Cantine DiVino

Cantine DiVino combines an Italian restaurant, a wine bar and a small deli in a garden setting on Mabua Road in Kololo. It is both a shop for Italian cheese, charcuterie and wine and a restaurant, and that is its point of difference: you can sample cheeses and cured meats at the counter before you choose, then eat in or take them away.

The deli counter carries Italian cured meats such as speck, mortadella, spianata, salami, prosciutto crudo and cotto, and cheeses including mild and strong pecorino, provolone, gorgonzola, parmesan and mozzarella. If the names are unfamiliar, speck is a smoked cured ham from the Alps, prosciutto crudo is air-dried ham and cotto is cooked ham, while pecorino is a sheep's milk cheese and gorgonzola a creamy blue. Tasting at the counter is the easiest way to build your own board. In the restaurant, the menu runs from cheese and charcuterie platters to handmade pasta, a house pasta and steaks; the official Visit Kampala listing names lamb chops, T-bone steak and mushroom soup among the dishes regulars order. A long list of wines and cocktails completes it.

The setting is a garden with a relaxed, romantic feel, which makes it a good choice for couples or for a slow evening with friends over a platter and a bottle. It also works for a lighter lunch if you just want a board of cheese and meats with bread and a glass of wine. If you are self-catering or staying in an apartment, the deli is useful for picking up Italian produce that is otherwise hard to find in Kampala.

Book ahead for weekend evenings, particularly for a garden table; the restaurant takes reservations by phone. The official Visit Kampala listing describes prices as reasonable for what is largely imported produce, and sharing platters keeps the bill down.

Mabua Road is in Kololo, close to Acacia Avenue, so Cantine DiVino fits easily into an evening in the area's restaurant and bar district. Khana Khazana and Bubbles O'Learys are a short walk away, and Kisementi's bars and La Terraza rooftop are nearby for a drink afterwards.