The best restaurants in Arusha

With its crisp mountain air and wealth of beautiful hiking trails in Arusha National Park and the foothills of Mount Meru, Arusha is a great place to work up an appetite. Luckily the city has a growing food scene to satisfy your hunger in style. Here’s a selection of our favourite restaurants.

FOR FAST FOOD FROM AROUND THE WORLD…

George’s Tavern

There are synergies between Greek and East African cuisine. They both share a love of grilled marinated meat served on skewers. One calls it ‘souvlaki’, the other ‘mishkaki’. So maybe it is not surprising that when Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef and Hellenic expat George Mavromoustakis launched his restaurant George’s Tavern in central Arusha it became a huge hit. While the menu contains plenty of George’s favourite dishes from home, it is international in scope. Diners can choose from a huge range of freshly made pizzas, sub sandwiches, burgers and even sushi. The setting adds to the restaurant’s appeal. Despite being in the heart of Arusha, the outdoor and terrace dining areas are shrouded in tall trees bringing tranquillity, shade and privacy. A gastro pub has recently been added to the site. The clientele is a mix of locals and tourists with the regular live music, karaoke and dance nights always attracting a crowd.

Instagram: @georges_tavern

FOR THOSE WITH HEARTY APPETITES…

Leon’s Garden

The gigantic platters that this attractive outdoor restaurant serves up for customers are made for grand celebrations. They are often so big they need to be carried to the dining tables by a team of waiting staff team and our laden with an entire barbecued goats or enormous whole grilled Nile perch. These are then followed by trays heaving with an array of Tanzanian classic side dishes such as cassava, ugali, matoke, samosas, chips and rice. This is group-friendly dining with food made for sharing. More intimate dinners are catered together with a series of cool wooden booths among the manicured gardens for privacy. You’ll still need to have brought your appetite!

Instagram: @leons_garden

FOR LOCAL VEGAN CUISINE…

Themi Living Garden

This hidden gem in Arusha is tucked away in an idyllic woodland spot with a stream trickling by. Every lunchtime, women from a local co-op fill tables with pots of locally grown organic food such as bean and plantain stew, beans, rice and fresh fruit juices. Customers pay as little as TZS 6,000 (there is the option to pay more if you wish) to eat as much as they like from the plant-friendly, buffet set-up. The centre of Arusha is just footsteps away, but the Themi Living Garden feels a world away from the urban bustle. There is also an on-site selling some very good local artwork.

Facebook: ThemiLivingGarden

FOR THE BEST BARBECUE…

Khan’s BBQ

Carnivores have been congregating at this hugely popular barbecue joint for 35 years. Khan’s BBQ – also known as ‘Chicken on the Bonnet’ – is now run by the four sons to the Indian husbandand-wife team who launched the restaurant in 1989. Over the years its banks of sizzling grills roadside on Mosque Street in the city centre have produced some of Arusha’s best street food. Classic dishes include chicken tikka, sheesh kebabs and mishkaki, along with assorted salads. If you want savour an exclusive Khans culinary experience, order some and tender juicy nundu (cow hump), which is a rare but raved about East African grilled delicacy.

Instagram: @khansbarbeque

FOR FOOD WITH A VIEW…

Rivertrees Restaurant

This cosy restaurant is part of the Rivertrees Country Inn – a former coffee farm converted into a hotel with 34 self-contained cottages spread over 10 acres of lush gardens in Mount Meru’s sloping foothills. On a clear day, from the restaurant’s terrace diners can see the iconic snow-capped peak of Mt Kilimanjaro. The menu is another sight to savour with tasty meals based on tried-and-true old family favourites and drawing on garden-fresh ingredients as well as the best of the region’s locally grown coffees. There’s a wood-burning pizza oven with a range of toppings to choose from and even a plantain-based gluten-free dough option. Local favourites include baked perch papillote that features a whole Nile perch wrapped in banana leaf with sautéed vegetable while for vegans there’s wali na maharage, a coconut beans and rice bowl with caramelised onions and red cabbage. Candle-lit dinners are served by the warmth of the fireplace on cooler evenings or under the stars for date night destination dining.

Instagram: @rivertrees_country_inn