Café
Java House
The Kenyan coffee house chain that began at Adams Arcade in 1999, serving Kenyan coffee and diner-style meals across Nairobi and East Africa.
Thorn Tree Café
The Sarova Stanley's pavement café, built around an acacia tree where generations of travellers pinned messages for one another in the days before email.
At a glance
- Type
- Historic hotel café
- Area
- Central Business District, Nairobi, Kenya
- Price
- $$ · Mid-range
- Official site
- sarovahotels.com
Good to know
- Pavement terrace
- Hotel café
- City-centre location
Why we recommend it
The Thorn Tree Café is part of Nairobi travel folklore. It belongs to the Sarova Stanley, the city's oldest hotel, founded in 1902, and it grew up around an acacia tree where travellers used to pin notes for one another. Before mobile phones and email, the tree worked as a noticeboard for anyone passing through East Africa, a place to leave word for friends and fellow travellers. The name has stuck with the café ever since.
The hotel likes to point out its literary connections. According to the Stanley, Ernest Hemingway, who stayed at the hotel in 1933 and 1934, wrote here, and the writer Aldous Huxley was fond of visiting. Whether or not you believe every story, sitting on the terrace with a coffee is a pleasant way to connect with the city's long history as a gateway for safaris and overland journeys.
Today the Thorn Tree Café is a hotel café and meeting place in the heart of the central business district. It is a convenient stop for coffee, a snack or a light meal between sights, and its location on Kimathi Street puts it within easy walking distance of KICC, the Kenya National Archives, Jamia Mosque and the Nairobi Gallery. Because it is part of a five-star hotel, standards and prices are a step above the cafés on the surrounding streets, but it is far more relaxed than the hotel's formal dining rooms.
It suits travellers with an interest in history, business visitors meeting colleagues in the centre and anyone wanting a calm break from the noise and traffic outside. The pavement setting is good for watching city life go by. Opening hours are not listed on the hotel's website, so check with the Sarova Stanley if you are planning a visit at a particular time.
The café is easy to find in the middle of the city centre. Keep an eye on your belongings on the busy pavements nearby, and use a taxi or ride-hailing app if you are moving on after dark. The Exchange Bar inside the same hotel is a good follow-on for an evening drink, with its own story linked to the early days of Nairobi's stock exchange.
Thorn Tree Café FAQs
Why is it called the Thorn Tree Café?
It was built around an acacia, or thorn, tree where travellers pinned messages for one another.
Which hotel is it part of?
The Sarova Stanley, founded in 1902 and regarded as Nairobi's first luxury hotel.
Did Hemingway really write here?
The hotel says Ernest Hemingway, who stayed in 1933 and 1934, wrote there, and that Aldous Huxley liked to visit.
Do I need to be a hotel guest?
No. It is a café and meeting place open to visitors.
Where is it?
At the Sarova Stanley on Kimathi Street in the central business district.
What is nearby?
KICC, the Kenya National Archives, Jamia Mosque and the Nairobi Gallery are all within walking distance.
Is it expensive?
Prices are higher than ordinary street cafés, reflecting its five-star hotel setting.
Where can I go for a drink afterwards?
The Exchange Bar in the same hotel is a historic spot for an evening drink.