The best restaurants Matemwe

Mzee Husa is the new gastronomic gem from Jussi, a Swedish chef who has worked at the renowned Essque Zalu and Zuri hotels. In his democratically priced restaurant, he cooks according to his inspiration, at the crossroads of Swahili, Mediterranean and Nordic influences. Like this eggplant millefeuille with shrimp and avocado cream, or this fish with beet purée and citrus sauce... Everything is delicious and the plates are decorated with flowers. Signature cocktails and original desserts. Tables with your feet in the sand or upstairs, overlooking the ocean.

This trendy bohemian-chic address is overpriced for a stay, but affordable and recommendable for lunch or dinner in a rather youthful atmosphere, with good background music. Particularly at weekends, when free Afro-jazz bands perform. The restaurant's menu reflects the image of the place: sophisticated but with local ingredients, you'll find peach ceviches on the slate and tasty fish tartars.

The chic Sevi Boutique Hotel is an address for the privileged few. However, its restaurant is open to all, and is an excellent place to dine in Matemwe. We love the service and the dimly-lit atmosphere on the covered terrace, promontory facing the sea. For starters, the shrimp and lemongrass soup (which grows on the island) was delicious, as was the tuna tataki with potato gratin or the ginger-tomato chicken. The well-chosen South African wines, jazzy background music and appetizers were all appreciated.

Michamvi already had its restaurant The Rock perched on a coral rock in the sea, Matemwe has. Opening in 2019, this restaurant embraces Matemwe beach thanks to its natural promontory: a rock at Kigomani where it has made its nest. The view is splendid, as far as Mnemba on one side and Kiwengwa on the other, with dozens of small boats moored at Kigomani in perspective. On the menu, copious starters and main courses, with varying degrees of success. The tuna tartar with pepper was good, while the meat kefta was a little dry, but original and fragrant with spices.

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).

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.