After reading all these reviews, I had to give it a try. And what should I say. While typing this, I am missing the food again. It is run by a local family. Close to the beach. I have tried several dishes on the menu; Seafood platter for 2 (be sure you are hungry because its a lot of very tasty food), peanut crusted fish, Fadhils prawns tempura, 1/2kg lobster and a couple other dishes. All the dishes were as always good. Sometimes it takes a bit of time, but is more then worth it to wait!! I tried several restaurants around here in Jambiani and in Paje and Stone Stown, but this is my favorite and best seafood restaurant!

Very tasty local food, this was our favourite place in Zanzibar. I am not a seafood lover, but here I ate two times the cigal (rock/slipper lobster). Also the staff was very friendly. ❤

I love this place!! When we were in Jambiani we ate here 3 times for lunch. Delicious food and for a good price. The wait is a bit long but I promise you it is well worth it. The menu is hand written and changes regularly. I’m already missing the food!

Arrived in the middle of nowhere near a very poor village in the heart of Jambiani, only to be greeted by nothing more than a real African mother, best seafood I’ve ever had in my entire life definitely would recommend the crab.

First day in Zanzibar, we looked up Fadhil on Google and decided to go and have a try...We order Calamari and Octopus...the food didnt delay as much as other people commented...it took about half an hour!!!The food was delicious and the owner/cook was very polite and helpful for some information we asked about fresh fruit!!!We will definitely go again!!!

Had the octopus and the calamari curry and it was so delicious. The restaurant is updated daily depending on the daily catch, so everything is ad fresh as it gets. The restaurant seems to be community run and everyone is just so lovely and friendly. The prices are considerably cheaper than restaurants on the beach. I highly recommend it if you’re in Jambiani.

Very beautiful restaurant with tables directly on the beach. The staff is incredibly friendly and the food is the best we had on the whole of Zanzibar Island. Thank you so much Fadhil and family and hoping to see you again!

Amazing restaurant hidden in the village. I’m sure most people would probably never come here because of its location but you must try this amazing food it is the best on the island! The peanut crushed fish is amazing and the calamari is to die for!!

The octopus was the best I have ever had. Food took about 45 minutes to come (fast for the area). Don’t be discouraged by the location/setting

Bad experience! After we ordered, the drinks came after 20 minutes and the food after 1 hour and 45 minutes.We had our drinks right away because we were thirsty (hot weather) and they didnt offer us any more drinks until the end of our stay. Not even an apology for the long wait..I know we are in Africa but 1hr and 45min is just too much. There are much better restaurants in the area that actually take care of their guests. Btw this restaurant was not busy when we arrived, they just dont care about you.The ladies who served us had a smile on their face, but thats really all..This experience just ruined our evening!!! I do not recommend this place at all!!

Great place to eat near Jambiani. Very generous and peanut crusted fish is excellent as well as the juices.

Good food with both foot in the sand.The food take a little bit too much to get served but this is the price you have to pay to get homemade and fresh food.The prices are in line with the quality.Don’t expect the decoration to be as the European or the hotels.However the food tastes super goodI recommand you to try it and help also the localsP.S : we got a dessert for free ( fried banana with chocolate)

Good, but by far not the best place in Jambiani. Less vegetarian alternatives and those available were boring. Avocado salad was basically avocado with lemon, no surprise either. Juices took a year to arrive. Would rather suggest Panyopa restaurant, similar food for better prices (e.g. coconut crusted fish 10.000tsh less)

Best best best food i had in my life !! I took calamaris with sauce/ fries and my friend took a lobster’s cousin, we both payed 45000 tzs with a free dessert!! It’s been 10 days that im in Zanzibar i can tell that this is the best snack restaurant we have been to !! This said, i have a very spoiled and weird stomach that doesn’t accept all food, in this restaurant i ate like at home. I will sure be back tomorrow and the day after :)

Fair prices paired with incredible food. The fact, that the desert is free makes ordering at Fadhil even more worth it.Definitely a good place to eat in jambiani

The restaurant itself is a bit off the beach, follow the narrow pathway between two stone fences. The food was really delicious, the coconut crusted fish was trully amazing. As a bonus the food is reasonably priced and the floor is covered with sand, a great experience! It is open all day.

We loved Fadhil Restaurant. I rarely write reviews but we came here based on good Google reviews and wanted to add our own as this was superb. Fresh and delicious food, generous portions, good value, and great hospitality. If the seafood salad is on the menu, definitely order it. Fadhil is clearly someone who loves to cook and it shines through in the food. Highly recommend.

Best food on Zanzibar Island! We’ve been there twice and everytime it was quite a feast! You have to wait 30-45 min, but everything is fresh and hot.

Fadhil’s little restaurant proved a revelation after eating expensive rubbish food in several l beach restaurants . After trying Fadhils cooking , we ate there every night and always looked forward to it.Fadhil is a trained chef who clearly loves cooking, is very proud of and knowledgeable about Zanzibar cuisine and produces delicious , fresh and beautifully presented food.We tried all the dishes from the menu (seafood and chicken) and other that Fadhil cooked to order. We had coconut octopus curry, grilled and fried fish, grilled chicken and rock lobsters- all delicious, and wonderfully spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and other Zanzibar spices . The mains are served with rice (pilaf or plain) or potatoes either sautéed with onion or chips and stir fried or curried vegetables. Fadhils simple tomato and avocado salad is to die for. For the price of the main course you also get a dessert and Fadhil produced a different one every night we ate there. We had hot, fried bananas in coconut or chocolate sauce, lovely crepes, cakes and wonderful local desert of little balls of delicate puff pastry in brown sugar syrup infused with huge amount of cinnamon and cardamom and served with spiced coffee.As everything is cooked to order it takes about one hour for the dishes to arrive ( normal in Zanzibar) so it is best to order it in advance or even let him know in the morning what you would like to eat (i.e. if you want a particular seafood as he will buy from the fishermen).People we spoke to also loved Fadhils food and considered his food the best in Jambiani.

The grilled octopus was absolutely divine. The prawn tempura, delightful and the cigali delicious. Overall, we had an amazing experience. Fadhil spoiled us and the food came out very quickly... By Zanzibar standards.

It was our best lunch during our stay in Jambiani! The Octopus Massala was soo delicious!! The owners were also really kind! Im so happy we found them! 😊

Outstanding food in a quaint and interesting environment surrounded by delightful family members. Platter was excellent with best octopus ever. Host was great. Highly recommend this restaurant

By far the best local family restaurant in Jambiani. Probably the best in town.You can enjoy the freshest lobsters for the cheapest price (free dessert) in a super friendly environment.Please note that Fadhil is bringing the slow food to the next level: slow motion food!Cmon Fadhil hurry up!Anyway you cant stay in Jambiani without have a taste of Fadhil kitchen!We tasted several restaurants in here but no one beats Fadhil.

One of the best local restaurants in Zanzibar ! The food is super flavorful and fresh, and the staff are super friendly and accommodating.

Absolute banger place, you wanna eat amazing local quality go there. Expect a bit of waiting but its totally worth. Youll leave with a smile after a great meal.

Very good place 🤩 springrolls was awesome

The restaurant provided us the most satisfying meal in Zanzibar where is the only place lobster is available. The platter is abundant with several kinds of seafood including octopus calamari lobster and seafish.

Huge portions (and free dessert), delicious! Very local experience, its in the middle of the village, in one of the houses. Good prices.

Normally you would walk past Fadhil Restaurant as it does not look super inviting. However, you must come here! We recommend to reserve a table in the afternoon for dinner and to already tell them what to eat, then you don’t have to wait long.We had King Prawns which were really really tasty and the grilled vegetables were also. You also get a dessert for free!If you want some local sea food - go there.

Amazing food !!! I’ve been in Tanzania and Zanzibar for 3 weeks now and this is probably one of the best meals I’ve had ! Highly recommend!

Enjoyed a really delicious meal. One of the cheapest places Ive found in all of Zanzibar. Includes dessert. Strongly recommend. Consider ordering ahead of time

Delicious and seasoned seafood!

A true hidden gem. A very traditional restaurant with excellent food. It looks very traditional and simple, but the food is excellent! Fresh seafood made with traditional recipes and spices. You can also order in advance and return in 1 hour while your food is prepared.

Great local restaurant run by very friendly local people ! If you tell Fadhil in advance (a day or half a day) he would delight you with a fantastic seafood platter - if you want they can put you a table directly on the beach. We did that for sunset and were absolutely amazed

Great food for a reasonable price for the area. Vegetable curry and calamari were delicious. FREE DESERT TOO!!

Amazing local food. Great prices. Big portions. Probably the best we have had in jambiani and page. Don’t miss it!

Good service, very friendly. Food was good. Location is a bit off but i can highly recomend a visit!

This is one of the places that you find by chance butit is simply amazing. The food is amazingly fresh and sooooo delicious. Just go there and have the food of the local family running the restaurant. You ll see it is 100 times better than eating at a hotel

Good restaurant but not outstanding as described in the other reviews…Food was good but we waited 1 hour for 2 plates.

With my wife, we ordered caramari and octopus. It was perfect. As desert we ate fried bananas.We came earlier in the day to book and order in the same time because if you come, without reservation, you may have to wait for a long time.When we arrived it was almost ready and it was really really good.I recommend this restaurant.

Good sauce with many Spice, free dessert

Went in expecting the usual local deal of fried fish and coconut rice. Turned into an amazing culinary experience where the fish was fried in an amazing sauce and the rice was infused with cinnamon.Price was also competitive with mains properly under $10 and drinks under $1. And free desserts:)

Very good food and big portions. And in the end free dessert! Definitely worth a visit.

As mentioned in other reviews, we had to wait 40 minutes but its normal on zanzibar. Food was good, little bit more expensive than other places around (although dessert is included in total price)

Great traditional restaurant!It is 200m from the beach, on a narrow street in the local neighborhood. The place is clean and the usual waiting time after ordering is aprox 1h - 1h 30min, as usual in Zanzibar.We had the veggie curry with potatoes and grilled calamari with soffran rice. Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted delicious. We even got free dessert: fried bananas with chocolate sauce. Yummy!The price is very decent, we had two mains and two fresh juices for 40000shillings ( aprox 20 dollars)You can find so many traditional restaurants in Jambiani, I don’t understand why so few people visit them, as the food is way better than on the hotel restaurants! And also, this way you support the local economy, not just foreigener owned hotels!

After 10 days in Zanzibar at Fadhil is absolutely above and beyond the best food you can find on the island!!!Because of him you would want to prolong vacation in nearby area...10/10

So good we ate here twice during our 4 day stay in Jambiani. Humble setting but the best Tanzanian food that we had in the country. The octopus in coconut was especially amazing. Great service too from the chef and his brother.

I would go back to Zanzibar just to eat the food. ❤️

No worries because of the location. It has its own local style and flair. the food is amazing! fresh seafood and fair prices. we went 3 times there and it was just delicious. friendly staff as well. highly recommended!!!

The restaurant is set back of the beach. It is more local than other restaurants. Huge portions and much cheaper comparing the the surrounding. You can feel a little bit different atmosphere then in typical restaurants as it is set in a part of a house. Happy to be there.

One of the best seafood meals in my life. Magic of tastes, spices... just perfect.

Superb Local Restaurant, they cook everything on order so you have to wait a bit but it is worth it. We had Swahili Curry and Calamari, and were delighted with the flavour, quantity and price. Would definitely recommend!!

The view is amazing, food delicous and good quality wifi - small capacity 10-15 pers

Fadhil is a real chef with years of experience. The food tastes like a 5 star Hotel.The prices are lower than the resorts and with better taste than some Hilton resorts.We tried the calamari and the lobster and it was above all expectations.Will definitely come back

Warm welcome followed by fresh passion juice, fish sambusa, fresh tuna, masala octopus, and complimentary chocolate banana dessert!

Very good food and friendly host!!

Had a very nice meal at Fadhil’s Restaurant. The Calamari was on point and vegetable curry also good. The location can be challenging to find, but it seems very authentically local so perfect if you are looking for somewhere where you will not see many tourists when in Jambiani.

We were first a bit irriated by the souroundings. After having a superb juice we started to belive in the good rating. We ordered the fish plate for two (The dish however easily fits for three people). The food was fantastic and I would give even more then 5 stars if I could. Must visit in jambiani!

The best restaurant everI highly recommand Fadhil restaurantI have ordered the sea food plate it was awsome

Food took a while to arrive but it was worth the wait. Best fish samoosa Ive ever had. Very friendly establishment. Dont be put off by the surroundings.

This place is wow, really. The food was delicious, fresh and representative of local cuisine. The service was also impeccable - I’ve never seen a owner/waiter/etc be so enthusiastic to welcome guests. If you’re even for one day in Jambiani, try this place.

Delicious, fresh and cheap seafood.Do not pay attention to the appearance, it only emphasizes the delicious seafood.

Fadhil is about the best, most passionate cheff in Jambiani (and way beyond!). His food (and the presentation of it!) is truly unique, always fresh and with a very personal touch. We spent many evenings at Fadhil’s place, also with bigger groups (reservation recommended) or had take-away food to enjoy with guests at home. Fadhil is the most welcoming host - always with a big smile on his face.

Really nice local restaurant... Best chips on the Island and great fish dishes! The staff is super friendly and super fair prices ...

Very quaint but dont let the appearance fool you! Delicious food and big portions. The owner is very friendly and pleasant too! The best in Jambiani.

Delicious food, very talented chef. The location is okay-ish.

Best restaurant! Fadhil is one of the nicest persons and the food is perfect! Dont be fooled of his eating area and the small menu...

Really nice local food with really nice presentation!

Amazing local restaurant. Very nice staff and food is fresh and delicious. Will definitely come back !

The food and Fadhil himself are both amazing! I ate here three times while in Jambiani.

Amazing lobster!

Great food and friendly welcoming in this modest family-driven restaurant

Delicious

Nice meals, and is comfortable place to have a wonderful moment,

Very good food!

Tasteless, expensive, kitchen and toilet is in same room!!!

Good food for small prices. Free desert!

Has good place have good food nice place good conduction

Top local food !!

This place is a little difficult to find but it is definitely worth seeking out. The people were friendly and helpful but the food was even better. Do yourself a favor and stop by for a tasty meal.

Great big feed? This 115 kg chef that walked from Paje, ended up in a food coma on the beach, so I write this now at 6am.Tenderized octopus in coconut sauce was the best Ive had in Zanzibar. Tasty home cooked style local food👌

Super fresh restaurant! A bit of a wait like everywhere. We ate in a small room with fans. Own. Clean toilet. Kindness. One of our best addresses in zanzibar. Local and typical! I recommend

Place that does not look like much but the food is really good and local. 🧡🇹🇿Cooking live so a slight wait but a perfect and delicious result.Price not excessive 🤩

This local restaurant and feet in the sand offers fresh and local products. We enjoyed the 3 times we came during our stay. Very good value for money, I recommend 10000%

Dont be fooled by the appearance of the restaurant, this is a really good restaurant in Jambiani. The lobster is delicious and really inexpensive compared to other restaurants.Fadhil offers you dessert. Very good local cuisine.I recommend.

If you want to live an authentic and local gastronomic experience this is the ideal place, good cuisine and delicious seafood at affordable prices. You can also reserve and at that time they will have it ready to save you waiting time, something that often happens with pole pole.

Very tasty food, you can feel that the ingredients are local, freshly caught fish and delicious! The wait is short and pleasant because the place is by the sea. I recommend it to anyone looking for a local delicious and inexpensive meal.

Was a little disappointed with the quality of cooking fish and potatoes. The fish was undercooked, the potatoes were a bit fat. There are no gratings on the windows, so huge beetles fly into the light. This is Africa 😉🤷But in general, this institution has good potential, maybe I was just not lucky

Best local food restaurant in Jambiani. Hearty, tasty and quality dishes at a reasonable price. We have come here several times in our stay and it never disappoints

This small restaurant does not look like much. But I can guarantee you that you will enjoy it. A bit of a wait like everywhere on the island. But these are only fresh products. Do not miss

A pleasant meal on the beach at night.prices more than correct .....A beautiful view of the sea.

The best octopus you can get here. Very good, fresh local food. The service always has a smile on their lips and impresses with competence and courtesy. We will come again.Gerald from ViennaDen besten Oktopus bekommt man hier. Sehr gutes, frisches Local Food. Das Service hat immer ein Lächeln auf den Lippen und besticht durch Kompetenz und Zuvorkommenheit. Wir kommen wieder.Gerald aus Wien

Large portions, delicious, relatively inexpensive. I really enjoyed the juice. Calm place. The floor is sand. One of the better places to eat on the island.

Excellent local restaurant, 2 rooms are available. Waitress and cook at the top, kind, attentive ... the menu is written by hand on a notebook, I specify it because other customer the same day we were afraid seeing that and questioned us. But really Excellent food, we took 4 different dishes at 4. (octopus, tuna, shrimp, lobster) .. each plate was nicely presented, plentiful and tasty. Our best meal in zanzibar. And the prices are unbeatable, in shillings, youll leave more than you ask for, youll see. Thanks to the Parisian tourists who advised us.

Tempted by the opinions on google, I came to Fadhil, a very pleasant walk along the beach, I ordered the lobster the day before. how delicious it was !!! for this mango juice, lick your fingers. whos going to jambiani should try Fadhils lobster, lovely guest and fantastic food.

Very small family restaurant, feet in the sand. No sea view, but really delicious at reasonable prices. Friendly staff.2nd time that I come to Zanzibar, and I do not miss this little restaurant for anything in the world. And I will go back there before returning to France.

I recommend this restaurant, everything is fresh and tasty. The meals are prepared on an ongoing basis, so you have to wait for them. We ate right on the beach.

This is the trendy restaurant in Jambiani 😅Jokes aside, Fadhil deserves it.The food is great, the welcome is warm. Be careful, however: you have to arm yourself with a lot of patience because the wait to receive the dishes can be long (but its really worth it).

Excellent restaurant !!!! Too good we had a great time value for money! We took chicken but there is also a lot of shellfish / fish! Its delicious go ahead with your eyes closed

Small local restaurant, tasty and delicious food. I recommend 100%!!!