The best restaurants in Tanzania Tanzania

This new ecolodge and restaurant overlooks Mtende beach. The restaurant is nestled on the rocky promontory, the hotel a little further back, lining up its handful of bungalows facing out to sea. With their makuti roofs and beautifully crafted local furniture, they're really pretty. A bay window separates the terrace from the elegantly appointed bedroom. David, the French owner, will give you a warm welcome. The restaurant, with its superb view, offers a handful of dishes, such as tuna tartare with olive pesto.

This café-restaurant right in the center of Moshi is a really good address for coffee and lunch, especially at the back in a small, quiet garden with a covered terrace. Inside, the air-conditioning is cool and the wi-fi excellent, and many customers have their computers installed. We love a good espresso or cappuccino just as much as the grilled chicken dishes and the typically Tanzanian pilau rice is delicious, but there are also burgers and other more Western sandwiches on the à la carte menu.

Tanzania is home to a large Indian community, both native and businessmen, in all the country's dynamic cities. Mwanza is no exception to the rule, and boasts a fine table of Indian specialties, a welcome change from Swahili or international dishes. Before ordering, be sure to check the spice level, as some dishes are very spicy. Plenty of vegetarian options, delicious cheese naans. The room doesn't look much, with plastic tables and chairs, but the prices are really affordable.

If there is one address to remember for its dishes in Uroa, it is this one. This Italian-inspired restaurant takes care of its setting: a coral stone room with vaulted entrances looks great with the romantic lights on in the evening. The beach is just a stone's throw away and the terrace offers a wonderful landscape for sipping a cocktail. The restaurant serves good burgers, but its real specialty is the affordable grilled lobster and cicada menu, as well as a sophisticated octopus carpaccio with passion fruit.

It is a sure value, a classic in Nungwi! It must be said that this pretty restaurant on stilts, with its cute Zanzibarite decoration and old-fashioned furniture, and the terrace allow you to enjoy the lapping of the waves and the sunset in a romantic atmosphere. The service is even more "longui longui" than elsewhere, but the portions are generous and the dishes tasty, especially the demonic fish and seafood dishes with coconut curry, and the big braised fish with peppers. A real effort is made on the flavour of the food.

The rooftop restaurant of the eponymous hotel offers a beautiful 360° view of the city and the waterfront to appreciate its grandeur. The pool is refreshing. The food is excellent even if the choices are a bit too numerous (Swahili, Chinese, Italian, European, Indian...). The Indian dishes are the most authentic because it is the specialty of the house, especially the curries. You can also opt for a refined cocktail before dinner at sunset, a bar is dedicated to it.

Located in the village of Nungwi, on the central square, this small café attracts locals and tourists alike, and has been given a new, attractive look. You can watch the bustle of the village at all hours from the terrace. We come here to sip a refreshing tropical fruit smoothie followed by a good breakfast. The menu offers burgers, wraps, curry dishes and grilled meats, all hearty, reasonably priced and delicious. You can also order takeaway for a picnic on the beach or a day trip by boat.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Centrally located near the port roundabout, this is one of the best and liveliest restaurants in Mwanza, open 24 hours a day on weekends. Nice outdoor space with stylish tables and chairs, on weekends live concerts are programmed on Saturdays, matches are replayed on screen. We like to sip fresh juices and cocktails here (detox, booster, tropical...). Tanzanian dishes are tasty, you can find all kinds of meat and fish fried, roasted, cooked withugali (manioc), ndizi choma (plantains) or wali (coconut rice).

This one is located on Bangwe beach, in the middle of Kigoma, and for its sandy setting, it is already a good address in Kigoma. You can taste generous plates of Tanzanian dishes, especially fish and meat on the barbecue. The dish of the house: pork kitimoto style, roasted with plantains or ugali, the regional speciality that you must try apart from the simmered fish. Great service from an owner who cares about his customers.

A coffee shop like you would dream of seeing everywhere on your route: its nice decoration and friendly atmosphere attract locals and visitors alike thanks to its modern proposal. What a pleasure to have a delicious espresso or a caffè latte of Tanzanian coffee beans, accompanied by a brownie, or a fresh fruit smoothie with a banana cake, but also Swahili dishes! A militant café, it employs deaf and hard of hearing people, you can learn Swahili sign language, or find safari buddies to share the cost, a real social hub .

Nashe's Café is an excellent Swahili restaurant, but also a busy bar. It has the advantage of being well known in Bagamoyo for its large upstairs terrace overlooking the ocean, which makes it the ideal place to have a drink in the late afternoon. In addition, there are karaoke nights every Friday night. And the wifi works well. Its decoration is very worked, the framework is really pleasant, the prices are reasonable. It is the ideal place from breakfast to dinner, and in the evening to have fun.

A small unpretentious Sino-Indian address like many restaurants in Dar es Salaam, located in the coastal district of Oyster Bay. Its speciality: barbecued chicken grilled in several styles: sekela, choma, lemon, masala, gajjar Sekela, chicken wings, snacks, soups, salads but also good burgers and smoothies. The Indian byriani is exceptional, as are the naans, tikka and tandoori. The place is pleasant, a large covered stage with wooden tables, outside.

This is a fun and trendy place, inimitable with its facade of colourful wooden shutters juxtaposed on the wall bordering a vast courtyard. We come here to devour good tasty burgers, it is the star of the menu. The choice is vast, the bread soft, the steaks are thick and tasty. You can also sip delicious fresh fruit juices, cocktails, share pizzas, some of them in delicious calzone, nachos, or even barbecued chicken legs. The setting in the garden is very nice and decorated with plants.

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.

Here's a friendly restaurant right in the center of Mwanza, ideal for a lunch or dinner break between two visits. A polished concrete floor and modern wooden tables and chairs give the restaurant a pleasant atmosphere. Here, you'll find excellent Swahili cuisine, both tasty and full of character, as well as Indian recipes, since the chef's name is Gopal and he is originally from that country. Don't hesitate to try the delicious fish. There's also an English and an Italian menu, but the real specialities are local.