Tahiti – French Polynesia Restaurant Reviews

Reviewer: Foodnut.com

Sofitel Hotel – Moorea, French Polynesia

We travelled to to French Polynesia for the first time in the Fall of 2022, visiting the islands of Tahiti and Moorea. Yes it is beautiful, Yes the people are friendly, Yes you should go. French is the main language, and many do not speak English. If you’ve eaten a good amount of French food, you can decode the menus. rice are not as expensive as many imagine.  You can eat street food and stay in lower cost Airbnbs. No, we did not stay at the huts pictured above 🙂

Roadside stands

We bought a lot of fruit on Moorea from roadside stands. Many are near supermarkets or beaches.  We ate some of the sweetest pineapple around. Taro, mango, papaya, and many tropical fruits we had never seen.  You will also see reviews below for Food trucks and neighborhood street food outlets.

Dietary Restrictions

Vegans and gluten free eaters need to be cautious.  Most restaurants do not understand these dietary requirements.  You will probably eat a lot of salads and side dishes of vegetables and potatoes.

There is no Yelp in French Polynesia, Trip Advisor was our main resource and not very helpful.

Buying a SIM card in Tahiti for Unlocked smartphones or Portable Router

Some tips on using an unlocked phone or mobile mfi wifi router in Tahiti, French Polynesia

Buy Vini Travel Card (4000 XPF) from a Vini store for Tourist 3 x 3GB (Promotional 3x bonus through 1/31/23). Insert card right away. That was if there are issues, they can fix it. We bought it from the airport and the vendor had no technical ability.

Details:
https://www.vini.pf/mobile/international/visiteurs-internationaux

SIM PIN is set to 0000 – if you use a travel mobile router you need to set your configuration settings to reflect this. On our Huawei router we had to use iOS app to set this.

We had to manually set APN to: internet
before this worked. See this page for all settings. Again we had to set this on our Huawei mifi router using their iOS App
https://www.vini.pf/assistance/mobile/parametrage-mobile

Reception was very good as was speed throughout Tahiti and Moorea, and even on the ferry cruising between the islands.

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Meherio Tahitian Bistro, Papeete, Tahiti

Place Tu-Marama
Papeete 98713 French Polynesia

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294352-d21336799-Reviews-Meherio_Tahitian_Bistro-Papeete_Tahiti_Society_Islands.html

Meherio is European, Polynesian restaurant right on the waterfront. Beautiful views of the harbor. One would expect this to be an expensive tourist trap. 4.5 stars on Trip advisor. The dining room is wide open to the outside, making it a safer bet.

They barely understand English, so be prepared. Asking for Vegan salad yield one with cheese. Prices are expensive. They did not understand we wanted an appetizer. Overall, this was our best finer dining meal of the trip.

During the Covid 19 Pandemic in 2022, we visited them for outdoor dining.
We were trying to support local restaurants, so they can survive.

Safety Pluses – Online menu, phone ordering, outdoor dining.

Food Picks:
Pina Colada (1800 XPF) was short and filled with ice. Decent flavor. 8/10

Salad de Chèvre Noix de Pecan et Mewl de Taha’a – Goat Cheese Salad, pecan Nutes and Taha’as honey (2800 XPF). Is a beautiful looking salad. Expensive but decent. 8.5/10

Tournedos de Filet Boef facon Rossini, Gnoochis de Uru Roules a la creme et Huile de truffle, Petits Legumes Glaces, Jus au Porto Monte au Frie Gras (4100 XPF) – Tournedos of Beef filet Rossini style, Gnoochi, Glazed vegetables, Foie Gras was fantastic. Medium rare meat with a nice gravy, topped with decadent Foie. 9/10

Just OK:
None

Skip:
None

Overall – Very Good
Food – Excellent
Decor – Excellent
Service – Good
Value – Fair

Would we come back – Yes

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Blue Banana, Punaauia French Polynesia

PK 11. 1 Cote Mer
Punaauia French Polynesia
+689 40 41 22 24
http://bluebanana.in-tahiti.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g297572-d1049766-Reviews-Blue_Banana-Punaauia_Tahiti_Society_Islands.html

Blue Banana is French, Polynesian restaurant right on the water on Tahiti. Beautiful views of the water. Definitely draws in a bunch of French tourists. 4.5 stars on Trip advisor. The dining room is wide open to the outside, making it a safer bet.

They barely understand English, so be prepared. Asking for Vegan salad yield one with bacon.. Prices are expensive.

During the Covid 19 Pandemic in 2022, we visited them for outdoor dining.
We were trying to support local restaurants, so they can survive.

Safety Pluses – Online menu, phone ordering, outdoor dining.

Food Picks:
Burgundy Escargot (850 XPF for 6) in garlic butter is a classic dish. So much butter that you can’t really taste the snails. 7.5/10

Prawn Risotto Special (3650 XPF) had several smallish prawns along with a nicely done, creamy risotto. The prawns were fine but had a slight bitter taste. Probably frozen. 8/10

Side order of potatoes and green beans (1200 XPF) was about all vegetarians can expect. They are cooked just fine. 8/10

Just OK:
None

Skip:
None

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Excellent
Service – Good
Value – Fair

Would we come back – Yes

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Moorea Beach Cafe, French Polynesia

PK 6 Cote Mer Maharepa
Maharepa 98728 French Polynesia
+689 40 56 29 99
https://www.mooreabeachcafe.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g303860-d4055008-Reviews-Moorea_Beach_Cafe-Maharepa_Moorea_Society_Islands.html

Moorea Beach Cafe is French, Italian restaurant right on the water on Tahiti. Beautiful views of the water during the day. Pitch black at night. Definitely draws in a bunch of French tourists. 4.5 stars on Trip advisor. The dining room is wide open to the outside, making it a safer bet. They have a shuttle to many hotels. (Not a good sign!)

They barely understand English, so be prepared. Prices are expensive.

During the Covid 19 Pandemic in 2022, we visited them for outdoor dining.
We were trying to support local restaurants, so they can survive.

Safety Pluses – Online menu, phone ordering, outdoor dining.

Food Picks:
La Greque salad (3200 XPF) local grilled vegetables, tomato, feta, cucumbers, papaya, olives is a pretty salad. We asked for it gluten free, but they still added bread to it. 7.5/10

Proscuitto pizza (2800 XPF) was more of a flat bread than a pizza. Big but soft with a couple slices of prosciutto. 6.5/10

Cooked vegetables ( XPF) are not on the menu but good for vegans and others.

Just OK:
None

Skip:
None

Overall – Good
Food – Fair
Decor – Very Good
Service – Fair
Value – Fair

Would we come back – No

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9/30/22, 10/1/22

Kaylakea Moz Food, Moreau, French Polynesia

Moorea – Pk 5,2 Ct/mer À Côté De L’hôtel Manava
Maharepa 98728 French Polynesia
+689 87 34 64 28
https://www.facebook.com/Since2021ByChefTunuiHaring/menu?referrer=PAGE_ATTACHMENT&paipv=0&eav=AfZkqQK5OFolXdjeEXsMVNO6MBHxqc7HBlG-JkfOkv74iY6ODJVo09KGsqJp2u0FXig

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g303860-d23539411-Reviews-Kaylakea_Moz_Food-Maharepa_Moorea_Society_Islands.html

Kaylakea Moz Food is a casual roadside eatery with outdoor seating, ride next to the Manava Hotel. They are mainly open for lunch/dinner. We ate their twice during our trip. Service from the young lady was better than most places here.

Food Picks:

Poisson Cru (1450 XPF) au last de coco – raw fish in coconut milk is the island signature dish and a huge portion of fresh fish. A must try for all visitors. 9/10

Cheeseburger (1200 XPF) with fries is about 75% less than most restaurants. Decent but small meat patties as well as good fries. 8/10

Brochette de poulet (300 XPF) chicken kebab is a small but nicely done chicken skewer. Order a couple or eat them with other dishes. 8/10

Side order of haricots verts, broccoli (500 XPF), and pommel sautes (500 XPF) is a good list of dishes for vegetarians. All cooked just fine. 8/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Good
Service – Very Good
Value – Very Good

Would we come back – Yes

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9/30/22

Iaorana, Moreau, French Polynesia

Moorea-Maiao, French Polynesia
2 blocks from Poerani Moorea on the main road

Iaorana is a family run dimly lit roadside takeout spot. We spotted a lot of smoke on the side of the main road, drove back, and found this hidden local spot. The lady was grilling meats on a charcoal grill. Prices are super cheap compared to other restaurants. Very simple menu with steak, chicken or hamburger along with fries. You can select one of 4 sauces.

They appear to get a lot of local call in orders, no one else stopped at the restaurant but the lady kept cooking. A perfect spot in paradise if you are tired of US$35 cheeseburgers.

Food Picks:
Steak Frites (1000 XPF = $8.25) with barbecue sauce. Sauce was not American BBQ sauce, more of a A1 type lite sauce on the meat! Large portion of tender meat on a large bed of fries. Wow, cheap and decent. 8.5/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Fair
Service – Very Good
Value – Excellent

Would we come back – Yes

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10/1/22

Chez Tin’s, Moreau, French Polynesia

Atiha pk 18 côté montagne
Moorea-Maiao, French Polynesia
89 34 52 33

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063664235295&paipv=0&eav=AfYy3xR8DXQmGDZpKCWK-XAz6xNAn41mwXdFGn9ObKkgtvAcEiQfoAg0-ooR68d3ivs

https://vinanuireidbtsam.wixsite.com/cheztinsmaharepa?fbclid=IwAR1h8s3iZy2TlgX4jHh7KOt5DXfETtoybeNGm01cGLGbeQz1Ohms_emgG5E

Chez Tin’s is a neighborhood takeout spot. We spot it when we drove by and spotted smoke from their neighbor’s restaurant. The folks on this island are so friendly, they automatically helped me communicate in French. Looks like local delivery by e-bike is a thing for this place. Tin’s does have an active Facebook page featuring some desserts they have.

Food Picks:
Steak Frites + Boisson (1200 XPF = $9.90) with Roquefort Sauce and a soda. When burgers cost US$30 in most spots, you can find this local gem with quality food for bargain prices. Thinly cut steak on a bed of freshly fried fries. The Roquefort sauce was creamy and a bit sweet, very nice!

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Fair
Service – Good
Value – Excellent

Would we come back – Yes

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10/2/22

Manuia Grill, Moorea, French Polynesia

Moorea-Maiao, French Polynesia
+689 87 74 31 30

https://www.facebook.com/ManuiaGRILL

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g309685-d4361840-Reviews-Manuia_Grill-Moorea_Society_Islands.html

Manuia is a dinner only grilled food restaurant on Moorea, across the street from the Manava Hotel and from a more casual place we like: Kaylakea Moz Food. These 2 spots are a lot cheaper than the hotel restaurants.

There is only outdoor seating, which is great during the Pandemic. Beware of insects and dogs walking around. Service is slow when the place fills up and the servers are overloaded.

Food Picks:
Chicken Thigh (1600 XPF) was recommended by our server. Fairly pristine cooking style with not a lot of seasoning. The Teriyaki sauce we selected was super thick but really really good. Our 2 sides were rice and salad. Salad dressing was a nicely done light yellow sauce. 8.5/10

Side order Green beans (600 XPF) were cooked in butter and hit the spot. 8.5/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Fair
Service – Good
Value – Very Good

Would we come back – Yes

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10/3/22

Restaurant Tiahura Chez Irene, Moorea, French Polynesia

Haapiti, Moorea-Maiao, French Polynesia
+689 87 23 34 89
http://www.facebook.com/restaurant.tiahura

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g309685-d7075655-Reviews-Restaurant_Tiahura-Moorea_Society_Islands.html

Restaurant Tiahura is a seafood restaurant on Moorea that is pretty popular. They offer pickup from your hotel. We arrived without reservations right when it opened, and just squeezed in.

Food Picks:
Langoste – Grilled Lobster (5500 XPF) was a special that day. They only had 1 of each size, so you need to order it fast. It was accompanied by rice, coconut cake, and taro. Very Messy but worthwhile. You are given 3 utensils to get at all of the legs. Spiny local lobsters do not have claws like Maine lobsters. The easy part is the tail, the rest takes time and patience. 8/10

Crevettes curry coco – Coconut Shrimp Curry (2900 XPF) had 6 smallish shrimp and some really good curry sauce with rice. 8/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Fair
Service – Good
Value – Good

Would we come back – Maybe

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10/3/22

Sea Snack and Fun, Moorea, French Polynesia

G45X+7XX, Unnamed Road
Moorea-Maiao, French Polynesia
+689 87 35 33 89
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070849464885

Sea Snack and Fun is a Mexican food truck across the street from a Public Ta’ahiamanu beach in Moreau, French Polynesia. We finished at this beautiful beach and shocking found French folks serving Mexican food and decided to try it anyway.

Boy we were surprised when both items hit their mark. Better than most restaurants in San Francisco area. Beware, they run out of ingredients in the afternoon. They are closed for dinner.

Food Picks:
Chicken Quesadilla (1800 XPF) had 3 good sized pieces with quality cheese and a nice tortilla. Wow surprisingly good, even the next day. 8.5/10

Churros (600 XPF for 5) were hot and freshly made out of the fryer. OMG, crisp and totally worth the calories. You can also get a Nutella version. 9/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Good
Service – Very Good
Value – Good

Would we come back – Yes

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10/4/22

Iaorana Smoothies, Moorea, French Polynesia

Iaorana Smoothies
Moorea-Maiao, French Polynesia
+689 87 21 53 53
https://www.google.com/search?q=tripadvisor+Iaorana+Smoothies%2C+Moreau

Iaorana Smoothies is a small road side stand that sells smoothies and açaí bowls. It is only at lunch time. They are closed Sundays. We stopped by for a quick snack.

Moorea Acai Bowl (1000 XPF) has bananas, pineapple, papaya, açaí and granola. Nicely done with ample quantity. This would cost 50% more back home. 8.7/10

Restaurant Map: