Must-see restaurants in Northern Mozambique

  • Hotel Milénio Restaurant

    Northern Mozambique

    Equipped with a chef from Mumbai, this sleek restaurant at Hotel Milénio knocks out the best Indian food in northern Mozambique, with excellent meat and…

  • Rickshaws Cafe

    Northern Mozambique

    The new kids on the block have nabbed a beautiful sunset location on the island's western side where you can sit alfresco and relish food from a menu that…

  • Locanda Italiana

    Pemba

    Something of a vision in the quiet, well-worn streets of the baixa, this Italian-run restaurant serves up al dente pasta (the ragú is excellent) and wood…

  • Karibu

    Northern Mozambique

    This excellent new restaurant in Stone Town specialises in the island's seafood bounty. Tuna, prawns, marlin and lobster are all done to perfection here,…

  • VIP Cafe

    Northern Mozambique

    This clean, new, impossibly inviting nook in a glassy shopping centre draws you in with its shiny espresso machine and display case replete with fresh…

  • O Escondidinho

    Northern Mozambique

    The restaurant at this hotel has a changing daily menu featuring well-prepared prawns, crayfish and other seafood dishes with French overtones, and tables…

  • Sporting Clube de Nampula

    Northern Mozambique

    You're practically guaranteed to meet a fellow traveller or expat at this shady post-colonial watering hole next to the ethnography museum. Some just come…

  • Clube Naval

    Pemba

    The default expat hang-out, the good ole naval club enjoys a prime waterside setting just off the western curve of Wimbi Beach. Sundowners are practically…

  • Restaurant 2+1

    Northern Mozambique

    You could easily miss the entrance to this hotel-restaurant, which doesn't promise much from outside. Inside it's a different story, at least when your…

  • Kumawe

    Northern Mozambique

    A couple of homes in the bairro known as Rituto offer meals if organised in advance (enquire at Cinco Portas). A local will pick you up and take you to…

  • Sara's Place

    Northern Mozambique

    Inhabiting a reed house in the square opposite the hospital, Sara's is a confirmed local favourite – small and scruffy, but salt-of-the-earth – where you…

  • Café-Bar Áncora d’Ouro

    Northern Mozambique

    This lovely cafe evokes the faded charm of colonial Mozambique, with old black-and-white prints adorning the walls and hefty tomes on the tables. There's…

  • Restaurante Lusitano

    Northern Mozambique

    This modern restaurant in the small Monica shopping centre offers well-prepared Mozambican-Portuguese fusion food on a pretty terrace or in an air…

  • Relíquias

    Northern Mozambique

    This popular if unexciting spot does all the local standards, including seafood, hot chicken, prawn or goat curries, and matapa (cooked cassava leaves…

  • 556

    Pemba

    A good old South African–style steakhouse, 556 sits on the hill overlooking the port and bay. It serves up barbecued meats, plus chicken grills, pizzas,…

  • Kauri

    Pemba

    The restaurant at Kauri Resort overlooks the Indian Ocean in more ways than one. Parts of the menu also look to India for inspiration and there are…

  • Copacabana

    Northern Mozambique

    Slightly hidden behind the ethnography museum, this place is nonetheless on the local radar and often crowded with boisterous parties. Seating is semi…

  • Complexo Bamboo

    Northern Mozambique

    The outdoor restaurant at this hotel 7km outside town serves tasty versions of all the standard Mozambican dishes (grilled fish, chicken and pork) in…

  • Bar Flôr de Rosa

    Northern Mozambique

    This small, chic, Italian-run place has espresso, a selection of pasta, pizza, soups and sandwiches, and a rooftop terrace for sundowners, plus live music…

  • Wilson’s Wharf

    Pemba

    Burgers, seafood and meat grills, and hearty breakfasts are offered at this place in the baixa (old town), with views over Pemba Bay and one of the world…

  • Procongel

    Pemba

    The pricey but well-stocked Procongel is attached to Wilson’s Wharf in the baixa, with produce, imported cheeses and gourmet items.

  • Pastelaria Flor d’Avenida

    Pemba

    It doesn't look much from the outside, but this long-standing, informal eatery with mainly outdoor tables delivers the goods when it comes to coffee and…

  • Padaria Mária

    Northern Mozambique

    With an unpromising location slap bang next to a petrol station, this is nonetheless the best place in town for a decent cup of coffee and a fresh pastry.

  • Pemba Dolphin

    Pemba

    Directly on Wimbi Beach, the very relaxed Dolphin has a beach-bar ambience, seafood grills and pizzas, and live music from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.

  • Complexo Vumba Restaurant

    Northern Mozambique

    In a town without much competition, this is probably the best place to eat. Fish is the obvious highlight.

  • Sarifo's Net Cafe

    Northern Mozambique

    There are better places to eat in Lichinga, but Sarifo's is an OK appetite quencher if you're in a hurry or on a tight budget. As well as pizzas, it does…

  • New Marisqueira Cafe

    Northern Mozambique

    With diner-style tables and a cheap menu, this place is probably OK if you get a snack attack or need a quick caffeine fix. Where the 'new' came from, who…

  • VS Lanchonete

    Northern Mozambique

    This chicken-and-chips place with plastic picnic tables should sate your appetite if you're heading towards the wilds of Niassa. Also rents a few clean…

  • Restaurante Rema

    Pemba

    This scruffy little Wimbi Beach joint is on the non-beach side of the road. It's a good spot if you want to escape the expats and go for a local vibe.

  • Café Atlântico

    Northern Mozambique

    At ground level in the rather ugly Centro Comercial, this thin cafe does burgers, pizzas and other light meals.

  • Takeaway Shakista

    Northern Mozambique

    This place has a few Indian Gujarati options among the chicken-and-chip standards.

  • Supermercado Pera-Doce

    Northern Mozambique

    In the town centre, this supermarket has a good selection of basics and is convenient for stocking up before the train ride to Nampula.