Best Restaurants in Bulawayo: Where to Eat in Zimbabwe's Second City

Bulawayo eats well by Zimbabwean standards. The city’s Ndebele heritage, combined with a cattle-ranching tradition in Matabeleland, means quality beef is a constant presence on menus, and Bulawayo’s steakhouses are taken seriously by locals. The city also has a growing café culture and some straightforward international options. Prices are noticeably more reasonable than Victoria Falls, making Bulawayo one of the better-value cities in Zimbabwe for independent travellers eating out.

Cattleman Steak House

Cattleman on Robert Mugabe Way (formerly known as Lobengula Street) is Bulawayo’s flagship steak restaurant and has been operating in various incarnations for decades. The focus is entirely on locally sourced beef — rump, T-bone, rib-eye, and fillet cuts, grilled over wood coals. The portions are generous by any measure. Prices run approximately USD 14–22 per main course as of 2026. The chips are thick-cut and the house salad comes in a bowl big enough to share. Cash payment preferred; USD accepted.

Lunch service from 12:00, dinner from 18:00, Tuesday to Sunday. No advance reservations usually required except for groups over eight.

Induna’s Restaurant at Banff Lodge

Banff Lodge in the Burnside suburb (roughly 5 kilometres north of the CBD) is Bulawayo’s best-established guesthouse-restaurant. The garden setting — jacaranda trees, a swimming pool, and wide lawns — is more pleasant than anything in the CBD, and Induna’s Restaurant serves solid Zimbabwean comfort food in that setting.

Expect sadza with chicken, beef stew or road runner chicken, peri-peri prawns, and an international menu for those who want burgers or pasta. Mains approximately USD 12–20 as of 2026. The breakfast served to hotel guests is also available to outside visitors and is worth the stop — freshly cooked eggs, local sausages, sliced avocado, and strong coffee.

The Bulawayo Club

The Bulawayo Club on Fife Street is one of the oldest continuously operating clubs in southern Africa, dating to 1895. Membership is technically required, but visitors staying at Bulawayo hotels or arriving with a local member can usually access the dining room for lunch. The food is colonial-era comfort food served with a self-conscious formality: roast beef and Yorkshire pudding on Sunday, a set lunch menu rotating through the week, and a decent wine and spirits bar.

The building and the atmosphere are the real draw — ceiling fans, leather armchairs, black-and-white photographs of colonial-era Rhodesia, and a quiet that is unusual by Bulawayo standards. An experience rather than a destination for food alone. Set lunch approximately USD 15–20 per person as of 2026.

Fusion Restaurant

Fusion Restaurant near the City Centre on 8th Avenue is a go-to for Bulawayo’s office crowd at lunch and young families at dinner. The menu is eclectic — Chinese-inspired stir-fries alongside Italian pasta alongside Zimbabwean beef plates — which sounds confused but works in practice because the kitchen executes each category decently. Particularly good for spring rolls and grilled chicken dishes. Mains from approximately USD 8–16 as of 2026. Generally open daily from 11:00.

The Selborne Hotel Restaurant

The Selborne Hotel on Leopold Takawira Avenue is one of Bulawayo’s historic city-centre hotels (built 1893) with a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food is straightforward hotel fare — grilled meats, pasta, salads, and sandwiches — but the location directly in the CBD makes it useful if you are sightseeing without a vehicle and want to eat centrally. Mains approximately USD 12–18 as of 2026. The Selborne Bar is also one of the more atmospheric drinking spots in downtown Bulawayo, with a wooden bar and high pressed-tin ceilings.

Local Sadza Spots

For genuinely local eating, the area around Lobengula Street and Fort Street in the CBD has a cluster of small local restaurants serving sadza with beef or chicken stew and relishes. Look for chalkboard menus outside; choose the busiest-looking kitchen as a quality indicator. Meals from approximately USD 2–4. These are cash-only, fast-turnover spots aimed squarely at working Bulawayo residents, and the food is filling and fresh.

The Egodini terminus area (where most kombi routes converge) has the highest density of these spots — busy, loud, and a useful lunchtime stop if you are using public transport between sights.

Breakfast and Coffee

The Suburbs Shopping Centre (sometimes called Avenues) area about 3 kilometres north of the CBD has the best selection of cafés for breakfast and working lunches. Nando’s Bulawayo (Portuguese peri-peri chicken) operates from this area and is reliably consistent if you know the chain from South Africa. For something local, several bakeries near the Pick n Pay on Fife Street sell fresh rolls and pastries from early morning.

After Dark in Bulawayo

Bulawayo is quieter than Harare after dark, but not without options. The Sun Hotel pool bar on Josiah Tongogara Street and the bars around the Holiday Inn are the main spots for evening drinks. The Old Grey Club has live music on weekends. Zai Lounge on Jason Moyo Street is a newer addition with cocktails and a DJ on Fridays.

If you are combining Bulawayo with Matobo Hills or a wider Zimbabwe trip, Bulawayo tours can bundle the city’s best experiences into a half or full day. For sightseeing to fill your days between meals, see our things to do in Bulawayo guide.