3 Best Restaurants in Cook Islands

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We've compiled the best of the best in Cook Islands - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

Tahiti Cafe

$$

Just on the fringe of Rarotonga's main town of Avarua, the Tahiti Cafe is the perfect lunch spot. It's small, with only about 15 tables, but the fish platters really pack a punch. Try the selection of raw fish prepared in several styles, from Tahitian (that's poisson cru with lime juice and coconut milk), Chinese (with various sauces), and sashimi. There are also fish and chicken platters and individual portions if you're not up for sharing. It's a breezy outdoor venue where you bring your own drinks—alcoholic or otherwise—and there's Wi-Fi.

Main Road, Avarua, Cook Islands
682-21283
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards, Closed Sun.

Tamarind House

$$$$

Now here's a stylish setting to savor South Seas fare—a charming Colonial house, set amid lush grounds right on the lagoon. Built in 1910 to accommodate the managers of the Union Steamship Company, and later the home of the British Counsul, Tamarind House opened as a restaurant in 2004. Proprietors Sue Carruthers and Robert Brown had previously run a small café in Rarotonga but wanted a gorgeous setting for a more upmarket restaurant. Diners can start with ika mata (the Cook Islands version of raw tuna with lime and coconut) or shrimp with papaya, before moving on to a vegetarian lasagna with taro leaves and pumpkin, island fish or coconut chicken curry, or an array of fresh daily seafood specials. Tamarind is also popular for morning coffee and cake.

Trader Jack's

$$$

A veritable Cook Islands institution, this beloved restaurant and bar is nothing if not a survivor. Opened by New Zealander Jack Cooper in 1986, it has been wiped out by three cyclones but is still trading strong on Avarua's harbor. Patrons go for the fresh seafood—consider starting with fish chowder, the sushi and sashimi, or a delicious stir-fried dish called "Wok the Line," with noodles and a medley of seafood. Main courses feature line-caught fish of the day cooked in a variety of styles, from pan-fried and crumbed to the exotic Bombay dish, a parrotfish steamed in a banana leaf with coconut, peanuts, coriander, and chili. Non-seafood eaters enjoy the pizzas, char-grilled beef loin strip, and roast chicken. Try to get a seat on the terrace to watch the sunset, cocktail in hand, to the strains of a ukulele band.

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