What to eat Mauritius? culinary specialties and gastronomy

There is no schedule more variable than those of the restaurant world and this is also true in Mauritius. Some street vendors are present from the morning, others just pass by; some gargotes open continuously, others close as soon as the food is exhausted; some urban tables also serve coffee and open from morning to night, others stick to the classic lunch and/or dinner hours, etc. In all cases, the more touristy the area, the wider the range of opening hours. A particularity: Port Louis being an economic and administrative capital (and not a city in which one lives), restaurants, apart from the food-courts and other fast-foods mostly gathered on the sea side at the level of Caudan, are generally closed in the evening. In a more general way, the closing hours of the restaurants are Sunday evening and/or Monday. But, once again, it depends on the tourist rate and the season. Be aware that on holidays and weekends, tables are usually very busy - reservations are often necessary. In any case, it is impossible to be left stranded: whatever happens, you can always go to the "Chinese" or buy dumplings or a dholl puri from a street vendor.

Concerning the particular case of the restaurants located in the hotels, which are very numerous and count among the best tables of the island, the policy is the same for all: they are open to the external customers, but only according to availability and on reservation. The higher the season, the more you have to book in advance. This is where you can have the pleasure of dining by the sea, or even directly with your feet in the sand, because in Mauritius, few independent restaurants have a waterfront location. It is generally also the hotel restaurants that, with a few exceptions, have the most beautiful settings with structures largely open to nature and the ocean.

You can eat for absolutely any price in Mauritius, starting for a few rupees in the street (street-food) and along the beaches with street vendors (samoussas, fritters, dumplings, faratas, dholl puri and other exotic snacks), or at the table of the numerous Indian, Creole or Asian gargotes scattered in the towns and villages. It is not only cheap but also very good, spicy without tearing the palate - a harmonious blend of local products and a cuisine with diverse influences. The most popular dish for less than 100 Rs: fried mines. Not expensive either: the food-courts stands in the malls and other fast-foods not necessarily American.

For a good table in an independent restaurant (understand: out of the hotel), count around 15 to 25/30 €, rather 35 € if you opt for expensive products like lobster or camel. You will pay an equivalent price (from 15 €) for a nice mixed salad, pasta or pizza in a hotel restaurant at lunchtime by the sea or the pool. In the evening, in resorts, prices are higher, especially for a select dinner at a luxurious establishment - prices equivalent to those of the good and great French restaurants in this case.

Tipping is neither obligatory nor generalized and remains a free gesture at the discretion of the client.

Concerning taxes, they are generally included in the price. As it is not systematic, always remember to check this information at the bottom of the card, otherwise you may be unpleasantly surprised to find yourself with a final bill that is 15% higher than expected, which is the amount of the VAT, the equivalent of our VAT.

Several Creole mansions and former planter's houses have been transformed into restaurants and offer their slightly old-fashioned elegance to lovers of places with character. You can have lunch in the green, since a park surrounds these beautiful residences, in the dining room with its period furniture or under the varangue, with the sweet song of the birds. The prices remain reasonable for a good quality Creole cuisine less aseptic than in hotels. In general, the houses are the heart of an estate that can be visited, a way to combine culture and gustatory pleasures. This is the case at Saint Aubin in the south, at Eureka near Port Louis, at the Domaine des Aubineaux near Curepipe and at the Château de Labourdonnais in the north (in this last case, the restaurant overlooks the house but is not located there). La Demeure Saint Antoine, in the north, is both a restaurant and a select guesthouse. The Château de Bel Ombre in the south is a gastronomic table of great class, accessible by reservation.

Other typical restaurants established in buildings with character: Chez Tante Athalie next to the Jardin de Pamplemousses, the Jardin de Beau Vallon and Karay Mario in Mahébourg, the Rhumerie de Chamarel in the south near the Terre de Sept Couleurs.

The family being an important value in Mauritian society, children are welcome in the vast majority of restaurants where a menu is generally dedicated to them, as well as high chairs if needed.

It is forbidden to smoke in public places in Mauritius and therefore in restaurants, which one would sometimes be tempted to do spontaneously as the structures are often open to the outside - the principle of the varangue, large covered terrace.

The more touristy the area, the more flexible the hours. In general, especially at the height of the season, cafés and bars are open continuously from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. In hotels, the same thing happens, they are open all day, with a peak in traffic at snack time or sunset. In the malls, which are living spaces in their own right, the opening hours follow those of the shopping center.

Happy Hours are frequent at the end of the day from 5pm/6pm to 7pm/20pm.

As in France, you have to be of age to have the right to consume alcohol in a bar.

A small beer on the beach at sunset, if possible local (Phoenix, Blue Marlin, Thirsty Fox, Flying Dodo...) and accompanied by gajaks - small salty snacks that you can only eat. Or a glass of wine, preferably with lychee, since the Mauritian production of Takamaka Winery is more than honorable! Or a cocktail, at the hotel, on a deckchair, while the sky and the sun combine to ensure the show, and the lagoon is as calm as a lake.

Apart from the discos and hotels reserved for adults, children are welcome everywhere.

Smoking is not allowed in enclosed areas or on covered terraces. In the open air, however, no problem.