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Best Cheap Eats in Zanzibar for Markets, Zanzibari Food, and Cafes

Current value guide to Lukmaan, Forodhani, Darajani, Zanzibar Coffee House, Mapacha, and practical independent alternatives across Stone Town and Paje.

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Food

Best Cheap Eats in Zanzibar for Markets, Zanzibari Food, and Cafes

Guide: Zanzibar Value: Markets, Cafes, Pilau, and Street Food

Ten affordable counters, markets, coffee rooms, and food courts for Zanzibari rice plates, vegetarian Indian cooking, evening grills, fresh juices, breakfast, and inexpensive Paje variety.

  • Lukmaan RestaurantLukmaan's open-air counter beneath a Mkunazini baobab is built for pilau, biryani, grilled seafood, curries, and fast-moving Zanzibari lunch plates.
  • Zanzibar Coffee HouseThis 1895 merchant house roasts Tanzanian beans downstairs and sends coffee drinkers to an antique rooftop for cakes, wraps, and Mkunazini views.
  • Puzzle Coffee ShopPuzzle brings Brazilian coffee technique to a small Shangani room, with careful espresso, cheese bread, pastries, and table games for a shaded pause.
  • Stone Town CafeA long-running Kenyatta Road cafe handles breakfast, fresh juices, wraps, curries, and coffee from early morning through dinner without hotel formality.
  • Forodhani Gardens Night MarketAfter sunset, Forodhani's waterfront fills with independent grills selling skewers, Zanzibar pizza, cassava, sugarcane juice, and seafood at negotiable stall prices.
  • Darajani MarketStone Town's main working market is strongest early for fruit, spices, bread, fish, and butcher counters, with simple snack sellers around its edges.
  • Krishna Food HouseKrishna is a no-frills vegetarian Indian dining room near Forodhani, useful for thali, dal, paneer, roti, lassi, and Jain-friendly requests.
  • Ma Shaa Allah CafeMa Shaa Allah runs as an unfussy local cafe for biryani, grilled chicken, seafood, chapati, juices, and filling rice plates near Mkunazini.
  • Lazuli CafeTiny Lazuli makes juices and smoothies to order, backed by salads, curries, seafood, and vegetarian plates in a colorful Shangani room.
  • Mapacha Street Food CourtEight independently run kiosks share a tree-shaded Paje court, covering fried chicken, pasta, burgers, pizza, vegan bowls, seafood, pastries, and a central bar.

Reviewed by RGuide EditorialVenue details checked