Top ten restaurants in Kampala according to TripAdvisor

As Mothers' Day approaches, people are starting to look around for a fancy restaurant to take their mothers for a date. Today, Kampala is home to a considerable number of fancy restaurants many of which are so exclusive that few people know about them. But what makes a restaurant fancy?

A fancy restaurant tends to be beautifully and lavishly decorated with low lighting that very often gives them a romantic ambiance. The fresh flowers, the tasteful artwork, the designer seats and tables you would never find anywhere else, the linen tablecloths and napkins. The food is usually prepared by highly paid professional chefs that know what good food tastes like, served by well-trained waiters and waitresses, making dining at such a place quite pricey.

Kampala has a few of such restaurants where you fork out top dollar for a sublime escape into sumptuous indulgence. When it comes to whatever strikes your fancy, no reservations are required.

The list below is adapted from TripAdvisor and it is based on hundreds of reviews from people that have dined in these Kampala restaurants, making this ranking a helpful way to choose where to take your mother on a date this weekend.

10 La Cabana Restaurant

Located in Speke Apartments on Wampewo Avenue, Kololo, this restaurant is fancy even before you enter because operating from Speke Apartments alone is a big deal because of the uber classy ambience.

La Cabana Pulse

La Cabana Restaurant & bar at Speke Apartments is a ritzy grill restaurant that serves unlimited meats that are marinated, grilled with full flavour and served hot. Here you will enjoy BBQ chicken, garlic-marinated chicken, steak, lamb legs, pork cubes, all in Brazilian churrasco style!

9 Yujo Izakaya

Yujo Izakaya is a Japanese Restaurant and Pub located on Kyadodo Road in Nakasero near Nakasero Primary School. This is a very exclusive neighborhood that boasts of tranquility and peace. This is where you go to taste Japanese traditional food like the famed sushi and rice wine. The prices range from 54,000 to 89,000 for a dinner for one.

Yujo Izakaya Pulse

8 Tamarai

Tamarai is an Asian restaurant, Tea Bar & Lounge located in Lower Kololo where the leafy ambience gives you a feel of a proper Thai dining in Kampala. Tamarai also happens to be Uganda's first ever Tea bar with 16 different tea flavours and a great cocktail bar. The prices range between shs 36,000 and shs 144,000.

Tamarai Pulse

7 Le Chateau Brasserie Belge

This fancy Belgian-French restaurant is located in Quality Hill Boutique Mall on Ggaba road in Nsambya. Le Chateau Brasserie Belge offers mouth-watering Belgian and European Cuisines in a faultless dining experience. Prices range between shs 11,000 and shs 54,000.

Le Chateau Brasserie Belge Pulse

6 The Bistro

Located on 15 Cooper Road Kisementi, Kololo, The Bistro serves a variety of coffees, tapas & favorites from the World. The fancy restaurant combines the classy Kisementi ambiance with impressive service to deliver the best dinners one can ask for. The price range is shs 18,000 and shs 58,000.

The Bistro Pulse

5 Khana Khazana

Khana Khazana can now be considered a landmark on Acacia Avenue in Kololo, as it has been there for so long. The excellent service and a menu with over 140 dishes to choose from makes this place special. The staff all wear Indian-inspired uniforms and the layout of the restaurant is unusual with an inner courtyard and water fountain. The fancy restaurant won "Best Indian Cuisine" in Kampala Restaurant Awards 2015. The prices range between shs 36,000 and shs 110,000.

Khana Khazana Pulse

4 Mediterraneo

This particular one is truly upmarket if that is what one is looking for. It is an open-air Italian restaurant that sits on an expansive wood deck in a beautifully-tended garden. The kerosene lamps that provide lighting at night create an unforgettable ambiance. The Italian chef is known for creating great thin-crust pizzas and handmade pastas. The prices range between

Mediterraneo Pulse

3 Cafe Javas

This one is hands down the most popular with Kampala diners. Cafe Javas, is a full-service, quick-casual restaurant located in 12 locations; 8 in Kampala, 1 in Entebbe and 3 in Nairobi. This fancy restaurant serves over 300 carefully selected, mouthwatering menu items. You are always guaranteed to be served with excellence. The prices range between shs17,857 and shs 71,429.

Cafe Javas Pulse

2 The Lawns

The Lawns is located on Plot 3A, Lower Kololo Terrace, Kololo, Kampala. It is blessed with beautiful views of the golf course and leafy ambience. The BBQ at this particular fancy restaurant is to die for, serving exotic meats like Springbok, Impala, and Waterbuck, whole crocodile tail oryx steak and more. The prices range between shs 21,429 and shs 71,429.

The Lawns Pulse

1 Asian Fusion

Designed on the principles of Feng Shui, Asian Fusion restaurant at the Fairway Hotel is a treasure trove of unique foods and designs to not only excite the eyes but the taste buds. The deco transports guests to Asia, the traditional art, the Thai sculptures and Chinese architecture are all designed to bring out a special ambience. They serve a perfect blend of Indian Spices, Chicken Tikka Masala, Garlic Naan, Chicken Sizzler & Steamed Rice. The prices range between shs 39,286 and shs 57,143.