Samaki Samaki

Samaki Samaki is a seafood restaurant by day and one of the busiest bars on the Msasani Peninsula by night. The Haile Selassie Road branch belongs to a small local group of restaurants and has been a fixture of Dar es Salaam's nightlife for years, popular with young Tanzanians, expatriates and visitors alike, and a place where, as Wanted Online once put it, beer and political discussion go together.

Earlier in the day, the focus is on food. The menu centres on fish and seafood, and Fodor's singles out changu, a popular local fish, as the dish to order. Grilled seafood with a cold beer makes a good start to an evening out, and the happy hour, which Fodor's describes as well priced, draws an after-work crowd.

As the evening goes on, the atmosphere changes. Around 22:00 the restaurant turns into a lively bar, and it fills up quickly at weekends, when there is often live music. Thursday is salsa night, and the music and crowds make it one of the most social places in the city to spend a night out. The singer Vanessa Mdee picked it as her choice for a youthful Tanzanian atmosphere in a city guide for OkayAfrica.

Samaki Samaki suits groups of friends, couples who enjoy dancing and solo travellers who want to meet people. It is busy, loud and informal rather than polished, so come for the energy rather than a quiet conversation. Arrive early for dinner if you want a table before the bar crowd builds, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays, and carry some cash in case of card problems.

Haile Selassie Road runs through the Msasani Peninsula, close to Oyster Bay and Masaki, and many of the area's hotels, restaurants and bars are within a short taxi ride. Use a licensed taxi or ride-hailing app to get there and back, keep your phone and wallet secure in the crowd, and agree a pick-up point with friends before the night gets busy. The Tingatinga Arts Cooperative is also off Haile Selassie Road, so an afternoon browsing paintings followed by dinner and drinks here makes a good plan for a day on the peninsula.