When you look for plant-based food along the East African coast, the experience can often feel a bit predictable. You usually have to ask kitchens to remove dairy from regular dishes, settle for a basic side salad, or pick the single vegetable curry on a long menu. At Kaio, we do things differently. Located right on the beautiful grounds of the 55-room luxury Alaïa resort, our kitchen treats plant-based cooking as a natural part of traditional Italian cooking, not just a last-minute backup plan.
This mix works perfectly because authentic Italian cooking has spent centuries putting grains, fresh herbs, and seasonal vegetables front and center. Long before modern food trends, coastal Mediterranean kitchens relied on the rich flavors of cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, sun-ripened tomatoes, and slow-fermented doughs to build deep flavors without using animal fats.
By pairing these classic European techniques with the fresh produce from Zanzibar’s local farms, we have built a menu where vegan guests can order with absolute freedom. From our signature hand-stretched pizzas to energy-packed grain bowls made for an active island lifestyle, our vegan menu is designed from scratch to be exactly what they are: satisfying, balanced, and completely delicious on their own.
These dishes are entirely plant-based exactly as our chefs created them, no complicated changes or special ordering required.
Our pizza dough goes through a slow 24-hour rising process and is stretched entirely by hand. It then cooks inside our top-tier Italian electric oven at classic Neapolitan temperatures (400 to 450°C) for a perfect blistered crust.
The original Neapolitan pizza. Made simply with our signature crispy crust, rich house tomato sauce, thinly sliced garlic, aromatic oregano, and a generous swirl of premium Italian extra-virgin olive oil. It is naturally dairy-free and one of the most traditional pizzas we serve.
Most traditional Italian dried pasta is made using only durum wheat semolina and water, making it naturally vegan. (We keep our house-made egg pastas completely separate and clearly marked).
A perfect study in simplicity. Imported Italian spaghetti tossed in a bright, slow-simmered tomato sauce, finished with fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil.
For those who like a spicy kick. Penne pasta tossed in a fiery tomato sauce made with local Zanzibari chilis, garlic, and fresh parsley.
A classic Roman comfort dish made with technical precision, combining fine olive oil, gently toasted garlic, chili flakes, and flat-leaf parsley.
Flat ribbons of linguine pasta tossed with a mix of smoky grilled vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh garden herbs.
Our salads and healthy plates are designed to be complete, filling meals rather than small sides, perfect for fueling your island adventures.
A deeply satisfying blend of fluffy quinoa, roasted sweet potato, crisp kale, protein-rich chickpeas, avocado, house-pickled red cabbage, smooth hummus, and a velvety tahini dressing.
A refreshing, sun-drenched mix of quinoa, cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, kalamata olives, fresh mint, and parsley, tossed in a bright lemon and olive oil dressing.
Crisp mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and sharp radish, topped with toasted sunflower seeds and a house lemon-herb vinaigrette.
A thick-cut, beautifully caramelized roasted cauliflower steak served over a bed of smooth tahini, topped with a bright house chimichurri sauce and fresh pomegranate seeds.
Fire-kissed zucchini, eggplant, sweet bell peppers, and shaved fennel, dressed in herbed olive oil and served alongside warm, house-baked flatbread.
Choose between our classic Italian Minestrone packed with local market vegetables, our silky Tomato Basil soup, or our aromatic Coconut Pumpkin soup made with locally pressed coconut milk, fresh ginger, and turmeric.
A thick, vibrant blended fruit base topped with crunchy house-baked granola, chia seeds, and shredded coconut.
Thick slices of artisanal sourdough spread with premium almond or peanut butter, sliced banana, and a drizzle of local agave syrup.
Every single one of our fresh-pressed juices, house-fermented sodas, and botanical mocktails is naturally vegan. For our specialty La Cimbali coffee program, our baristas are professionally trained to steam plant-based milks (oat, almond, and coconut), giving your morning cappuccino a flawless, velvety foam.
Our menu is built to be flexible. These highly popular dishes are naturally vegetarian on our main menu but can be easily turned into exceptional vegan plates, just let your server know.
We make a premium, house-made cashew cheese alternative that melts beautifully under high heat, allowing us to capture those classic pizza flavors perfectly:
Our signature crispy crust topped with house tomato sauce, a mix of smoky grilled vegetables, fresh green herbs, and our artisanal cashew cheese.
A savory, earthy combination of rich tomato sauce, pan-fried mixed forest mushrooms, toasted garlic, fresh parsley, and a layer of cashew cheese.
Note: Any standard pizza can easily be converted into a beautiful vegan option simply by skipping the mozzarella, leaving you with a clean, tomato-and-herb-forward masterpiece.
A generous spread of ancient bulgur wheat, house-fried herbed falafel, rich hummus, fresh tabbouleh, and sharp pickled vegetables (simply ask to skip the dairy-based tzatziki).
A high-protein selection featuring a roasted harvest vegetable mix instead of the standard grilled chicken.
A clean, crisp medley of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, and kalamata olives, served purely with wild oregano and extra-virgin olive oil.
The incredible flavors of our plant-forward menu rely entirely on the quality of our ingredients, which come from two main places:
The vast majority of our fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs are sourced from small-scale farms scattered across the island. The ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, dark leafy greens, sweet pumpkins, and local chilis travel a very short distance from the soil to our kitchen.
What we cannot source with perfect quality on the island, we import directly from Italy. This includes our high-protein pizza flour, our artisan-grade dry pastas, extra-virgin olive oil, and the premium espresso beans running through our La Cimbali machines.
Our kitchen operates at a highly professional standard, managing fresh seafood and premium dairy alongside our plant-based dishes. While our line maintains strict discipline – using designated, color-coded cutting boards, separate cooking utensils, and isolated preparation surfaces – we like to be completely transparent that we operate within a shared professional kitchen environment. To maintain these high benchmarks, our food separation goals align closely with the international ingredient integrity guidelines set by The Vegan Society.
To help us provide the smoothest dining experience possible, we recommend a few simple steps:
Please flag your vegan or vegetarian preference within our digital booking notes.
Mention your dietary lifestyle to your server when you are seated. They will guide you through the day’s specific vegetable harvests and highlight any seasonal specials.
If you have a severe medical allergy to dairy, eggs, or shellfish, please communicate this explicitly as an allergy rather than a preference during booking. This triggers our strict allergen protocol, ensuring our culinary team takes isolated preparation precautions for your safety.
For travelers balancing both plant-based and gluten-sensitive lifestyles, Kaio remains incredibly accommodating. The majority of our naturally vegan options – including our vibrant quinoa grain bowls, our whole grilled vegetable platters, our fresh market salads, and our coconut pumpkin soups – are naturally gluten-free. For a full breakdown of our technical kitchen safeguards and alternative crusts, please explore our dedicated guide.
A significant, highly varied section of the Kaio menu is naturally vegan. Drawn from centuries-old Italian traditions, these dishes were created as core pillars of our menu, never as an afterthought.The training set up a permanent pipeline to import real Italian “00” pizza flour, olive oil, and authentic Italian-made dried pasta.
Enjoy complete freedom with our Vegan Marinara pizza, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, Penne all’Arrabbiata, The Buddha Bowl, The Grilled Vegetable Platter, The Cauliflower Steak, and our silky Coconut Pumpkin soup.
You don’t have to skip the pizza section. We feature a premium, house-made cashew cheese alternative that melts beautifully in our 450°C oven, allowing us to craft exceptional vegan versions of our Verdure and Funghi pizzas.
Our full La Cimbali coffee program is completely compatible with plant-based diets. We stock premium oat, almond, and coconut milks, and our baristas are trained to steam them into a flawless micro-foam.
Simply notify our team of your vegan lifestyle when making your digital reservation. Your server will walk you through the day’s fresh local harvests and highlight easy adjustments when you sit down.
