Taste Zanzibar

Discover the island through food, music and local flavors—from rooftop taarab dinners and Indian Ocean restaurants to Stone Town street food and hands-on cooking experiences.

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Showing all 15 dining experiences.

Prices are indicative budget tiers. Review filters require at least 30 Google reviews.

About prices and Google reviews

Price symbols are editorial estimates of relative spend, not fixed menu prices: $ Budget · $$ Moderate · $$$ Upscale · $$$$ Premium. Sorting orders these tiers; venues in the same tier are listed alphabetically. Experiences priced on enquiry appear last in either price order.

Google-derived scores and review counts were checked against the linked public sources on 27 October 2026. These snapshots may lag live Google Maps. Only matched dining listings with at least 30 reviews qualify for the review filters; hotel-only scores are excluded. Venues without a verified dining score remain under All venues.

Opening hours, menus, dietary options and event dates change. Confirm details with each venue before making plans.

Cultural Dining & Live Entertainment

Swahili heritage, music and performance-led dining experiences.

Emerson on Hurumzi Tea House

Emerson on Hurumzi rooftop setting, Stone Town Zanzibar

Photo: Existing Wise Travel Africa media library image

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Stone Town — A rooftop dinner in historic Stone Town featuring traditional taarab music and a set menu. Reserve ahead and request vegetarian or vegan meals when booking.

Experience tags: Cultural evening · Rooftop · Vegetarian/vegan by request.

The Box Restaurant

Traditional Zanzibar taarab music (illustrative; not at The Box)

Photo: Illustrative image, not this venue. Imani Selemani · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Kenyatta Road, Stone Town — A creative restaurant and music venue combining dining with cultural and social programming; confirm performances before visiting.

Experience tags: Music · Restaurant. View venue website / more information

Iconic & Destination Dining

Memorable settings for celebrations, romantic meals and special occasions.

The Rock Restaurant Zanzibar

The Rock Restaurant in Pingwe, Zanzibar

Photo: Rod Waddington · CC BY-SA 2.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Pingwe — A spectacular ocean-side dining destination on a rock off the beach, with seafood and Italian influences. Advance booking is recommended.

Experience tags: Ocean views · Special occasion. View venue website / more information · Current menu

Secret Garden at Emerson Spice

Stone Town architecture, illustrative image not Secret Garden itself

Photo: Illustrative image, not this venue. David Berkowitz · CC BY 2.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps · Official Instagram

Stone Town — Atmospheric garden dining in a restored heritage hotel. Check menus and booking arrangements directly.

Experience tags: Heritage · Garden dining. View venue website / more information

24-Hour & Late-Night Food

For travelers arriving after normal dinner hours.

Tembo Bahari Restaurant — Tembo House Hotel

Tembo House Hotel building in Zanzibar (not the restaurant interior)

Photo: Building/location image, not restaurant interior. Erasmus Kamugisha · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Shangani, Stone Town — Bahari Restaurant is listed by some directories as operating 24 hours; this does not establish that the full kitchen serves cooked meals overnight. Confirm late-night menu and kitchen hours directly.

Experience tags: Late-night candidate · Hours require confirmation. View venue website / more information

Street Food & Local Favorites

Markets, food stalls and affordable Swahili meals.

Forodhani Gardens Night Food Market

Forodhani Gardens night food vendor in Stone Town

Photo: Adam Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Stone Town waterfront — An evening collection of independent food stalls offering Zanzibar pizza, mishkaki, seafood, urojo and sugarcane juice. Agree prices before ordering and favor freshly cooked food.

Experience tags: Street-food market · Evening. View venue website / more information

Darajani Market

Darajani Market in Stone Town Zanzibar

Photo: Erasmus Kamugisha · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Stone Town — A busy daytime food and spice market where visitors can discover fresh produce and snacks including mandazi, chapati and vitumbua.

Experience tags: Food market · Daytime. View venue website / more information

Lukmaan Swahili Restaurant

Zanzibar urojo dish, illustrative local food, not a meal photographed at Lukmaan

Photo: Illustrative image, not this venue. DonCamillo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Mkunazini, Stone Town — Popular local canteen-style restaurant for everyday Swahili dishes.

Experience tags: Swahili cuisine · Local favorite.

Rooftops & Sunset Dining

Panoramic terraces, waterfront meals and heritage cafés.

The Fifth at Upendo House

Illustrative Stone Town sunset, not the Fifth restaurant rooftop

Photo: Illustrative image, not this venue. Eric Kilby · CC BY-SA 2.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps · Official Instagram

Stone Town — Contemporary dining at The 5th Restaurant, with a separate rooftop bar for sunset drinks. The venue states that meals are not served on the fifth-floor rooftop. Check current entry terms and restaurant/bar hours directly.

Experience tags: Rooftop · Sunset. View venue website / more information

6 Degrees South

Illustrative Stone Town waterfront, not the 6 Degrees South restaurant

Photo: Illustrative image, not this venue. Rod Waddington · CC BY-SA 2.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Shangani waterfront, Stone Town — Waterfront restaurant with grills and a sunset atmosphere. Confirm operating details with the venue.

Experience tags: Waterfront · Sunset. View venue website / more information

Zanzibar Coffee House

Illustrative espresso coffee, not an image taken at Zanzibar Coffee House

Photo: Illustrative image, not this venue. Jubair1985 · CC0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Stone Town — Historic coffeehouse serving locally grown coffee, pastries and light café meals. The official website lists the rooftop as a daytime venue (11 am–3 pm), so confirm access rather than planning a sunset visit.

Experience tags: Coffee · Café · Heritage. View venue website / more information

Beach Clubs, Music & Brunch

Relaxed beachfront venues and special-event dining.

Boho Social Sunday Brunch — Upendo Beach

Upendo Beach hotel environment, Michamvi Zanzibar

Photo: Existing Wise Travel Africa media library image

Explore: Find on Google Maps · Official Instagram

Michamvi — Beachfront brunch and music programming on selected dates; verify event calendar and availability.

Experience tags: Beachfront · Brunch · Events. View venue website / more information

Kendwa Rocks Restaurant

Kendwa beach, illustrative area photo not Kendwa Rocks restaurant

Photo: Illustrative image, not this venue. Yoni Lerner · CC BY 2.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps · Official Instagram · Official Facebook

Kendwa Beach — Beach dining and scheduled entertainment, including special Full Moon Party nights. Entertainment is not offered every night; verify dates.

Experience tags: Beach · Special events. View venue website / more information

Vegetarian, Vegan & Dietary-Friendly

Find options using confirmed menus and clearly marked advance-request arrangements.

Harbour Kitchen

Illustrative Indian vegetarian thali, not a dish photographed at Harbour Kitchen

Photo: Illustrative image, not this venue. Rajeeb Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized for web

Explore: Find on Google Maps

Stone Town — A vegetarian and vegan Indian-dining option. Confirm current menu, ingredients and kitchen allergy practices directly.

Experience tags: Vegetarian · Vegan. View venue website / more information

Cooking Classes & Spice Experiences

Hands-on culinary activities and the island’s spice heritage.

Swahili Cooking Classes & Spice Farm Visits

SISO spice farm in Zanzibar, existing Wise Travel Africa photo

Photo: Existing Wise Travel Africa media library image

Across Zanzibar — Explore local ingredients, markets and cooking traditions with suitable local operators. Wise Travel Africa can discuss available experiences; no specific provider is confirmed on this page.

Experience tags: Cooking · Spice tours · Enquiry. View venue website / more information

What to Eat in Zanzibar

Try urojo (Zanzibar Mix), mishkaki, Zanzibar pizza, pilau, chapati, mandazi and vitumbua. For market stalls, agree prices before ordering and prefer food prepared fresh.

Dietary Needs and Food Allergies

We distinguish between dedicated vegetarian/vegan options, clearly marked menu choices, and special meals available by advance request. Confirm halal, gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-allergy requirements directly with the establishment. A venue listing gluten-free dishes does not guarantee protection from cross-contact.

Plan Your Dining Experience

Ask Wise Travel Africa for local dining and culinary experiences — tell us your dates, preferred area, dietary requirements and whether you want dining, live entertainment or a cooking activity.

Gallery and media: Further photographs and venue galleries can be found in the official Rock Restaurant media hub and Upendo House professional photo collection. Images will be added to Wise Travel Africa only when reuse permission is confirmed.

Photo credits, photographer names and Creative Commons licenses appear beneath the photographs. We distinguish venue imagery from clearly labeled illustrative scenes or dishes; third-party photographs were resized for web display. Only verified social accounts are linked. Google Maps provides searches for the named venues. Confirm opening hours, booking details and dietary requirements directly with each operator.