While Livingstone is well known as the adventure capital of Zambia, it is also offers some great spots for foodies that make any visit to the tourist city worthwhile! Here are five of my top choices:
Cafe Zambezi
Located in the heart of Livingstone, Cafe Zambezi blends food, entertainment, art and curios in a way that truly reflects the spirit of Livingstone. It has such a great vibe over the weekend, especially with the live band, but it stays buzzing on weeknights too.
The Cafe serves an assortment of Zambian, Afro-Carribean and vegan options that are quite delicious. I especially enjoyed the coconut infused zanzibar bream. It may look rather untidy but it was bomb, I cleaned that fish fam 🙌🏽. I also enjoyed nibbling on the croc bites and tried a few slices of their pizza. I enjoyed the amarula coffee which just hit the spot as we dined under Livingstone’s clear night sky. I appreciate that Cafe Zambezi meals have a great portion size and they do their best to keep the service at an acceptable standard. A visit to Livingstone would be incomplete without taking a bite of what this gem has to offer.
My Review:
Food: 🔪🔪🔪🔪
Service: 🔪🔪🔪
Ambiance: 🔪🔪🔪
Price: $ $
Flavours
Flavours is a well known foodie spot in Livingstone, located along the Mosi-Oa-Tunya road as you drive into the CBD. Chewing at Flavours was a no-brainier because their meals are well priced and they have a little for every taste bud. The wide variety includes the notable staples of Zambian, Continental and Indian cuisine, plus they also provide platters for larger groups. Flavours has indoor, outdoor and patio dinning area which makes it a good option to grab a bite for any meal of the day.
We stopped by for lunch and our troupe ordered a combination of beef, fish, oxtail and chicken wings with accompanying starch and veggies. I ordered a beef burger because I did not want be too stuffed for the afternoon adventures! I later learned that Flavours recently opened a second outlet at the entrance of the facility where you get access to the Mosi-Oa-Tunya waterfalls, which is so convenient especially after the hike from the boiling point 😄.
My Review:
Food: 🔪🔪🔪🔪
Service: 🔪🔪🔪🔪
Ambiance: 🔪🔪🔪🔪
Price: $
Zest
Zest is a little down the road from the Livingstone CBD and it offers a pub-feel with delicious modern meals & traditional favourites. Zest specialises in meaty options of matured steaks, game and platters that are unmatched in Livingstone. My friends ordered various options from the menu but I had my eyes set on trying out the Mega Nyama platter as we had a long day being tourists. The mega platter had smoked ribs, a full chicken, strips of beef and pork served with French fries and green salad. One of my buddies decided to join me and we ordered the platter determined to chew down some serious meat.
While it was not big on aesthetics, this spot had such a hip and happening crowd and I actually appreciated that the owner went an extra mile to interact with guests to ensure they are happy. She was kind enough to wait on us for the night and even cautioned me against ordering the Mega Nyama platter which was meant for 6 people 🙈!
I have not eaten like that in years, I think Mrs Trunchball would be proud because we cleaned the bones and had to be rolled out of the zest 😜. The meat options on the platter were not bursting with flavour as they were lightly seasoned and basted with a simple bbq base but they tasted good enough to enjoy and fill de belle. I never thought they existed but I sure experienced a food hangover after the whole ordeal.
My Review:
Food: 🔪🔪🔪
Service: 🔪🔪🔪🔪
Ambiance: 🔪🔪
Price: $ $
The Avani
The Avani periodically hosts Sunday markets that allow non-hotel-residents to visit and enjoy live pool side entertainment and great bites while observing public hearing guidelines. During my visit to Livingstone, the Avani happened to have one such market and I took time out to peep the spot. I indulged in the pork and beef sliders and topped em off with some yummy cake, each option did not disappoint. I would caution dinners as the costs at the Avani are on the higher side but the experience is pretty worth it as you get a good quality ambience to unwind and also enjoy great cocktails on the well manicured lawns around the pool.
My Review:
Food: 🔪🔪🔪🔪
Service: 🔪🔪🔪🔪
Ambiance: 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
Price: $ $ $ $
Cook House
The Cookhouse is located in the suburbs of Livingstone at Chanters Lodge, which has a homely feel and dining area on the patio. This spot is growing in popularity on the Livingstone food scene as it is one of the only spots that sells Mexican treats in Livingstone. It is for this very reason that I headed there to sample their tacos.
The service was not at its best, I may have caught the team off guard as they had no other guests or foodies around after the lunch hour rush. I ordered the beef and chicken tacos and was pleased to see they are actually served in puff pastry. While they lacked that savoury Mexican ‘zing, they were actually pretty filling and well presented. I look forward to trying their Mexican platters on my next visit to Livingstone.
My Review:
Food: 🔪🔪🔪
Service: 🔪🔪🔪
Ambiance: 🔪🔪🔪
Price: $ $
Bonus: Grab some ice cream at Da Canton
If you are looking for a good spot to cool off from the heat in Livingstone city, look no further than Da Canton. What it lacks in aethetics it makes up for in yummy gellato and ice cream.
Adventures with BoBoBongz 