5 Best Restaurants in New Caledonia

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

La Chaumiere

$$$ | Quartier Latin

The well-heeled locals love this little restaurant in the city's somewhat grungy Latin Quarter, drawn by the excellent prices and the food to match. A three-course lunch or dinner is just 3,280 CFP, and bottles of wine start around 1,900 CFP. Do as the French do and start with an escargot appetizer, or try the goat cheese flan, followed either by joues de boeuf (beef cheeks) or duck thigh in a creamy tarragon sauce. Save room for crème brûlée or the decadent pear pavarois, with a melting chocolate center. This is the place to mix with locals at lunch and the lucky few visitors who have discovered this gem at night.

13 Rue du Dr. Guegan, Noumea, 98846, New Caledonia
687-272--462
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.

Le 360

$$$$

The view dazzles at this 19th-floor eatery, the only revolving restaurant in New Caledonia, which delivers an ever-changing view of the blue waters of Anse Vata Bay, the off-shore islands to the west and south, downtown Noumea, and the regional bushland areas beyond the city. The menu is French—tuck into the escargot and the stuffed lobster, and enjoy the fresh-baked baguettes. The four-course French dégustation menu (7,500 CFP) is a good deal, and it may feature foie gras, risotto and prawns, or succulent beef, while among the desserts, don't miss the half-baked chocolate cake with vanilla sauce and vanilla ice cream. Sometimes diners, because the restaurant revolves, forget which table is theirs, so the staff marks each table with different-color, brightly lit LED napkins in the evening. It's a nice touch.

Le Miretti Gascon

$$ | Anse Vata Bay

This restaurant, said to be the oldest in Noumea, offers a little touch of France in the South Pacific. Here beside Anse Vata, you can try the popular native snails (or escargot)—they're fat and juicy and usually smothered in garlic. Or opt for classic French onion soup or confit of duck. The traditional menu also runs to delicious beef entrecote, crayfish stew, and lobster casserole. And to finish off there's a twist on a classic dessert: orange crème brûlée. While thoroughly French, the waitstaff speak English and can explain the menu and recommend the best dishes.

24, Rue Gabriel Laroque, Noumea, New Caledonia
687-264--041
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.

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Le Roof

$$$$ | Anse Vata Bay

For a romantic meal with an unusual location, Le Roof is the place to go for lunch or dinner. However, be warned that it's an expensive gastronomic experience. Covered with a thatched roof and sitting at the end of a pontoon suspended over the water, 100 meters (330 feet) from the shore, Le Roof has a wonderful setting. A big square has been cut out of the restaurant floor, allowing patrons to view the lagoon below—watch sharks, remoras (long sucker fish), stingrays, and sea-snakes swim by, along with, if you're lucky, the occasional frolicking dolphin. This is classic French fare with an emphasis on seafood, and may include coconut shrimp, crab terrine, crab ravioli, roast duck in a puff pastry, red snapper, and traditional crème caramel for dessert.

Noumea Morning Market

$

If you're feeling ambitious, skip the bland fare served for breakfast at hotels and hop on a local bus to reach this wonderful market. Here you can start the day with a croque monsieur (the rich and classic French grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich) or a croque madame (a monsieur topped with a fried or poached egg), a to-die-for croissant or pastry, and steaming-hot coffee. The market is also a great source of succulent passionfruits, pineapples, and papaya. It's open until 11 am, so there's time to eat breakfast late, as many locals do, and then shop for clothes and trinkets. Situated a short walk from the cruise terminal, at the marina at Port Moselle, the market is on the hop-on-hop-off bus route and can also be accessed by taking bus No. 1 on the green bus route.