The petrol station eatery that is drawing crowds

At some point in time, drinking in cars parked outside eating establishments in town became a fad.

But it was mostly a preserve of miraa-chewing folk who weren’t allowed to chew their herbs in these establishments.

So what these folk would do is to flock at petrol station’s convenience stores where they would buy their alcohol and then proceed to sit in their cars and while away the evening. A dodgy habit indeed.
Because of this, drinking at a petrol station has been associated with layabouts and young people who want to get drunk in the cheapest way possible.

And so when someone mentioned to me that there is a new bar at the Kobil Petrol Station on Ojijo Road, I groaned with cynicism.
However, last Friday, I decided to venture there with a friend.

It turned out that the place is not actually a bar, in the traditional but more of a grill bar.

One thing has to be said, it takes a lot to open a place like this next to K1’s Pitch and Butcher, the only bar around the area that has maintained consistency.

But Urban Flavas turns out to be a contender if only because it’s very different from what one expects from a petrol station.
For one, it’s very clean. You could say maybe this is because it’s very new, but still, you get the sense that those guys scrub that place up real good.

Secondly, it’s spacious and airy; large glass windows and spaced seating.

Thirdly, they serve some good food. Oh, and the music is great; old school.

The weekends get quite busy with crowds who want to catch a sane drink and meal before moving elsewhere.
There is seating downstairs, which has a bar area. You hoist yourself up on the long, silver seats and drink from a small round table. Upstairs is more of a lounge area with low couches and tables. There is a bar as well.

The view up there is better though, because you never quite feel that you’re drinking at a petrol station.
The crowd is surprisingly mature for a bar that sits at a petrol station.

It’s a great place for people who want to be in Westlands without really being a part of the Westlands madness.