Middle-eastern
Al-Basha
$$ is the best middle-eastern food in dar. they have two locations. city center on the corner of morogoro and india street and at the mayfair plaza in mikocheni near the us embassy.
Nargila
$$ difficult to reach by taxi don't go for dinner - go for appetizers hummus is great, the extensive drinks menu, hookahs and the belly dancer. oysterbay, near the ugandan high commission you must tell taxi this or he will never find it. owned by an israeli woman, apparently the place to go for all the jewish holidays. phone +255756547754.
Budget eats
Chef's Pride
Near the budget hotels in the indian quarter. it caters mostly to tourists, but is very reasonably priced and has a good local menu.
Subway
Near the ywca that is air-conditioned, and a nice treat if you're hankering for some food of a western nature. try the bmt
YMCA
The othe rside of the the cathedral to the ywca. along the same lines as the ywca but has a wider range, it does food in the evenings the ywca does not, and it serves alcohol it's the only budget place in the city center that does.
YWCA
Near the cathedral, has a delicious and cheap canteen where you can order a traditional tanzanian meal for under tzs 2,000.
All serve vegetarian beans, rice, cooked bananas, greens, other for around Tsh 2000 or with meat beef, chicken, lamb, fish around Tsh 4000. The clientele is mainly young Tanzanians with office jobs, many of whom speak English. All three of these restaurants are a few minutes walk from Mirambo where many Embassies are.
Milap
Is a vegetarian indian restaurant with very cheap prices.
But the best place to eat, both in terms of price and atmosphere, is on the street. Places to try include the corner of Morogoro road and Jamhuri street, or the large open space in front of the Dar Express bus company ticket office. Chipsi mayaichips in an omelet should be about 1000 or 1200 shillings.
Some great places to eat fresh, inexpensive, tasty local food outdoors, but under shade, where you will be served from vats are:
Chinese Restaurant
On the corner of samora and mirambo it also serves more expensive chinese food in the basement
Holiday Out
On garden, just past the southern sun hotel which used to be called the holiday inn. there are three separate places serving food here.
Steers Out
On samora, just east of steers.
Steers Complex
On ohio street has several restaurants in one area. burgers, pizzas and chinese stir fry.
Tanzanian
Summy's
aka "street chicken" $ jamhuri street ne of morogoro road. grilled marinated chicken, mishkaki, indian food.
City Garden
$$ on garden avenue, se side, between ohio street and pemba road. fine outdoor ambience, extensive menu, affordable prices, fast service, free bread, real butter, coconut sauces, death by chocolate.
New Africa Hotel
On the corner of sokoine drive and maktaba/azikiwe street.
Chef's Pride
$$ chagga st. a very popular local eatery with tanzanian food, plus pizza and indian.
Durban Hotel
$ two streets past royal chef on the right. excellent selection of tanzanian, chinese, and indian dishes at reasonable prices. excellent fish fresh daily. at night, however, single men may expect to be approached by prostitutes.
Traditional Tanzanian food can be had on almost any street. From grilled meats mishikaki to BBQ corn on the cob, and chips and eggs chips mayai. If you're looking for something a little more sanitary, there are a number of small hotels and restaurants that serve a buffet style meal at lunch time which offers a variety of Tanzanian stews, deep fried fish and chicken, and vegetables. Some good choices:
Royal Chef
$$ on lumumba street at morogoro road. run by the same people as chef's pride but with a zanzibar ambiance.
Local "hoteli's" or restaurants can be found on just about every major street. Most serve ugali, rice or chapati with beans, meat or fish stews, and mishitaki grilled kebabs.
For something even more upscale, try the Sunday Brunch at the Kilimanjaro Hotel. The restaurant on the ground floor offers a wide variety of Western dishes but also includes several local favourites taken up a notch. It's not cheap, about 30,000 Tzs per person, but if you're interested in trying Tanzanian cuisine without risking gastrointestinal complications, if you're from the USAheartburn country, it's your best bet. Please note: the buffet contains all you can eat smoked salmon of the highest quality, among other delicacies!
Ethiopian
Addis in Dar
$$$ on ursino street, in the regency estates neighborhood a little-known and out of way restaurant is superb. this ethiopian restaurant offers excellent food costing about tzs 13,000 per dish. they serve chicken, beef, lamb and vegetarian dishes mostly stews, but some come without sauce on a bed of injera, a moist and springy ethiopian flatbread. the decor is fantastic and the atmosphere is excellent as well, with a rooftop dining area. try the ethiopian honey wine before your meal and the beautifully-presented coffee after. often fills up so book ahead particularly if you are in a group. phone 0713 266-299 or 0756 888-488.
Rehovot Ethiopian Restaurant
Rehovot Ethiopian Restaurant $$ on Ali Bin Said, a side road off of Bagomoyo Road. Very close to Twiga Pub. You can see the sign for it on Bagomoyo Road, between Namanga/Kimweri and Haile Selassie. This is a new restaurant. Owned by an Ethiopia/Tanzanian couple. Really good food and simple but pleasant Ethiopian decor, in a kind of garden yard. We finished up with real Ethiopian spiced tea. They also sell Ethiopian clothes and played fantastic Ethiopian music on a good sound system. Teruwork formerly cooked at Addis in Dar. Phone 0713 764-908 or 0784 235-126.
Upscale
Karembezi Cafe
Seacliff village. $$$ good salads and soups as well as steaks, excellent fish platter which is for two people but can be shared by 3 if ordering other stuff as well. you have the indian ocean views and it can be very pleasant and sometimes windy. service is good but can be slow over the weekend.
For upscale meals, visit the Dar es Salaam Serena formerly Mövenpick, even more formerly: the Royal Palm Hotel, The Holiday Inn, Kilimanjaro Hyatt Regency Hotel in the city center.
All of these hotels offer excellent fixed-price breakfast buffets, which often include sparkling wine, and can be a good value if you are hungry or want to escape for a while.
Zens Bar & Restaurant
Open every day from 6.30am to 11pm. located in mikocheni âbâ at exclusive resort opposite st. laureate int. school, kwa warioba, msikiti street. +255 22 278 0440 ext.126
Spurs
Seacliff village. $$$ good burgers, steaks, mexican food, salad bar nothing particularly amazing, but quite possibly the only salad bar in dar, milk shakes, ice cream desserts. lots of wealthier families bring their often noisy children here, as there is a play area.
The Blues Bar & Restaurant
International cuisine and variety of cocktails
You can get all kinds of delicious meals in Dar. With a large native South Asian population, the Indian food is amazing. Although scattered all over the city, some of the best places are found in and around Zanaki Street.
$ = Cheap 1,000 - 5,000Tsh for a meal for one$$ = Average 5,000 - 10,000Tsh$$$ = Moderate 10,000 - 20,000$$$$ = Expensive 20,000+
food courts
SeaCliff Village and Slipway peninsula, Harbor View Suites Mall Samora Ave, and the Steer's Complex Ohio Street have multiple fast-food type restaurants in one place, as well as shopping. Limited menus of pizza, burgers, indian, sandwiches, ice cream, etc.