Our Story
In Arabic, a majlis is the sitting room where guests are welcomed, coffee is poured and nobody leaves hungry. That spirit of open-handed hospitality is what we set out to bring to Nairobi.
Majlis Al Arabi began life as Zeituns Kitchen on Lenana Road. Today it carries a new name and a fuller table: the slow-cooked mandi, fragrant rice and generous sharing platters of Sana’a, served alongside the coastal Swahili favourites that Kenyans grew up with — mahamri and mbaazi, coconut beans, viazi karai and spiced Swahili tea.
It is local food with a Yemeni heart. Our kitchen cooks Swahili dishes the way the coast does, and Yemeni dishes the way Sana’a does, and the two meet happily on the same plate. Come for breakfast, gather the family for a platter, or order in — either way, there is always a seat for you at the majlis.