Avenida de Marginal 5714, Maputo, Mozambique
Cuisine:
Italian
Good for:
Dinner, Outdoor Seating
Campo di Mare
2 Visitor Photos +
REVIEWS
2 Reviews
Avenida de Marginal 5714, Maputo, Mozambique
Expert Review
I went to eat at Campo di Mare, a restaurant on the Maputo waterfront, on a foggy, spring night when...
I went to eat at Campo di Mare, a restaurant on the Maputo waterfront, on a foggy, spring night when the moon was full.
It was a little windy and nippy out, and I sipped on a Laurentina — Maputo’s favorite beer — while listening to waves breaking feet away from me beyond the covered porch.
The restaurant is inside a marina named Clube Maritimo de Desportos, and it has changed names recently, which caused some confusion for me and others who have gone in search of this excellent Italian restaurant. According to online reviews, the restaurant was once known as Maritimo. At least that’s where I thought I was going to eat.
I’m glad I ended up in the right place. The menu was quite small, but good.
My meal started with a fabulous arugula salad that was heavy on prawns and light on avocados with a great, light dressing. The more I dug down into the salad, the better it got. It was served in a deep, round bowl whose shape seemed to magically funnel the flavors down to the heart of the salad — to that place where salads sometimes run out of flavor. I was impressed.
For my main course, I had spaghetti with clams — a first for me. I love meals where you have to be active, so this was up my alley. It was like going fishing for clams in my spaghetti bowl. The dish was ever so slightly sandy, but not enough to be unpleasant — sort of like like having a bit of the beach in my plate. The cost for this dish was 280 metical (about $8.40 USD) — pretty reasonable as Maputo main courses go.
My waiter invited me to go choose my dessert from a cooler by the front entrance that was full of enticing offerings. I ordered the cashew cake with vanilla ice cream.
Campo di Mare is a popular place for business lunches with a reputation for good service and good presentation.
Expert Review
Mozambique is famous for its beachfront restaurants, but there are only a handful of upmarket restaurants with a sea view...
Mozambique is famous for its beachfront restaurants, but there are only a handful of upmarket restaurants with a sea view in Maputo, and Campo di Mare is one of the best. This Italian spot is inside the Maritimo sports club (where you can jump in the pool for the price of 400 Mets) on the Avenida Marginal, which winds along the coast. It’s a stylish and atmospheric place to eat, especially if you call ahead and reserve one of the tables on the deck.
We ate here on a Sunday lunchtime, when the place was packed with couples enjoying post-hangover mojitos and bloody marys, and families tucking into pizzas and pastas. The maracuja caipirinhas (made with fresh Mozambican passionfruit) are probably the best in Maputo. The menu is pretty seafood-centric, with appetizers such as Tuna Carpaccio (served with fresh orange and black olives) stealing the show. The fish linguine and spaghetti with clams were both excellent, rounded off by a nice slab of garlic bread. The prices are surprisingly good (for Maputo) with most pasta dishes priced at around 300 Mets, and pizzas starting at 150 Mets.
There’s no dessert list here; instead there’s a pudding counter, mostly filled with cakes and pies. We were craving a scoop of lemon sorbet after all that pasta and bread, so we climbed the stairs to the sports club inside the same premises, where there’s an ice cream bar that serves sorbet and gelato. You can also jump in the pool for the price of 400 Mets, or kick back on the sun loungers and look out to sea.