The best restaurants Zanzibar Archipelago

This local fishermen's restaurant is part of the nightly fishmarket on one of Nungwi's central beaches. Candlelight, tables with their feet in the sand and nomadic music and acrobatics create a romantic and friendly atmosphere. The highlight of the show is the display of huge fish, lobsters and octopus that you can admire in front of the restaurant. It's time to go for the XXL shellfish. The waiters are - rare thing in Zanzibar - efficient and organized, the wait is reasonable.

This local restaurant is not on the beach but in the village, but its large hut is still nice for lunch or dinner. Here you can try real Swahili dishes well balanced with spices. We love the octopus marinated in spicy flavours, the squids or the generous whole fishes well grilled or the big prawns "tiger prawns" in the masala style. As everywhere it is pole pole, so arm yourself with a little patience or take a tour of the village and come back.

Built in 2019 on a small island in Pongwe, this boutique hotel-restaurant is similar to Michamvi's iconic The Rocks. Here it's not a little house perched on a rock, but a proper hotel with a pool and restaurant. You can get there on foot at low tide (the beach is 100 metres away) and by small boat at high tide. The food is exceptional, as is the view, and if it is not possible for everyone to stay there, there is nothing to prevent you from eating there. Tuna carpaccio with passion fruit, fresh sea urchins and grilled lobsters are the stars of the menu.

Under a high straw hut, this local restaurant is as elegant as its plates. We love the profusion of delicious Swahili dishes, with fish and shellfish in all the island's sauces and spices. Prices are low, so you'll want to try everything. Grilled fish with coconut rice, spicy octopus with ugali (a typical Tanzanian dish made from maize, cassava and millet polenta), fish chuku chuku with coconut cassava sauce, beef masala and homemade chapati... It's a tough choice.

For a change from fish and seafood, Villa Kiva (in the center of the village) serves great pizzas, prepared with a love of crispy golden dough and a truly Italian tomato sauce. If you're in the mood for Swahili food, there are iconic dishes à la carte (curries, soups, etc.) and little wonders like a tempting octopus salad. Burgers are also on offer, as are excellent cocktails to get the evening off to a good start.

On the northern beach of Matemwe, this small unpretentious hut is run by a local team that is a champion of Swahili dishes and tasty grilled sea food. It's normal, when you know the fishermen of the village, to be well supplied. The stars of the menu: lobsters, sea lobsters and grilled octopus, at a very low price. But also a swahili fish dish with plantains and seafood with coconut curry... All of this accompanied by big home-made chips or white rice, as you wish. It is very authentic and therefore pole pole.

You don't come here for the minimalist decor: a banda with rough wooden tables covered in wax, your feet in the sand. But you do come here to devour giant tiger prawns, squid, octopus and fresh lobster in profusion and at low prices. They also come to forge a special bond with the villagers who run the restaurant. All the more so as it is centrally located, making it a place of interaction with the children who play around while waiting for the dishes (a moment that can be very pole pole without prior reservation).

This kitesurfing centre has a nice restaurant on the beach, which serves well executed dishes. With its Italian origins, you can choose from antipasti, pasta dishes, fish dishes... The shrimp and avocado bruschetta is recommendable, the divine seared tuna steak too, as is the chicken curry or the seafood pasta, although the toppings could be more generous. The house serves excellent cocktails and the spot is really nice, especially the chill zone with benches on a raised terrace in front of the beach.

The bar-restaurant in the bungalows of the same name is a hot spot in Matemwe. Firstly, because the food is excellent and reasonably priced. We love the passion with which the finely spiced Swahili dishes of octopus, squid and fish on the daily menu are prepared, and the care taken with the delicate salads and grilled vegetables. A magnificent wooden bar serves excellent cocktails. The atmosphere is really lively, with concerts and DJ sets scheduled almost every evening.

The restaurant of this boutique hotel is directly on the sand in front of the beach, a nice setting for a lunch break, a cocktail or dinner. For starters, you can try the delicious samosas. For the main course, it's hard to choose between a delicious grilled lobster with mango guacamole and an octopus slowly simmered in a curry-coconut sauce and served with jasmine rice. Also on the menu are sandwiches (handy for going on a walk), a handful of veggie dishes, plenty of healthy options including fresh fruit juices.

Close to Jaw's Corner, this small local canteen is only frequented by locals. However, it is full of workers, often men, for breakfast and lunch. Behind a counter, you can choose some ready-made specialities, a lot of fried food, buns, or take a dish of the day from the slate. You should know that all the dishes that start with wali are made with rice and corn flour. Here you can enjoy the authentic taste of spicy Swahili food, the home-made chips, the local atmosphere and the prices.

This roadside restaurant at the entrance to the village is a benchmark. Red-checked Maasai tablecloths adorn the tables. Extreme care is taken with every dish, from the presentation and perfectly mastered cooking to the balance of spices. The fish wrap is as enticing as the octopus salad. Plates are always accompanied by a small salad. His strong point is the sauces, whose Zanzibar secrets have not been revealed. Grilled crabs and lobsters are also affordable.

This local restaurant offers dishes that are a change from the usual menus, particularly Swahili and therefore authentic. We like an interesting sea kebab, samosas, octopus with coconut curry and the famous jumbo prawns, a succulent crab soup as well as other Swahili curries served with chapati, coconut rice and vegetables. The lobster is prepared with cashew nuts and a spicy Indian sauce. For vegetarians, the vegan pizzas are perfect, as is the mango feta and raw vegetable salad.

We know the B4 for its electro nights on Saturdays and also on Tuesdays in high season, but the address is interesting during the day and in the evening, for its slates of gourmet burgers served quickly and at a moderate price. For a change from grilled seafood, this is a perfect option! It is accompanied by large home fries and a smoothie, fresh fruit juice or exotic cocktail. Deckchairs to chill out on the beach in front of the place and a rather groovy musical background dress up the place which organizes movie nights, BBQ or sushis some evenings of the week.

This small local restaurant located in the village has set the bar high to compete with hotel restaurants by focusing on enchanting local cuisine. The freshness of the sea products is irreproachable. The speciality here is grilled fish, lobsters, lobster, octopus, etc., at prices lower than those of the refined tables. But the menu also shines with wonderful Swahili specialities, such as beef with mango, coconut shrimps, fish soup or tandoori chicken, and even good pizzas and avocado toasts.

You will see it from afar: this Jetty restaurant is installed on a pier on stilts. It is without doubt the best table in the area for its refinement. Don't hesitate to come for lunch or dinner in a romantic setting, with an exceptional view of the shore. The cuisine is mixed: Mediterranean, Italian and vegan, with of course a wide range of treasures from the sea, fish and shellfish. An original refinement where everything is prepared in a farandole of coloured vegetables. Delicious cocktails to whet your appetite.

This local restaurant is the ideal spot just a stone's throw from the beach in Dongwe to devour a lot of deliciously grilled lobsters, slipper lobsters and shellfish at affordable prices. We like the effort that has been made on the decoration: shells hanging like a curtain of pearls. The swahili samosas and lemonade are recommendable, the side dishes are balanced with spices from the island, especially the pilau rice, a delight. Good reggae music atmosphere, great welcome, excellent creative cocktails like the bananacolada.

The local restaurant offers a beautiful view of The Rocks at Pingwe. Here you can feast on large chubby fish,rock lobster and jumbo prawns, giant tropical prawns to die for, all well grilled. The setting is rustic, the welcome warm, the plates are well filled, it's a good meal, don't be afraid to eat with your fingers! The octopus in spicy sauce in the Swahili style is just as extraordinary, and the freshness of the products exemplary, moreover the restaurant is a canteen for certain residents.

You can't go wrong: this 4-star lodge with its square green pool and palm tree in the middle is unique. The restaurant is open to all and is well worth a visit. The menu features a plethora of subtly spiced Swahili dishes, including many vegetarian curries, Italian dishes and crispy pizzas, as well as Asian-fusion dishes such as tropical noodles, all at a reasonable price and in an idyllic setting. A good address.

This Italian trattoria and pizzeria is undoubtedly one of the best in Stone Town. Real Neapolitan thin dough cooked over a wood fire, top-quality mozzarella - a real treat. The dishes concocted by chef Juan Misantandreu are just as tempting, with seafood pasta, tuna or sea bream marinated in Mediterranean spices and delicately grilled. The setting is charming, with a well-appointed, elegant courtyard refreshed by greenery. Thursday jam session, Friday live music concert and Saturday Latino night.

The hotel's bar-restaurant, with its feet in the sand, serves good smoothies and cocktails with freshly squeezed fruit juice. The reggae music lends itself well to the setting: a beach paradise. We are here as well under the big straw hut as on sofas. The restaurant is excellent and affordable: really, even if you don't stay there, come and taste the generous and well grilled lobster. There are also excellent breakfasts, nice salads and well-cooked Tanzanian dishes. The staff is very friendly and numerous.

This is a very nice micro-structure, right on the beach, run by the friendly Italian owners Claudia and Arnaldo who look after their pots. Everything is prepared with patience and care, in the Italian style, but with a range of healthy dishes, including beautiful salads. We like the intimate atmosphere and the large corner sofa with its pretty cushions to spend a convivial moment. The address also has a few small rooms for rent.

The Zenji Hotel Cafe and Restaurant is a really good stop next to the roundabout of the Malindi harbour. The bustling harbour is an exciting setting for contemplation from the terrace. You can eat sandwiches, pizzas and salads at low prices, in a really nice setting, as the café is also a shop that displays some very nice items for sale. Also a good place to have breakfast. We like to drink a freshly roasted espresso, an arabica straight from Kilimanjaro, or a robusta or liberica grown in Zanzibar. Efficient Wifi.

The restaurant at the Hotel Tembo, a historic colonial house in the heart of Stone Town, literally has its feet in the sand. It offers Swahili and Indian dishes and salads, although the downside is that they're not necessarily excellent. In a pinch, you can pick up delicious and hearty sandwiches to take with you before a boat trip, and fresh coconuts to drink from the fridge. Service is very slow, but you can take your time under the coconut trees to watch the local entertainment. For an additional fee, you can use the hotel's swimming pools.

For all those nostalgic for French bistro fare who tire of Swahili specialties, Ratatouille is here! This new restaurant in the village center of Paje has the chic feel of a French table. Classic dishes are executed to perfection: Provençal aïoli, sunny bouillabaisse, beef or tuna tartare, gratin dauphinois... If you like your steak rare, look no further! Lobster is also on the menu, prepared with great taste and authenticity. Don't hesitate to reserve your table.