Inzozi Nziza — Ice Cream / Café, Musanze
Inzozi Nziza — 'sweet dreams' in Kinyarwanda — is Rwanda's most celebrated ice cream parlour, operating a social enterprise model that employs local women and uses Rwandan ingredients to produce ice cream that has become the country's most unexpected culinary landmark.
The flavours use Rwandan produce with creative intelligence: passion fruit from the highland farms, Rwandan coffee (used as both gelato and sauce), banana from the ubiquitous local varieties, and the seasonal fruits that Rwanda's climate produces in welcome abundance.
The Rwandan coffee gelato is the signature — made from single-origin beans grown in the volcanic soils of the Kivu and Northern Province, roasted locally, and incorporated into a gelato of genuine quality that demonstrates what Rwanda's coffee is capable of.
Inzozi Nziza serves as Musanze's most social daytime venue — trekkers return from the gorillas and stop for ice cream; guides bring their clients for the post-trek sugar reward; and the town's residents treat it as the neighbourhood sweet shop it aspires to be.
Best Occasion: Perfect for Solo Dining
Rwandan coffee gelato on a stool in Musanze town after the gorilla trek. The most culturally specific and most rewarding single scoop available in the highlands.
Best Occasion: Works for First Dates
An ice cream date in a social enterprise parlour in the gorilla gateway town. The combination of Rwanda's coffee gelato and the shared gorilla experience creates a first date of considerable warmth.