The 10 Best Restaurants in Tahiti

Best Overall: Blue Banana

In tranquil Puna’auia, Blue Banana is perhaps Tahiti’s most well-balanced dining experience. Whether you choose a table indoors or out on the overwater pontoon with views of neighboring Moorea, you're in for some good food. The regular menu has a fine selection of well-priced steaks, seafood, and pizzas; in addition, the human-sized daily specials board is often similarly extensive, usually featuring fresh catches or imported meats. Favorites include seared tuna as an entrée or atop a salad, pizza with raclette cheese, and guava tart.

Reservations are essential on weekends. On any other day, booking ahead and asking for a table outside on the pontoon is the best assurance of actually getting a spot.

Best Fine Dining: Le Lotus Restaurant

Le Lotus, comprising a cluster of circular overwater huts on the grounds of the InterContinental Resort Tahiti, is perhaps one of Tahiti’s most romantic dining spots. Guests enjoy views of Moorea and sea life swimming below the lighted floor. The menu changes frequently to accommodate new inventions, but diners can generally count on fresh seafood and meats with inventive sauces and artful presentations. There’s also a large selection of cocktail creations and an extensive wine list. It's open for lunch and dinner; reservations are required.

Best Mediterranean: La Casa Bianca

Situated next to the Marina in Puna’auia, La Casa Bianca is best known for generous portions of pasta, pizza, and salads, as well as congenial dining areas both indoors and outdoors. Italian for “The White House,” this well-loved local establishment is also popular for its brisk takeout business and selection of beers and wines at the bar. Booking ahead is recommended for weekends.

Best Steak: L’annexe

Tucked into an air-conditioned corner of the Pacific Place shopping center in Faa’a, this cozy restaurant is known for the quality of its steaks, grilled in a style more American than French. But L’annexe is more than a steakhouse. The daily specials board often has a variety of fresh seafood and other imported meats. Be sure to save room for one of their inventive desserts—like a peanut butter cup take on the traditional profiterole.

Best Value: Place Vaiete Roulottes

This waterfront circle of souped-up food trucks with picnic tables is popular in the evenings for everything from raw fish dishes and Asian stir-fries to burgers and fries, barbecue, steak frites, and desserts. Whichever roulette (French for "caravan") one chooses, there’s but one guarantee—it will be too much food for most people in one sitting. Famously generous portions justify prices that may at first appear rather expensive. Be sure to take cash, as few (if any) of the roulettes accept cards.

Best French: Le Sully

This intimate dining room serving market cuisine (meaning the menu is mostly comprised of nightly specials based on what the chef has selected from the market that day) is a brasserie-style atmosphere straight out of Paris. Menu features include French favorites like beef tournedos (often topped with a slice of tangy French cheese), country terrines, pork rillette, and of course, Tahiti’s fresh seafood. The restaurant faithfully posts daily updates on its Facebook page; reservations are strongly suggested.

Best View: O Belvédère

Perched on the mountain high over Papeete, this restaurant lives up to its name. After a long, steep drive up the mountain ridge, diners enjoy sweeping vistas of the coast of Tahiti down the valley, the city of Papeete, and Moorea across the channel. O Belvédère typically has a significant selection of nightly specials, but a number of fondues and raclettes, as well as a substantial burger with bacon and onion confit, have a permanent place on the menu.

Best for Lunch: Le Soufflé

On Rue de Paul Gauguin, across from the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) of Papeete, Le Soufflé is definitely a power lunch spot. Here, the star of the menu is the eponymous souffle, served as a savory main dish or a sweet dessert. There’s also a notable selection of wryly named cocktails, salads (a favorite is topped with sautéed shrimp), and market cuisine depending on what’s fresh at the nearby public market that day. Reservations are necessary for lunch.

Best Seafood: L’Instant Présent

L’Instant Présent (French for “The Present Time”) offers a variety of experiences under one roof. Diners can take in the bistro menu—which features plenty of tapas and tartars made from local seafood or meat—on the oceanfront dining room with a terrace. They also serve up sushi and other Japanese dishes, while the teppanyaki table is available by reservation or walk-in (though reservations are suggested). Whatever diners choose, the sunset views of Moorea are spectacular.

Best Patisserie: Bogato

With a Paris-trained pastry chef turning out the daily yield, Bogato is the place for decadent and eye-catching pastries in Tahiti. There are satellite locations in Papara and Taravao, but the original in downtown Papeete is perfect for sipping coffee and indulging in a sweet treat on a lurid afternoon. Or, swing by and pick up a box to-go for a special occasion or—in true Tahitian style—an oceanfront picnic. Arrive early in the day for the best selection.