Touring Stone Town’s tourist spots is the most obvious way to explore this fascinating destination. If you have already toured Stone Town, however, as I have and even visited places like the House of Wonders several times with different friends from abroad then try taking a foodie tour instead.
If you are heading to a beach resort, try stopping off for a day in Stone Town. I visit the market to stock up on spices and eat my way through some amazingly cheap, cheerful but tasty eateries. Remember, for an authentic Stone Town foodie experience try sampling what the locals enjoy.
If you take the 7.30am Azam Marine ferry from Dar to Zanzibar you arrive in Stone Town about 9.30am for breakfast. Just a short stroll down the street one can find Passing Show Hotel (it is a super eating joint really) next to Malindi Police station. I usually have the very tasty chicken soup with Zanzibari snacks like kachori (spicy potato ball) or katlesi (beef potato cake) for breakfast. Passing Show’s covered veranda is a great spot simply watching the world go by while sipping milky, Zanzibari Masala tea. I normally get a lot of change from TSh 5000. It really is cheap and cheerful.
After breakfast, I call my regular taxi driver Mohamed to drop me at Darajani Market. I also leave my luggage in his car boot while I continue with my foodie adventures. Visiting Darajani is an awesome experience. I start by buying halua (am not a fan, but hubby is) and several kilos of dates. I use them in recipes such as this one of Swahili-spiced date cake with cardamom custard. Next, I buy vanilla pods, around half a kilo (this is a lot of vanilla by the way) for all my baking needs. I like stocking up on saffron as well. The fun part is that there are only a small number of shops selling this indulgent spice. So expect to spend some time exploring the narrow streets until you find it.
Once the saffron is sourced, I call Mohamed and drive to one of several super lunch spots serving authentic meals. Luukman, a small and very affordable eatery, on the same road as the former Slave Market, is popular for its Swahili dishes (all priced around TSh 5000). My go-to dishes are octopus curry and beef biryani. It is not a great place for a long, lazy lunch but it offers great value, tasty meals.
After an express lunch, I head to the Livingstone Beach Restaurant. Now this is more international than local but foodies on the go deserve a glass of decent wine after a busy morning eating and spice shopping. The terrace by the beach, overlooking the Indian Ocean, is the perfect spot for a drink. It’s not inexpensive but it is a perfect place for hanging out in the afternoon and waiting for sunset. Look out for the happy hour for wine and cocktails (5pm to 7pm).
My perfect Stone Town foodie trip would not be complete without a visit to the nightly food market at Forodhani Gardens which transforms into a bustling food court after dark. Dozens of stalls offer endless seafood, chapatis, falafel, grilled meat, salad, fried potatoes or cassava, freshly-squeezed sugarcane juice and more to locals and visitors alike. The reason I don’t miss visiting are the Zanzibar ‘mix’ (urojo) and ‘pizza’. The ‘mix’ is a tangy soup mixed with Swahili snacks like kachori, bajia, katlesi and beef mishkaki. The ‘pizza’ is a variation of an Arabic flatbread stuffed with spicy minced meat, veggies, egg and cheese then pan fried. Foodie heaven! Let me warn you, the seafood is not always the freshest. It does look tempting but bear this in mind.
After the perfect end to a foodie day in Stone Town, Mohamed drives me to the hotel. Maybe I will see you next time?
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