Food & Cuisine in Dar Es Salaam

Food info sections | Eating locally

Lack of variety is not something you are likely to complain about while eating out in Dar es Salaam. Restaurants and roadside eateries are both equally popular. With the size of the native South East Asian population being quite big, the cuisines of these countries are available abundantly.

Good restaurants can be found all over the city but some of the best are centred around Zanaki Street.

This Dar es Salaam Restaurant Guide gives details of some of the cuisines available, as well as some recommended places to eat. Information about Tanzanian cuisine can be found by visiting our Tanzania Restaurant Guide.

Dar es Salaam - Restaurant Guide

Indian

For excellent vegetarian food, The Retreat is rated highly. The "thalli" here comes well recommended. The Retreat is located between Kisutu and Jamhuri Streets and is open from Tuesday to Sunday. It is very popular among both locals and expats.

For great kebabs and other Indian snacks, K Tea Shop off Libya Street is an excellent option. To try different cuisines on different days of the week, go to Istana and enjoy their buffet. Another popular vegetarian place for both Indian and Chinese food is Alcove.

Chinese, Japanese and South-East Asian

A popular roof top restaurant serving Thai food is in the New Africa Hotel. Another highly rated oriental restaurant serving Thai, Malaysian and Japanese food is in the Kilimanjaro Kempinski Hotel. The hotel has been renovated recently with the restaurant on the top floor. For good Chinese food, the Golden Tulip on Toure Drive is an excellent pick. The Osaka, off of Toure, is recommended for Korean and Japanese dishes, the sushi served here is very popular. Signs to the restaurant are on the left when driving towards Sea Cliff.

Italian

Saverio's is a good place for Italian style pizza and pasta dishes. The Trattoria Jan on Kimwere is a little out of the way but it serves excellent food.

Ethiopian

The Addis on Ursino Street has a wonderful décor and ambiance and also serves excellent Ethiopian food. However, it is neither very well known nor very prominently located. Each dish costs around Tzs 7,000 here. Beef, chicken, lamb and vegetarian dishes are served on a bed of injera - injera being a moist and springy Ethiopian flatbread. The Ethiopian honey wine before the meal and the aesthetically presented coffee after the meal is recommended here.

Upscale

If you want to try more upscale restaurants, some recommended places are the Holiday Inn, the Kilimanjaro Kempinski Hotel in the city centre and the Movenpick Royal Palm Hotel. On the Msasani Peninsula, try the Slipway and Sea Cliff Village. The Oyster Grill here serves wonderful steak.

Budget Eats

Chef's Pride in the Indian quarter is very affordable and caters mostly to tourists. For Indian vegetarian food, Milap is a cheap option. If you are craving for some western fare, try the Subway near the YMCA. To try a traditional Tanzanian meal for under Tzs 2,000, go to the YWCA canteen near the Cathedral.

Street Food

Street food is often the best choice, both for the price and the ambiance. The corner of Morogoro Road and Jamhuri Street and the large open space in front of the Dar Express ticket office are good places to taste street food. Chips mayai or chips in an omelette costs around 700 to 800 shillings here.

Tip

It is best to drink only bottled water. You can buy a 1.5 litre bottle for about 450 shillings. Tap water should be drunk only if you purify it with iodine tablets or boil it.

Drink

Popular local beers are Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and Safari. Safari is a stronger beer with about 5.5% alcohol. Castel Lager, Heineken, Ndovu, Stella Artois and Tusker are the imported beers available in Dar.

To enjoy South African Castle (pronounced "Castel") in a nice air-conditioned atmosphere, go to the Florida Inn near the UN building by the ferry port.

A popular local gin is Konyagi and its variant is Konyagi Ice. They are similar to hard lemonade and other sweet drinks.

Krest offers Bitter Lemon drinks, Club Soda and Tonic Water. Krest is locally bottled by Coca Cola. Stoney Tangawizi is a popular ginger ale. Sodas are sold in glass bottles that are supposed to be returned. To keep the bottle, you have to pay extra but traders don't like that practice.

The New Protein Bar is the only bar in the Indian quarter. It is near the budget hotels and just down the street from Chef's Pride. Food is good and cheap here.

Chongqing Chinese Restaurant

Located at Golden Tulip, Toure Drive

Garden Bistro

Located at Haile Selassie Road, Masaki

Talk of the Town

Located at Mikocheni, Garden Road

Palm Beach Hitel

Location: Plot 305, Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road.

Checkers

Located at Zanaki Street

Steers

Located at Ohio Street / Samora Avenue

Subway

Located at A.H. Mwinyi Road / Sea Cliff Village / Shoppers Plaza

Casa Del Ray

Located at Village Walk  Opp. Sea Cliff Village, Masaki Area.

A mouth watering Mexican cuisine serves your favorite Nachos with cheddar cheese, jalapenos and sour cream plus Tacos, Combo meals, Burritos, Quesadillas.