Tahiti, the most inhabited island in French Polynesia, offers a diverse range of food options. From fine French cuisine akin to what you’d get in Paris to simple but plentiful food trucks, there’s something for everyone. While seafood is typically present on the majority of restaurant and food truck menus, there are usually additional options to suit most tastes.
Many restaurants in Tahiti have websites, but many also use Facebook to publish daily specials and changes to opening hours; it’s often useful to have the social networking app on hand to browse menus and send messages to restaurant owners, though most prefer to take bookings over the phone. Continue reading to learn about Tahiti’s greatest eateries.
1. Best Overall: Blue Banana
Blue Banana, located in the serene Puna’auia, is Tahiti’s most well-balanced eating experience. You’re in for some fantastic meals, whether you sit inside or on the overwater pontoon with views of neighboring Moorea. The normal menu offers a good assortment of reasonably priced steaks, seafood, and pizzas; additionally, the human-sized daily specials board frequently has fresh catches or imported meats.
Seared tuna as an entrée or on top of a salad, pizza with raclette cheese, and guava tartare are all favorites.
On weekends, reservations are required. On any other day, calling ahead and asking for a table on the pontoon is the best way to ensure you receive a table.
2. Best Fine Dining: Le Lotus Restaurant
One of Tahiti’s most romantic eating venues is Le Lotus, which consists of a cluster of circular overwater cottages on the grounds of the InterContinental Resort Tahiti. Views of Moorea and sea life swimming beneath the lit floor are available to guests. The menu is always changing to suit new ideas, but guests can always expect fresh fish and meats with creative sauces and artistic presentation. There’s also a wide wine list and a large assortment of cocktail creations. Reservations are required for both lunch and dinner.
3. Best Mediterranean: La Casa Bianca
La Casa Bianca, located close to the Marina in Puna’auia, is recognized for its ample amounts of pasta, pizza, and salads, as well as welcoming indoor and outdoor dining places. This well-liked local eatery is also well-known for its brisk takeout business and wide range of beers and wines at the bar. Weekend reservations should be made in advance.
4. Best Steak: L’annexe
This little restaurant, tucked into an air-conditioned corner of the Pacific Place shopping center in Faa’a, is noted for the quality of its steaks, which are grilled in an American rather than French way. L’annexe, on the other hand, is more than a steakhouse. Fresh fish and other exotic meats are frequently available on the daily specials board. Make sure to spare room for one of their creative sweets, such as a peanut butter cup-inspired profiterole.
5. Best Value: Place Vaiete Roulottes
In the evenings, this seaside circle of souped-up food trucks with picnic tables is packed with meals ranging from raw fish dishes and Asian stir-fries to burgers and fries, BBQ, steak fries, and desserts. Whatever roulette (French for “caravan”) one selects, one thing is certain: it will be far too much food for most individuals to consume in one sitting. Famously big portions justify costs that may appear to be a little high at first. Make sure you bring cash because only a few (if any) roulette tables accept credit cards.
6. Best French: Le Sully
This intimate dining room serves market food (i.e., the menu is primarily made up of nightly specials based on what the chef has chosen from the market that day) in a Parisian brasserie-style setting. Beef tournedos (typically topped with a slice of pungent French cheese), country terrines, hog rillette, and, of course, Tahiti’s fresh seafood are among the menu’s highlights. The restaurant’s Facebook page is updated regularly, and reservations are strongly recommended.
7. Best View: O Belvédère
This restaurant, perched high above Papeete on a mountain, lives up to its name. Diners enjoy magnificent views of the Tahiti shoreline down the valley, the city of Papeete, and Moorea across the channel after a long, steep journey up the mountain range. The weekly specials at O Belvédère are usually extensive, although several fondues and raclettes, as well as a hefty burger with bacon and onion confit, are always available.
