Cafeography
Uganda

Cafés in Kampala from Nakasero to Tank Hill

Espresso on Cooper Road in Kisementi, a Deaf-owned café on Bukoto Street, garden tables off Tank Hill Road and African tea on the menus of Nakasero.

Browse the cafés
  • Map and “near me”
  • “Open now” filter
  • Paid placements always labeled

Photo: josh_ dago__, Pexels License

50Cafés listed
0Open by 6am
4Open past 10pm
0Specialty & roasters

Kampala is named for the impala. The Kabaka of Buganda kept a hunting reserve on one hill, the British called it the Hill of the Impala, and the Luganda translation, akasozi k'empala, was shortened to Kampala.1 The city grew out from seven hills (Old Kampala, Mengo, Kibuli, Namirembe, Lubaga, Nsambya and Nakasero) onto others such as Kololo, Naguru and Makerere, and the 2024 census counted 1,797,722 residents.1

Sitting down for coffee is a young habit here. Café PAP opened on Parliament Avenue on 23 April 2004, and the Daily Monitor credits it with bringing coffee into the daily lives of many Kampala residents.2 Its founder, Jolly Twebaze Ngabirano, had worked for the Coffee Marketing Board from 1987.3 The coffee kiosk has recently taken off, even though the Uganda Coffee Development Authority puts coffee drinkers at only 5–6% of Ugandans.4

Training is catching up. On 5 October 2026 HatHats opened a hospitality and barista academy at the era92 grounds in Kampala, with a first cohort of more than 20 young people; its co-founder Louis Hurst said the country "grows wonderful coffee, then drinks almost none of it."5

Pick a hill

Kampala by area

Every neighborhood here is a hill or the slope of one. Nakasero carries Parliament and State House near its top and taxi parks lower down,11 Kololo next door is the city's highest point,1 and Muyenga, about 8 km southeast of the center, goes by Tank Hill for the water tanks on its summit.12

Kisementi & Kamwokya

Acacia Mall, Cooper Road and Kanjokya Street, with a Deaf-owned café on Bukoto Street.

10 cafés

Nakasero & City Centre

Parliament Avenue, Buganda Road and Kyadondo Road on the hill of ministries and markets.

7 cafés

Kololo & Lugogo

Kampala's highest hill: embassies, Kings Africa Rifle Road, Yusuf Lule Road and the Lugogo cricket oval.

7 cafés

Muyenga, Kabalagala & Kansanga

Cafés on Tank Hill Road with Lake Victoria views, and Kabalagala and Ggaba Road below.

8 cafés
Or start with what you need

Browse by mood and hour

Kisementi & Kamwokya 10 cafés

More about cafés in Kisementi & Kamwokya

Wandegeya & Makerere 2 cafés

Nakasero & City Centre 7 cafés

More about cafés in Nakasero & City Centre

Kololo & Lugogo 7 cafés

More about cafés in Kololo & Lugogo

Bukoto & Naguru 4 cafés

Ntinda & Kiwatule 3 cafés

Bugolobi & Mbuya 4 cafés

Muyenga, Kabalagala & Kansanga 8 cafés

More about cafés in Muyenga, Kabalagala & Kansanga

Nsambya & Makindye 2 cafés

Mengo, Rubaga & Namirembe 1 cafés

Kisaasi & Kyanja 2 cafés

No café matches all of those filters. Try removing one, or tell us about a café we're missing.

Coffee chains in Kampala

Branches by area

Chain

Endiro Coffee

Show 7 locations
Website Facebook
Before you sit down

How coffee and tea are ordered in Kampala

Menus in Kampala list African tea and African coffee next to the espresso drinks. In Uganda both tea and coffee come either plain, in the English style, or spiced, as chai masala.6 At Café Reze on Buganda Road an African tea cost USh 9,000 and an African coffee USh 10,000 in 2026, and ginger or honey adds USh 1,000 to a coffee.7

A kiosk works differently from a sit-down café: the barista hands the cup over the counter instead of a waiter bringing it to the table, and kiosks pour bold, varied flavors to change how locals see coffee.4

Carry shillings. They cover almost all everyday spending, local eateries are mostly cash-only, and Visa and Mastercard are taken at upscale hotels and some restaurants.8 MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money are everyday tools for residents, but a visitor needs a local SIM and registration to use them. A tip of 5–10% is generous rather than expected, and service charges are rare in local eateries.8

Kampala has no true dry month. Rain is heavier from February to June and from August to December, and April is the wettest month, with about 169 mm on average, so book an indoor table then.1

What coffee costs in Kampala

DrinkTypical price
Espresso
Single shot		USh 6,000–8,000
Café Reze, Nakasero, and Caramel, Kisementi, 2026
Cappuccino
Single		USh 10,000–13,000
Café Reze and Caramel, 2026
Americano
Single		USh 7,000–11,000
Café Reze and Caramel, 2026
African coffee
House coffee drink		USh 10,000
Café Reze, Buganda Road, 2026
African tea
House tea drink		USh 9,000
Café Reze, Buganda Road, 2026

Prices as of 2026, from the online menus of Café Reze, read in October 2026, and Caramel Café & Lounge, last updated in June 2026.79 Numbeo's crowd-sourced Kampala cappuccino prices ran from USh 6,000 to 20,000 on 26 October 2026, with an average of about USh 10,377.10

Sources

  1. Kampala, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Ngabirano, first female café owner, Daily Monitor (February 11, 2018), accessed October 2026
  3. Jolly Twebaze Ngabirano, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Meet Charles Lukonge, a Coffee Champion in Uganda, Resonate (Linathi Makanda, February 14, 2023), accessed October 2026
  5. Uganda: HatHats Launches Barista and Hospitality Academy to Equip Young Ugandans With Coffee Skills, Nile Post via allAfrica (Kenneth Kazibwe, October 6, 2026), accessed October 2026
  6. Ugandan cuisine, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. Coffee, Tea & Chillers menu, Café Reze (2026), accessed October 2026
  8. Uganda Currency & Money Guide: Exchange, Cards, and Tips, Hello Travel (May 2, 2026), accessed October 2026
  9. Caramel Cafe & Lounge menu, Caramel Cafe & Lounge (updated June 2026), accessed October 2026
  10. Cost of Living in Kampala, Numbeo (updated October 26, 2026), accessed October 2026
  11. Nakasero, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  12. Muyenga, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
FAQ

Cafés in Kampala: common questions

How much does a cappuccino cost in Kampala?

In 2026 a single cappuccino cost USh 10,000 at Café Reze on Buganda Road and USh 13,000 at Caramel Café & Lounge, where a single espresso was USh 8,000. Numbeo's crowd-sourced Kampala cappuccino prices ran from USh 6,000 to 20,000 in October 2026, with an average of about USh 10,377.

Which neighborhood of Kampala has the most cafés?

Kisementi & Kamwokya and Muyenga, Kabalagala & Kansanga have the most cafés, followed by Nakasero & City Centre. Kisementi and Kamwokya have the widest choice, around Acacia Mall and on Kanjokya Street; Muyenga and Kabalagala come next, then Nakasero and Kololo.

What are African tea and African coffee on Kampala café menus?

Both appear on Kampala café menus beside the espresso drinks. In Uganda tea and coffee come plain, in the English style, or spiced as chai masala. In 2026 Café Reze on Buganda Road charged USh 9,000 for an African tea and USh 10,000 for an African coffee, with ginger or honey for USh 1,000 more.

How do you pay and tip at cafés in Kampala?

Carry Ugandan shillings: local eateries are mostly cash-only, while Visa and Mastercard work at upscale hotels and some restaurants. MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money are widely used but need a local SIM and registration. A tip of 5–10% is generous rather than expected, and service charges are rare in local eateries.

When did café culture start in Kampala?

Café PAP opened on Parliament Avenue on 23 April 2004, and the Daily Monitor credits it with bringing coffee into the daily lives of many Kampala residents. Coffee kiosks spread later. Even so, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority puts coffee drinkers at only 5–6% of Ugandans.

For café owners

Run a café in Kampala?

Your free listing is probably already on this page. Claim it in two minutes, or turn it into a featured page in your own design, with photos, a menu and your own link.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design