THE ROCK RESTAURANT – ZANZIBAR

The Rock restaurant in Zanzibar, is one of the most original restaurants in the world. Located in the shores of the beautiful Michanwi Pingwe beach it sits on a huge rock in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

When I think about Zanzibar, this restaurant will always be on my mind. The terrace outside is great and even when the tide is low the views of the turquoise sea is peaceful.

The Rock Restaurant in Zanzibar

Inside does not disappoint either. There are only 12 tables, decorated in a simple way with lots of colourful flowers that make everything cosy.

Should I do a reservation?

Yes, definitely! We booked it online on the official website, just two days before our visit. Initially we made a reservation for 2pm as we were going around the island that day but then end up getting there one hour early and had our meal earlier.

It did got really busy after 1pm. Reserve a slot just to be sure and then see how the day is going.

An important consideration when doing the reservation is to check the tides. At certain hours there is no water around and I got a bit disappointed when I got there because of that. Then later after 2pm there was more water and I must say it does looks more beautiful when looking from the shore. So maybe just book dinner or go for a drink in the afternoon.

How to get there?

The Rock restaurant is located south east of the island and access is easy. Normally people get a taxi or go as part of a tour.

From the north part of the island where I was it’s about 1 hour and a half. From Page it’s about 10 to 20 minutes and from Stone Town about 1 hour.

Once you reach the beach there are two options to access The Rock. If the tide is low you can simply walk along the rock paths that take you to the stairs of the restaurant. If the tide is high there is a small wooden boat that takes you directly to the stairs. This service is offered by the restaurant.

The food experience

Before the meal we had a cocktail outside in the terrace as it was still early for lunch. Then we got seated in a little table overlooking the ocean which was very romantic.

The menu is very focused on seafood. Between me and my husband we had a starter of prawn and squid. For main courses I had the lobster tagliatelle and my husband the Rock special which consists in a grill of lobster, king prawn, calamari and fish fillet. The food was good and I recommend the Rock special which was the best plate.

The prices are way above from what you normally pay eating anywhere else in the island. For the food described with two non-alcoholic cocktails and two cokes we paid about $100 US.  Expensive for the prices practiced within other restaurants in the island and considering we didn’t even had alcoholic drinks.

Overall opinion of The Rock

I definitely recommend a visit if you are in Zanzibar as it’s like a postcard of the island. The location is great and you can include it on a day when exploring around.

The views are great and it was nice to get the sun sitting down on the comfortable sofas of the terrace. The staff is really nice and the service was fast even when the restaurant was full.

As for the food, is good but overpriced. We had similar meals in different locations on the north of the island and paid probably half or less.

So my advice is yes, visit, but go just for a drink and try to go earlier rather than later as the terrace gets crowded.

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Have you visited The Rock restaurant? Do you share the same opinion as me?

 

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