This is my fourth year coming to the beautiful rooftop. However over the years unfortunately it became too touristy. Beware they will charge you 40$ per person and serve the same portion for two people. So sad to see this happen in such a beautiful place. I will leave it up to you decide wether you your like to be ripped off or not.

I can’t write nothing on the rooms as I haven’t booked any. My review goes on the restaurant. We booked there after a friend recommended it for a long time. Well …. I went there with 2 friends and each had ordered one of the menus The prices are as follows 10$ veggie menu 15$ fish menu 20$ sea fruit menu We have ordered 1 veggie and 2 fish menus Literally what you get is - 2 spoons of rice per person -2 spoons of veggie curry per person - 2 spoons of spinach with coconut sauce per person - a very poor “salad” of some onion, spinach ( I believe) and 4 slices of mandarines ( all very tiny) - a beetroot salad ( again about 2 spoons per person) - some spicy salsa - 2 tiny slices of fish - 2 tiny fish croquettes And that’s all I’m not a person that eats high amounts of food but the portions there are ridiculous … Everything is tiny Drinks are super expensive … you actually pay for a cup of bad wine more or less what they paid for the whole bottle. Ohhh and for the ones that smoke … although is an open space terrace smoking is not allowed and to be able to do so you’ll have to go a floor down which normally won’t be any issue … only that the stairs in this place are something between 35-40 cm high

This is a review of the dinner, as we stayed at a different lodge. Dinner is a served on the gorgeous rooftop patio. It is a fixed price meal - fun cocktails, delicious assortment of curries served family style, finished with exquisite trio sample of desserts served individually. Local band and singer entertained throughout the meal. Service was so friendly. All inspired by New York transplant, Emerson Skeens, who fell in love with Zanzibar in 1989, and stayed and invested in preserving some of the buildings.

Great roof top experience, with dancer and singer. Fine local food. Stunning view with the sunrise if you come for dinner. They make you experience a local celebration meal. Might be perceived as expansive for Zanzibar but to us it was worth it, we had a very good time and enjoyed the dinner. We recommend it. PS : Make sure to book ahead.

Did not like the rooms at all. Just because the hotel is a heritage one doesn't mean the dusting and cleanliness is poor too. Food is just ok. Please don't go to the overrated roof top restaurant. It's overly priced and food is not worth it. I would rather go to a beach side resturant and bar . U can visit the rooftop for coffee instead . Or just go see the views. Not worth the whole dining in here. If you stay in stone Town stay somewhere else near Hyatt or in Hyatt or other cleaner hotels.

I can’t express enough how much I loved my stay here. The hotel is a gem and the hotel staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Never felt this much at home in a hotel. Can’t imagine staying anywhere else but in this establishment every time I visit Zanzibar.

Went for a roof top dinner. Food was excellent with good vegetarian options. Views are incredible, and hearing the call to prayer spread across Stone Town is magical. Staff are extremely helpful and attentive.

Only stayed for tea ceremony so can only comment upon this. Make your way up to the roof and find a quaint old room ready for you. Service (Haj) was friendly enough but a bit slow. Our reservation was 12pm but they asked us to come back at 12:45pm?! Lots of food and lots of tea in a chilled out space to spend a few hours during an afternoon.

Best meal I've had in many years! The great experience started with a jasmine corsage and a rooftop view across the city. We ordered cocktails and watched the light change as a storm swept in. Rain began to fall and the diligent staff quickly transformed the space to protect us with some billowing curtains. Every dish was delicious and my needs as a vegetarian were carefully met. Gorgeous live music entertained without overpowering. During breaks we could hear the call to prayer echoing out from nearby mosques. The meal ended with sweet ginger tea. The servers were knowledgeable and kind. Everything about this evening was a delight.

Their rooftop dinner is an experience worth getting reservations for. Great food with a spectacular sunset view. I’d recommend getting there at 6 to get a nice seat to enjoy the sunset and a cocktail. The live music and performance during dinner was excellent. Very hospital staff and an employee walked us back to our hotel after dinner.

If you want to experience something different you must go to this hotel! The building is absolutely beautiful. A place like that can't be designed, only time and a rich history can create something that unique. The staff are very friendly and helpful. You can have a dinner in traditional style at the stunning rooftop. It is a bit pricey but worth it!

Good place, very nice building and good hotel. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Take the sunset to sunrise package and be taken by views, friendliness and good food. Dine on the rooftop to eventually descent to the room. In the room the bed is mad, the room is ready and a smooth breeze fills the open room. Still to warm? Just switch on the special air conditioner that breezes over the bed. Breakfast on the patio or room balcony... Just great. Thx for having us

Did not overnight this is a review of the rooftop dinner. Absolutely loved the experience. The service was fantastic, the location was wonderful. From entering the lobby to a warm welcome, to being able to wander up 4 flights of hand built stairs and explore a bit. The menu was excellent, and the final price after the copious wine beer and cocktails seemed more than fair. Can't recommend this experience more!

Everything was perfect. The staff was always extremely helpful and ready to go the extra mile to make guests feel welcome. The North room was stunning, with a beautiful terrace and semi-outdoor shower/bathtub with a view on Stone Town. I also highly recommend having dinner at their rooftop restaurant, best food I ever had in Zanzibar

Easy 5/5 to give here. Such incredible staff, food (only did the Veg lunch, but it was incredible and going back again!!), and rooms. We had the Tour room and having breakfast daily in our private rooftop terrace was next level. As were the sunsets. That said, the staff shined even more - just so friendly, kind, and responsive. HIGHLY RECOMMEND =)

We stayed just two nights at Emerson on Hurumzi which included the rooftop dinner the first night. We got a balcony room which I recommend - great views and it was a delight to catch the sea breeze in the AM and evening. The room has air conditioning but since the space is fairly open it doesn't do much. Be aware that it can be quite warm in the room and that there are a number of steep steps to get to it. That said, it was a lovely stay in a great location with exceptional service. We enjoyed our breakfast and the rooftop dinner too.

Emerson on Hurumzi is a must stay when visiting Stone Town!! The rooms are beautiful, exceptionally clean and the service is great. We had dinner on the rooftop one night and that experience was one we will never forget! Don’t walk, RUN to Emerson!

We only went to this place for their rooftop terrace which we enjoyed very much. We had drinks with the sunset before dinner and the view of the roofs of the stone town. Food was good and the experience included live taraab music

We didn’t stay here but enjoyed their dinner experience inspired by their traditional wedding accompanied by a female Tarab performance. We enjoyed it a lot.

We stayed at Amber and Green room (incl small kitchen) November 2023. Our three week stay was wonderfull. We enjoyed our stay ! The atmosphere is very nice and Emerson Hurumzi one of the best hotel we have experienced. We especially enjoyed the swahili culture The staff at the hotel was very helpfull. We Will come back! Ola and Gunlog Our

We had the rooftop tasting menu at the Emerson Spice Rooftop Teahouse. We enjoyed the menu, which was inspired by a traditional Zanzibar wedding. The dinner included traditional musical entertainment, and was rather nice. Remember to arrive before sunset to see the great view old the old town

Their $40 dinner is a rip-off. Too crowded. There must have been 50 people cramped up in that small space for dinner. Food is average and not different vs many of the other restaurants we’ve tried. Servings are small. And because there are too many guests, the food is served cold. Drinks are excluded, except for exceedingly spicy ginger tea served after dessert. The only good thing is the live Taarab music. There was an all-female band who performed eight songs throughout the dinner. However, I would not recommend this over-priced and over-hyped dinner.

The light over my sink did not work for 2 our of four night that I was there. Another light was out the entire time. No shampoo unless I asked. Staff seemed to not be well trained. While my room was lovely, I thought the public areas were not as was featured in advertisements. Disappointing.

We dined at the rooftop. I cannot say anything about the hotel. Rooftop dinner is foremost a show that comes with some food. "Show" was nice and well planned. We sat at floor level and had the real Swahili experience. Unfortunately food or drinks are nothing special.

+ View is awesome, staff is friendly - food is just ok and the biggest minus: Like pretty much everywhere in Zanzibar, it takes forever to order and then again about an hour till the food is served. For touristic-prices I would at least expect a faster service

Everything was perfect. The staff was always extremely helpful and ready to go the extra mile to make guests feel welcome. The West room was stunning, with a beautiful terrace and semi-outdoor shower/bathtub with a view on Stone Town. I also highly recommend having dinner at their rooftop restaurant, best food I ever had in Zanzibar

Located on the rooftop of the Emerson hotel, this gem of a restaurant stunning views of the city and decadent cusine and wines. We had a bunch of tapa's all evening with wine. Highly recommended and very well priced restaurant.

Perhaps the crown jewel in our wonderful two week trip to Zanzibar. We read the consistent comments about the amazing view, food and service. They are correct -- a really special place. For us, what made all extraordinary is when, at about 3:00 PM, we were the only people, and the manager came over and shared the skyline, with the accompanying history of various buildings, including why this one is the second tallest in Zanzibar. (Of course, we cannot share).

I loved this place! Absolutely stunning setting with great food. Make sure you are booking the traditional seating (no table). It's great fun and experience.

The best dinner experience ever. The food, the music, the service, everything makes your experience more amazing. Note, you need to let them know if you are a vegetarian or have allergic reaction to any type of food. Best thing is that they sent someone to pick us up from our hotel.

Since for the dinner they serve set up menu that contains meat dishes, we decided to go there for a lunch when they serve vegetarian dishes and some fish plates. That was the best decision since we have that wonderful, magnificent rooftop only for ourselfs. We had pleasure to taste their Zanzibar cuisine fused with oriental Persian and Omani influences and it was memorable. Definitely an experience to have when in Stone town.

This place really lived up to the hype that I read about. Booked the rooftop dinner with Tarab music. You experience food that is traditionally served at local weddings in Zanzibar. Beautiful view, absolutely delicious food and met great people from all over the world. The desert was a bit underwhelming but everything else made up for that :-)

Lovely accommodation in an old building in the centre of Stone Town with great furniture and decor. Very Instagrammable. The staff were very helpful, arranging trips for me, helping me sort a SIM, advising how to book a PCR, doing laundry and printing my travel documents. The rooftop terrace has great views. The rooms (I was in Blue then West) were beautifully decorated, quirky and comfortable. The vegetarian lunch on the rooftop was excellent at $10, so I ate there twice. (I wished I'd eaten there three times as I tried Secret Garden, part of the sister hotel, and didn't enjoy the food as much. It was nice, but I preferred Hurumzi's.) The dinner, by comparison, seemed ridiculous at $40. I've only ever paid that much for a vegetarian meal in the finest of restaurants in New York, so I skipped it here. I chose the wrong time to be there as overnight in Stone Town is horribly noisy during Ramadan so I got little sleep. It'd be lovely at other times of year.

What can I say! What an amazing experience one that we will never forget, the view above Stone Town , the beautiful sunset, the noises of the town below and chants from the mosques, the smell and taste of the amazing food served here Swahili style and the service was just perfect! Thank you so much🙏🙏🙏

We went for the legendary dinner, which was really amazing. Great atmospehre, awesome food and good music. The food gets served traditionally on the floor, and includes dishes like: fried squid, goat curry, fish ... Recommendation for everyone who likes authentic food!

Amazing deliciously flavourful food with great views and atmosphere. Recommend going for lunch as it's usually fully booked in the evenings because everyone wants to watch the sunset from the rooftop- understandably

A great stay again at this very special address in Stone Town. It’s my third stay since 14 years and the stay is unforgettable. I recommend the Tour room, with it’s own small rooftop, wonderful. The staff is really friendly and helpful. Don’t miss the dinner at the rooftop restaurant !

An easy 5/5! My husband and I stayed in the Tour Room and absolutely loved the private rooftop where we spent majority of our time. The Tour Room bathroom was .. intimate :) with only a curtain separating the loo from the larger room so I would suggest this room only for travellers that are very comfortable with each other. The breakfast is simple but fresh and filling. The staff are very well-natured and made our stay incredibly special. We would definitely recommend the sunset dinner on the larger rooftop - we thoroughly enjoyed the food, music and the view. The hotel is well located, equipped with everything you may need and clean. All in all - a lovely stay in Stone Town.