Shamwari is polarizing. It’s one of those places that you either love or hate. Maputo expats, in particular, are either won over by its meat and barbecue dishes (from 250 Mets) or turned off by the ultra-slow service and mosquitos. Eating family-style (splitting a selection of meats, fries, and salads) at Shamwari can make for a fun night out, but we’ve also heard too many stories of dinners ruined by service so slow that the drinks don’t always turn up before the check.
We ate there on a Friday night, making up a table of eight from Mozambique, Japan, France, and Germany. Two of the crowd were vegetarian, and weren’t impressed by the non-meat dishes coming out of the kitchen. Their feta salad was drab and boring, they said, and the generic samosas were indeed stuffed with meat. But Shamwari does deserve a gold star for its signature dish; carne na pedra, or meat served on a red hot stone.
We have to admit that it is something pretty special. Generous slabs of raw steak come out of the kitchen on heavy flat stones that have been heated to a high temperature. It’s up to each diner to cook the meat to perfection, using a knife and fork. It’s served with a side salad, fries, and three dipping sauces. The cuts of steak are so generous that you might want to split with a friend, and they go down well with children, too.
The other dishes on Shamwari’s menu don’t have any of the fun factor of carne na pedra; there are average salads, good prawns, and typical Mozambican piri-piri chicken with fries. And did we mention just how slow the service can be? Our mojitos finally emerged from the bar after we’d finished the carne. Still, with wooden tables outside in the yard and an upbeat, relaxed atmosphere, Shamwari makes for an interesting, affordable dinner with friends — as long as you’re not in a hurry, that is.
Expert Review
Shamwari is polarizing. It's one of those places that you either love or hate. Maputo expats, in particular, are either...
Shamwari is polarizing. It’s one of those places that you either love or hate. Maputo expats, in particular, are either won over by its meat and barbecue dishes (from 250 Mets) or turned off by the ultra-slow service and mosquitos. Eating family-style (splitting a selection of meats, fries, and salads) at Shamwari can make for a fun night out, but we’ve also heard too many stories of dinners ruined by service so slow that the drinks don’t always turn up before the check.
We ate there on a Friday night, making up a table of eight from Mozambique, Japan, France, and Germany. Two of the crowd were vegetarian, and weren’t impressed by the non-meat dishes coming out of the kitchen. Their feta salad was drab and boring, they said, and the generic samosas were indeed stuffed with meat. But Shamwari does deserve a gold star for its signature dish; carne na pedra, or meat served on a red hot stone.
We have to admit that it is something pretty special. Generous slabs of raw steak come out of the kitchen on heavy flat stones that have been heated to a high temperature. It’s up to each diner to cook the meat to perfection, using a knife and fork. It’s served with a side salad, fries, and three dipping sauces. The cuts of steak are so generous that you might want to split with a friend, and they go down well with children, too.
The other dishes on Shamwari’s menu don’t have any of the fun factor of carne na pedra; there are average salads, good prawns, and typical Mozambican piri-piri chicken with fries. And did we mention just how slow the service can be? Our mojitos finally emerged from the bar after we’d finished the carne. Still, with wooden tables outside in the yard and an upbeat, relaxed atmosphere, Shamwari makes for an interesting, affordable dinner with friends — as long as you’re not in a hurry, that is.