Tamarind Mombasa: Founders, Menu and Dhow

Tamarind Mombasa is an upscale seafood restaurant on Cement Silos Road in Nyali, looking across Tudor Creek to the Old Town. Kenyan-born Chris Seex founded it in 1972; Martin Dunford, who joined him in 1975, now chairs the Tamarind Group. The official page gives daily hours of 12:00 to 22:00 (checked 16 October 2026). People come for prawns piri piri, chilli crab and lobster. I found no burger on the menu. If a burger is what brought you here, go straight to our guide to the best burgers in Mombasa.

Who founded Tamarind Mombasa? Chris Seex in 1972

Chris Seex, a Kenyan-born hotelier, opened Tamarind in Mombasa in 1972. He was managing a resort hotel at the time, and he set out to build “Africa’s finest seafood restaurant” (How We Made It in Africa, 2013; Tamarind Group). The Daily Nation gives the same 1972 opening (Daily Nation, 2022).

That is as far as I can take Seex’s story. I found nothing on his current role in the business, so here he is the 1972 founder and nothing more.

Martin Dunford and the Tamarind Group

Martin Dunford joined Chris Seex in 1975, became co-owner and is today executive chairman of the Tamarind Group. In a 2013 interview he described the owners as “8 partners, all Kenyan” (How We Made It in Africa). Business Today Kenya adds that he was born in Nairobi in 1952 and holds a BSc in Hospitality Management from the University of Surrey (Business Today, 2023). That biography appears in this single source only.

Tamarind Group timeline: from Mombasa to Carnivore

The Mombasa restaurant was the seed of a group that spread across Kenya and into South Africa. These dates come from Business Today Kenya’s 2023 profile of Dunford:

Horizontal timeline chart of the Tamarind Group, 1972 to 1993: Tamarind Mombasa 1972, Martin Dunford joins 1975, Tamarind Nairobi 1977, Carnivore Nairobi 1980, Tamarind Dhow 1985, Tamarind Village 1991, Carnivore Johannesburg 1993. Alt: “Tamarind Group timeline from the founding of Tamarind Mombasa in 1972 to Carnivore Johannesburg in 1993”. (Chart: Burger Breton, data from Business Today Kenya (1 August 2023))

For the Nairobi side of the story, Carnivore included, see our Nairobi burger and restaurant guide.

Is Ali Mandhry linked to Tamarind Mombasa? No

No source ties anyone named Ali Mandhry to Tamarind Mombasa as chef, owner or founder. The tip that started this profile named a “chef and owner Ali Mandhry”. I searched that name with Mombasa and with Tamarind and found nothing, so I give him no role.

My guess is that the name comes from elsewhere in the city. The Mandhry Mosque on Sir Mbarak Street in the Old Town dates from 1570 and is kept by the Mandhry clan (Wikipedia; Daily Nation). That is the only verified “Mandhry” link to Mombasa I found, and it has nothing to do with Tamarind. No official or press source names Tamarind’s current head chef either, so I name none.

The Mandhry Mosque, dated 1570 on its sign, in Mombasa Old Town. This is the only verified link between the Mandhry name and Mombasa, and it has nothing to do with Tamarind (5572×3979). Alt: “Mandhry Mosque in Mombasa Old Town, white walls and conical minaret”. (Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandhry\_Mosque,\_2025\_(01).jpg)

Is Tamarind Mombasa still open in 2026?

Yes, Tamarind Mombasa appears to be operating in October 2026. Its official page is live with current hours, and TripAdvisor carries reviews dated up to June 2026 (TripAdvisor).

The closure you may have read about was in Nairobi. Tamarind Brasserie at Dari Business Park closed in 2025, and the group said its other venues stay open (The Kenya Times).

Where is Tamarind Mombasa? Nyali, not Old Town

Tamarind Mombasa sits on Cement Silos Road (Silos Road) in Nyali, on the mainland side of Tudor Creek, across the water from the Old Town and the Old Harbour (Smart Nomad Kenya, August 2026; mombasarestaurants.com). 1 directory puts it “in the heart of Old Town”. It isn’t. From the terrace you look at the Old Town; you can’t stroll over to it.

View from Fort Jesus in the Old Town across the mouth of Tudor Creek toward the Nyali shore, the side of the water Tamarind stands on. The restaurant itself is further up the creek and is not visible in this photo (5936×3894). Alt: “Tudor Creek seen from Fort Jesus, looking toward Nyali, where Tamarind Mombasa stands”. (Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views\_from\_Fort\_Jesus,\_2025\_(04).jpg)

The building is half the reason people go. Tamarind describes it as an elegant white building with high arches and a crenellated roof, “a throwback to a bygone Arab era” (Tamarind Group).

Hours and phone: which listing to trust

Trust the official hours: daily, 12:00 to 22:00, checked on 16 October 2026. Other listings disagree. Mombasarestaurants.com says 11:00–23:00. Smart Nomad Kenya says 12:00–16:00, which would rule out dinner altogether. I publish only the official phone numbers, +254 20 5139327 and +254 20 5139300, and leave out a mobile number that appears on just 1 directory. Call or email before you cross the creek.

Map of Tamarind Mombasa on Cement Silos Road, Nyali (pin), on the mainland side of Tudor Creek across from the Old Town and Fort Jesus. Open daily 12:00–22:00 per the official page, checked 16 October 2026. Alt: “Map of Tamarind Mombasa in Nyali, facing the Old Town across Tudor Creek”. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL)

Tamarind Mombasa menu: what it is famous for

Tamarind Mombasa is a seafood restaurant, and its signatures are prawns piri piri, chilli crab and lobster. Directory listings also mention a Tamarind fish masala (mombasarestaurants.com). The restaurant’s own copy says Gourmet, The Times (London) and the Herald Tribune have praised these dishes. That claim is Tamarind’s, and I have not found the original reviews.

Does Tamarind Mombasa serve burgers?

No. No burger appears on Tamarind Mombasa’s menu in any official or press source I checked. So it doesn’t count as part of Mombasa’s burger scene, and I won’t invent a “signature burger” for it. Come for crab and prawns.

How expensive is Tamarind Mombasa?

Tamarind Mombasa is upscale: the mombasarestaurants.com directory puts it in its “$$$” price tier, which is a ranking, not a price in dollars. I could not verify any current menu prices in Kenyan shillings, for the restaurant or the dhow, so I give none. Ask for the priced menu when you book. The same directory lists cash, Visa, Amex, Mastercard and M-Pesa as accepted payments.

Tamarind Dhow: dinner cruise on Tudor Creek

The Tamarind Dhow is a restored traditional dhow that leaves the Tamarind jetty for dinner on Tudor Creek, with about 70 seats. The group launched it in 1985. The official page lists grilled lobster, mangrove oysters, tandoori crab cakes, chilli crab, prawns piri-piri and lobster thermidor (Tamarind Dhow).

If I had 1 evening in Mombasa and money for 1 Tamarind meal, I would book the dhow. Its menu repeats the restaurant’s signatures, chilli crab and prawns piri-piri, and adds the creek itself, which is the real draw here.

How to book the Tamarind Dhow

Book the Tamarind Dhow by email at reservations.mombasa@tamarind.co.ke, or message @tamarindmombasa_ on Instagram. Confirm the sailing time when you book: I could not verify the current schedule independently.

Where to eat burgers in Mombasa instead

For burgers, skip Tamarind and head for the venues in our Mombasa burger guide. 2 names come up in local coverage:

• 10 Street, The Avenue Building, Nyali, near City Mall, listed as open 24/7 (Smart Nomad Kenya, August 2026).
• Crave Mombasa, where a beef burger cost KES 400 when People Daily published its guide. The article is undated, so treat that price as indicative (People Daily).

Of the two, I would start with 10 Street: its listing dates from August 2026, while the Crave price could be years old.

This is the second Kenyan profile I have had to correct. In Nairobi, the Kiran Jethwa restaurant story also turned out to be about seafood, not burgers. For every other city we cover, start at the Restaurants hub.

How I checked this profile

I built this profile on 16 October 2026 from Tamarind’s official pages, a 2013 interview with Martin Dunford, Business Today Kenya, the Daily Nation, The Kenya Times, TripAdvisor and 2 Mombasa directories. Where sources disagreed, I kept the official version and said so. This is not a rated review: I have not eaten at Tamarind, so I give no score.

FAQ: Tamarind Mombasa

Who founded Tamarind restaurant in Mombasa? Chris Seex, a Kenyan-born hotelier, founded Tamarind Mombasa in 1972. Martin Dunford joined him in 1975 and is now executive chairman of the Tamarind Group.

Is Ali Mandhry the chef or owner of Tamarind Mombasa? No source links anyone named Ali Mandhry to Tamarind. In Mombasa, the Mandhry name belongs to the Mandhry clan and the 1570 Mandhry Mosque in the Old Town.

Is Tamarind Mombasa still open in 2026? Yes. It appears to be operating, with official hours of 12:00–22:00 daily and TripAdvisor reviews up to June 2026. The 2025 closure concerned Tamarind Brasserie in Nairobi.

Where is Tamarind Mombasa: Nyali or Old Town? Nyali. It is on Cement Silos Road, on the mainland side of Tudor Creek, facing the Old Town across the water.

What is Tamarind Mombasa famous for? Seafood: prawns piri piri, chilli crab and lobster, served in a white arched building overlooking Tudor Creek.

Does Tamarind Mombasa serve burgers? No burger appears on its menu in any official or press source. For burgers, see our Mombasa burger guide.

What is the Tamarind Dhow and how do you book it? It is a restored traditional dhow that has offered seafood dinners on Tudor Creek since 1985, with about 70 seats. Book at reservations.mombasa@tamarind.co.ke or via @tamarindmombasa_ on Instagram.

How expensive is Tamarind Mombasa? It is upscale (the “$$$” tier of a local directory). No verified menu prices in KES were available on 16 October 2026, so ask for prices when you book.

Who owns the Tamarind Group? Martin Dunford is executive chairman. In 2013 he described the group as owned by 8 partners, all Kenyan. The group also runs Carnivore.