They have bean bag chairs and shisha! BEAN BAG CHAIRS!! Finally… something a little different in Kigali. While I wait for an awesome cafe with hammocks, I think bean bag chairs will do just fine. Too Pascha is so far away from… anywhere.
Pascha is a Turkish restaurant located at the Aberdeen House Boutique Hotel which was either just recently opened by some Turks, or recently taken over by them. Either way, the Turkish restaurant that goes with the hotel’s curiously Scottish-sounding name is something fresh and different for Kigali and I really liked it on my first trip there.
We sat outside in the lush garden which is where the wonderful bean bag chair option is. We opted to sit at a patio table under an umbrella but were eying up the chairs and comfy looking couches for our next visit. The outdoor eating area and bar is a big contrast to the inside part of the restaurant which has more of a formal feel. It’s nice inside and there are even leather couches to relax on, but I think the outside garden area is the better choice – provided it’s not raining and the mosquitoes aren’t on a rampage.
I’m not sure what authentic Turkish food is… I’m not much of an expert, sadly. But the menu was filled with things I’d never heard of which is enough to convince me that it’s the real deal. “I’ve never heard of it? Sure! Must be Turkish…” Hey, I never said I was a high-quality reviewer! Anyway the menu is interesting and you’ll see a bunch of things that can’t be found anywhere else in Kigali.
Pascha’s chicken salad (Rwf 5,000) got rave reviews from the random person sitting at the table next to us but she didn’t care much for the stuffed pepper. I ordered something called ‘Beyti’ (Rwf 8,000) and had no expectations but, if I had, I think they would have been surpassed. It was this lamb sausage-looking thing wrapped up in a flat bread, covered in a tomato sauce and chopped up into bite-sized pieces. It was served with flavoured Turkish rice and a grilled tomato and pepper. The best part, though, was the huge dollop of plain yoghurt in the middle which tied the whole thing together. I love my sauces and they didn’t skimp in the yoghurt department. It was something I’d never eaten before and I loved it.
My lunch buddy ordered the Turkish Special Adana Kebab (Rwf 8,000) and was equally as impressed with hers. She got more of a minced lamb meat tube (mmm…) type thing with small pieces of flat bread, onion, rice and the grilled tomato and pepper plus friends. She was making little mini sandwiches and loved her meal too. If I were to order that I’d probably ask for some yoghurt on the side. Did I mention I like yoghurt?
Surprisingly, everything on their food menu was available but we both wanted iced tea and were told that they only had African tea and coffee. After a bit of pressing we were able to wrangle a hot pot of black tea and some ice. It was nice to see that the wait staff were able to be a bit flexible. This request is something that would cause people’s heads to explode in some other restaurants (I’m looking at you, Simba).
I really liked Pascha a lot. If it weren’t so expensive and far away I would probably spend an inappropriate amount of time sitting in their bean bag chairs smoking shisha and eating their delicious food. So maybe it’s a good thing… at least for my lungs. Anyway, I recommend you make the trek out to Gacuriro to check this place out.
Hours: 9 am – 11 pm
Address: Aberdeen House Hotel, Gacuriro
Phone: 0728 407 779
Email: info@aberdeenhouse-rw.com
Website: http://aberdeenhouse-rw.com
Kirsty your reviews rock. This is a new go to for sure, pretty tasty and food came in a mind blowing 15 mins.
Thanks Nico! …but where are your start ratings… ?
I really liked this place. It was definitely pricey, so it will stay more of a special occasion spot, but the food was fresh, good, and spiced really nicely. The garden was peaceful and a nice place to relax, and I’ve never seen beanbag chairs like the ones they have anywhere in Kigali! I also was really happy that the waiter there was open to my suggestion about how to make iced tea. (This may seem really simple, but it isn’t always the case that you can talk someone into a substitute so easily.)
It may be that I am more impressed because there is a lack of variety in many restaurants in Kigali and so the sheer novelty of a place that has a totally different menu blew me over, but I will definitely consider Pascha a place for special occasions.
Stars
Great atmosphere, pretty good food, and really friendly service. These are things you don’t come across often in Kigali, but Pasha has all three. It’s a little out of the way, but definitely worth the occasional drive out.
Well, I went to Pasha quite exited by all those reviews… but then it fall short !
First 9000Frw for a plate with dry meat ? Food is everything but good. Too simple, far from a real tasty turkish restaurant.
Then the service, I waited an hour to get my bill … Yet the setting is nice if you don’t look at the bad-condition lawn, but the food is not good, too expensive and the service is not up to the price you pay.
everthing is perfect…thursday amazing day in PASCHA restaurant very good music
This is my favorite restaurant in Kigali, hands down! Delicious food, great service and consistent quality.
They don’t have a menu available online. and….do they have a website?!
Hmm… I’m not sure but you can see their menu on the Hellofood website: http://www.hellofood.rw/restaurant/m6rf/pascha?utm_source=lik&utm_medium=cpa&utm_campaign=restaurant_button
I absolutely love Pascha, but when I ordered from them through Hellofood it was terribly disappointing. I ordered beyti, hummus and kopoglu (as usual). The beyti was about half as much as they serve at the restaurant, it came with plain white rice, there were no grilled veggies, the yoghurt tasted bad, and the hummus was dry. Never doing that again.