Bush Gardens restaurant, the Giraffe Centre

You can’t miss Bush Gardens, drive down Koitobos Road during the day and there is a colourfully adorned Maasai guy, festooned with beads and bangles dancing and waving. At night Bush Gardens is a riotous kaleidoscope of brightly lit bulbs hanging from the trees. Hardy needs a new place to hang out. Our choices are Newscafe, which is the sort of plastic chain that I deplore (although a great place to write blogs), and Matbronze which is utterly gorgeous with its bronze statues and expansive gardens but I do worry about my kids leaping all over the art. We need somewhere to dump the kids and chill and so I was ridiculously overexcited when Bush Gardens appeared at the beginning of this year in all its beaded, dazzling, overenthusiastic glory.

Bush Gardens a new restaurant in Hardy

I went to Bush Gardens shortly after it opened and was horribly disappointed. I asked for coffee and they only had instant, I asked for tea and it came with long-life milk, I asked for wine and there was none. I sloped off home hanging my head in misery muttering about wasted potential. However, as the months have passed I noticed that Bush Gardens is evolving. The sign, which hangs outside, initially said ‘café,’ then it changed to ‘pizza’ and now it proudly declares ‘wood-fired pizza, children’s play area, Maasai shop, horse riding’. What a combo – so, when my friend suggested going for lunch I was curious. It had been 8 months I was ready to give it another chance.

Lots of space and things to do

Upon arrival I was pleasantly surprised. The Maasai guy jangled his bangles and the carried the kids in on his shoulders, I caught a glimpse of a shiny new wood-fired pizza oven and a playground. The gardens were huge, shaded with trees and loads of space to run around. The restaurant is set outside under canopies, with large tables set around a central bar. Towards the back of the plot are some riding stables and to the side a large shop selling Kenyan curios.

Very good pizza, passable wine

We ordered wine (drinkable) and pizza (delicious). The curry is also very good. We didn’t venture too far off the menu, I got the impression that this is a place to relax with the kids and probably not fine dining, but if you go an I am proved wrong please let me know.

Reap the benefits of a tourist driven venue

Bush Gardens is geared towards tourists being ideally located for visitors to the Giraffe Manor but it didn’t feel overly touristy. We were there for four hours. The kids rode horses which were so close that we could watch them from our table. An old Maasai with a guitar serenaded us; acrobats climbed on each other’s shoulders and ate fire to the huge, huge enjoyment of all the children. It sounds a bit naff and touristy but the kids simply adored Bush Gardens and are begging to go back.

It was a hot day but the vibe was so mellow, so Kenyan, that I enjoyed it as much as the children. It’s fairly rough and ready at the moment but if you relax into the garden and the trees, and order amazing crispy pizza and guzzle cold white wine then there aren’t many other places I would rather spend a Saturday afternoon in Karen. Recommended.

Information on Bush Gardens

• Located on Koitobos Road, Hardy, just before it bends round the corner.
• Open from 10 am till 9pm
• TV which shows sports matches
• Riding was 500 bob before lunch and 1000 after – wear trousers.
• Pizzas were 1100 bob on average

Looking for kids friendly venues in Karen check out this blog

For adult friendly (ie some decent bars) go here for more info

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