Stone Town

Dining in Stone Town — The Essential Guide

The Spice Island at Table

Stone Town is the ancient heart of Zanzibar — a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Arab-influenced architecture, labyrinthine alleys, and a food culture shaped by a thousand years of Indian Ocean trade. The cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and nutmeg that grew on the island made Zanzibar one of the most important spice-producing territories in the world, and the cooking that developed here reflects the extraordinary crossroads of Arab, Indian, African, and Portuguese influences that this position generated.

The dining scene in Stone Town ranges from the extraordinary rooftop experience of Emerson Spice — the best restaurant in the old city, with a view that rivals any restaurant in Africa — to the medina kitchen of Lukmaan, where the island’s most beloved cooking is available at community prices. The Forodhani Gardens Night Market provides the most famous street food experience in East Africa as a free bonus.

The Zanzibar Spice Tradition

Zanzibar was the world’s largest producer of cloves from the 19th century until the 1970s, and the island’s spice tradition — the cloves, the cinnamon, the cardamom, the black pepper, and the vanilla that grow in the plantations visible from the sea — defines every serious Zanzibar kitchen. The spice tour (visiting the island’s farms) and the spice tasting menu at Emerson Spice together constitute the most complete possible engagement with what Zanzibar actually is.