The Coffee Club — Restaurant in Unguja

We came here twice in two days due to the great vegetarian/vegan options available. Our host ‘Ali G’ was great to begin with and on the second night we came there was a fair bit of a wait for food, he kindly brought us some fried potato chips to tie us over, food was still taking a while and so he brought us over some chipati and guacamole without us asking and we thought it was a really kind gesture and he told us to ‘enjoy them’. So naturally we did, when it came to pay however, they person behind the till read out the bill and mentioned this item. To which I said ‘we didn’t order those’, I explained to her that he brought them over and told us to enjoy them. Not once did we order or ask for them so we assumed they were complimentary. The waitresses then called him over and I said ‘you brought these over and told us to enjoy, we never ordered them’. He then started mumbling about how he accidentally recorded them on the till or something along those lines, the language barrier made it hard to understand the full picture but anyone instead of it turning into a fuss I just said I’d pay it to avoid any conflict. I wish I hadn’t and had held my ground, but you definitely are put in an uncomfortable position and feel like you have no choice to pay it. Along with this, he was very vocal and ‘confident’ to make sure we knew to leave a tip for him under table light on the table we dined at. I would recommend this resturant for food but if you go, and if anything is offered to you please make sure there is a mural understanding it was for free because not once did we get asked if we wanted the food, we just got ‘given it’ as a...

I had initially given 3 stars, but after the response from the owner I am dropping it to 1. At the end of the day, a 3 hour wait for food is not acceptable by any standards. You are more concerned with arguing semantics than the experience your customers had to endure. I'll start with the good, the location right on the beach is great. The food was tasty, and relatively good value. The downsides can't be ignored however. In the 3.5 hours we were there (more on that later) we only had 2 drinks each, this was due to it taking over 30 mins for drinks to arrive and not being offered more drinks, we had to find the barman each time. The menu says the food is prepared fresh and takes a while. We weren't in a rush and appreciated them dealing with that head on, however, we waited 2 hours for the mains to come, and then the last main of our group came an hour later, so at least 45 minutes after the last person had finished eating. We weren't offered a drink or a discount or anything as an apology, we were just told they were short staffed. 3 hours to wait for a veggie burger is beyond acceptable. The only option is to pay in dollars, at a terrible exchange rate and 3% charge, we wanted to pay in shillings, but they don't offer that on card. Looking at the other reviews, the long wait time isn't a regular occurrence, but the way they handled wasn't acceptable and we...

Review for a Charming Restaurant in Zanzibar

We recently visited this delightful restaurant in Zanzibar and were thoroughly impressed. Despite some negative reviews regarding wait times, our experience was wonderful and worth sharing.

We tried the "mixed bites," and every item was absolutely delicious! While prices are on the higher side compared to other local spots, we learned that this reflects the owner’s commitment to paying fair wages to the staff. Knowing this, we enjoyed our meal even more. In fact, we came back again today simply because we loved the food so much.

The menu is also highly vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, crafted with care as the owner herself is vegan. It’s rare to find a place that caters so thoughtfully to different dietary needs, and it makes the experience all the more special.

One thing to note is that there is a 5% charge for card payments, but honestly, this small fee is no reason to miss out on such a great dining experience. With everything made fresh, meals can take a little longer to arrive. If you're in a rush, consider arriving a bit early to place your order, then enjoy a short walk while you wait.

All in all, we highly recommend this place for a delicious, mindful meal that’s made with...