Everybody Goes to Lukmaan's

On our recent trip to Zanzibar we had the chance to revisit, repeatedly, one of my favorite restaurants: Lukmaan's.  We discovered it on our previous trip, although it's featured in all the guidebooks.  It's right around the corner from the Flamingo Guesthouse, where we normally stay in Zanzibar (although not this coming January because apparently they're going to be closed for refurbishing).  And speaking of refurbishing, Lukmaan's itself had recently been upgraded, which led to me walking right past it.  They'd moved a couple doors down and now they're decided more "posh" although the good was still fantastic and very inexpensive.  I think all the positive reviews in guidebooks and online led to a steady flow of tourists so they upgraded a tad.  Still, it is required that you eat at Lukmaan's at your next stop to Zanzibar, I know we'll be back, repeatedly.  Steve and I treated our friend Kombo Bakar and his team who had come over from Pemba to see us for the day, and I think the entire bill for six people was around eighteen dollars.

The new digs are much more spacious, which is definitely nice.  Traditionally you just queued up at the buffet line and you ate whatever they made that day, and this is still an option.  You can now order off a menu with actual table service, but despite the posher environs it's still charming.

To make it to Lukmaan's we had to walk through the worst of a magnificent monsoon downpour (pictures featured elsewhere) as represented by the drowned rat disguised as Steve Wehmeyer.  You can see the giant tree in the background.

I can highly recommend the octopus curry.

Kombo Bakar and Steve Wehmeyer, the consuls of Zanzibar.

Kombo's son.

I don't think this even needs commentary.