Our restaurant and wine bar, FEZ, is open to the public as well as to guests. Our carefully planned menu changes frequently and draws its inspiration from many quarters, with strong Pan-African and Asian influences, as well as the more traditional continental fare.

Located right near the centre of town, the hotel is set in two acres of peaceful park-like tropical gardens. Big mature trees, flowering shrubs and scented vines abound, yet this is within walking distance to the Commercial Business District and many Embassies and Foreign Missions.

With only twenty rooms and one self-contained flat, we are able give our guests personal attention and a high level of service, while offering privacy and calm in an otherwise hectic world.

As one guest recently put it: "This is truly a lush oasis of beauty and calm in the centre of chaotic Kampala" Come and stay awhile.

His link to Uganda dates back to the late 1800’s, during the time of the Scramble for Africa. An explorer, physician, and linguist, he was also fascinated by anthropology, botany, zoology, and meteorology. And more importantly he was actively against the slave trade.

Born Eduard Carl Oscar Theodor Schnitzer in Germany, Emin Pasha was based for some time in Albania where he was in medical practice, putting his linguistic talent to good use, adding Turkish, Albanian, and Greek to his repertoire of western European languages. He became the quarantine officer of the port, leaving only in 1870 to join the staff of Ismail Hakki Pasha, governor of northern Albania., in whose service he travelled extensively throughout the Ottoman Empire.

In 1875, Pasha reappeared on the scene in Cairo and then Khartoum. At this point he took the name "Mehemet Emin" (Arabic for Muhammad al-Amin), started a medical practice, and began collecting plants, animals, and birds, many of which he sent to museums in Europe. Although some regarded him as a Muslim, it is not clear if he ever actually converted.

Charles Gordon, then governor of Equatoria - which is now northern Uganda and Southern Sudan - heard of Emin's presence and invited him to be the chief medical officer of the province; Emin assented and arrived there in May 1876. Gordon immediately sent Emin on diplomatic missions to Buganda and Bunyoro to the south(Uganda) where Emin's modest style and fluency in Luganda were quite popular.

In 1878, the Khedive of Egypt appointed Emin as Gordon's successor as Governor, giving him the title of Bey. Despite the grand title, there was little for Emin to do; his military force consisted of a few thousand soldiers who controlled no more than a mile's radius around each of their outposts, and the government in Khartoum was indifferent to his proposals for development.

The Mahdi Rebellion began in 1881 and cut Equatoria off from the outside world. In 1885 General Gordon was killed in Khartoum and Emin and most of his forces withdrew further south, to Wadelai on the upper Nile near Lake Albert. Cut off from communications to the north, he was still able to exchange mail with Zanzibar through Buganda. Determined to remain in Equatoria, his communiques aroused considerable sentiment in Europe in 1886, particularly acute after the death of Gordon.

The Emin Pasha Relief Expedition, led by Henry Morton Stanley, was one of the best-equipped ever to go to Africa. Strangely, rather than go the direct route from the East Africa coast, Stanley undertook to rescue Emin by going up the Congo River and then through the Ituri Forest, an extraordinarily difficult route that resulted in the loss of two-thirds of the expedition. Stanley finally met Emin in April 1888 and was surprised to find the figure of Emin to have "not a trace on it of ill-health or anxiety". They celebrated with three bottles of champagne that had been carried all the way up the Congo. Despite the celebration, Emin Pasha had no desire to leave, felt no need to be rescued and refused to leave the country he had grown to love.

After a year spent in argument and indecision, Stanley finally convinced him to leave for the coast. Marching through new country, exploring the Semliki River, Mount Ruwenzori, and Lakes Edward and George, Stanley and his followers made their way by the south of the Victoria Nyanza, reaching Bagamoyo in 1890. Ironically and amusingly, at a welcome reception in Bagamoyo, Emin Pasha fell out of a 2nd-story window and cracked his head open. After all the delays, Stanley, upset and impatient, left Emin behind. Emin then entered German service, and led an expedition to the lakes in the interior, but was killed by slave traders at Kinene.

The Fez Brasserie and Wine Bar is arguably one of the best places to eat and drink in Kampala. The ambience is inviting and the food is outstanding.

In the bar - which is completely open to the elements on one side - deep sofas, armchairs and chunky coffee tables invite you to relax and put your feet up. Glowing fires in terracotta pots and waiters in white djellabas and crimson fezes are a gentle reminder that you are in tropical Africa. Our wine list is extensive and exclusive, chosen by knowledgeable wine enthusiasts and brought in from South Africa on a regular basis and our wide range of cocktails and single malt whiskeys are a regular fixture with our evening guests.

The restaurant, also open to the tropical evening, spills out onto the garden terrace so our guests can eat under the stars if they wish. The dynamic menu changes regularly, reflecting the seasonal freshness of our local produce. Chef Shaun Christian scours the markets and creates the menu around what is fresh and good and local. The offering is eclectic, with clear Pan-African and Asian influences..but not forgetting the more traditional continental favourites.

Our newest area, the upstairs terrace or 'bar under the stars' is perfect for sundowners. The view from the terrace looks west towards the sunset, across the treetops to the spire of Makerere University and the leafy hills beyond. This is also an ideal spot for an after dinner coffee and brandy, looking at the twinkling lights of Kampala.

For private parties, meetings or functions, our chef can create a menu specially for you, be it cocktails, brunch, a sit-down dinner or something bigger on the terrace or out in the garden.