Tofo's food scene is built around seafood and simplicity. Most restaurants are open-air affairs on or near the beach, and the daily catches of prawns, crab, and fish from local fishermen determine what's best to order.
Prawns are the local speciality — caught fresh, grilled over charcoal, and served with peri-peri sauce. They're what you should order at any restaurant that advertises them. Piri piri chicken is the other staple, in the Mozambican tradition inherited from Portuguese colonialism. Matapa — a stew of cassava leaves cooked in coconut milk with peanuts, sometimes with crab or shrimp — is the most distinctively local dish.
Several restaurants line the sandy main street of Tofo village. The backpacker establishments tend to offer reliable, cheap meals with friendly service. For a more elevated dinner, a few places along the beachfront do proper grilled seafood with cold Dois M (the local lager) or 2M beer.
Expect limited vegetarian options beyond rice, grilled vegetables, and occasionally tofu — ordering in advance helps if you have specific requirements. Power cuts are common, and some restaurants adapt better than others.