Bar
The Wine Bar
Wine bar and specialist wine shop in a restored early Windhoek house on Windmill Hill, open since 2003 and known for sunset drinks and a deep…
Fifteenth-floor restaurant and cocktail bar at Avani Windhoek, beside the rooftop infinity pool, with glass walls overlooking the city centre and sunset.
Good to know
Stratos sits 15 floors above Independence Avenue on the roof of the Avani Windhoek Hotel & Casino, six floors higher than the Hilton's Sky Bar a few blocks away. It combines a restaurant, a cocktail bar and a sky deck beside the hotel's rooftop infinity pool, and its glass walls give uninterrupted views across the central business district and the hills beyond. It is a popular choice for sunset drinks and for a night out that starts with dinner.
The food is more ambitious than many hotel bars. The Namibian's review of the city's rooftop venues mentioned prawn pad thai, honey and soy pork belly, West Coast oysters and local tripe in the main restaurant, while the sky deck serves more casual dishes such as gourmet burgers, kapana and tacos. Avani describes the menu as à la carte with local flavours, so it is worth booking if you want to eat rather than just drink.
Cocktails are a big part of the draw. The same review picked out Boston's Gin Cocktail and the Hakuna Matata, described as a strong one, and there is a full bar for those who prefer beer or wine. The atmosphere is stylish but relaxed, and it suits date nights, groups of friends and colleagues heading out after work.
According to The Namibian, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays are the most popular nights, so arrive early if you want a seat near the glass for sunset. Opening hours are not listed on the hotel's page; contact Avani Windhoek to check, and to book a table for dinner. Smart casual dress is appropriate. FlyNamibia's in-flight magazine has also recommended it, alongside the Hilton's Sky Bar, as one of the two best places on Independence Avenue for a sunset view.
Access is through the hotel in the Gustav Voigts Centre on Independence Avenue, in the middle of the city centre, so it combines easily with a walk along the avenue or a visit to the 24-hour casino downstairs, and the hotel's Dunes buffet restaurant is a fallback if Stratos is full. As with any night out in Windhoek, use a registered taxi to get back to your hotel after dark.
On the 15th floor of the Avani Windhoek Hotel & Casino at 129 Independence Avenue.
Glass walls look over the central business district and the hills, with good sunset views.
Both. There is an à la carte restaurant, a cocktail bar and a sky deck with casual food.
Dishes have included prawn pad thai, pork belly, West Coast oysters and local tripe, with burgers, kapana and tacos on the sky deck.
Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays are the most popular.
Booking is advisable if you want dinner or a sunset table.
Smart casual is appropriate.
Tour operator
Locally owned Windhoek operator since 1995, running small-group camping and lodge safaris to Sossusvlei and Etosha plus half-day city and township tours.
Hotel
Sixteen-room boutique hotel in a 1914 hilltop castle above central Windhoek, with a pool terrace, city views and the fine-dining restaurant Leo's at the Castle.
Attraction
Free museum in a five-storey glass building on Robert Mugabe Avenue that tells the story of colonial rule, resistance and Namibia's road to independence.
Restaurant
Windhoek's best-known pub restaurant since 1991, serving game dishes, steaks, kapana and German classics amid a huge collection of Namibian memorabilia.