I will tell you what happened to Honey and Dough—did they shut down or just pull a sneaky rebrand into what’s now Botanica? Well, according to their social media, Honey and Dough decided to ” shut down” after three years of existence.
But hold on, because the plot thickens. Botanica now sits in the exact same spot, and—surprise, surprise—it’s run by the same company. The décor? Barely changed. The name and menu? Swapped. Management and kitchen crew? Maybe. Stick around, and I’ll dive into why they possibly closed or just decided to rebrand.
The Food Library Explained
Let’s get things clear, Honey & Dough is where Botanica is located, and yes Honey & Dough was part of The Food Library restaurants, probably the biggest restaurant chain in Nairobi.
But unlike other chains with the same brand across different locations, The Food Library has different brands with each offering something unique from the other, and each restaurant offers a different cuisine and mood, the food library has 6 restaurants and they are as follows;
Why Did Honey & Dough Close Down?
Let’s cut to the chase—the food at Honey & Dough? It was bad. I’m not just saying that; that’s the consensus from anyone who dared to try it. Personally, I never stepped inside, but if the reviews were anything to go by, it was a disaster.
People planning to eat there would take one look at those brutal write-ups and instantly change their plans for somewhere else. And with fewer people showing up each day, it’s no surprise they pulled the plug.
Running a restaurant costs money, and if you don’t have enough customers, you start bleeding cash.
Apparently, the food was so underwhelming for a place of that “caliber.” Honey & Dough was one of those Instagrammable spots from 2019 to 2022—lots of pretty pictures, but not much to chew on.
People eventually realized they were paying for the ambiance and décor, which, last I checked, isn’t edible. You can’t digest wall art, after all. Food is what you walk away with in your stomach, not their decor.
And here’s the icing on the cake: their tagline was “The Gourmet Café.” Now, unless they were running the world’s most elaborate satire that only I picked up on, you can’t call yourself gourmet and serve terrible food.
But hey, they did call themselves a café, and we all know cafés aren’t exactly known for good at best meals. In fact, never order food at a café unless you’re ready for disappointment. Well, except for the rare unicorns like Geco Café—they don’t even bother with the “gourmet” label but still manage to dish out solid food. Go figure.
How Bad Was Food at Honey & Dough?
So, full disclosure—I’ve never actually been to Honey and Dough. But there was this Twitter thread back in 2021 where someone asked, “What’s the most overrated restaurant in Nairobi?” And guess who took home the not-so-desired trophy? Yep, Honey & Dough.
It was the top contender, with Nairobians randomly piling on. So yeah, apparently it was that bad. I’ll go ahead and embed the thread below so you can check it out yourself.
Botanica: The Present-Day Honey & Dough
So, yeah, Honey & Dough used to call the 7th floor of One Africa in Westlands home, and now Botanica’s taken over the lease. I’ll be visiting Botanica soon—it’s next on my hit list, and I’ll drop the review link here when I do.
But if Google reviews are anything to go by, Botanica is not terrible. With 4.2 stars from 1.8K reviews, it’s a marked improvement from its past life. For reference, restaurants with 4.5 stars and 500+ reviews tend to be pretty solid, like CJ’s, Hero at Village Market, and Barbeque Nation in Westlands.
Ambiance? Still the same pink-and-green jungle vibe. Why fix what wasn’t broken? The aesthetics got people through the door, but the food? That’s what had them sprinting out. Looks like they’ve finally figured that out because I haven’t seen Botanica getting roasted as brutally as Honey & Dough was.
My theory? They changed the kitchen crew, gave the menu a facelift, and completely changed the concept. Honey & Dough used to call itself “The Gourmet Café” (which, let’s face it, was a bit of a stretch), and now Botanica goes by “The Kitchen & Gin Bar.” Quite the pivot.
As for the name change? My bet is the old reputation was just too tarnished. You can tweak the food all you want, but keeping the same name and convincing people you’re better with the same name is a hard sell.
So, instead of saying they rebranded, they just shut down quietly, reopened with a new name and menu, and pretended nothing happened. Sneaky, but hey—it worked!
Final Thoughts
Final thoughts? It’s pretty shocking to see a restaurant close in Nairobi, especially since it feels like new ones are sprouting up faster than sprouts.
Nairobians love eating out, so if you have to shut down, there’s something seriously off. Sure, the economy isn’t great, but let’s be real—people are still dropping cash on fancy meals. That’s why most restaurants are booming, not just surviving.
Honey & Dough’s closure? Classic case of what I always say: if you’re running a restaurant, make sure the food is actually worth eating.
Yeah, décor and ambiance are cute and all, but once people are in the door, they need something to keep them coming back—and it’s not your Instagrammable wall art. Honey & Dough missed that memo.
The food just didn’t cut it, and everyone who ate there probably left swearing never to waste their time or money again. With fewer and fewer repeat customers, it was only a matter of time before everyone had given it a try—and then decided never to return.
Read ALL My Nairobi Restaurant Reviews Here
