Nairobi
You're flying out of Nairobi Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Nairobi Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Nairobi's airports.
Westlands · $$$
Nairobi's most awarded cocktail bar.
Westlands · $$
Open-air courtyard bar with multiple counters, food trucks, and DJs every weekend.
Westlands · $$
Restaurant-bar with a serious cocktail programme and a long wine list.
Karen · $$$
Colonial-villa restaurant-bar with a leafy garden and a long cocktail and wine list.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Nairobi proper at the end.
Plays for Nairobi Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Nairobi? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.