Discover a beachfront dining experience, where the culinary artistry perfectly matches the breathtaking Paje coastline.
The food menu at Kaio is built on a clear, uncompromising philosophy: honoring timeless Italian traditions while celebrating the incredible, daily bounty of the Indian Ocean.
Perched directly on the sand at Alaïa Beach Resort, Kaio offers two floors of open-air dining facing the turquoise lagoon, with our kitchen firing all day from 7:30 AM to 10:00 PM.
Our dishes carry a distinct identity – authentic Italian techniques at the center, day-boat local seafood at the edges, and vibrant seasonal produce woven throughout. Every plate is held together by careful preparation, honest ingredients, and a kitchen team that treats food as a craft. Explore our selections to find your next favorite dish on the sand.
When Kaio first opened, two master Italian chefs relocated to Paje for three months to instill every precise technique, tradition, and standard into our local kitchen team.
That dedication is why our pizza dough undergoes a patient, long cold-fermentation process. It is why our pasta is served al dente in the truest sense, finished directly within the sauce rather than being simply drained and topped. To preserve this authenticity, our foundational ingredients – premium “00” flour, rich extra-virgin olive oil, artisanal dried pasta – are imported directly from Italy.
To complement this, we utilize a state-of-the-art Italian electric oven operating at 450°C, replicating the intense heat and texture of a traditional Neapolitan wood-fired pizzeria.
Paje rests along a vibrant turquoise lagoon that has sustained small-scale, traditional fishing for generations. Kaio works directly with local captains operating just a hundred meters down the beach.
What they bring to the shore is what our chefs prepare for you that day. Depending on the morning’s catch, the menu may feature red snapper, grouper, octopus, prawns, or yellowfin tuna. We display the day’s fresh selection clearly at our entrance and right at your table.
Our culinary approach to seafood is minimal and respectful. We grill whole fish over hot charcoal, finishing it with nothing more than sea salt, olive oil, and lemon.
This is a corner of the Kaio menu our kitchen team takes immense pride in creating. Paje is an active destination where days are filled with world-class kitesurfing, swimming, yoga, and coastal exploration. With that lifestyle in mind, our salads are crafted to be complete, substantial meals – vibrant and filling enough to power your afternoon, yet light enough that you can jump straight back onto a kitesurf board without hesitation.
We rely heavily on local, island-grown produce, pairing fresh yields with imported Italian olive oil and house-made dressings prepared from scratch each morning.
Kaio offers a beautifully fluid dining experience where authentic Italian traditions meet relaxed coastal island life. Rather than separating our menus into rigid categories, we encourage you to blend them seamlessly to match your appetite.
Savor a crisp, refreshing salad alongside a rich plate of handmade pasta. Share a signature wood-fired style pizza between friends, or enjoy a beautifully grilled piece of fresh catch followed by a classic affogato. Our kitchen avoids strict starter-and-main courses, allowing you to curate a meal you truly want to experience.
This absolute flexibility carries through your entire day. We open at 7:30 AM with an exceptional breakfast selection, offering both curated platters and à la carte favorites, and run continuously until 10:00 PM. Whether you desire a late breakfast or an early dinner, our full menu is available whenever you are ready. At Kaio, the kitchen effortlessly adapts to you.
The coffee experience at Kaio centers around our professional La Cimbali espresso machine, one of Italy’s most respected names in espresso engineering. Paired with premium, Italian-roasted beans and operated by our expertly trained baristas, our program treats coffee with the exact same passion and seriousness that our chefs bring to the kitchen.
Available continuously from opening until close, you can enjoy perfectly pulled espresso, creamy cappuccinos, refreshing iced coffees, and classic affogatos at any hour of the day.
The Kaio salad menu features nutritious, substantial full-meal salads, vibrant grain bowls, and vegetable-forward mains made for active beach travelers.
We believe that exceptional dining should be effortlessly inclusive. A significant portion of our menu is naturally vegetarian, with a wonderful variety of fully vegan dishes clearly highlighted throughout.
For guests with gluten sensitivities, we keep dedicated gluten-free flour and pasta on hand. We can gladly adapt several of our signature pizzas and pastas to be gluten-free with just a little advance notice. If you have severe allergies or specific dietary requirements, simply let us know when making your reservation or speaking with your server so our kitchen can take the utmost care to minimize cross-contamination.
Kaio is designed to be a welcoming gathering place for families, couples, and solo travelers alike. Children are warmly embraced at every table across both of our oceanfront floors.
To ensure our youngest guests dine just as beautifully as their parents, we offer a dedicated children’s menu featuring smaller, approachable portions of our favorite pizzas, comforting pastas, fresh seafood, and healthy plates. Our kitchen is always happy to accommodate reasonable modifications to ensure a perfect family meal.
The exceptional flavors on the Kaio menu rely on a deliberate, harmonious balance between premium Italian imports and the freshest local sourcing.
Our foundational elements – including fine “00” flour, extra-virgin olive oil, artisanal pasta, authentic cheeses, and Italian-roasted coffee beans – travel directly from Italy. Our founding chefs identified these specific ingredients as entirely non-negotiable to achieve the taste and quality of a true Italian kitchen.
Everything else is sourced as close to our shores as possible. Our seafood comes straight from the fishing boats working the Paje lagoon, while our tropical fruits and vegetables are gathered from local island farms. Even our artisanal ice cream is crafted by a premium local producer, and the fresh herbs garnishing your plate are plucked directly from our own restaurant garden.
This thoughtful contrast – combining precise Italian imports with the pure, vibrant flavors of Zanzibar – is what makes dining at Kaio an experience you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Yes, absolutely. Kaio warmly welcomes hotel residents and non-resident visitors alike. Every day, we are delighted to host a wonderful mix of guests staying right here at the resort, travelers staying elsewhere in Paje, and visitors exploring from other corners of Zanzibar.
Our kitchen runs continuously from 7:30 AM to 10:00 PM, seven days a week. We do not close the kitchen between breakfast, lunch, or dinner services, meaning you are welcome to order from our full menu at any time of day.
Yes, we gladly offer gluten-free pizza and pasta options. Because we prepare these items using dedicated gluten-free flour and pasta kept on hand, we kindly ask for advance notice. If you have celiac disease or a severe intolerance, please flag this during your reservation so our kitchen can prepare your meal separately.
No, Kaio is a completely alcohol-free restaurant. We have poured that creative energy into a premium beverage program that features handcrafted mocktails, fresh-pressed juices, house sodas, and an exceptional La Cimbali espresso menu designed to stand beautifully on its own merits.
To ensure the highest possible quality, our seafood selections change daily depending entirely on what the local fishing boats bring in each morning. Our daily catch is posted clearly at our entrance and shared at your table by our service team.
To ensure the highest possible quality, our seafood selections change daily depending entirely on what the local fishing boats bring in each morning. Our daily catch is posted clearly at our entrance and shared at your table by our service team.
Come for the panoramic ocean views. Come for the exceptional coffee. Come for the unforgettable food.
