Supermarkets in Kigali tend to be spread out, small, and surprisingly expensive. Often, finding what you need requires visiting a bunch of different stores in a single trip.
But Kigali’s supermarkets are getting better, and they can often surprise you. With a bit of patience and planning, you can usually figure out which supermarkets have the best selection for you.
To make it a lot easier, I’ve compiled a quick list of the best supermarkets in various neighbourhoods around Kigali. Use this as a guide to plan your next shopping trip and let me know if I missed anything.
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Kigali Town
Simba Supermarket
Simba is a chain of supermarkets with branches across the city. They’re generally the best-stocked and most reasonably priced supermarkets in Kigali. Aside from various imported goods and local fresh produce, Simba also has a bakery, a large toiletries section, electronics, toys, and much more.
Basically, it compensates for a sparse grocery department by being a bit of an ‘everything store’.
Note: avoid their chocolate. It’s usually super old, white, and chalky.
La Gallette (Muhima branch)
Opening Hours: Daily, 7:30am – 7:30pm
La Galette is a very expensive supermarket selling imported ‘Western’ produce, canned goods, cheese, homemade ice cream, a huge range of alcohol, and good quality meat. The prices can be quite shocking the first time you visit, and it’s best avoided if you’re shopping on a budget.
But if you’ve moved to Kigali and you’re missing something from home, it’s worth a visit.
T-2000
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8am – 9:30pm, Sunday, 9am – 8pm
T-200 is a big homewares store selling cheap but decent products imported from China at wholesale prices. Ask someone in Kigali “Where can I find…” and they’ll probably send you to T-2000. Whether you’re looking for office furniture or kitchen appliances, new pots and pans or bed sheets, this is the best place to start your search.
There isn’t a huge selection of groceries, but you can find plenty of cheap canned goods, alcohol, soft drinks and juice, and other non-perishables. T-2000 also has a small section dedicated to Chinese ingredients and produce.
While T-2000 does offer online shopping, it’s best to visit in person. Online shoppers complain of delayed deliveries, receiving the wrong items, terrible refund policies, and numerous other issues.
Sharma Supermarket
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8am – 9pm, Sunday, 10am – 6pm
Sharma is a small family-run Indian supermarket just down the road from Simba. They have an excellent selection of dried beans and peas, rice, spices, and grains. Not to mention the best samosas and tahini in Kigali.
Sharma is a good backup if you’re in town and there’s something you can’t find in one of the bigger supermarkets. They pack a lot into a small space, with plenty of surprises on their shelves.
Kime
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 7am – 7pm, Sunday, 7am – 1pm
Kime is a mid-sized supermarket with all the basics: a small produce section, a meat counter, a bakery, an okay selection of frozen fish, local Rwandan foods, and imported non-perishables.
It’s just down the road from Kigali City Market, making it convenient if you’re picking up cheap fresh fruit and veg from there. However, Kime doesn’t have any dedicated parking, which is an issue when it’s busy. You’ll need to find parking close by.
German Butchery
Opening Hours: 7am-10pm daily
Many of the supermarkets around town that carry a decent selection of meat will get their supplies from the German Butchery.
So if you’re stocking up on meat, you could save some money by going directly to the source!
Aside from selling the best meat in Kigali, the German Butchery is hugely popular for its sausages, Mutzig beer, and other German delicacies, all of which can be enjoyed in the onsite restaurant.
There’s also a small store selling basic groceries and household supplies.
Kimihurura
Sawa Citi
- Opening Hours: Sunday to Wednesday, 6am – 9:30pm, Thursday to Saturday, 11am – 11pm
Sawa Citi is another chain that’s the closest rival to Simba Supermarkets in Kigali. The Kimihurura branch is Sawa Citi’s best-stocked location, with a good mix of local and imported products at reasonable prices.
The frozen section is probably the best in Kigali, and there’s a Bood bakery onsite selling bread and treats.
Patel Grocers
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8:30am – 8:30pm / Sunday, 10:30am – 7pm
Patel Grocers is known as the best place for Indian spices and ingredients in Kigali. It’s a cramped little shop but often stocks products you can’t find anywhere else – and not just from India.
If you feel like experimenting with Indian cooking, stop by Patel’s to stock up on spices, grains, and other goodies. Or sit down for a delicious meal at Zaaffran Restaurant next door.
Nyarutarama
La Gallette (MTN Centre)
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8am – 9pm, Sunday, 8:30am – 9pm
La Galette’s Nyarutarama branch stocks the same mix of imported goods, German meat, and fresh produce.
The MTN Centre also has a bank, pharmacy, beauty salon, souvenir shop, and cafe – just in case you want to run multiple errands at once.
Kigali Heights
Simba Kigali Heights
Despite being one of the biggest supermarkets in Kigali, Simba’s Kigali Heights branch is quite poorly stocked. The grocery and fresh produce sections have all the basics, but that’s about it. You’ll often find a lot more products in smaller supermarkets.
Gishushu
Simba Supermarket
Simba’s Gishushu is one of the most conveniently located supermarkets in Kigali.
It’s a bit smaller than other branches, but well-stocked. They seem to have taken the best of what’s on sale in the other locations and packed them into a lot less shelf space. I’ve often found myself leaving the much bigger Simba Supermarket in Kigali Heights to look for something here instead.
There’s also a popular cafe onsite where you can pick up some cheap fast food or a coffee.
Remera
Sawa Citi
Opening Hours: Daily, 7am – Midnight
This Sawa Citi is smaller than its sister store in Kimihurura, but it’s convenient for people living in Remera. As with the other store, there’s a Brood, and you’ll occasionally find some interesting foodstuff for sale at reasonable prices.
Gikondo
New Frulep
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8am – 8pm, Closed Sunday
New Frulep is located a bit out of town on the road to Sonatubes.
It’s worth the drive, though, because many residents claim this is the best supermarket in Kigali.
New Frulep stocks all the necessities, along with a great meat section and plenty of imported Western foods. It’s also one of the best places to buy cheese and dairy produce.
Prices are also much more reasonable than similar supermarkets in town, so it’s worth driving out here and stocking up when you can.
DeliStore
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8am – 9pm, Sunday, 9am – 4pm
Delistore is another wholesaler that supplies supermarkets and restaurants across Kigali.
It’s a small shop, but well-stocked with high-quality imported produce, frozen meat, and much more at great prices. Apparently, Delistore also stocks the best wine selection in the city.
Kimironko
Aside from the main open-air market, Kimironko probably has the highest concentration of supermarkets in Kigali.
Most can be found along KG 11 Avenue and the surrounding streets, including chain brands like Simba and Swa Citi. There are plenty of smaller, independent stores that are also worth visiting if you can’t find what you’re looking for at the bigger supermarkets.
If you’re coming to Kimironko for grocery shopping, stop by the following supermarkets:
- Sawa Citi, KG 11
- Simba Supermarket, KG 11
- Krishna Supermarket, KK 15
- Deluxe Trading Supermarket, KG 11
Kicukiro
Drymon Limited
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 7am – 7pm, Sunday, 7am – 1pm
Drymon is a big warehouse full of wooden pallets stocked with wholesale non-perishable produce. It’s basic, cheap, and many of Kigali’s supermarkets and restaurants buy their produce from here.
There’s an excellent frozen section and the usual assortment of random electronics and homeware you expect to find at supermarkets in Kigali. Drymon is also one of the best places to buy pet food in Kigali.
If you like buying groceries in bulk and you have plenty of space to store bags of food at home, Drymon is worth a visit.
Did We Miss a Great Supermarket in Kigali?
Let us know in the comments section and we’ll add them to the list.
Who is buying Nescafe in Kigali?
Me! Haha. I stick it in with chocolate, whack it in the freezer and then, voila, iced choco coffee! But ya… there are better options of course. I guess the Nescafe price is there for comparison with prices at home. It’s not like you can find Rwandan coffee in your hometown supermarket aisles. 🙂
@ John: The Anglophones. Poor bastards
Thanks eh!! We have been looking for other options other than the Nakumatt and voila you posted such options. We are a crew of 4 from Smithers BC Canada wandering the hillsides of Miyove in search of gold. Thanks.
[…] Pour faire vos achats gourmands à Kigali, Living in Kigali a répertorié plusieurs supers marchés. […]
I think I’ve tried all the places you mentioned above, I buy my produce and cleaning supplies at the African market. Produce is sooo much cheaper purchased at the market. But I am close to Woodlands, they are pricey on some things other not so bad. Try the banana bread its great and at 2000fr makes a healthy breakfast with some fruit or milk for my family. Charles is always ready to help carry your basket and bags, (everybody has to make a living.) The owner of Woodlands donated 4 fresh loaves of bread for the Children in the village church at Christmas, let me take them right off the shelf. So I give Woodlands a big thumbs up!
Hi
You can also find another grocery store squeezed in between Ste. Famille church and the Centre St. Paul. The church is kind of kitty-corner to the Nakumat, on the other side of the traffic circle. I only know how to get to the store from inside the Centre St. Paul, although I imagine there is another way to get to it.
If you pass to the right of the church (while facing its front doors) and go down the length of it, you will come to a long driveway which slopes down. You follow this driveway to just past the gates to the Centre St. Paul. The lane way to the store is just past the gates to the Centre St. Paul.
The store is no Nakumat, but it does have the regular sort of thing one would expect in a smallish grocery store. I can’t tell you about prices, because I don’t remember them.
hi Lisa the place you are meaning is called Economat it’s really a nice place.thanks
I have been to all the places above .Simba Supermarket does it for me. Ample parking space,besides the supermarket there is a restaurant with amazing salads and sandwiches at a good price,friendly staff(u need to learn a few Kinyarwanda words like Muraho though) ,their banana cake is the best in Kigali @1500 rwf plus a wide range of BrunoVassari cosmetics.
T-2000 has done a lot of reorganizing in an attempt to become a legit grocery store. They now have a meat counter (slightly cheaper than Nakumatt and La Galette) that also sells La Galette’s bread.
Hey, anyone know where the indian stores are, or the local vegetable market?
Sawa Citi, now one year old is one of the best supermarkets in town with unique, quality products at competitive prices, convenient location with enormous parking. It should be posted on this list!!
[…] and less strong on ‘facts’. A good (although old) break down of the stores is here, or shoot me a message and I’ll forward you the various information I have gathered so far from […]
Il y a q chose de désagréable dans les propos de ce monsieur. Ça sent le British. Bien sûr il n’a pas été élevé à la baguette, au camembert saucisson et au vin rouge…
Ne connaît-on pas la charcuterie à Kigali? Non, pas possible! Les cakes et les ice creams, très peu pour moi…
Let me help and do some translation here: as requested by Kirsty!
So I will start with KIME: is actually Japanese, and often used by karatekas (Karate is a very popular sport in Rwanda, and we do have a lot of champions in that martial art) and it means power, resolve or focus.
Now for Sharma and Sharama, I am pretty sure that the two stores have nothing in common as even one is owned by an Indian and another one a Rwandan, hence the two spellings (This is actually not a spelling mistake).
Sharma is Hindi for Joy
Sharama is Kinyarwanda for (well, this one is really hard to translate), the closest is “Be relaxed” or “Have no worries” – from the verb Gusharama, often used as slang amongst our youth as a greeting.
I hope this did help.
Best regards
Thanks for this great list!! Does anyone know the new location of the German Butchery?
HEY JESSICA THE NEW GERMAN BUTCHERY IS LOCATED IN TOWN ARROUND SKY HOTEL
Heard La Galette at MTN Centre has a new local owner, and new name
It’ll be nice to know where all of these shops are while reading. Maybe a link back to the point on the map? So e.g. if somebody clicks on the link it’ll take them down to the point on the map or a popup with the address?
La Galette in the MTN Center is now called German Butchery
Apparently Simba Supermarkt is now Woodlands City Centre
Which one is the best online grocery delivery service in Kigali between murukali.com and grovewheels?
Nice and very useful collection of places where to buy goodies -however the prices are now really out of date. In fact, the also vary tremendously from place to place.
A very popular place is the grocery store FRULEP – but ever so expensive – more so than let s say the Deli Store (same road). What is also very annoying is what happened to me several times there by now: I buy an item, which has a price tack of lets say Rwf 4.300 – once at the cashier, she charges Rwf 5.500. The cashier is always right! No argument! Regardless what the price tack says – ridiculous!
NOT RECOMMENDED!!!
Nice selection of stores! Are Rwandans big garlic and ginger eaters? Is it readily available?
I’m in Kigali for just one day en route to Congo, and forgot to pack my toiletry bag with me. Any stores that sell “natural” or organic products? I have Celiac disease, and everything has to be gluten-free or I get sick, and I’m looking for a shampoo that I can trust (or at least be able to read the ingredients…) and a mosquito repellent, and then just some basic coconut oil. Thank you!