Le Grenier à Pain literally means “the attic of bread.” Now that I’ve saved you a trip to Google, and you still don’t know what this place is about… I really can’t help you.
In simple terms, it’s a French bakery and restaurant—though let’s be real, the “restaurant” part is just there for decoration. The menu is about 90% pastries and baked goods, with a few sandwiches and burgers thrown in for people who wandered in by mistake. I wouldn’t bother with those.
Come here for the pastries, okay? Maybe it’s just me, but I like to order what a place actually specializes in. If I go to Papparoti, I’m getting their signature buns—because that’s literally their entire identity. The same logic applies here.
Location(s)
Le Grenier has 4 locations, all strategically placed in the more “civilized” parts of the city— the rest of us peasants are rudely kept away because we can’t be trusted around artisanal goodies.
You’ll find them in Riverside, Gigiri, Westlands, and Kilimani
Went to the Riverside branch, and the exact address is 9 Riverside Building on the ground floor, the complex seems to be office buildings mostly with the exception of the ground floor.
Security is tighter than most malls even, but not annoyingly tight based on what happened in 14 Riverside years ago, anyway, Le Grenier à Pain is just right on your left as you enter the building, there is no way you can miss it
Menu Pricing & Value
Pffft now that you heard “French bakery” and “Riverside” you are probably intimidated that you will be outpriced. Relaxxxx, this place is just as affordable as your local Java House or Artcaffe, except everything is nicer here. So pricing is super duper affordable.
If it calms your nerves, I spent just KSh 3,600 for two and that is after ordering 2 drinks, 3 eclairs, and 2 savory croissants.
If you’re coming alone because you’re a lonely saddo who insists solo dates are “self-care” and not just a cover for having no plans, bring KSh 1,500-2,000 and treat yourself.
I’ll attach the full menu at the end of this post, but here’s the general idea:
They’ve got two menus—one for the restaurant (the one you get at your table) and a product menu that changes daily, depending on what they felt like baking that morning.
The product menu is basically a fancy way of saying “stuff in the glass counter.” You’ll find éclairs, croissants, tarts, cakes, baguettes, brioche, sourdough—you get the idea. I could go on, but you get the point. It’s mostly breads cakes and pastries meant for takeout, though you can order from it while seated.
Now, the restaurant menu is what most people actually care about. It has sandwiches, savory dishes, salads, soups, crêpes, alcohol, cold drinks, desserts, hot beverages… you see where this is going. Under each category, there’s more variety, but I’ll let the menu speak for itself.
Food & Drink Review (ToasterMeter® )
1. Eclair
Rating: ★★★★★(5), Excellent!
This is the closest I’ve ever come to a perfect éclair—so good it just tastes expensive. If I had to describe it in one word? Luxurious.
I tried three types: mocha, chocolate, and… well, the third one clearly didn’t leave a lasting impression. Anyway, the mocha éclair was the star of the show, with the chocolate one coming in last—not because it was bad, but because the competition was just that good.
And honestly? Even the “worst” one here still wipes the floor with every other éclair I’ve had in Nairobi. This is what I’d call Paris-grade pastry.
Everything was perfectly balanced—none of that sugar-overload nonsense. Just soft, delicate choux pastry, a creamy (but not runny) filling, and an overall level of craftsmanship that screams artisanal.
Even if you’ve never cared about éclairs in your life, you’ll respect this masterpiece.
Needless to say, the éclairs were the best thing I had here. They make every other éclair in Nairobi feel like a sad imposter and a fraud that should be locked up.
2. Savoury Croissants
Rating: ★★★★☆(4)
Croissants here on their own are usually good—flaky and perfect—but this time I got a slightly burnt one. No big deal, still fine. The savory croissants are basically croissant sandwiches, okay? They’re split lengthwise and topped with veggies, avocado, ham, cheese, lettuce, cherry tomatoes… There are plenty of options, so you can customize your savory croissant however you like.
I tried the honey-glazed ham and the cheese one. I liked the cheese one better, and so did my date. For cheese, you have a choice of emmental, cream cheese, gruyère, and cheddar. I went with cheddar because it’s usually sharp, and I love sharp cheeses. Also, because I’m an NPC.
3. Iced Mocha
Rating: ★★★★☆(4)
I expected better, to be honest. And before you ask why I went with iced, it was a really hot day, okay? So, iced mocha—it was fine, or average, if I’m being honest.
Average isn’t bad, just on par with what you’d get at Artcaffe or Java House. This one’s on me, I had high expectations for this place…
Anyway, it did have a decent amount of chocolate, so it was naturally mildly sweet. Halfway through, I remembered, “Oh, I didn’t sweeten this,” but since I hadn’t noticed before, I just went with it.
4. Chocolate Chaud
Rating: ★★★★★(5), Excellent!
Chocolate Chaud: Oh, this was sooo good. I’ve never had such a rich chocolate drink—chocolatey, silky, and velvety. So good. It wasn’t even my drink, but I kept begging for sips every five minutes because it was that amazing. It made my iced mocha taste like garbage, even though it was averagely good too!
Service
Service Score: ★☆☆☆☆(1), disappointing
Unfortunately, the service was kind of rubbish (for lack of a better word). Just lackluster. Our waitress was so nonchalant, maybe because it was just an hour before closing time, so I get it, but still… It’s funny that I get better service at Artcaffe than at this supposedly nicer place.
It was a bit unintuitive too, went to check out the glass counter, ordered, came back, and our seats were taken—even though we asked the waitress to reserve them. Now that is peak restaurant experience.
At one point, had to ask for new cutlery because, you know, you don’t want to use a chocolate-smeared fork and knife on your croissant sandwich, right? Most places give you two sets of cutlery if you have different items on your table, but here it’s apparently an ask.
Also, ordering from the glass counter? Nothing is labeled, you don’t know what is what, not even the prices. Like, why can’t orders just be taken at the table by the waitress?
Okay, I get that you go up to see what’s available and choose, but I also don’t get to choose from the main menu. Am I being a retard here? Possibly. But could this experience be better? Absolutely.
Final Thoughts?
Would I go back? Hmmm, maybe for the pastries to go. The restaurant experience was disappointing, but the food was solid for most dishes. I mean, you really can’t get better croissants and eclairs anywhere else in Nairobi, so I’d highly recommend those.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the ambiance—it’s nothing over the top, just okay. Slightly above average compared to most popular café-style restaurants you’ve probably been to.
Le Grenier à Pain Menu
