Dining is very much a part of the Vanuatu experience. With most resorts so close to Port Vila it would be a shame not to venture outside your resort.
Sure, the resorts have good restaurants but there's so much excellent cuisine nearby.
If you want to sample a Melanesian feast, most resorts have them or you can book a tour to a traditional village.
There are more than 20 restaurants that we can happily recommend but we have chosen a selection for their food and ambience.
For a thumbnail guide to other restaurants, visit the Eating Out and/or Restaurant section on our sister site Vanuatu A to Z.
Tilly's
Tilly's is part of Chantilly's on the Bay but it doesn't feel like a 'hotel' restaurant. Set on the shore of Fatumaru Bay as you approach town you can dine inside or on the balcony. The excellent chef regularly changes the menu, there's a daily blackboard special and they specialise in tapas. If Moroccan Duck Tart is on the blackboard, don't miss the opportunity!
The Restaurant opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it's also a delightful spot for just a coffee or a drink (all day bar service). If you're going for dinner, perhaps an early one with pre-dinner drinks for the sunset across the bay?
Vila Chaumières
Nous ne parlons pas Française, but we believe 'chaumières' is French for 'charming'. If not, it should be. This is a must for a romantic dinner, for the setting alone. Nestled on the spotlit, palmed lagoon with fish occasionally breaking the still surface, it is truly unforgettable.
Ask for Table 4, which sits over the water at the front of the dining area. The food is traditional French and the Bœuf Wellington is a signature dish (but only if you like heavy pâté). But, no matter how excellent the food, it will play second fiddle to the atmosphere.
The restaurant is located a little out of town on the road towards White Sands. Take a bus or taxi there. There will usually be a taxi waiting for you after dinner - if not, your hosts will ring for one.
Roxys on the Lagoon
Part of Erakor Island Resort, this is relaxed, lagoon-side dining in a restaurant with tropical ambience. Take the free 24-hour ferry (3 minute) from the wharf adjacent to Le Lagon for a daytime snack, and a swim.
Roxys on the Lagoon opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a café style lunch menu and specials for lunch and dinner that change daily. It's friendly, good value and the chef knows his stuff.
There are occasional theme nights (Tahitian, Pasta, Curry), live bands and beach barbecues on Sundays.
Tamanu Beach Club
Tamanu is a small boutique resort, renowned for its excellent cuisine and is the best place to have a relaxed lunch, right on the beach, with a unobstructed view of the breakers rolling in over the reef.
The resort is situated only a 20 minute leisurely drive out of town on the south east coast of Efate. You can hire a car or take a taxi or bus to get there.
Your driver will be waiting for you, or will return for you a few hours later. If you plan to go for a cosy dinner you can hire one of the bungalows for a special rate, to return to your hotel the next morning.
The resort has five romantic beach bungalows, with the restaurant at the heart of the property. The resort is run by Geraldine, who has lived in Vanuatu for many years and has the reputation to be one of the friendliest hostesses in the business. The kitchen is in the good care of Heriaud, (considered to be the best ni-Vanuatu chef in the country). The restaurant's reputation comes from serving the freshest and most beautiful French & Pacific Island food and has an excellent selection of Australian, New Zealand and French wines.
Benjor
The Officer's Club at Benjor Resort has been pretty much a well-kept secret for visitors to Vanuatu at this stage. Of the first 4,000 customers, 3,800 were locals! It's about 15 minutes out of town (on Devils Point Road just past the Hideaway Island turn off) and it's a great spot for lunch. The food and ambience is wonderful and a planned two-hour lunch can easily turn into four hours. Or five.
The chef only uses the freshest local produce and has a knack of combining contrasting tastes that complement. It's so called because it was built on the site of the US army's Officer's Club from World War II. The creek running next to the restaurant has a plunge pool, courtesy of American grenades. Have a game of backgammon, wander down for a game of petanque and large board chess or just sit and enjoy. Take a towel for a swim in the pool or off the beach.
You could hire a car, or take a taxi or bus. The driver will probably offer to come back and pick you up at a designated time - or make your own way there and they will arrange one for your return (they have three local drivers with mobile phones).
Paradise Cove
Owners Marcello and Raffaella are young, enthusiastic Italians with flair and style and that's what they have introduced to dining at Paradise Cove Resort. While there's a variety of tempting seafood, chicken and beef dishes they are known for pasta dishes - e.g. seafood spaghetti, mushroom homemade ravioli, hand made tagliatelle with pesto.
The restaurant itself is a large Melanesian hut with a towering roof sitting above the harbour at Pango and there's a lovely, smaller setting right by the water. If going for lunch, take swimmers and a towel for a dip in the pool or the harbour.
Breaka's Beach Resort
Breaka's has a restaurant that welcomes non-staying guests. It's casual dining with excellent fare (Asian influence) and a good wine list. You can dine on the balcony overlooking the infinity pool and ocean out to the reef. Take swimmers and a towel in case the ocean or the pool tempts. If the Thai Pork & Calamari Salad is on the lunch menu, it's great with a glass of chilled white wine.
Sunset Bungalows
The new owners of the Sunset Bungalows Resort, Jason and Learrna, are Kiwis, but the restaurant is still serving great French food! Experience fine dining in a casual and delightful lagoon terrace setting. Because the French traditionally eat late, they miss out on the sunsets.
There are lots of other good restaurants in and around Port Vila - at the time of writing the ones doing it well are The Waterfront Bar & Grill (big succulent steaks at a good price and live music some nights); l'Houstalet for traditional French - maitre 'd Clement Martinez hasn't changed the menu for nearly 30 years so either he's bone lazy or doing something right; and new Chez Willies above Le Lagon offers stylish décor, good food and Port Vila's most flamboyant waiter, host and owner, Leslie.
