3 Best Restaurants in Rangiroa, Tuamotu Archipelago

When you dine at this outdoor restaurant you'll feel like you're dining in a home, not a restaurant. Located on a terrace overlooking Tiputa Pass, there are just five tables for diners and a large table where the hostess, Josephine, often entertains her guests. The three-course set menu may include tuna tartare, fish soup, grilled scampi, or mahimahi with ginger and Chinese spices, while a coconut or chocolate and rum tart are often on the menu for dessert.

This restaurant attracts quite a crowd of locals on weekends and a few guests from the nearby Hotel Maitai Rangiroa. As one of only a handful of independent restaurants on the island it gets busy during the high season. Dine indoors or out under a thatched roof on a mainly French menu with a long list of pizzas (all 1,600 CFP) as well. You might start with homemade foie gras, followed by shrimp sautéed with orange and ginger, and then end with a classic French treat such as profiteroles.

This is a very pleasant spot for lunch if you're cycling along the main road; you can also check your e-mail here but the Internet connection is rather slow. As there are free transfers from the hotels, you can enjoy a few drinks over dinner. There's a three-course set menu (4,500 CFP) with two to three choices per course, and an á la carte menu featuring mussels in white wine; grilled tuna steak with soy sauce, garlic and ginger; and coffee ice cream with Kahlua for dessert.