I have visited The Blue Heron twice while in Arusha, and the experience on both occasions was pleasant. The colonial house hosting the restaurant and the retail shop is phenomenal, warm and always welcoming.
The restaurant has different seating areas, comfortable lounges to relax and...enjoy a drink with good food. The menu itself is limited, and consist of several salads, pasta dishes, pizzas and a selection of sandwiches; unfortunately there are no starters or finger foods to start, except the sharing platter that will take up to 45 minutes to be prepared. As well, to mention that on both occasions, the number of dishes not available (dinner service) is high. During my last visit, 3 pasta dishes out of 5 were not available, as well certain ingredients for the preparation of the pizza; perhaps the chef and the service team can be proactive and suggest a replacement or an alternative. I ordered the Ham and Mushrooms pizza, and the dish was tasty, the dough was perfectly cooked, and the portion size was just right. Unfortunately, similar to the other pizza restaurants in town, the tomato base sauce is sweet, and the pizza is overloaded with mozzarella cheese. Otherwise, the pizza is well prepared, perfectly cooked, I enjoyed my meal. The chicken shawarma was equally tasty, and of very generous size; french fries or chips must be ordered separately. The service is polite and attentive; prices are in line with other places in town, 20.000 TZS for a pizza is acceptable. The restaurant offers good parking facilities and is located only a few minutes away from the Clock Tower. Overall a pleasant experience to try again in the future.More