Dar es Salaam is not overly blessed with cafes or bars, but you can still find a decent watering hole within the city. The city is however, the musical centre of East Africa and has a number of great nightspots that get going after 2300 and run through the night.

Decent bars include Cynics Café and Wine Bar between Ohio Street and Upanga Road, which serves snack food, juices and coffees in addition to alcoholic drinks and has live music occasionally. The Slipway Pub on the waterside at Masani Slipway is the closest to an English pub and has both food and drinks on offer. Garden Bistro on Haile Selassie Road serves Indian food and hosts live music on weekends. The Q Bar, at the guesthouse of the same name on the corner of Haile Selassie and Massani Roads, is popular with locals, expats and tourists alike, has a good-value happy hour and live bands some nights. More upmarket is the Kibo Bar at the Movenpick Royal Palm Hotel on Ohio Street.

Live music venues include the well-established Amana Club on Uhuru Street, the lively Mango Garden on Mwinyijuma Road and next door, the Vijana Social Club.

Nightclubs include the western-style California Dreamers on Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road, the perennially popular, brash Bilicanas on Simu Street and the Lions Club on Sheikilango Road, which has plenty of local character and atmosphere.