The best restaurants Nungwi

The tropical garden of Aluna Beach Lodge and its restaurant are among the restful settings that one would like to enjoy for lunch or dinner, in front of the beautiful pool. We love the consistency of this address, where we are always well received, the sophisticated preparation, the flavours faithful to our expectations. For the menu is creative and tempting. Its signature dish: a tuna just seared in a crisp sesame and Zanzibar spices, served with a sweet potato mousse and grilled vegetables. Swahili specialties are also worked on.

We've already heard of Badolina, the hotel and restaurant serving Levantine cuisine hidden in the vegetation, but here's the Asian version of Badolina, right on Nungwi beach! To spot it, look for a forest of colorful lanterns illuminating the ceiling. On the menu: Chinese noodles, fresh sushi prepared with the rigor required for raw fish, tataki... The dishes are sprinkled with greenery, the setting is as neat as the plates, and it's a nice change from Swahili specialties.

This is the new place to try out in Nungwi: a beautiful garden that remains cool and shady at lunchtime, with candlelit tables in the evening, and a great atmosphere. The menu offers a range of creative dishes, from tuna tartare with beet and hibiscus for starters, to gambas with bisque and soft bread for main courses... We also appreciate the inspired cocktail menu, such as the Prophecy, with beet and vanilla gin, tonic and lime. Don't forget to book, especially in the evenings, as the place is already very popular.

This café-restaurant of the Z Hotel is located on the first floor of a covered structure on the beach. What a view! Deckchairs under the coconut trees complete this heavenly setting. Signature tropical fruit cocktails, well balanced and chilled, as well as fruit juices are served from midday to evening, even by the hotel's pool. Surprisingly, the salads, burgers and gourmet plates are inexpensive, hearty and elegantly seasoned, like this tuna tataki, with its small salad and lime.

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.

This new signature restaurant of the Z Hotel replaces the very famous Saruche on the same level facing the sea and the beach. It is only open for dinner and the address is chic. Sexy Fish offers seafood in all sorts of ways and sauces. The fish is of course local and ultra-fresh, as is the seafood, and the chef Bengali Rasel offers an African-European fusion menu, spiced up with Zanzibar spices: delicate tuna ceviche, lobster tempura, crab curry à la sénégalaise, or simply a nice grilled lobster.

The Badolina restaurant, a new restaurant in Nungwi, is nestled in the garden of the eponymous lodge. It stands out for its originality, its Middle Eastern flavours and its rootsy chic setting, under a vast makuti hut, lit by lanterns and decorated with tables and benches. You want to share everything, from the starters to the dishes. Like the yalla yalla, a falafel roll (with tahini, lime and parsley), the ceviche of tuna marinated in lime, with ginger, mango and coriander, sparkling salads and inspiring Mediterranean dishes.

This is the best restaurant in Nungwi, especially the grilled octopus, a real treat. Walking out onto the Essque Zalu hotel's huge pontoon is already a stroll, lined with swings facing the shades of turquoise and, why not, sip a good cocktail before settling down to eat. On the menu, an array of gourmet dishes to share, including many vegetarian options - excellent squash and carrot fritters with mango chutney - and seafood options, such as grilled cicadas with chimichurri sauce or tuna confit with capers and red beans.

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.

Celine, a friendly French woman who has been in Nungwi for a long time, has just opened this cute little deli sandwich shop with its checkerboard floor and pretty windows. It's a great place to find a salad or a gourmet French sandwich with homemade bread (like the Deluxe roast beef, sun-dried tomatoes, pickles, crispy onions, rocket and salad). You can enjoy an espresso, juice, milkshake, croissant, pastry (éclair, pie) or a fresh fruit and spice smoothie at any time. Ideal to fill up on energy.

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.