Top Restaurants in Watamu
Watamu Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Watamu
The delightful village of Watamu is an eco-tourist’s dream, lined with sandy white beaches and hotels dedicated to sustainable tourism. Watamu is a quick snorkel away from the Malindi Marine Reserve Park, and Turtle Beach is the ideal spot for a swim and a tanning session. The village proper features quaint Kenyan shopping stalls called dukas, where you can stock up with supplies. Make sure to visit the Gede Ruins, a mysterious and heavily overgrown 12th century Swahili village, and the beautifully fluttery Kipepeo Butterfly Project.
Things to do in Watamu
1. Lo Spuntino
Overall Ratings
4 based on 149 reviews
Reviewed By DeBommie - Naro Moru
Oh my god, this restaurant my brother and I will never forget. Although it doesn't look that great from the outside, the staff is just great, they work really hard with basically nothing. They grill the fish (which comes directly from the ocean) on a small BBQ, and they in the meantime they make the fries. When we were having a look at how they prepare the food, the opened a really small, old oven and ..... inside was a deliciously looking fresh pie!
If you go go there (and you should), I just want to tell you this:
- the lobster is really great
- please order your food in advance, and agree on a time, or be prepared to wait for at least an hour
- during the day, they have great coffee and different kinds of freshly made pies!
Enjoy!
2. Bahati Gelateria Italianna Andrea
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 234 reviews
Small cafe/shop which sells home made icecream, pastries, soft drinks, coffee, cakes. I can't find them on the web, but it is very popular with tourists and locals here in Watamu. They do have a facebook page and I can provide a telephone number and email address should that help?
Reviewed By Susanokle - Rwanda
best icecream in town, very delicious, also the patisserie is super good! They have great coffee and there icecream is homemade. everything is fresh and very delicious
3. papa Remo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 358 reviews
si trova subito fuori watamu ma non sono sicura del comune in cui sia situato. E' comunque un ristorantino sulla spiaggia, isolato, molto ben curato, con servizio ombrelloni e lettini, non molto grande
Reviewed By bushwaca - Durban, South Africa
Two years ago we spend quite a lot of time at Papa Remos .The location on the beach and the food were exceptional ,this time sadly to say that although the location is still beautiful the same can’t be said about the service and food .Our starters and mains ordered arrived together ,the owners are Italian making this a first for me ....where in Italy would you have your Primi and Secondi served together ? Added to that I never received a starter so instead ate my wife’s main Our guests sent their mains back to the kitchen where they obviously stood waiting to be recycled back to the table .The pasta by that time was inedible and the lobster had dried out .Our apology from the staff was that they were too busy .....Around us many people were grumbling about the poor service and mediocre food .Such a disappointment .
4. SWAHILI cafe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 93 reviews
Reviewed By waverider681 - Detroit, Michigan
The staff took forever to even notice we were there. They didn't have any of the food we wanted to order, and when our food was brought out it was not even correct. The fish stew was bland, and the chapatis were much too oily. I really do not know why this place is recommended as there are other better options in the area for quality local food.
5. Radio Maria Bar & Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 49 reviews
Reviewed By Trioev - Italy
Radio Maria is just outside Watamu (5min by tuk-tuk), in front of the Garoda Resort. The place is a typical african restaurant-bar, all open air and with a great atmosphere. It's not an usual restaurant, just go there and talk with the staff about what they have for you. All the meal is very delicious and the portions are really big! So order a Tusker and enjoy your dinner, maybe watching a soccer match on the tv! Ciao Marco from Claudio&Elisa, hope to see you again.
6. Come Back Club Watamu
Overall Ratings
4 based on 285 reviews
Reviewed By knjenga9 - Mombasa, Kenya
I've been to this club numerous times before and every time it's a new experience.
This time round, on a Friday night, went with a bunch of friends and family. They played good music until at one point the music abruptly went off. Enquiring what's wrong we were told the "Amp" had burnt. After 30mins with no music we decided to leave
Watamu needs a decent alternative to Come back. Period!!!
7. Makuti Ristorante Pizzeria
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 141 reviews
The restaurant is located on the Watamu Beach Road, the main street of Watamu, looks like a typical African restaurant, with dishes, Italian and African, fresh cooked at the time (using pre-cooked pasta), we also have a bell 'assortment of pizzas to suit all tastes (leveled by hand and baked in wood as tradition).
Reviewed By 973christine - Nairobi, Kenya
The meal was great and they actually changed the ingredients for the pizza to our liking. Pizza is made in a rustic oven and you can actually see it being made! Super cool. It is genuine Italian pizza.
Customer service was exemplary, it is affordable. I highly recommend a visit
8. Mida Dhow
Overall Ratings
5 based on 30 reviews
Mida Dhow, is a unique fine dining experience aboard a floating restaurant. Sundowners - includes delicious bitings and cocktails as the sun goes down. Lunch Safaris - sail along the mangrove lined Mida Creek and moor up for a swim until lunch when a superb menu of local seafood, upcountry meats and fresh fruit and Kenyan coffee is served. Dinner cruise - enjoy the spectacular sunset on Mida creek sipping a sundowner, then sit down to a delicious dinner under the East African night sky.
Reviewed By Amyemm8 - Nairobi, Kenya
Wonderful evening out for the family and completely unexpected, fantastic nibbles provided. Ranging from Oysters, Calamari, Samosas and plenty more. All the food was cooked to a fabulous standard. I thought it may just be crips and peanuts, so was pleasantly surprised!
Great fun had by all jumping from the dhow, the current was stronger than expected, everyone on board helped each other out. The staff on board were lovely with great sense of humours
9. Pilipan Restaurant - Watamu
Overall Ratings
4 based on 123 reviews
Reviewed By R B - Epsom, United Kingdom
Recommended by a local friend so had high expectations.
Lovely looking restaurant. A relaxed feel to it.
As a large group a variety of different dishes both starters and mains were ordered. The starters were beautiful especially the Tuna Carpaccio! A must try, you will not be disappointed. I would go back just for that for all 3 courses.
Negatives, When we arrived our table was not ready even though we had booked, nobody seemed to know about our booking.
We asked for Dawa's on arrival. Unfortunately very underwhelming.Not sure where the Vodka was.
Service was not particularly friendly, to be honest, not friendly at all and very slow.
Two of us chose the crab "apparently as per the menu" The must have. I'm sorry but it wasn't very nice at all. Hardly any crab there other than a lot of shell, the dish was completely smothered in a sweet sauce, you couldn't see what you were eating. Of both crab dishes, only the rice was consumed.
Other dishes ordered were enjoyed.
I would return, and most probably will, but with less expectation next time.
10. Safina Beach Bar & Grill
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 296 reviews
Reviewed By 649teddym - Nairobi, Kenya
Visited with my wife out of curiosity after the heavenly reviews.
What we found was an empty rundown shack with poorly stocked bar and an atmosphere of disillusionment.
There was a really cool bunch of friendly Rasta guys who are fantastically brotherly which made it really nice.
Apart from the great beach and friendly patrons- a drive on quite a rough road with high expectations can get you highly disappointed.
Just to be fair though it really depends on what you are looking for. For us I am afraid it was a first and definitely last.
For the young and adventurous free discoverous spirits go by all means. But for those looking for something else...a big NO NO.
