So, what to eat in Harare as a visitor? Here’s my (very personal) guide of the top 6 things to get your gums around when you’re visiting Harare, the most beautiful capital city in Africa.
Table of Contents
1. Sadza
If you only learn one word in Shona, make it this one. Sadza (or Isitshwala in Ndebele) is a stiff maize-meal porridge nowdays made from white corn meal (“mealie meal”) and water, and is the daily staple of Zimbabwe and much of southern and eastern Africa.
Found across the region, the same dish is called pap in South Africa, ugali in Kenya, and nshima in Zambia. It’s not a million miles away from fufu in Nigeria. It can go with everything, but is usually served with a meat stew (nyama), vegetables (muriwo) of one sort or another., and often a relish that will blow your socks off it’s so hot. Yum. It’s like a warm starchy cuddle from inside your tummy.
You eat it with your right hand: pinch off a lump, roll it into a ball, press a dent in it with your thumb, and use it to scoop up your stew/relish/veggies.
It’s mild by design – think polenta or mashed potato, but without the salt, butter or cream. What it’s served with isn’t. You can also order it made with peanut butter if you don’t like the fairly bland taste. Personally, I like it like I remember eating it as a kid: fluffy, white and unadulterated
You can tell a native Zimbo from how hot they can take their sadza to make a ball with it. Wimps and tourists have to wait for it to stop steaming before diving bare-fingered into the delicious hot white lava on the side of their plate. (“You tried to show off, didn’t you? You got burned didn’t you? I knew it!”)
Where to find it in Harare: Pretty much every traditional restaurant in the city, but also most hotels. For a treat, try Gava’s (Belgravia Sports Club) which comes highly recommended.
2. Kariba Bream
Lake Kariba is a miracle of mid 20th century engineering. It’s the world’s largest man made dam by volume, and sits on the Zambezi river at northern border with Zambia. It’s a very long way from Harare, but the fish makes the trip. Obviously not on its own – we’re not talking *actual* miracles here, Stephanie. Kariba bream is a native freshwater fish (a type of tilapia) with a mild, slightly sweet white flesh. It’s usually served whole, grilled or fried, or even sometimes as fillets.
If you’re someone that is in the “ewwww, fish” crowd, this will likely convert you. It’s mild, juicy, no fuss, and it goes beautifully with sadza and a cold local lager. Or chips. Or anything really, it’s delicious.
Where to find it in Harare: it’s mostly a restaurant dish rather than a street one. So you’re looking at hotels and upmarket restaurants rather than homely chicken shops. Try Garwe Restaurant (Eastlea) for a whole Kariba bream and chips for the princely sum of US$15.00
Practical note: the menu says “bream” so if you’re expecting a sea bream, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. This is a freshwater fish, and it’s different and rather more interesting.
Photo: Zimbokitchen.com
3. Gango
This is the one that’ll divide, so buckle in….
Gango is a hearty fry-up of mixed meats and offal: pork belly, boerewors (the spiced sausage), kidney, ox liver, and sometimes even chicken gizzards cooked down with onion and tomato and finished with a leafy green, usually covo (African kale), which is a bit like collard greens. It’s rich, and savoury: also a bit of an acquired taste.
If you’re squeamish about offal, here’s my honest advice: try one forkful before you decide. The pork belly and boerewors do plenty of the work, and the greens cut through the richness. But yes, like that scene in Star Wars, there’s likely to be organs and tubes bubbling in there somewhere, waiting to trap the unwary.
Where to find it in Harare: it’s street food, so give the upmarket places a miss. Also, many family-style restaurants will do gango but often only on Sundays. Top spot for locals is Homeground (Mabelreign) although I have to confess I didn’t get to try it when I was there.
Eat it with: sadza, naturally.
4. Nyanga Trout
Trout in Africa sounds like a typo, right? Well nope, it most definitely isn’t. Both rainbow and brown trout were introduced by British colonialists in the early 1900s into the rivers of the Eastern Highlands (on the Mozambique border). Despite being firmly in the tropics, the Eastern Highlands (and the Nyanga National Park) has a climate that more resembles Scotland, with clean cold fresh flowing water all year round that has powered a successful trout farming business for decades. Nyanga trout is usually of the rainbow variety, and all that cold running water and romantic mist go to make it fat, happy and very tasty fish.
It’s the most “European” thing on this list, and gives a very 1980s vibe when dining out in Harare.
Where to find it in Harare: again, this is really a restaurant dish. I had it for dinner, panfried in lemon butter with rice & veggies, at Miombo Mountain Lodge and Spa, and it really didn’t get a chance. That chubby little fishy did not die in vain.
5. Steak
Steak is huge in Zimbabwe, and deservedly so. I remember growing up in Harare in the 1970s and complaining to my mum that we were having steak *again* for dinner. Zimbabwean beef has a good reputation, and the steakhouse tradition runs deep, so you’ll find a decent selection of steak on almost every menu, from a smart restaurant to a hotel or sports club.
The two cuts that are most popular (well at least with me):
- T-bone: the classic. A fillet on one side of the bone, a strip on the other. Good if you can’t decide, or you want a bone to chew on (“steady… this is a family website”)
- Rump: the local favourite, it’s less tender than fillet, but with more flavour. From what I could see it’s the cut most Zimbabweans tend to pick.
You’ll also see fillet, rib-eye and occasionally a tomahawk on the bigger menus. If you’re dining alone, a tomahawk would be a brave choice.
The value point: for a UK reader used to paying a small fortune for a decent steak, Harare is a pleasant shock. You can get an outstanding steak here for US$15.00.
Tip for ordering: yes, you can order it rare. I did, and I had no regrets. But I couldn’t find anywhere to do me a black and blue steak (my absolute favourite way to cook a good slab of meat). It’s common to get sauce offered on the side, but in my experience these tend to be a bit of a mixed bag. Go chimichuri if you want, or just add the on-table hot pepper sauce or peri peri condiments yourself – the rest are probably worth giving a miss.
Where to find it in Harare: one of the best steaks I had was actually in a chain restaurant. Buffalo Creek Spur (Sam Levy’s Village) served me up a proper beefy feast, complete with onion rings and chips and a Zambezi lager. But honestly I think it would be almost impossible to get a bad steak in Harare. Unless you’re a vegetarian of course.
Photo: Garwe Restaurant
6. Afro-Porto cuisine
Err… what?? Stick with me, this will all become clear and VERY familiar soon
Inherited from neighbouring Mozambique, and born out of centuries of Portuguese colonisation, Afro-Porto food (or Afro-Lusitanian) is a 500-year old creole fusion of Portuguese, Brazilian and local African traditions. It’s where local African ingredients (like Indian Ocean seafood, and ferociously hot birds-eye chilis called piri-piri) meet European cooking methods.
It’s the food culture that brought the world peri peri chicken… and which, via South Africa, gave birth to Nando’s. See, I told you it would become very familiar.
Where to find it in Harare: the Afro-Porto authentic mothership in Harare is Mozambik (branches in Chisipite and elsewhere) where the seafood options, particularly for a landlocked country, are astonishing. Also, keep an eye out for their rotating list of VERY rude shooters. (“Surprised we got this far and this is the first mention of booze. You’re slipping…”)
Eating Out Solo in Harare: The Practical Bits
- Cash or card: Everything is priced in US dollars, and best to bring cash because not everywhere (particularly places that are more homespun or off the beaten track) take cards
- Tipping: Rarely added to your bill, staff are very grateful for tips, specially left as cash US$. I always left about 15%
- Getting there and back after dark: Don’t walk, and public transport kombis are not really for most tourists. Best drive yourself (take care with the booze, driving at night takes concentration, as there are few streetlights yet innumerable potholes) or order a cab through Bolt or InDrive. This great video shows you how
- Eating alone: People don’t care how many of you are at the table. Harare is very laid back, and serving staff are super polite and friendly. I never felt self-conscious or unsafe when eating dinner.
- Dietary notes: it tends to be a very meat-forward food scene, however there are a tonne of bistros, Indian, Middle Eastern and Italian restaurants where vegetarian choices are plentiful. Sadza neMuriwo is the easiest option for local vegetarians, but check what’s in the relish.