You definitely want to go to the Waterfront in Zambia for a sunset dinner near the Zambezi River. It’s beautiful! As I mentioned in my Victoria Falls blog post, we ate at The Waterfront Restaurant and it was a great experience. The pizza was delicious, the sunset was stunning on the Zambezi River, the beer was ice cold, and the staff was helpful and friendly. It was an upbeat and enjoyable atmosphere. They are also a lodge, so you can check out at their website to see if you would want to stay there. A few other restaurants along the river are at the Royal Livingstone or the Raddison. Or enjoy the experience at Elephant Cafe, which is built near an elephant sanctuary and can be reached by boat or road.
We made a reservation for High Tea at the Royal Livingstone, and while we enjoyed the experience, it was a bit underwhelming. We walked into the hotel and were sat at a low table in the outdoor patio area. No one else was taking tea. We were expecting it be more of an experience, something like real high tea, but it was not. We still enjoyed our time – the tea selections were great and the tower of treats were both beautiful and delicious. It was just not what we were expecting.
In Livingstone, we were walking around town doing some shopping at the Curio (craft) shops and at the Livingstone City Market. If you want to see some local life, check out the Livingstone City Market. We stopped at Kubu Cafe for lunch and it was a pleasant surprise. It’s unassuming as you enter, but the coffee and food was delicious. They even have cute little hippo cookies for your coffee.
Nomad’s Rest Cafe & Bistro and Zest Bar & Grill are two other places in Livingstone that were recommended for us to try, but we didn’t have time, so check them out and let us know what you think.
On our last day in Zambia, we walked between borders on the Victoria Falls Bridge to the Shearwater Bridge Cafe. Once again, it was a bit unassuming when you walk in. It’s the spot for people to prepare for bungee jumping off the bridge, so it feels like the restaurant is an afterthought. We ordered burgers, which were pretty good, and had a couple beers, so it was a nice casual lunch. Nothing spectacular, but watching several people bungee jump while we were eating lunch was a pretty cool experience.
Across the border in Zimbabwe, we didn’t have nearly as many opportunities for food, but here are the details for the places we did go.
The Lookout Cafe was a beautiful outdoor dining area! If you get a seat on the balconies, you can see the zip line, flying squirrel and swing in the gorge. The food and drinks were good, the weather was beautiful, and it was fun to sit and look at the river below and occasionally watch when people did the adventures. Book early, as the good tables go fast.
Several people recommended the Dusty Road, which is said to be traditional Zimbabwe restaurant in Chinotimba, the largest and oldest township in Victoria Falls. While the owner was very kind, the food was expensive and it felt more like a modern fusion restaurant in a rustic setting. We didn’t look into the history of the restaurant or her involvement in the community, so maybe those are what draw people into the experience. There are some fascinating elements, but overall, it wasn’t our favorite option.
We went to Victoria Falls Safari Club for afternoon appetizers and drinks. The upstairs balcony has a nice overlook of a watering hole that animals might come to, but it’s far away and you can’t see anything very well unless you have binoculars. If you’re looking for a place to chill, it’s nice but not necessary. It might be a nice place for group of friends gathering for happy hour, but otherwise, there’s no need to go there.
Three Monkeys was another restaurant we wanted to go, but we ran out of time. (I wish we had gone here instead of The Dusty Road.) It’s a short walk from Elephant Walk, which is a craft market and shopping area we highly recommend for the shear size and experience of it. There is a cafe and a brewery at Elephant Walk, but we didn’t try the food or drinks and it looked fairly generic.
On our way to the airport, we wanted to pick up some Victoria Falls gin, and we stumbled upon the Victoria Falls Distilling Company. It was a really cool place, and we wished we had more time to sit, have a drink and enjoy the place. So be sure to check it out, and maybe we’ll see you there next time!
Please comment to share some other great food and drink options for others to enjoy.
The blog posts mentioned above are from other websites, and they are in no way connected to me, but I found the information interesting, and wanted to share.
Traveling Tribe 