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 (Iririki, Le Lagon, Erakor) or you can book a tour to a traditional village (Ekasup on Friday nights).
There are more than 20 restaurants that we can happily recommend but we have chosen a selection for their food and ambience.
We give all guests who arrange travel with us a comprehensive and up-to-date dining out guide.
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.
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.
Roxys on the Lagoon (soon to be re-named ‘Aqua’)
Part of Erakor Island Resort, this is relaxed, lagoon-side dining in a restaurant with tropical ambience. Take the free 24-hour ferry (3 minutes) 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.
Tamanu On The Beach
Tamanu is a small boutique resort, renowned for its excellent cuisine and is a nice 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 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 wait for you, or will return for you a few hours later.
Benjor Beach Club
The Officer's Club at Benjor Resort has been pretty much a well-kept secret for visitors to Vanuatu. It's about 20 minutes out of town (on Devils Point Road past the Hideaway Island turn off) and it's a great spot for lunch.
The food and ambience are wonderful and a planned two-hour lunch can easily turn into four hours. Or five. 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 several local drivers with mobile phones).
Paradise Cove
Italian-style cuisine with flair and style has been part of Paradise Cove Resort for some time. 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 (snorkelling out front is excellent).
Breaka's Beach Resort
Breaka's has a restaurant that welcomes non-staying guests. It's casual dining with a good menu and 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.
Sunset Bungalows
Experience fine dining in a casual and delightful lagoon terrace setting at Sunset Bungalows Resort. Friendly wait-staff and the chefs cooking up a storm in the open-style kitchen make it a welcoming and rewarding experience. Terrific steaks!
The Havannah
The adults only restaurant at The Havannah Resort welcomes non-staying guests and it is worth the trip for both the food and the setting. There’s a delightful set-menu (choices of entrée, mains and desserts) for Sunday lunch.
La Tentation
Located on the harbour (where the famous Rossi Restaurant once was), this a is a great spot for a coffee, a drink, breakfast, lunch or dinner. At the time of writing the wonderfully gifted chef, Heriaud (previously Tamanu on the Beach for many years), had joined the kitchen team at La Tentation.
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 Chill Restaurant (upstairs near the markets looking across the harbour to Iririki Island Resort) has the best value lunch – 990 vatu (AUD$11.50) for a choice of main dishes and a glass of wine, beer or soft drink.
