Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Zanzibar Cafe

I stopped in for lunch at the original Zanzibar Cafe in Pacific Beach. There are two more locations now, one Downtown and the other at the UCSD Loft, but the PB shop has the benefit of being near the beach to set it apart from the others.

My initial impressions of Zanzibar Cafe was that the food and decor had nothing whatsoever to do with an East African archipelago, and that it was nevertheless beautifully decorated.

The place had fresh flowers, great lighting, cozy banquettes, compelling art on the walls, and a wonderfully shaded patio. The atmosphere inside Zanzibar was far and away its most attractive feature. It's not an overstatement to say that the cafe was decorated with the care befitting a charming, full-service bistro.

Additionally, the wine and beer list seemed excessive for a sandwich and coffee shop; but this was one instance where too much of a good thing was perfectly fine. There were plenty of good glasses of wine and craft beer in bottles, should one feel so inclined.

The food, on the other hand, fell short of the promise made by the decor. A smoked chicken sandwich was assembled a bit carelessly with the toppings unevenly distributed and the roll burnt around the edges.

The one bright spot was a rather beguiling vinaigrette on the side salad which had been added, seemingly as an afterthought.

On the whole, Zanzibar's sandwich and salad menu seemed uninspired and mildly overpriced. Lunch items for $8-$11 would have felt justified at about fifty to sixty percent of that cost, but as it was the choices seemed too mundane to get excited over.

To end on a bright note, I can say that Zanzibar's cute atmosphere, good drink selections, espresso bar, and pastry case might lend the restaurant credibility as a pre- or post-dinner stop.

Zanzibar Cafe
978 Garnet Avenue
858-272-4762
Sun-Thur 7AM-8:30PM
Friday & Saturday 7AM-10PM

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

San Diego seawalls depend on Half Moon Bay case

Casa Mira townhomes sued after losing 20 feet of bluffs in storm
Next Article

San Diego Holiday Experiences

As soon as Halloween is over, it's Christmas time in my mind

I stopped in for lunch at the original Zanzibar Cafe in Pacific Beach. There are two more locations now, one Downtown and the other at the UCSD Loft, but the PB shop has the benefit of being near the beach to set it apart from the others.

My initial impressions of Zanzibar Cafe was that the food and decor had nothing whatsoever to do with an East African archipelago, and that it was nevertheless beautifully decorated.

The place had fresh flowers, great lighting, cozy banquettes, compelling art on the walls, and a wonderfully shaded patio. The atmosphere inside Zanzibar was far and away its most attractive feature. It's not an overstatement to say that the cafe was decorated with the care befitting a charming, full-service bistro.

Additionally, the wine and beer list seemed excessive for a sandwich and coffee shop; but this was one instance where too much of a good thing was perfectly fine. There were plenty of good glasses of wine and craft beer in bottles, should one feel so inclined.

The food, on the other hand, fell short of the promise made by the decor. A smoked chicken sandwich was assembled a bit carelessly with the toppings unevenly distributed and the roll burnt around the edges.

The one bright spot was a rather beguiling vinaigrette on the side salad which had been added, seemingly as an afterthought.

On the whole, Zanzibar's sandwich and salad menu seemed uninspired and mildly overpriced. Lunch items for $8-$11 would have felt justified at about fifty to sixty percent of that cost, but as it was the choices seemed too mundane to get excited over.

To end on a bright note, I can say that Zanzibar's cute atmosphere, good drink selections, espresso bar, and pastry case might lend the restaurant credibility as a pre- or post-dinner stop.

Zanzibar Cafe
978 Garnet Avenue
858-272-4762
Sun-Thur 7AM-8:30PM
Friday & Saturday 7AM-10PM

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Counterpoint

Next Article

Big Changes at Westfield UTC: Corner Bakery Cafe

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader