Dar es Salaam · City Centre & Upanga
Cafés in City Centre & Upanga
Café Aroma on Obama Road, Impresso Espresso on Zaramo Street in Kisutu, and Tsavorite Cafe on Jamhuri Street.
Photo: Alex Levis, Pexels License
This area runs from Kivukoni, home of the Bank of Tanzania and the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, through Kisutu to Upanga.1 Kisutu is tiny, 0.4 km² with 6,364 residents in 2022,2 and with Upanga it holds the highest concentration of the city's Asian communities.1 Upanga West and Upanga East together have the largest Indian immigrant community in the country.3
Cafés here are scattered rather than clustered. Café Aroma and Central Park Cafe are on Barack Obama Drive, Impresso Espresso at 4 Zaramo Street in Kisutu,2 Tsavorite Cafe at 26 Jamhuri Street, Green Bean Café & Bakery at 1 Mtitu Street and Amboni Cafe on Mindu Street.
Local tip: Café Aroma on Obama Road serves until 23:00 from Monday to Saturday but closes at 17:00 on Sunday, so plan Sunday evenings in Masaki instead.
At a glance
9Cafés listed
1With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
- Opens earliest: Café Aroma, from 08:00 (Mon–Fri 08:00–23:00 · Sat 10:00–23:00 · Sun 08:00–17:00).
- Most common features: bakery café (22%), wi-fi (11%), air-con (11%).
Amboni Cafe
Central Park Cafe
Green Bean Café & Bakery
- Bakery café
Impresso Espresso
Tsavorite Cafe
Alifrida Coffee
Magnolia Cafe
Mokka City Cafe & Lounge
Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Dar es Salaam.
Getting around by bus and bridge
The city's bus rapid transit line, fully running since 10 May 2016, covers 21 km from Kimara past Ubungo to terminals at Kivukoni, Morocco and Gerezani, with 29 stations; feeder dala-dala (minibus) routes meet it at the terminals.5
Near the Aga Khan Hospital, the Tanzanite Bridge leaves Barack Obama Drive for Oyster Bay, a 1.03 km crossing that cost about TSh 243 billion.4 Britain's travel advice warns that visitors have been targeted in the city centre and that crime rises at night, and it recommends reputable taxi services and checking the driver's ID.6
Kisutu's mosques and side streets
Kisutu's nickname, the "believing ward", comes from having the most mosques per head of any ward in Ilala. They include the Khoja Shia Ithnasheri Mosque on Indira Gandhi Street, the Saifee Masjid on Zanaki Street, the Ngazija Mosque on India Street and the Sunni Mosque on Mosque Street, and the Shree Hindu Mandal Hospital is in the ward too.2
Kisutu is the ancestral home of the Zaramo people and grew into a cosmopolitan ward as the city developed.2 Zaramo Street once housed Channel 10, the former Dar es Salaam Television station.2 Impresso Espresso stands at number 4, and Tsavorite Cafe is at 26 Jamhuri Street.
Barack Obama Drive
Café Aroma, on Obama Road, opens from 08:00 to 23:00 on weekdays, 10:00 to 23:00 on Saturday and 08:00 to 17:00 on Sunday. It has Wi-Fi, air conditioning, brunch, baked goods and vegan dishes, takes cards, bans smoking and has limited wheelchair access. Central Park Cafe is at 19 Barack Obama Drive.
The Ocean Road Hospital counts among the city's early historic buildings.1
Upanga and Kariakoo
Upanga West is home to Muhimbili, the country's largest hospital, and to the Union Sports Club.3 Amboni Cafe is on Mindu Street, and Green Bean Café & Bakery sells baked goods at 1 Mtitu Street. Alifrida Coffee, Magnolia Cafe and Mokka City Cafe & Lounge round out the area.
Kariakoo, the shopping district, takes its name from a Swahili rendering of the Carrier Corps, the British colonial unit once based there. Its market began trading in 1923, was damaged by fire in July 2021, and a rebuilt six-storey complex was inaugurated in February 2026.7
Sources
- Dar es Salaam, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Kisutu, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Upanga West, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Tanzanite Bridge, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Tanzania travel advice: Safety and security, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, accessed October 2026
- Kariakoo, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring
More of Dar es Salaam
In City Centre & Upanga, also browse: Air-conditioned cafés Open late
FAQ
City Centre & Upanga cafés: questions
Which café in Dar es Salaam city centre stays open late?
Café Aroma on Obama Road serves from 08:00 to 23:00 on weekdays and from 10:00 to 23:00 on Saturday, but closes at 17:00 on Sunday. It has Wi-Fi, air conditioning, brunch, baked goods and vegan dishes, and takes cards. Central Park Cafe is on the same road, at 19 Barack Obama Drive.
How do you reach Dar es Salaam city centre by bus rapid transit?
The bus rapid transit line has run fully since 10 May 2016. It covers 21 km from Kimara past Ubungo to terminals at Kivukoni, Morocco and Gerezani, with 29 stations, and feeder dala-dala minibus routes meet it at the terminals. Kivukoni, home of the Bank of Tanzania, is the city-centre end.
What is Kisutu in Dar es Salaam known for?
Kisutu is a small central ward of 0.4 km² with 6,364 residents in 2022, known with Upanga for the city's largest Asian communities. Its nickname, the believing ward, comes from having the most mosques per head in Ilala, among them the Saifee Masjid on Zanaki Street. Impresso Espresso is at 4 Zaramo Street.
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