One Love Cafe and Art Gallery

Kelvin, the owner, is a fantastic Rasta man committed to making his guests comfortable and have fun. His place is located within a 5 minute walk of Mayoka Village towards town. This great little café is on a porch that overlooks the lake. He has great tea, and a variety of food. I suggest the banana pancakes, I could eat those all day. Outside the café Kelvin sells artwork (paintings, carvings, jewelry etc) made by him and his friends. It’s a great place to hang out or to buy souvenirs as he will negotiate a price with you but wont be as pushy as some of the vendors next door. When I was there in 2015, he was also talking about staring his own lodge on the hillside, so that might be finished by now, I would like to try staying there if I returned to Nkhata Bay

Kaya Papaya Restaurant

This cute little two story café is on the left right before you hit town coming from Mayoka Village. I was drawn in by the promise of ice cream from the display board outside. The ice cream was delicious and hit the spot on a hot December day. I didn’t order the food, although what my friends got looked great, but it was a nice place to hang out, drink a beer, and listen to some decent music. I wish I went back a second time.

Mayoka Village Map