Maputo's food culture is the underrated thing about the city. Portuguese fundamentals, Indian spice, Bantu rhythm, Chinese influx, and the Indian Ocean a kilometre away. We send clients to these places repeatedly because they're consistently good.
The classics
- Costa do Sol. The institution. Coastal road, family-run for generations, the place everyone goes for the giant Mozambican LM prawns and grilled fish. Lunch on weekends has a queue; lunch midweek does not. Order the prawns. Order the grilled crab.
- Vista Brasil (Polana). Best espetadas (grilled meat skewers) in town. Old-school. Don't expect ambience; expect food.
- Surti's. Decades-old Indian restaurant run by the Surti family. Goan-Portuguese curry, samosas, chapati. Get the prawn balchão. Lunchtime is best.
- Café-Camponesa. Modest, perfect espresso, the best Portuguese-style sandwiches in the country. Across from the Indian Embassy.
The fish market thing
Don't go to the fish market expecting tablecloths. Go expecting a working market. Walk through the seafood stalls, point at what you want — a kilo of giant prawns, a fish, a crab, a kilo of clams — pay (haggle a little, they expect it). Then take it to one of the restaurants behind the stalls, hand it over, sit at a plastic table, order Tipo Tinto and lime, wait 15-20 minutes. Result: among the best meals in Maputo for a fraction of restaurant prices. Reduto 18 and Vasco da Gama are the cleaner spots; both fine.
Something more contemporary
- Mundo's. A newer arrival, modern Mozambican cuisine in a beautiful refurbished building in Polana. Good for date nights.
- Zambi. Innovative, plays with regional Mozambican ingredients, dinner-only. Reservation recommended.
- Restaurante 1908. In the old Polana Hotel, formal but excellent if you want a sit-down classic dinner.
Coffee and pastry
- Pão Pão (Baixa). Best pastel de nata in Maputo. Many locations; the original on Avenida 24 de Julho is the most charming.
- Mascarell's. Small Italian-style pastry shop, perfect for a quick stop on the way somewhere.
- Cake-A-Vita. Modern, brunch-y, popular with the foreigner crowd.
What we wouldn't bother with
- Hotel restaurants outside the Polana. Generally fine, never memorable.
- Sushi in Maputo. Available but you're better off saving sushi for Joburg or home.
- Anywhere you've seen advertised heavily on Maputo's tourist Instagram. The good places mostly don't advertise.
Most of our trips begin or end in Maputo. We sometimes build a full "food day" — fish market lunch, espresso break, dinner at one of the contemporary places. Write to us if you want one.