Oh what joy when you stumble on an unlikely bar. Or a dive. But this isn’t even one of those, this is a bistro although one that identifies as a pub.
Like most great pubs, Antica Bistro seems to be an offshoot of a carwash and this particular one is on Nairobi's Kindaruma Road.
The main sitting area has not more than half a dozen tables. The same with the outside seating. Because of its size, it’s very intimate, very personal.
A friend who has an office along that road invited me for a drink. I hadn’t seen him for a while and when we met he was having a cocktail which they are famous for.
Happy hour starts at 5pm. They also have what they call Pitchers which is a cocktail on steroids. Take for instance Long Island Pitcher. It contains Tequila, gin, vodka, Bacardi, Triple sec, and lime juice and is topped up with coke soda, garnished with lemon slices. It was Sh2,200. I think it’s for folk who want to get wasted fast.
The deejay (yes, there is a live deejay) is amazing. There were a couple of deejays on the day I was there, and they all wore sunglasses at night.
That’s how you know they are cool; when dusk falls but in their world the sun shines bright.
I think it’s important to mention that if you are very lucky you might be served by a gentleman called Jeremiah Asembo who is easily the most charismatic and attentive waiter you will meet this year.
In a very cliche way, the crowd is very Kilimani; yahoo-looking boys in shorts and snow-white sneakers, pointing at things with their Benz smart keys.
Tenderpreneur-looking chaps with ladies hanging from their arms. Men in loud Burberry pants. To mean, it’s an impressionable crowd.
But nobody bothers anybody. If you can ignore this hullabaloo, you will find your nirvana. I loved the music and the mood. I loved the fact that it’s off the beaten path as far as bars go.
