The café opened in 2014 — before the rooms above it were built. Twelve years on, it is still the kitchen we cook for ourselves at the end of a long week. Open from 8:00 to 21:30, beachfront under the Indian Almond tree, serving Utengule coffee, fresh fish from Jambiani, Swahili-spiced curries, and sundowner cocktails as the wind drops.
open daily from 8:00 - 21:30
Chef Ally has been in this kitchen since 2014. Our menu rotates with what came off the boat that morning and what’s good in the village gardens. Fresh fish from neighbouring Jambiani — usually red snapper, kingfish, or octopus — brought to us by dhow most mornings. Vegetables and herbs from Paje and Bwejuu. Sourdough baked daily in our kitchen. Vegetarian and vegan options on every meal; gluten-free with notice.
Kahawa means coffee in Kiswahili, and coffee is where it all began. We use single-origin Arabica from the Utengule farm in southern Tanzania — grade-A beans, full body, fine citric acidity, undertones of blackberry. Ground to order: espresso, flat white, cold brew, iced kahawa, or a Turkish-style coffee on request.
Our tea comes from Kazi Yetu’s African Tea Collection — sustainably sourced from the Usambara mountains in mainland Tanzania and the Rutsiro tea gardens in Rwanda. Nine blends across black, green and herbal, several scented with Zanzibar’s own clove, cardamom, ginger. Plus homemade bissap (hibiscus iced tea), fresh-pressed juices, and the freshest coconut water in Paje — cut at the table.
The bar opens at 11:00. Our wine list is small and curated — sustainable, ethical and vegan wines from across the African continent. On tap: Zanzibeer, a Tanzanian craft brew from Arusha.
House cocktails to try: the Spotted Dog G&T (Tanzanian botanical gin with homemade tonic), the Zanzibar Mule (Zanzibar rum, fresh ginger, lime), our Kahawa-tini (espresso, dark rum, vanilla — served cold), and the Hibiscus Spritz (bissap, sparkling wine, fresh mint). Plus a serious non-alcoholic cocktail list — fresh ingredients, homemade syrups, no canned sweet mixers.
8:00 - 11:00
11:00 - 17:00
17:00 - 21:00
From 11:00