You can eat shockingly well in Paje. For a one-street fishing village it has 30+ places to eat, and the standard at the top end is genuinely world-class: wood-fired pizza, fresh-off-the-dhow seafood, Swahili spice classics, espresso that holds up against Italy. We have been here since 2006, our team is here year-round, and this is where we eat. Not the Tripadvisor top-10 (most of those are stale). The actual rotation.
Pole Pole. Here we go.
In short
- Paje food scene is small but punches huge. Pizza, seafood, Italian, vegan, Swahili: all here.
- Mr Kahawa for sourdough pizza and sundowners. Paje by Night for upscale dinner. Cuban Coffee for the best caffeine.
- Budget tip. Local spots (Boom Boom, Mama Mia, beach shacks) feed you for 10,000-15,000 TZS. Resort spots run 25,000-45,000 TZS.
- Dinner starts late. Most kitchens open 18:30, last orders 21:30-22:00.
- Cash + card. Many spots take card now but bring TZS backup. The village ATM goes down often.
1. Mr Kahawa: sourdough pizza, sundowners, the deck
Beach-front, attached to our Kite & Stay resort, this is the spot for sunset cocktails and wood-fired pizza on the deck overlooking the lagoon. The dough is real sourdough (rare in this region), the espresso is properly extracted, and the menu reads short and confident: pizza, fresh fish, salad, dessert. Their negroni is the best in the village.
Best for: date night, post-session pizza, sundowner cocktails.
Budget: 30,000-45,000 TZS per person plus drinks.
Open: all day, kitchen 12:00-22:00.
2. Cuban Coffee: best coffee in Paje, hands down
Tiny blue-painted hut on the back lane, run by a Cuban-Zanzibari couple who roast their own beans. Flat whites, cortados, real cold brew. Banana bread that vanishes by 11:00. Closes after lunch.
If you are a coffee person you will be here every morning.
Best for: morning coffee, work-from-cafe, brunch pastry.
Budget: 8,000-15,000 TZS.
Open: 07:30-14:00.
3. Paje by Night: upscale dinner, on the sand
Long-time Paje institution. Italian-Zanzibari kitchen, white tablecloths on the beach when the tide allows, candles in the sand. Pasta is made in-house. Their seafood linguine is the best plate of food in Paje for our money. Reservation recommended in high season.
Best for: anniversary dinner, special occasion, treat-yourself.
Budget: 50,000-80,000 TZS per person plus wine.
Open: dinner only, from 18:30.
4. Mahi Mahi: beach restaurant, big mezze, swing chairs
Right on the beach, low cushions, fairy lights, swing chairs over the sand. Sharing mezze plates of grilled fish, octopus salad, hummus, bread. The energy is what you came to Zanzibar for. Brilliant for groups.
Best for: group dinner, post-kite beers, sunset platter.
Budget: 30,000-40,000 TZS.
Open: lunch and dinner.
5. The Mwani: plant-forward, lighter lunch
Newer spot on the main road. Vegan and vegetarian menu, fresh juices, smoothie bowls, grain bowls with local spices. The space is calm, breezy, ceiling fans, palm-shade. Great after a heavy week of lessons.
Best for: lunch after a session, vegetarians and vegans, juice cleanse weeks.
Budget: 15,000-25,000 TZS.
Open: 09:00-17:00.
6. Boom Boom Cafe: locals’ canteen
Off the tourist track, run by a Paje family, no menu translation, no fuss. Pilau rice and grilled fish for under 15,000 TZS. The portion is twice what you would get on the main strip for half the price. Sit on plastic chairs. Eat with your fingers if you want.
This is where our instructors eat between lessons.
Best for: authentic Swahili food, budget lunch.
Budget: 8,000-15,000 TZS.
Open: lunch and dinner.
7. Mama Mia: Italian comfort food
The Italian end of the spectrum: lasagna, gnocchi, tiramisu. Italian owner who has been in Paje 15+ years. Solid pizza, very reliable. Family-friendly.
Best for: kids menus, comfort food, larger groups.
Budget: 25,000-40,000 TZS.
Open: lunch and dinner.
8. Pweza Tamu: fresh fish, beach setting
Smaller, less-touristed beach restaurant a 10-minute walk south of the main strip. The fish board changes daily based on what came in. Octopus carpaccio is their specialty (pweza = octopus, tamu = sweet). Quieter, locals know about it but tour groups do not.
Best for: seafood lovers, escaping the busier strip.
Budget: 25,000-35,000 TZS.
Open: lunch and dinner.
9. Upendo: beachfront bar, kite-spotting
More bar than restaurant but the food is decent (burgers, wraps, grilled fish). The reason to go: Upendo has the best line-of-sight to the kite beach. Drink a Kilimanjaro lager, watch your friends ride, easy. Live music some nights.
Best for: sunset beers, watching the riders, casual lunch.
Budget: 20,000-30,000 TZS.
Open: all day until late.
10. Demani Lodge restaurant: quiet garden, full Swahili
Inside Demani Lodge but open to non-guests. Full Swahili menu with curries, chapati, vegetable sides, fresh juice. Garden setting away from the beach noise. We send students here who want to eat a real Zanzibari meal in calm.
Best for: quiet dinner, families, full Swahili food.
Budget: 20,000-30,000 TZS.
Open: lunch and dinner.
11. The Rock: yes, the famous one
Not strictly Paje (it is in Michamvi, 20 minutes north) but everyone asks. Restaurant on a rock in the ocean, walk out at low tide, swim out at high tide. Italian seafood menu. The food is good not great, but you are not really here for the food.
Best for: the photo, the once-per-trip experience.
Budget: 80,000-120,000 TZS plus transfer cost. Book weeks ahead.
Open: lunch and dinner, reservation only.
12. Beach shacks: opportunistic
Walk the beach at lunch and you will find informal grills setting up: fresh fish, lobster (in season), grilled corn, fruit. Negotiate price first (40,000-60,000 TZS per kg lobster). Sit on a plastic stool. Eat with your hands. Some of the best meals in Paje are here.
Where the team drinks (after-hours)
Locals’ tour: Upendo for sunset (always), Mr Kahawa for cocktails (always), Paje by Night for date night, Mahi Mahi for groups. Late-night party energy: Kichanga on the beach further south, weekends only.
We do not recommend driving anywhere after dark. Roads are unlit, free-roaming animals, motorbikes without lights. Stay in Paje, walk, or pre-book a tuk-tuk.
Practical tips
- Reservation needed: Paje by Night (always), Mr Kahawa (weekends), The Rock (always, weeks ahead).
- Walk-in fine: everything else.
- Cash works everywhere. Card at Mr Kahawa, Paje by Night, Mahi Mahi, The Mwani. Smaller spots cash only.
- Tipping is appreciated but not expected. 10% on a full meal is generous.
- Dietary needs. Vegan and vegetarian well-served. Gluten-free is harder, flag in advance.
- Drinking water. Restaurant water is bottled. Tap water is not safe.
What’s NOT on this list (and why)
A few places that consistently rank in tourist top-10s but do not make our list: spots that have switched chefs and dropped, places where the seafood quality became inconsistent, the resort hotels with mediocre buffet menus. Names withheld out of respect. If you see somewhere on Tripadvisor that is not in our list, ask us at the centre for the current take.
Karibu Paje
The Paje food scene rotates. New spots open every season, others fade. We update this list at the start of every kite season. Last update: 2026. If you discover a place we missed, tell us at the school. Our team has lunch to choose every day too.
