a place you go for a cone at the end of a hot afternoon, and on that measure it is perfect.

**They also have great coffee and pizzas!- Italian owned

The third Saltys owned spot on this list... Salt and Smoke is where you go when you want meat and you want it done seriously. It is a Spanish and Argentinian influenced grill house built around fire, with high quality cuts, and the difference in quality is obvious from the first plate. The sides and starters get proper attention too rather than being an afterthought to the grill.

Salt and Smoke steakhouse in kilifi

It sits at the very high end price wise, and that is worth knowing before you sit down. But this is a special occasion restaurant, so if you have been eating shawarma and daily specials all week and you want one big dinner, this is a very good way to spend it.

*No sea or nice view but atmospheric lighting

Nuus is the best shawarma spot in Kilifi and it is very easy on the pocket. That is the whole review, and it is the highest compliment a place like this can get. When you want something fast, filling and genuinely good without spending much, this is the answer, and it is the sort of place that quietly becomes part of your week if you live here! - You can also ring and order and get it delivered.

Nuu's Shawarma

Local food with a view. Members Club is an old classic establishment and piece of Kilifi. The Kenyan food is good, the prices are very affordable, and the creek views from its elevated position are lovely, particularly if you get there while there is still light. It has the unhurried feel of a place that has been doing the same thing for a long time and sees no reason to change.

Members club restaurant with nice creek views

One honest piece of advice: it is very slow. Not occasionally slow, reliably slow. That is simply how it works, and once you know it you can plan around it. Ring ahead and order before you arrive, or go with the expectation that you will be sitting for a while with a cold drink and the view. Treated that way it is a lovely afternoon. Treated as a quick lunch before an appointment, it is not.

You can access the beach through a public access next to members- so you can order and go for a swim or walk around the public park next door - mazingira park whilst you wait.

What is the best restaurant in Kilifi?

Best overall for food quality and creative dishes, Twisted Fig. For a special dinner, Tribal Table on Bofa Beach is the current pick, with elegant coastal dining, very good cocktails and an ocean view through the palms. For the best sunset with seafood and cocktails, Salty's on the Creek. For the best value, Village Dishes. The honest answer is that Kilifi is small enough that the best restaurant depends entirely on the evening you want and all of them on this list serve delicious meals!

What are the newest restaurants in Kilifi?

Asian Kitchen, Tribal Table and Non Solo Gelato are the newest arrivals, and all three opened recently. Asian Kitchen brought Asian food to a town that had none, Tribal Table brought elevated beachfront dining, and Non Solo Gelato finally brought proper ice cream. Indigo Vibe and Salt and Smoke are also recent additions.

Where can I eat on the water in Kilifi?

Tribal Table and Salty's Kitesurfing village Reastaurant and Beach Bar are on Bofa Beach, Asian Kitchen is on the clifftop overlooking the Ocean, and Salty's on the Creek, The Boatyard, Mnarani Club, Baharini and Members Club all look out over Kilifi Creek.

Where is the best local food in Kilifi?

Village Dishes for Swahili and coastal food, barbecue and shawarma, plus the best fresh juice in town. Baharini for a very long menu, generous portions and an excellent fish curry with a creek view upstairs. Nuus Shawarma for the best shawarma in Kilifi. Members Club for Kenyan food with a view, if you are not in a hurry.

Is eating out in Kilifi expensive?

It does not have to be. Kilifi has a genuinely wide range, from local spots where a full meal and a fresh juice cost very little through to occasion restaurants like Salt and Smoke and The Twisted Fig that sit at the top of the coastal price range. Most visitors mix the two, which is the right approach.

Do I need to book a table in Kilifi?

For most places, no. For Asian Kitchen, Tribal Table, Salt and Smoke and The Twisted Fig, yes, particularly at weekends and in high season, because they are either new, small or both. At Members Club it is worth calling ahead to place your order rather than to reserve, because the kitchen is slow.

Which Kilifi restaurant has the best view?

For incredible bofa beach views Saltys and Tribal Table. The Twisted Fig for the valley and forest canopy, reached by its suspension bridge. Salty's on the Creek for the water at sunset. Asian Kitchen for the drama of the clifftop. Mnarani Club and Baharini both have lovely creek views from upstairs. You are spoilt here!!!

Is the Kilifi food scene actually good now?

Yes, and it is still improving. Kilifi was limited for a long time and the same handful of places carried the town. Over the last stretch several new restaurants have opened, the older ones have held their standards, and there is real energy in the scene for the first time in years. It is genuinely worth planning meals around now.

Planning a trip? Browse things to do in Kilifi, read our complete guide to Kilifi, and if you are deciding between the coastal towns our guide to Watamu, Kilifi, Diani and Lamu breaks down the differences. Heading up the coast too? Here are the best restaurants in Watamu.