Review by The Eye.

I must admit that night life in Kigali lacks a bit of hype. The city centre is empty by 8pm as most people have headed off to meet their friends and work colleagues for dinner or a drink at one of Kigali’s restaurants or pubs. Part of the pleasure of exploring interesting places is finding a good place to eat and Papyrus Lounge at the top of its game when it comes to good entertainment and great food. The newly renovated Papyrus Lounge is situated at one corner of Kimihurura, a suburb in Kigali and while it lacks a compound and garden it is a well laid out establishment that has well trained, courteous, helpful staff that are serving good food and cold drinks

The Papyrus Lounge and restaurant is run and managed by an American couple in partnership with a Rwandese who are always on site to assist staff in ensuring that their patrons dining experience is a memorable one. The bar is well stocked and one can order any of their favourites like Guinness, Bell lager, Mutzig (also available in Draft which is poured from a Keg into beer mugs), Primus, Amstel, and Tusker. The Lounge also stocks an extensive wine list which includes a choice of either white or red wines, while champagne is also available. Surprisingly, the wine list also boasts of some vintage brands that are 15 years old – all wines are very reasonably priced. There is also a wide range of vintage whisky’s to be enjoyed – some of which are 12 years old. The drinks menu is presented to you at your table so it makes ordering a drink more convenient (there are some establishments that prefer you to order your drinks from the bar). The Papyrus Lounge can do cocktails for you if you like and these can be made to order.  The décor inside the lounge and on the terrace of the restaurant is brilliant especially at night when the place is well lit up – it really is quite beautiful in the evenings.

While in the lounge you can choose to sit around the counter or on stools around the high tables or if you prefer, you can sit on the comfortable sofas that are found in the lobby. Papyrus plays good music which ranges from Hip Hop to R& B to Rock and they have some excellent East African classics that will keep every reveler in the pub moving and shaking. There is more of a festive vibe in the lounge than in the restaurant where live performances take place on different nights of the week by local musicians who either play their own compositions or mime to different vocals from various artists. If you want to watch TV they have a huge flat screen in the Bar area that has satellite television (Pay TV) so you can’t afford to miss a good movie or your favorite TV programme. For all those football lovers out there, its’ always a good day when live matches are being broad cast and when I have wandered down to Papyrus to watch the football it’s been such an event that I just keep going back.

Dining at Papyrus restaurant was a treat - l especially enjoyed the delicious homemade pastas and pizzas that are made with different cheese which is produced by Serge one of the partners from his farm in Masaka (a local farm outside of Kigali). I had a vegetable pizza which was really delicious. The list of desserts is endless but l opted to have a black coffee which tasted great and which had a really good aroma. They also have a grocery next door which sells a wide range of dairy products including ice cream, ricotta cheese, yoghurt, mozzarella cheese, butter and creme fraiche. While seated on the terrace you can enjoy the great view of Kiyovu which is well lit up at night.
On the terrace the walls are decorated with different masks and sculptures of both Rwandese and Congolese origin which are for sale. I was also told that a trip can be organized for you to visit the Masaka dairy farm where the different dairy products are produced.
The Papyrus Lounge is a really good venue for value for money drinks, meals and entertainment. My meal cost about 8000 Rwandese Francs which is approximately $15.
I always thoroughly enjoy my visit to Papyrus Lounge as I am always ensured of good food, cold drinks, great entertainment and above all super b service – I will be going back.
For more information, please contact:
The Papyrus Lounge