Zanzibar Coffee House

The Zanzibar Coffee House is one of the old town's best-known coffee shops and doubles as a small guesthouse. It occupies a former merchant's home in the lanes of Stone Town; Explore Parts Unknown dates the building to 1885 and credits it to the merchant Sir Tharia Topan, who also commissioned the Old Dispensary. The ground floor is a café, and the floors above hold eight guest rooms decorated in traditional Swahili style.

Coffee is the focus. According to Expert Africa, the beans come from the owner's own estates in Tanzania's Southern Highlands and are roasted on site in a room behind the shop. Explore Parts Unknown named the source as the Utengule Coffee Estate. The café serves coffee, smoothies, milkshakes and baked goods, and the cakes are a big part of the appeal: chocolate cake and passion fruit tart have both been singled out by visiting writers.

Expert Africa lists the coffee shop as open from 09:00 to 18:00, which makes it a useful stop between sights. The rooftop terrace, with views over Stone Town, is reserved for hotel guests, who take a buffet breakfast up there between 07:30 and 10:00. Fodor's notes that the café has closed for the month of May, and many Zanzibar businesses take a break during the April and May rains, so check before planning a visit in that period.

The café suits coffee lovers, solo travellers and anyone who needs a break from the heat of the lanes. The guesthouse upstairs is simple, with no pool, phones or TV, and not every room has an en-suite bathroom, so it is better for travellers who value character and location over facilities. Cars cannot always reach the door through the narrow lanes, so expect to walk the last stretch with luggage.

Sources disagree on the exact street, with listings giving both Tharia Street and Mkunazini Street, so it is easiest to ask locally or use a map pin when you arrive. Whichever way you approach, it is within easy walking distance of Darajani Market, Christ Church Cathedral and the Emerson Spice hotel. Ask whether roasted beans are on sale if you want to take a taste of Zanzibar home.