Banapaya Restaurant
Banapaya
A budget local eatery run by villagers, known for fried chambo lake fish with nsima and curry; beach bonfires and drumming often follow dinner.
Banapaya is a small restaurant run by locals on the main street of Chembe Village. It ranks first among Cape Maclear restaurants on TripAdvisor, rated 4.5. The signature is fried or grilled chambo served with nsima (maize porridge) and spicy salsa. Travel bloggers praise the curry as genuinely delicious and fairly priced; there are also chicken skewers. The space is small, with murals by a local artist, and it can get crowded. Food is cooked to order, so waits can be long; arrive early to order. After dinner, bonfires and drumming on the beach outside are common, depending on the crowd. It is the cheapest tier locally and can be reached on foot from the lodges along the village road.
Opening hours
Lunch and dinner service; no fixed published hours, so arrive early to order
Nearby sights
- Livingstonia Mission Graves
- Otter Point
- Chembe Beach, Cape Maclear
- Thumbi Island West
- Domwe Island
- Lake Malawi National Park
- Mumbo Island
- Monkey Bay