In this article:
The Rock Restaurant In Zanzibar
During travel, many of us look for experiences that are out of our regular life routines and those that we are familiar with. You want your travel experience to create those life-changing (definitely for the better) encounters and memories. In Zanzibar, there are so many hidden gems spread across the island.
Whether it’s the crystal clear waters at the popular snorkeling beach sites or a local food eatery, the list is endless.
In actuality, one can even say that Zanzibar is an East Africa’s ultimate stop for culinary indulgences and exploration within the coastal line.
Its bursting mix in history and culture is most certainly reflected in its culinary offerings.
The Rock restaurant in Zanzibar makes it on this list.
You may have stumbled upon this restaurant during your visit to the island or simply heard about it through positive accounts from visitors or from numerous awards it has been bestowed with.
The Rock in Zanzibar certainly is a site that leaves a mark amongst many of its visitors.
Yet, it is popular and easy to find yourself visiting for a valid reason. The Rock restaurant in Zanzibar is well known for its ambient and breathtaking views as well as its signature afro-infused dishes – if you are looking for a taste of Zanzibar with a twist, the Rock Zanzibar offers just that.
The Location
As the name suggests, the Rock Zanzibar is lodged on a rock. The rock restaurant is then afloat the Indian ocean in the village of Michamwi Pingwe in the South East.
During low tide, the Rock restaurant forms part of the shore. And during high tide, it turns into an absolute island floating on the crystal clear waters of the ocean.
This gives its visitors two choices of accessing the restaurant depending on the tides, and these form part of the experience that the Rock Zanzibar intends to offer.
You can access the restaurant with a traditional motorized wooden boat that covers the short distance to the entrance of the restaurant during high tide.
In low tide, visitors can simply access the restaurant by walking through the seaweed speckled beach.
The Seating And Dining
At the restaurant, visitors can choose to sit at two of the designated seating areas.
You can choose to either seat at the outdoor patio or the interior fine dining set tables.
Whilst the interior offers local yet fining dining aura, the outside patio is an excellent location to chill, enjoy your cocktails and take those Insta-worthy photos. Plus, you can stay late at night and enjoy the African sky.
The entire restaurant features a simplistic dried coconut leaf style and décor also known as Makuti, to bring out that true historical Swahili ambiance.
The design helps to deliver that true Zanzibar atmosphere. Perhaps the most appealing quality of the Rock restaurant in Zanzibar described many of its past visitors is its stunning ocean views and truly natural feel, wherever you are seated.
The Makuti decor, spice flavors, local fishing vessels, and even the warm east African weather do the trick.
To meet its set standards and breathtaking experience guaranteed, the Rock in Zanzibar also specializes in gourmet seafood dishes.
Whether you are looking to sample a continental dish with Zanzibar infusions or an elevated East African dish, the rock perfects this skill and their menu showcases this.
Yet, its restaurant bar is not short of the high end and acquired wine list. Are you looking for a sleek Riesling to go with your spicy Zanzibar infused dish or a generous bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate the occasion, the Rock Zanzibar has your needs taken care of.
Menu pricing
Another reason why the Rock restaurant in Zanzibar is considered as a site for those special occasions is the deep pockets you have to dig into.
Typically, a 3-course meal and cocktail to suffice two people will cost you a minimum of anywhere between USD$120 to USD$150.
A single course dish and cocktail will on the other end cost you anywhere from USD$60 to USD$90 (for two people).
Additionally, the portions are not the size of that from a standard family restaurant. Yet, the artistic quality and palate-pleasing tastes make each buck spend worth it.
At the 20 table capacity restaurant, you can sample the extensive choices of lunch and dinner dishes, and after the meal, you can lounge at the patio as you take in the ocean breeze, however, to enjoy this memorable experience, you must make a prior booking.
More Than Just Dining
On the route that leads you to the Rock restaurant in Zanzibar, visitors also get a glimpse and an opportunity to explore and experience the less known part of Zanzibar.
At the beachfront, you will experience plush gated hotels with fancy furnishings. But beyond this lies makeshift communities of mostly fishermen.
Through the setting, you will get a peek of the day to day hustles and bustles of the town. You may also get to see the unique and traditional resources still used – a wooden sailboat, and donkey carts, just to name a few.
The popularity of the Rock Zanzibar goes further down beyond good food and scenery.
It is these very same articulate services that bring in profits and funds to support the restaurant’s foundation.
The majority of the funds come from the same proceeds that are collected with purchase on the restaurant’s dessert menu.
As its sustainable natural décor, the restaurant’s foundation works to empower the surrounding communities to preserve natural and the environment is a sustainable context.
The surrounding communities learn to swim and recycle waste, to preserve this very ecosystem that preserves their well-being by attracting as many visitors.
Bottom Line
The Rock forms an integral and important part of Zanzibar’s tourism and culinary scenery.
This very spot has become quite instrumental to complement Zanzibar’s food scenery definition and representation.
Its breathtaking scenery is simply a testament to the island’s abundant and special sites that are scattered all over.
Plus, the Rock Zanzibar offers a taste for all – whether it’s the view, the food, the elevated and refined tastes of the island or the local traditional experience from the boat ride or wade from the shore to the simplistic décor, it certainly touches every visitor.
And that is why it is no surprise that many of us have stumbled upon it one way or another. It is only fair for you to visit this popular site, and experience that testaments that are shared by so many.
