Zanzibar for Dessert Lovers: A 5-Day Spice Island Sweet Tooth Trail Through Hidden Bakeries & Nighttime Treat Stalls

Morning in Stone Town tastes like cinnamon and espresso. Light slants through the alleys as you walk toward The Spice Route Cafe, the air already warm, the sound of scooters bouncing off coral-rag walls. After a slow, sweet breakfast, the city sharpens: at KV Spice Farm, leaves are crushed between fingers, vanilla pods split open, pepper vines climbed by sunlight – suddenly every dessert you’ve ever eaten has a backstory. Lunch at La Capannina Zanzibar feels almost illicit: proper Italian plates in the middle of Kiwengwa village, the cool clink of cutlery against ceramic while ceiling fans push around the smell of garlic and sea air. By afternoon, you’re back in Stone Town, icing-sugar dust in the air at The Slice Bakery as cupcakes and layer cakes line the counter like a pastel parade. The streets outside hum with the call to prayer and the shuffle of sandals on stone. Dinner at Lazuli Cafe is casual but precise – wraps, curries, and juices that leave just enough room for dessert, eaten under low lights and mismatched art. The night rises slowly at Emerson Spice, where the bar glows amber and ice clicks in glasses while the rooftops darken over the Zanzibar Channel. You walk back through alleys that now smell of charcoal and cloves, already thinking about how tomorrow will take you deeper into the island’s kitchens.

You wake with the faint ache of sugar and a sense that today you’ll earn it. Stone Town is quieter in the early hours, the sound of sweeping brooms and distant church bells mixing with the first adhan. Breakfast is a little puzzle of caffeine and sweetness at Puzzle Coffee Shop, where espresso machines hiss and the counter gleams with pastries. By mid-morning you’re in a different kind of kitchen: either a formal Zanzibar Traditional Cooking Class in Kianga or a long, laughter-filled session with the Mamas of Zanzibar, where hands move quickly over dough and coconut, and stories are as rich as the food. Lunch is stripped-back Swahili at Swahili Food Organic Restaurant in Jambiani, reached by a drive that traces the island’s spine past villages and glimpses of sea. The texture of the day softens: plastic chairs, a breeze off the beach, the smell of charcoal and coconut milk simmering. Afternoon brings you back toward town via a spice farm – Bravo Organic or Tangawizi – where you now recognise scents from your morning class. As the heat finally slackens, you wander Mizingani Road, the sea wall glowing, and eat gelato at Mama Mia with the sound of waves slapping the promenade. The night ends at Barafu ParadICE at Cafe Foro, watching your ice roll and freeze in front of you while the air tastes of salt and cinnamon, already plotting tomorrow’s escape to the east coast.

Last night’s seafront sugar buzz fades into the hiss of tires on tarmac as you drive east, Stone Town’s density giving way to coconut palms and glimpses of the Indian Ocean. By the time you reach Paje, the light feels different – bigger sky, brighter sand, air that smells of salt and sunscreen. Breakfast at Asili Goods Coffee & Brunch is all surf-town ease: smoothie bowls in coconut shells, espresso foam catching the light, and reggae humming under the chatter of kitesurfers comparing wind. The morning stays local with Culture Tours Jambiani, where the soundtrack is roosters, kids, and the slap of wet seaweed rather than traffic. Lunch at THE PLANTS keeps things clean and bright, plant-forward dishes plated like still lifes under the shade, a welcome pause for your overworked sweet tooth. The afternoon is for wandering: Paje Spice Shop and Diaz Spices and Coffee Shop are shelves of possibility, glass jars and packets of cardamom, chai mixes, and coffee beans you can already imagine in your home kitchen. As the sun drops, Hello Capitano Zanzibar turns beachside dining into a soft-lit stage, grilled octopus and smoothie bowls arriving to the sound of waves shushing the shore. The night stretches at Asili again, this time in bar mode, with music a little louder and the air thicker with conversation and the faint smell of rum and citrus – a different kind of dessert.

By now you’ve learned that mornings on the east coast start slow, light pooling over a low tide that turns the lagoon into a mirror. Breakfast at Hello Capitano or a nearby spot is replaced today by a pilgrimage to Corina pastry shop in Paje – coffee strong, croissants shattering into flakes, the room humming with Italian and Swahili as honeymooners and locals share tables. The air smells of butter, espresso, and just a hint of sea salt. Late morning, the mood shifts underground at Paje Cave, where cool air brushes your skin and the soundscape becomes dripping water and your own footsteps on damp rock. Lunch swings back toward spice at al Casbah, a small restaurant on the road toward Bwejuu where Algerian dishes come heavy with warmth and depth – lamb so tender it falls apart at a nudge, couscous catching every drop of sauce. Afternoon is a quick sugar detour at JAMZIBAR, where Jamaican flavours, music and the occasional live band on first Sundays create a heady blur of jerk smoke and dessert-leaning sides. As the day stretches north to Pwani Mchangani, the coastline changes character, resorts tucked behind palms. Dinner at Madiba Restaurant feels almost like a secret: set in the village rather than on a polished resort strip, with fish platters that smell of charcoal and lime. The night ends under the stars at Kilimanjaro Beach Local Restaurant, toes in the sand, the taste of grilled fish and a sweet drink lingering as waves roll in.

Your last morning tastes like cinnamon and closure. You wake in Pwani Mchangani to the sound of waves and distant laughter from hotel staff setting up breakfast, but today’s first stop is inland again: TO THE HILL KIDICHI SPICE FARM or another nearby plot where you finally put names to any scents you’ve missed. The paths are soft underfoot, leaves brushing your arms, air heavy with clove and vanilla. Late morning, you drift back toward town, making a final, focused visit to a farm like Tangawizi or SISO, filling in any gaps in your home pantry. Lunch is a quiet, elegant affair at Zenzero Restaurant in Pwani or a nearby resort, plates more composed, staff moving with that soft, choreographed grace of high-end beach hotels. Afternoon is for sugar: Classic cakes znz in Stone Town’s R6P3+WG2 grid offers glossy cakes and carefully piped frosting, while Iliki Italian Pastry on Mbweni Road is where you taste one last perfect balance of Italian technique and Zanzibari ingredients. As the sky leans toward evening, you retreat to one of the island’s boutique or luxury resorts – maybe The Palms Zanzibar, Tulia Zanzibar Unique Beach Resort, or Zawadi Hotel – where dessert comes as part of a broader sensory package: lemongrass-scented towels, polished wood under bare feet, and a last cocktail that tastes faintly of tropical fruit and goodbye.