Seychelles Restaurants and Creole Food

Creole dishes to try

• Fish curry and octopus curry: coconut-based curries made with the day's catch. Octopus curry (kari zourit) is a Seychellois favourite.
• Grilled fish: red snapper, job fish, tuna and other reef and pelagic fish, grilled with Creole sauce, garlic and chilli.
• Ladob: plantain, breadfruit or sweet potato cooked in coconut milk with sugar and nutmeg, served as a dessert, or a savoury version with salted fish.
• Breadfruit: served as chips, mashed, or baked in the fire. Local saying holds that whoever eats breadfruit will return to the Seychelles.
• Chutneys and salads: grated green papaya, mango, cucumber and the island's "satini" chutneys, eaten with rice and fish.
• Fresh fruit and juices: mango, papaya, passion fruit, bananas and fresh coconut water, best bought at markets and roadside stalls.
• Drinks: the Seychelles brews its own beer and distils rum on Mahé. Tea plantations in the Mahé hills produce local tea, often flavoured with vanilla.

Some traditional dishes use shark or fruit bat. If you prefer to avoid them, ask before ordering, as menus don't always translate the Creole names.

Where divers eat

Most dive centres run morning boats with two dives, back by lunchtime. That leaves afternoons free for a long lunch and early evenings for a sunset drink.

• Takeaways: small counters on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue sell boxes of curry, rice, grilled fish and salads at a fraction of restaurant prices. They are the best-value food on the islands and popular with locals at lunchtime.
• Beach cafés and shacks: simple places on the main beaches, good for grilled fish and cold drinks after a morning dive.
• Guesthouse dinners: many guesthouses cook a Creole dinner for guests if you book in the morning. It is often the best home cooking on the islands.
• Restaurants: from casual Creole and pizza places to fine dining in the resorts. Beau Vallon on Mahé, Anse Volbert on Praslin and La Passe on La Digue have the widest choice near the dive centres.

Markets and self-catering

In Victoria, the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market sells fish, fruit, vegetables, spices and chillies, and is liveliest early on Saturday mornings. Supermarkets on Mahé and Praslin stock the basics, though imported goods are expensive. Self-catering divers often mix market fish and fruit with takeaway lunches. Beau Vallon has a popular weekly evening bazaar with street food and music; ask locally which night it runs.

Eating on a budget

The Seychelles is not cheap, and restaurant prices in the resorts are high. To keep costs down, eat your main meal at lunchtime from a takeaway, buy fruit and water at local shops, and book a room with a kitchen. Tipping is not expected, but a service charge may be added to the bill in hotels and restaurants, so check before you add more.

Food and diving

Eat a light breakfast before morning boats, and avoid heavy, spicy curries right before a dive if you get seasick. Drink plenty of water: the heat and dry tank air dehydrate you quickly, and dehydration is a risk factor for decompression sickness. Save the rum for the evening, after your last dive of the day.

Choosing where to stay with food in mind? The Seychelles accommodations guide covers which bases have the best mix of restaurants, takeaways and dive centres, and our Seychelles dive shops page explains the typical dive schedule.