7 favourite spots to eat in Mo'orea

Hope you like fish!

I am a big fan of going out to eat, and living in Abbotsford and Fitzroy for so long made me a bit spoilt. There are restaurants, cafes and takeaway shops galore, right around the corner, so that you could eat somewhere different every night and not run out of options for a good long while.

Here, options are more limited, and yet I’m always stumbling across a new roulotte or restaurant to try. Here are a few of my favourite restaurants and snacks so far, but I imagine I’ll soon be making a follow up list.

1. The airport

Normally when you eat the airport, the food is somehow both overpriced and terrible. Think $8 lattes (slightly burnt) and $23 sandwiches where the stale focaccia bread is only half filled.

Yet the teeny tiny airport at Temae, which hardly ever seems to have a plane taking off or landing, has a cute little restaurant with traditional French food that rarely disappoints.

Think beef tartare, boeuf bourguignon, veal in creamy sauces, andouillette (a traditional French sausage made with organ meat), occasionally even frog legs! Wine, cocktails and pression (tap) beer make it an easy place to while away a few hours. 

The view isn’t much to write home about (it looks over a grassy, sometimes muddy, field of grass), but the famous white sand beach of Temae is around the corner if you need to cool off after a big, satisfying feed.

We like this place so much, we even had our wedding lunch here!

Behold! The least impressive view in Mo’orea.

2. Vaiare Pizza

Ok, I’ll be the first to admit that I might be a bit biased on this one.

Vaiare Pizza may be run by my sister-in-law, but they have genuinely excellent food prepared by chef Hugo, a transplant from France. 

The specials are usually an excellent idea; dishes like duck breast, homemade terrine, cassoulet. On the main menu I love the Marquisien and the Savoyarde pizzas. Zoe’s burger sauce is also pretty unparalleled if you go for one of the burgs. 

Friday night is open stage and the place gets packed. It’s a rocking good time as both amateurs and professionals jump up to wow the crowd. Keep an eye out for the regulars; country western stars The Froggy Mountain Brothers, an opera singer, and the Fire Boys singing Tahitian classics. 

Come for the pizza, stay to watch the person struggling to make it through Zombie by the Cranberries at Open Stage.

3. Mo’orea Grill

In out-of-the-way Ma’atea, we stumbled across Mo’orea Grill one day and just kept going back. This is not a particularly fancy one, but surprised us with the quality and freshness of the food and a view out towards Tahiti.

The raw fish dishes are the highlight, especially the Norwegian which is served with a live oil and onions. Everything else on the menu is very similar to what you’ll find at roulettes around the island; hamburgers, steak and fries, grilled fish.

The location is charming, with tables right next the water, and a view of serene lagoon with fish going by. It’s very affordable and a very nice time.

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it snack in a quiet part of the island.

4. Snack Mahana

If you come here for anything other than the mahi-mahi, you’re a madman. You’re also mad if you try to come here without a reservation when a cruise ship is in town, as it gets packed.

You can see why. The place is right on the turquoise water, with fish and stingrays floating by hoping for a feed. I’m sure the other dishes are great, but I can’t recommend anything other than the mahi mahi as that’s what I get every single time!

Unfortunately they’ve cut down the big beautiful tree that gave shade to diners and looked so charming. Honestly, it makes the place feel a lot less special. The cynic in me wonders if it was to make room for more tables.

Snack Mahana before they cut down the beautiful tree. Can you tell I’m a bit salty about it?

5. Le Lézard Jaune

This was a pretty recent try for me. The last time I went to reserve a table I was informed that they were fully booked out for 3 whole weeks! 

I’d heard that it was some of the best food on the island so I went in with high hopes. It didn’t disappoint; lots of Tahitian classics but made in a way that I haven’t tried before.

The poisson cru (raw fish) and the red tuna tartare were standouts. Apparently the poisson cru is award winning, and I have to admit I haven’t had it like this anywhere else. The tartare was excellently balanced with a surprising addition of pineapple.

They were also serving mahi-mahi, some fish specials from the Tuamotus, and a few meat dishes. A neighbouring table got half-cooked red tuna which looked excellent.

Recommended, as long as you have a reservation!

The yellow lizard is the symbol of Mo’orea, and they’re everywhere to be found.

6. Te Honu Iti

According to the owner and head chef, who came to visit us at our table, Te Honu Iti has been around since the 70s. We stopped here on a whim one night after happy hour cocktails, and the unassuming facade gives way to a charming little place that looks like a house retrofitted as a restaurant.

While eating on the deck black tip sharks, massive sleeping sharks, and sting rays come and hang out below, waiting for a little snack.

I had a mahi-mahi ravioli dish which blew my mind. The food feels very French but using fresh local ingredients for a Tahitian twist.

I’d be keen to go back in the daytime as it looks like it has a wonderful view across Cook’s Bay.

Tasty food and sharks for company. What else can a girl ask for?

7. Les Tipaniers

The beach at Les Tipaniers is a beautiful place to watch the sunset (with a beer or a cocktail from the little bar there) before heading inside for a feed.

The restaurant is charming, with large hibiscus flowers as big as my hand decorating the table. The cocktails (mai tai, piña colada) were delicious and very prettily put together. Friendly staff gave lots of good recommendations when I couldn’t make up my mind.

I tried some local prawns (farmed in Opunohu) in a vanilla sauce, which was an unusual but delicious combination. I’d like to go back to try the restaurant on the beach, as I reckon the outlook over the water would be luxurious.

Watch the sunset, then order yourself a sunrise…

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