Zawadi Jambiani Restaurant — Restaurant in Unguja

The Best Dining Experience in Jambiani – ZAWADI Restaurant

During my week in Jambiani, I explored a different restaurant every day, and ZAWADI Restaurant stands out as the absolute best. If you're looking for a place that combines delicious local flavors, a unique ambiance, and affordable prices, this is it!

The food was exceptional. For starters, I had fried calamari (8,000 TZS), perfectly crispy and tender. For the main course, I indulged in Mishkaki (20,000 TZS), traditional seafood skewers bursting with flavors, spices, and a hint of lime. The portion was generous and came with crispy fries, making it a hearty meal. To finish, I tried the sweet bananas in coconut sauce (10,000 TZS). They were delightfully soft and rich in taste, with bold hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and coconut. Every dish was a testament to the chef's mastery and passion for cooking.

On top of the amazing food, I enjoyed a refreshing cold beer and a delicious ginger tea with lemongrass, cinnamon, and other exquisite local spices. The tea (just 2,000 TZS) was served in a charming thermos, keeping it warm and flavorful throughout the meal.

One thing to note is that the food preparation takes around an hour, but trust me—it’s absolutely worth the wait! The dishes are freshly prepared with great care, which reflects in their incredible taste.

One of the restaurant's standout features is the charming tower/treehouse with two cozy tables, adding a unique and romantic touch to the dining experience. The setting of ZAWADI is peaceful and blends beautifully with the natural surroundings, making it a perfect spot to relax and enjoy your meal.

Having visited numerous restaurants here, ZAWADI easily makes it to my list of favorite restaurants worldwide. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Jambiani. Don’t forget to leave a generous tip for the talented chef—it’s well-deserved!

I will definitely return and can’t wait to try more dishes. Affordable, delicious, and unforgettable—ZAWADI Restaurant is...

Very interesting experience. When we got there we were greeted by a cheerful guy with a "Poland" hat who lead us up the stairs to a stilt house, which was nice, as we had a wide view around and a little breeze. After someone took our order the guy came back with 3 single cigarettes in his hand for us, probably to sharpen our appetites or whatever :D as we didn't smoke he sat down at the next table and took care of the cigarettes for us, smoking them while telling us his stories, from which I understood that he was the owner, or the owner's brother, or maybe his brother knew the owner, can't say for sure. When we told him we were interested in trying a local strong alcohol made of papaya he immediately called a guy who came over some half hour later with a half liter sprite bottle filled with said liquor. We got it for 6$, and it was quite good. Our new friend also tried it, pouring some of it in my beer glass, whatever, I like my beer from the bottle anyway ;) he also wanted to invite us for a party in Paje that evening, nice, but it would be even nicer if he bothered to go and bring me the coke I ordered and never got (but ended up paying for anyway, as it turned out). Oh, and the food. The food was ok, the grilled prawns and octopus were a bit dry, but the rice was lovely, with a hint of coconut milk. We enjoyed all that watching some local kids wandering around and throwing away aimlessly glass bottles they brought in plastic...

Very good food. Super nice owner. Nothing to complain about the food. Good price, portion and quality

HOWEVER, i must raise this problem. there was a random local dude, (must be someone known to the owner), invited himself and sat on my table pretend to be friend me with the intention of selling me tour, trinket and taxi blah blah. Come on mate.... the last place i want to deal with this annoying sale thing is when i sit down for a drink or a meal in a restaurant... the owner really needs to prevent this from happening. This is unacceptable. After numerous time saying no no no i dont need to buy anything, that sale guy FINALLY get the message and leave after 20MINS!!!

If i wasnt a polite person i would just stand up and leave, dont care if the food was being cooked. It was really...