Restaurant French Polynesia - The 10 best restaurants French Polynesia in 2024

Practical information : Eating out French Polynesia

Timetable

As in France, the lunch hour varies between 11am and 2.30pm in principle. On the other hand, for dinner, don't venture out to a restaurant at 9pm as on summer evenings in Metropolitan France, because except perhaps in Papeete, you often risk finding the door closed! The days are relatively short in French Polynesia, or more accurately, they start and end earlier. We live roughly between 5-6h in the morning and 20-21h in the evening, at the rhythm of the sun. A bit disturbing at the beginning, but we finally get used to it quickly and well! In the capital, the kitchens generally close around 9:30 pm, except in the case of places to go out - Les Trois Brasseurs for example - where we can dine later. Another option: the caravans at Place Vaiete, which can serve until 2am. If your international flight arrives at a late hour, you should also think about the gas stations open 24 hours a day: they often offer a delicatessen section with tasty sahimis and other raw coconut fish, which are very appreciable after almost two days of airplane meals... On the islands, the great majority of the pensions offer half-board; dinners are then served at fixed times around 7pm, with lights out around 9pm.

Budget & Tips

Food will be a major item on your budget, but fortunately with the near-certainty of eating fresh, good food, and always in quantity! For those on a budget, you'll find it easy to eat in the caravans for between 1,400 and 3,000 XPF (approx. €12 to €25), with good Polynesian or Chinese dishes on the menu. For 2,200 to 5,000 XPF (approx. €18 to €41), brasseries, snack bars and small restaurants offer more refined dishes, perhaps, most often based on fish. Luxury hotels and the best restaurants in the area offer delicious dishes, but these often exceed XPF 5,000 (€41). Unlike some other dream destinations, where you can enjoy a feast for a pittance, certain products, such as red meat and lobster in particular, remain luxury dishes in French Polynesia.

What costs extra

No unpleasant surprises when it's time to pick up the bill: prices are quoted inclusive of all taxes at practically all retailers, including restaurants. It should be noted that tipping is not obligatory, and that even a few years ago, tipping could cause offence, as money does not have the same meaning in Polynesia.

The local way

The trailer of course! Offering local dishes and always excessively copious (you've been warned!), the caravans offer real value for money with, as a bonus, a very friendly atmosphere. These food-trucks, as we would call them at home with less exoticism and poetry, these small snacks are present everywhere in the territory, from the Vaiete de Papeete square to the small atoll at the end of the Tuamotu. To discover absolutely!

To be avoided

Avoid tipping everywhere, all the time. A few years ago, tipping didn't exist in Polynesia. With good intentions, a traveler who offered money to a waiter would greatly offend him: no one can buy a Polynesian. Since then, some locals seem to have understood what Westerners mean by money, and tourists are increasingly welcoming the practice. While it is now customary - even obligatory - in the big hotels, it is not necessarily the case in the small hotels and guesthouses on the islands and atolls.

Kids

Your little ones are welcome in most restaurants: booster chairs are often available and some tables in Papeete even offer a children's menu. This is especially true in the larger hotels. However, in the islands where the number of restaurants is more limited, children's menus do not necessarily exist and the refined cuisine of the guesthouses may not always please your little ones. Do not hesitate to inform your boarding house in advance so that it can, if it can, propose an adapted option. As for the big hotels, they offer many western dishes.

Smokers

Since 2009, it is forbidden to smoke in public places in French Polynesia. As in mainland France, you should not light your cigarette in restaurants, except possibly on the terrace.

Tourist traps

Advantage of small islands: word of mouth, sponsored by coconut radio, quickly transmits good and bad plans from all over the territory! The tourist catch-all addresses would therefore quickly be closed down, so you are relatively safe from busy and opportunistic restaurants.

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