Popular Noumea Restaurants
Dining out in New Caledonia is a major aspect of the local lifestyle. The restaurants are considered to be among the best in the South Pacific. Much of the food is based on French-style cooking and wine is taken very seriously.
Noumea boasts a superb selection of restaurants – although mostly French you'll also find Indonesian, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Vietnamese, Spanish and African. Seafood meals are a specialty of the region and feature fresh local prawns, octopus, shellfish, reef fish and deep-sea fish.
Restaurant hours are generally from 11.30am–2.30pm and 7.00pm–11.00pm.
Au P’tit Café
Avenue des frères Carcopino, Noumea, New Caledonia
Au P’tit Café is known as the best little cafe in Noumea and is rated the number one restaurant on TripAdvisor. Its casual ambience and delicious food make for an extremely enjoyable experience, and word has got around.
The concept behind Au P’tit Café is to use the best local produce available to create tempting French-style dishes. Each week the menu changes, inspired by the seasonal ingredients on offer at the local markets. You may choose from four main courses and four desserts. With no entrees, the mains are quite large helpings.
Reservations are essential and can be made online with 48 hours notice. The restaurant is open from Tuesday to Friday from 11:30am–1:30pm and from 7.00pm–9.30pm. However, it is wise to check the website for unexpected closures.
La Table des Gourmets
Aerodrome, 91 Rue Maurice Herzog, Noumea, Grand Terre 98800, New Caledonia
To savour traditional French food from the Alsace region, a visit to La Table des Gourmets is a must. The meals are hearty and delicious, equal to anything you might be served in France, and are good value for money.
The jambonneau, the spicy escargot, the confit de canard and the cassoulet are recommended. If you're feeling adventurous you might even like to go for a calves head or pig trotters! There are a lot of locals who eat here, which is always a good sign.
The restaurant has a terrace if you want to sit outside in the sunshine. The staff are very friendly although their English is limited so it is best to take a French phrasebook if you're not confident ordering in French.
It is best to make a reservation although you might get in without one if you arrive at 7pm. La Table des Gourmets is open Tuesday until Saturday from 11am–1.30pm and 7pm–9.30pm.
L'Atelier Gourmand
141, Route de l'Anse Vata | Anse Vata, Noumea, Grand Terre 98800, New Caledonia
Situated in the Anse Vata area, this large bakery has a fabulous selection of baked goods, great for a quick lunch or beach munchie. The French-style breads and pastries are freshly baked every day and are rather addictive.
You can relax on cafe-style tables as you munch on your treats and order some great coffee as an accompaniment. The religeuses, éclaires, cannelés and chouquettes are highly recommended.
Everything in this bakery is made with care and is exceptional value. You can easily feed a family for around 18 AUD, which is rare in Noumea. The staff are patient and helpful. Opening hours are from 5am–7pm Tuesday to Sunday.
Le Roof
Sur Le Lagon, Face au Palm Beach, Noumea, Grand Terre, New Caledonia
Sitting atop a jetty on the turquoise waters at Anse Vata, this top-notch gastronomic restaurant offers a unique ambience combined with excellent food and friendly service. If you're perched on the deck, you'll have a stunning view of Canard Island and the reef. Alternatively, if you're sitting inside, you'll be able to watch the unusual and remarkable spectacle of sharks and tropical fish swimming through the restaurant's cut away floor.
La Creperie Bretonne
5 Rue Ange Berlioz, Nouméa 98800, New Caledonia
Dishing up scrumptious crepes for over forty years, La Crêperie Bretonne is New Caledonia’s oldest restaurant. Decorated in typical Breton style, this cosy family eatery offers an extensive selection of crepes and pancakes (galettes), both savoury and sweet. There's also an alluring drinks list of aperitifs, cider, wine and digestifs.
If you fancy a savoury crepe, you can choose from various mouth watering toppings featuring fresh local produce including seafood. If you're craving something sweeter, you might like to select a topping of Belle Helene, chocolate or Grand Marnier.
The service is fast and friendly and the staff speak some English. The crepes are also great value for money.
Reservations are recommended. The restaurant is open from 11.15am –1.15pm and 6.30pm–9.30pm (10pm Fridays and Saturdays) daily. It's closed at lunchtime on Sundays and Mondays.
Le Miretti Gascon
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.
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-colour, brightly lit LED napkins in the evening. It's a nice touch.
Le Roof
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.
La Chaumiere
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 centre. This is the place to mix with locals at lunch and the lucky few visitors who have discovered this gem at night.
