One of the life lessons I learned while traveling is that you don’t eat when you are hungry but when you find a (preferably nice) place to do so. One of my favorite things to do in the new cities I visit is to explore the best and must visit cafés, be it for the interior design, the food presentation or the taste itself.
In the 24 hours we spent in Stone Town we managed to go to 3 really nice places. The first one was the result of searching Google about the “must visit cafes in Stone Town”. The other two weren’t planned but they intrigued me in a special way so we tried them too, even if that meant two coffee pauses in a row right after breakfast.
- Zanzibar Coffee House – indeed a nice place deep in thear of Stone Town with a good selection of hot and cold drinks and some delicious homemade cakes. They are famous for the coffee which is grown by the shop owners in the southern highlands of Tanzania. I found it a little bit overcrowded as it is also a regular stop for all the local guides taking the tourists around. Discover more about them on their Facebook page.
- Watu – we saw this one on our way to Lukmaana top rated restaurant with typical food. The cafè is just a few meters before Lukmaan if you come from the direction of the sea. Very essential but truly African style. It has been totally revamped and reopen under the new guidance of Mr. Kaleji. The sweetest one wasn’t very happy to take a coffee there, as it doesn’t meet the high Italian standards, but he sacrified himself for the cause. The owner even told me that he rents some rooms, should you ever want to live the African way keep this in mind.
- Hurumzini Movie Café– this was my favorite one. While passing by I spotted the winning word combo – guacamole toast and I couldn’t resist even I wasn’t hungry at all. It actually turned up to be a cinema cafè where the latest and not only movies are projected. A few comfy seats, huge pillows and manual ventilators make for a great experience. The food was beyond good and so was the huge Masala tea that I ordered. Not sure if I would be ever able to find it again in the labyrinth of Stone Town, but should I ever return to Zanzibar I will do my best to locate it. You can check their Facebook page with the movie schedule here.
So, if you go to Stone Town don’t miss out these 3 very special cafés. And my personal tip is to use the “Carpe diem” philosophy – enter as you see it – because the ability and luck to find something again is not to be taken for granted.
Cheers!
