Remember in my previous article when I mentioned I'd return to Zanzibar? Looks like it was sooner than I had anticipated! Click here to view that article. This time it was for my 25th birthday and I was eager to make the best time out of it, and where else to that than in Zanzibar, aye?
I stayed in Nungwi which is in the northern part of Zanzibar. Nungwi is well known for its pristine white sandy beach and turquoise blue waters (similar to Kendwa Rocks) with high tides perfect for swimming throughout the day.
Here is a guide on restaurants, clubs, and activities to try out in Zanzibar based on my experience.
Sexy Fish Restaurant
I'm going to jump right in to my favorite restaurant in Nungwi, Sexy Fish! Even the name in itself is intriguing. One thing I noticed is that most of the restaurants along the beach are an extension of the beachfront hotels, and this one happened to belong to Z life hotel. Everything to do with Sexy Fish restaurant from its décor, ambiance, food, services, and the wait staff was amazing! This is an al fresco style restaurant that offers a contemporary African-European fusion seafood menu. It is advisable to book a reservation, especially for dinner as it tends to get very busy at night during the tourist peak season. There is a time we went at 7 pm and were told the place was fully reserved until 9 pm, which was a bummer for sure. The wait staff will welcome you warmly and show you to your table. They will also regularly check up on you to see if everything is going great and even replenish your glass of wine or water. It felt like you weren't alowed to lift a finger in this restaurant, the wait staff is at your beck and call, and I loved that. The music played in this restaurant is also very soothing, perfect for a calm and relaxing dinner. At one point we had a live performance from a guitarist and my goodness his voice was magical! And the most important aspect - the food - is absolutely remarkable. My favorite dish was shrimp for starters and lobster for the main meal, it was my first time having lobster and I can say it tops the list of my favorite seafood dishes. For wine lovers, they serve a wide variety of the finest wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio etc. Need I mention that this is where I celebrated my birthday dinner? They surprised me with a chocolate cake and a group of wait staff sang happy birthday for me (upon a surprise request from my partner) and it made my day very special and memorable. We couldn't have picked a better restaurant for my birthday dinner.
Badolina Tokyo, Sushi &Noodles Restaurant
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Now if you love Japanese food, this is the perfect spot for you. They specialize in sushi, noodles, ramen, and seafood alongside other dishes, including vegan options. They have an outside sitting area right on the beach. They also have an indoor sitting area with a panoramic view of the ocean, I loved the fact that they had cushions on the floor where you could sit the ‘Swahili style’ and have your meal if you wished to do so. The place had a mix of Japanese and Swahili décor which I found creative and impressive. The first time going there I ordered their sushi maki rolls and it was fantastic, my partner went for fried rice and I couldn't stop eating from his plate either! The rice had some sweet corn, peanuts, chicken, and some veggies – I love that combo. The second time I ordered chicken ramen and I was impressed that they served me seaweed for the vegetable. I've never eaten seaweed before and I'd say it has a fishy smell and a rubbery feel to it when you chew, regardless I loved it! I think it was a nice idea considering we were right by the ocean, therefore I felt like I was having something unique to this place. I also loved the drinks they served, my favorite was their sparkling wine. The overall service was great and this ended up being our favorite spot for lunch.
Mama Mia Restaurant
This is an Italian restaurant- even the name itself gives it away- so expect some really good Italian pizza and pasta on their menu, they also serve seafood here- seems like all the restaurants here serve seafood for obvious reasons. The restaurant is right on the beach so you will get great views, especially sunset views. This is also one of the few places I saw selling ice cream, and gelato ice cream at that, so you can bet that it's really good ice cream. The cocktails served here are amazing! I didn't get to try out the food here, only drinks. I remember seeing some sort of board game, so that would make this a nice place to come with a bunch of friends to play and have some drinks. Their menu seemed to be a bit more pricey compared to the other restaurants we had been to. When I was in stone town, I saw that they have a gelato ice cream shop very close to Forodhani Park.
Istanbul Restaurant & Bar
From its name, you can guess that it's a Turkish restaurant. It's right next to the ocean shore so the views are great - seems like we are having a pattern here-all these restaurants are on the beach so good views is one thing they all have in common. Now I love Turkish cuisine, kebabs being my favorite one. Since I was a kid, I've always loved kebabs, and it wasn't until I went to that restaurant that I realized there are different types of kebabs.The Kenyan kebab is different from the Turkish kebab. They only had the beef Turkish kebab on their menu so I went for that one. It felt very different from the Kenyan kebab I'm used to, and all I can say is that the Kenyan kebab has a more appealing taste and texture to me. An interesting thing about this place is that it becomes a popular clubbing spot on Fridays.
Park Hyatt Hotel
Park Hyatt hotel is located in stone town, so you will have to drive about an hour and a half from Nungwi to get there. It's a huge beachfront hotel in stone town and I got to say it's one of the fanciest hotels I've set foot in, I give it a 5-star rating. The architecture is a delightful blend of Omani style and understated luxury and the ambiance screams classy and expensive. The first time we went there was in the evening for a couple of drinks and we just fell in love with the place. This is one of the few hotels in stone town that is located on the beach. They have an outdoor sitting area that is perfect for a sundowner. Their signature cocktails were among the best I've had so far, everything about the place was perfect. The atmosphere was relaxing, the staff was friendly and the music played was soothing. This was our newfound haven in our favorite town. This is the third place we were falling head over heels for and had to come back a second time to try out their food. I had a chicken biryani and my partner had a chicken masala and my goodness was it delectable, plus it was a generous serving. The staff was very polite, friendly, and interactive, so that made it even better. Note that they go by a timetable and lunch is only served from noon. I remember the second time we went there for lunch, we got there at 11:20 am and the wait staff had to make a special request to the chef to start preparing lunch for us.
Lukmaan hotel
This one is also in stone town and I mentioned it a couple of times in my previous article. If you are looking for local Zanzibari cuisine, then Lukmaan is the place for you! It's always swarming with tourists and locals because they offer fresh local cuisine at a very affordable price. They have a buffet-like setting where you go select your order from the wide array displayed, pay for it then proceed to seat. My favorite dish to eat at Lukmaan was their chapatti and stew, this is one of my favorite dishes back home in Kenya and they make it very well. You easy get lost trying to find this restaurant, because navigating the streets of Stone Town can be daunting for a newbie, so don't shy away from asking the locals for directions, they are actually very friendly and ready to help.
Forodhani Park
This is a park in Stone town, but at night it transforms into a street food market. Vendors set up their stands and display their wide variety of foodstuffs on the tables. Here you will find all sorts of seafood from octopus, to squid, shark, muscles, crab, shrimp, prawns, lobster, etc. The seafood here is mostly grilled. You will also find foodstuffs like rice cake, chapatti, bread, etc. My favorite dish was rice cake and tandoori lobster. The chefs there are very eager to explain their menus to the tourists and convince you to buy from their stand. The locals usually flock here at night to grab a snack or have dinner. All the street cats usually assemble here at night because they know they will get a good meal from all the leftovers. This place is very lively at night and if you want to interact with the locals in Zanzibar, this is the place to be. I was surprised to see photo shoot sessions being held here by the locals at night, it seems to be buzzing with all sorts of activities. Note that the time to come here for the night street food is from 7pm onwards.
Coccobello Night club
If you are looking to experience a unique nightlife in Nungwi then Coccobello nightclub should be at the top of your list. It's just a walking distance from the beach. They only operate on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, which is oddly weird for me, but anyways, here you will get an experience of a lifetime, at least that's what we got. We went on a Sunday when they were having an event and had to pay an entrance fee of Tsh.10,000. They prepared an excellent performance where there had a group perfume a dance for us and later on invited people from the crowd for a lap dance, it was wild and entertaining. The décor here is very festive and colorful, and I remember they had two people dressed up like statues on each side of the door entrance, I was caught by surprise to learn that they were actually humans when one of them moved! Haha. The music was amazing, a mixture of afro, house, and pop music. The crowd was lively and hyped up and we had a really fun time there. At one point the cops showed up and the music had to be turned off, that's when we left the place, we were having too much fun I guess. I 100% recommend Coccobello to anyone going to Nungwi.
Cape Town Fish Market
This is a restaurant in stone town right by Forodhani Park. It is situated next to the ocean with breathtaking views, from here you can see boats moving around and massive ships docking at the port in stone town. From its name, you can tell that it is a South African franchise. I tried this restaurant on my previous visit to Zanzibar and it’s only this time round I found out they have a rooftop club. We were aiming for a different club in Stone town but this just happened to cross our path and we decided to try it out. It's a pretty modern space and they play modern music like house, pop, and some afro. The place mostly had foreigners compared to the locals, I would equate it to the Alchemist club back home in Nairobi. I loved their cocktail menu and the views from up there overlooking the ocean was simply breathtaking! We had a fun time there as well.
Emerson on Hurumuzi was on my list but we didn't get the chance to visit it. I was however told that you need to book a reservation in advance. I happened to pass by it when I was on a stone town tour and I can say that you have to navigate your way in the streets of Stone town to access it. From the pictures I saw on the internet it has amazing views of Stone town and a nice Swahili style décor.
