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Hours: Mon – Sat: 9am – 10pm, Sun: 9am – 9pm
Phone: 0788 350 530
This cute café in Kacyiru is one of the few lunch options for people working in this area of town. It is not surprisingly a branch of Shokola in Kiyovu, and shares the same chill-out atmosphere and Middle Eastern inspired menu (though no shisha…) Up until recently you could get free wifi here, but after a bunch of cheap-ass expats started occupying tables for hours without ordering anything besides a Coke, they shut off the Internet connection. Poor people with no scruples or morals truly is the faltering part in the great machinery of a free, fair and open democracy.
Besides having to wait way too long for your food, the service is decent. The staff is welcoming and helpful, and always comes up to you with a smile to make sure you have everything you need.
The newest addition to the café is a salad bar. After having advertized it for months, I was rather excited, but was a tad bit disappointed when I first saw it. I would have expected a bit more for the price (Rwf 4,500), but oh well. It was pretty tasty, and included stuff like couscous salad, grilled chicken, and Middle Eastern style ratatouille. And the bread rolls were yummy as well! The biggest advantage of a salad bar is obviously that you get your food right away! For those of you who are too busy even to sit down for a meal, take-away is also an option.
Apparently a Shokola Lite bakery is opening soon, but waiting for the salad bar has taught me to stop hoping and keep my expectations low. Yes, it was all the salad bars fault.
As mentioned earlier, the food and drinks menu here is identical to Shokola in town. Personally, I’m a big fan of the grilled KouKou baguette (though it’s too much bread), and the Kofta. They also have tasty soups, and the hummus is occasionally good as well. I recommend trying out the avocado juice for a smooth liquid experience, or the freshly made lemonade for a more tangy twist. The coffee drinks are well made here as well, and the African tea is delish. In general, the prices are quite high (Rwf 1,500 for a small Latte, Rwf 4,500 for a smoothie drink), but the quality is usually in accordance with what you pay.
Try the coffee nut cake for a sweet treat, or the chocolate cake if you like chocolate (bleh!) Shokola is one of the few places where you can get decent cake in Kigali, so take advantage. When the cookies are not rock hard, they’re satisfying as well. I just smiled a little because I thought of something funny. But I’m not gonna go there. No, I’m not.
i saw that pic of food earlier it made me pass there and order the same it was yummy lol
I used to really love Shokola in Kiyovu… it’s nice to get to sit outside. Shokola Lite doesn’t have the same outdoor seating but they’ve got the same menu… minus the shisha and the kofta, two of the best things about the old place.
I’m not sure if the internet here just isn’t working of if they’ve scrapped it but it used to be good. It’d be nice to see them bring it back but I guess this new place is a lot smaller than the old one so they can’t have too many people hanging around.
I ordered their chocolate cake the other day and it was terribly dry. Sometimes it’s delicious, sometimes gross. My friend ordered a coffee and the cup had lipstick on it.
The staff, as with the other location, spend a lot of time standing around but are rarely looking at the customers so getting their attention is a pain in the ass… they’re friendly though.
I do like the atmosphere here, though. I just with the lunch menu didn’t suck so bad (they force you to eat from the crappy menu until 3pm) and the food didn’t take so long. There’s a big push on the new salad bar which is tasty but at Rwf 4,500… expensive!
An ok place to hang out but if you don’t have a lot of time, don’t bother.
the kofta was hands down the best thing about shokola, minus maybe the shisha, what is up with that? i agree with @joseph, how could they refuse the two best things about shokola? i basically lived at shokola, so hearing that it’s now closed is seriously disheartening. it’s like hearing your parents sold the house you grew up in…
yee…..kofta and goat cheese pitta are finally back at Shokola lite, it’s on their lunch menu but you can order them anytime you like. As for the salad bar it’s actually really great considering that it’s not the typical dry & boring salads you often get in kigali buffets; they have veggie couscous salad, masala chicken salad, pitta bread, tasty french rolls, hummus, guacamole all of that for 4,500 Rwf not bad at all for a quick delicious lunch…and i love the fact that i can have it to go. The salad bar is open from 12-2pm but it’s usually finished by quarter to but definitely recommend it…
The slow service can get a tad bit annoying. Great place to seat, relax and order a nice strong latte while enjoying a good book.