The best restaurants North

In a room on the first floor, it is one of the rare Thai restaurants in Mauritius, open for more than 20 years and 100% pure juice with its bamboos, orchids and decorative objects imported from Thailand. Wooded, the setting is pleasant because warm and the dishes, prepared by a Mauritian chef trained by a Thai, are of consistent quality hence the longevity. Flavours rich in spices, herbs and sauces: green or yellow curries prepared in coconut milk, satay chicken, duck with honey... In the mild hours, choose the sheltered terrace at the back.

This is the island's most atypical and exclusive "restaurant": an old turn-of-the-century ketch precisely restored according to photos found in a museum. It's the perfect place to share a gourmet cruise with vintage charm. Intended for 4 couples per evening or a small group of friends, these take place in the sublime cove of Grand Baie, during slow sailing: aperitif on the upper deck, followed by a fine 6-course dinner in the teak-clad cabin. Away from it all, you just let yourself be carried along by the waves, and it's delicious in every sense of the word!

Open since 1989, Le Capitaine is one of Grand Baie's oldest restaurants, with a consistent quality of service and food. It's also one of the few varangues open directly onto the sea, on the right side of the road, bordering a cove where a few boats slumber. House classics: the Grand Plateau de fruits de mer (large seafood platter ) or fish dishes such as the Filet de babonne rôti and its shellfish emulsion. Choice of meats too. There's also a range of cocktails and cigars to enjoy in lounge mode on a wooden deck.

At lunchtime, it's the perfect place for a "girl's lunch" or a quiet get-together with family and friends in the garden. We're in a residential area, in the heart of a house converted into a boutique hotel and cosy restaurant. A few tables under parasols languish in the greenery by the pool - a place, a welcome, an atmosphere and a menu of little things to nibble on or more elaborate dishes, like this Fillet of sea bream on a shellfish coulis accompanied by its risotto with beet juice or this Half cockerel stuffed with vegetables.

Set by the sea in yacht-club style, facing the fishing boats and small marina, this is THE café of the bay, where you come to sip a coffee, quench your thirst with a fresh juice, nibble a snack or indulge in an ice-cream sundae. It's also a trattoria serving classic Italian dishes, including fresh pasta and pizzas. Open non-stop, the place is actually a large, shaded terrace on the water's edge, with a pleasantly trendy lounge decor of stretched canvas, sofas and shades of grey/white/turquoise. Always lively.

It is a tavern that has the soul and generosity of its name: popular, friendly, without fuss like a big family pot. The dishes are simple, the flavors local (croquettes, samoussas, fried mines, upside down bowls, pizzas, grilled fish, etc.), the prices Mauritian and the atmosphere is cheerful like that of a guinguette with notes of sega instead of the accordion. Musical on some weekends in high season, it is a table that has been around for a long time and attracts many holidaymakers staying in the North.

It is one of the few restaurants on the beachfront with a terrace directly on the beach and not on the road, in the shade of the filaos. If the site is great, the whole is quite old-fashioned and suffers from great irregularities in terms of flavour, cooking and overall quality of the products. So rather choose a simple and quick dish from a menu which, apart from a steak and chips, offers mostly local Asian specialities. The house does take-away for those who would like to nibble on their napkin.

In the heart of the Mythic Suites & Villas Resort, this restaurant offers a culinary and human experience. Welcomed as if in a friend's home, one can enjoy the calm of the estate, the kindness of the team and a cuisine based on fresh products carefully selected from local producers. The typical dishes are revisited with elegance - special mention for the delicious fresh sea bream vindaye. BBQ brunches are organized on some Sundays, with live music. Plus: cocktail bar and wine cellar, vegetarian and halal options, kids corner.

It's not so much what you get on your plate that counts (international-style cuisine based on local produce, burgers, ribs, curries...) as the setting, as the restaurant is one of the few to be located on the seafront, right on the water. So you can savor the view and the cool, friendly atmosphere, packed to the rafters on evenings when sports are broadcast on a giant screen. The covered terrace overlooks the bay, and just above it, on the upper floor, a VIP lounge area allows you to relax in cocktail-tapas mode in the gentle twilight. Live music on selected weekends.

Held by two chefs from the traditional Indian school, an authentic Indian restaurant serving dishes cooked in tandoor (this terracotta oven heated by charcoal). Several specialities of roasted dishes, such as the murg murg (épices chicken thigh, lemon and yoghurt, cooked in tandoor) and also large classics, to be tasted according to its preference: soft, medium or spicy. The curious and picoreurs gastronomes will try to test the rich Tandoor plateaus, offering for 700 Rs (16 €) a selection of several meat dishes, poultry, fish and seafood, or vegetarian dishes. On the floor, a small lounge where to smoke a shisha after the meal.

This is no ordinary restaurant, but a private home with a courtyard and small garden. This is the home of the German Madame Müller, who concocts gourmet drinks just like back home (chocolate or coffee shakes, smoothies...) and home-cooked dishes based on fresh produce with a healthy twist (mixed salads, crêpes...). Apart from the Saturday breakfast buffet (8am-11am), you can drop in at any hour on Thursday or Friday to swap books with the locals, as the cosy, friendly place doubles as a library.

In France, this would be the local truck stop: popular, established there forever, open 6 days a week, easy to get to by the roadside, simple in terms of decor but generous in the plates, with no nasty surprises. A mile-long menu of European, Chinese and Creole dishes... in other words, everything and nothing, which doesn't really matter when you want to eat fast, well and cheap! Lots of fish and seafood prepared directly from the open kitchen, but also fried mines (Chinese noodles), grilled meats, pasta and even French fries! Fast service.

Only poets of heart and soul will fully appreciate the resolutely kinetic style of this bric-a-brac canteen, located in the middle of nowhere and featuring stuffed deer, turtle shells, Buddhas, license plates... in short, a merry mess! For food lovers, there's no need to worry, because right here, in a contagious hubbub, you can enjoy solid local cuisine at local prices. Grills, curries, stir-fries, upside-down bowls - you name it! There are also a few tables outside in the courtyard.

Led by a young, fast, friendly, resourceful team, this restaurant sparkles with life at noon and evening. You can sit on the terrace facing the sea (on the wrong side of the road, but a nice view all the same) or in the dining room not far from the singer. The menu arrives as soon as we sit down: seafood and fish especially, grilled with a choice of sauce or prepared Creole style. Some products are sold by weight like crab or lobster, or whole fish to share. There are also a few dishes for carnivores and a nice list of drinks, wines and cocktails.

Set on a seafront wooden deck with a swimming pool, it's a lively, friendly beach restaurant, with a panoramic bar that plays music and parties on certain weekends. We're on the first floor of the Mystik boutique hotel, which likes to break the codes of a tropical Mama Shelter. The menu is casual at lunchtime (mixed salads, paninis, burgers, pasta...), then more sophisticated and fusion in the evening, with local touches: braised heart of palm, tom yum soup, taro-coated shrimps, sea bream rougaille... and classic desserts. and classic desserts.

At the edge of the coastal road, but on the right side, feet in the water, it is a small Creole hut where you can enjoy the specialties of the day in the open air. We sit facing the pirogues moored in the lagoon or in one of the high chairs of the counter to watch Nathalie working in her pocket kitchen. All the dishes are prepared at the minute: fish and eggplant curry, crab sauté with white wine, tandoori chicken, honey sausages, fresh grilled fish... It's no cheaper than in a small restaurant, but it smells like a cool and tropical vacation!

Set on the water's edge in an old house, it's one of the few beach clubs in Mauritius and promises a pleasant moment of seaside and/or gustatory pleasures. For the hire of a deckchair, you can enjoy a pretty beach on the edge of a superb lagoon, with a restaurant-bar and a few sofas under stretched canvas. The menu features tasty Mauritian and Thai dishes to be enjoyed on a sun-bed or the terrace. There's also a Rhum Lounge for cocktails and tapas. A stylish decor and a magical atmosphere at nightfall when the lanterns light up in the badamier.

Sab is sand in Creole and also the diminutive of Sabrina, the owner of this restaurant with its eclectic and personalized decoration, a mixture of three influences: the sea (decorative motif of the fish), the kitchen (collection of kettles, pots...) and the Indian origins of the island (beautiful Indian table as a bar-counter). Once the tour of curiosities is over, you will taste a cuisine drawing its inspiration from various sources, notably Asian, Indian and Creole. Prices are more expensive than average, but it is the only restaurant in the area.

Among the tables in the Grand Baie La Croisette mall, we prefer this brasserie-style restaurant offering a not-too-long selection of Asian, French and American dishes - lava stone-grilled flank steak, red chicken curry, fish à la plancha...and moules-frites on Fridays! All to be accompanied by a glass of wine from a choice of some twenty vintages. French chef Stéphane officiates in the kitchen and selects the produce. Bright dining room and large, colorful terrace overlooking the Place de la Croisette.

It's hard to imagine a more charming setting: on one side, the pretty red-roofed chapel of Cap Malheureux, right in front of the intense turquoise of the lagoon, with a view of Coin de Mire island off the coast. We have lunch with our feet in the sand under the branches of a huge banyan tree, sitting without fuss at one of the plastic tables. Sandrine and her team cook the fresh fish of the day, which is chosen directly from the cooler before it is prepared, grilled on the barbecue and accompanied by rice, salad and/or French fries. Come early because it's crowded at lunchtime! Typical.

More than just a grill, it's the catering arm of one of the North's busiest bars, the adjoining Banana Beach Club. Every day, you can dine to the sound of music, with your eye caught by the collection of guitars hanging on the walls - a rock'n'roll atmosphere and a live concert. On the plate: top-quality steaks and chops of course (Australian beef and lamb), but also seafood grills, a seafood platter for two, a few vegan dishes and classic desserts. Wine list from France and South Africa, cocktails at the Banana.

Protected by a clutter of green plants in pots, it is a trattoria pure juice, with its old sofas like at the mamma's, a TV connected to Italian channels, an everlasting smell of pasta and pizza... The dishes are chosen à la carte or on the slate, the service is (sometimes) slow, but nice, some tables are nice at night on a wooden deck and it's a real treat in a talkative and good-natured atmosphere. Not necessarily the best Italian restaurant in the area, but does very well when the Botteghita, the Voglia Matta or 1974 are full

Izumi is one of the island's few Japanese restaurants, with a balanced blend of light wood and pure materials and colors. In addition to a sushi bar and two private dining rooms, it offers two teppanyaki tables that put on a show. While the menu offers a range of classics (gyoza, tempura, noodles, sushi, sashimi, soups, etc.), in the evening, you're more likely to opt for one of the many menus featuring starter, fish, meat, vegetables, miso soup, rice and the chef's dessert. Beautiful terrace overlooking the lakeside village of Port Chambly, with views of the river and sea.

Run with kindness by Natacha, set up in the open air on a shady terrace with trees, this table has the charm of Italian inns or neighborhood cafés. Expatriates meet there and travelers drop by for a breakfast, a homemade juice, a cookie. They also come to have lunch with a mixed salad, pasta or a dish of the day, with or without a glass of wine or a beer, and they willingly give in to the pleasure of a sandwich since all the products are fresh. At any time of day, you can stop in for a real espresso, short and strong.

In a house at the back, about 600 meters from the beach, it is a small local address well known to the people of the area who come there in large numbers on weekends to succumb to the gourmet, but healthy pleasures of this delicious table of healthy cuisine. On the plate: only fresh, freshly prepared, sourced directly from the producer for small dishes that smell of the land and the garden: detox drinks, boosters, eggs with truffles or Benedict, quinoa bowl, homemade bread with seeds, wraps, pancakes... to be savored in the calm of the flowery garden.

In the same decorative, plant-based spirit as the adjoining La Terrasse restaurant, these 3 kiosks are the fast, cheap version of the Quartier des Serres. Fancy a fresh juice, a smoothie, a local street food snack or a sweet treat? This is the place to be when you don't have the time or inclination to grab a bite to eat, before or after your visit to the Château. You can order takeaway or sit at one of the high tables. Next door: La Corbeille grocery store and boutiques.

Half-inside, half-outside, this new tapas/cocktail bar and semi-gastronomic restaurant cultivates French savoir-faire (the managers and chef hail from France) through several short but high-quality menus of home-cooked dishes based on fresh produce: tapas for aperitifs in lounge mode; a sunny menu at lunchtime (poké bowl, fresh tagliatelle with prawns...); more elaborate proposals in the evening, including dishes with black truffles. It's beautiful and tasty, and you'll have a wonderful time under the varangue or in the lounges of the large garden area.

Like all golf restaurants, this one opens onto the course through a set of huge windows. Light-coloured furniture decorates a circular, high-ceilinged room that is dimmed with soft lights for dinner. We are on a luxury estate, so the atmosphere is chic and relaxed. La Potinière, a historic Mauritian restaurant, orchestrates a menu that is both light (tapas, salads) and more gastro-traditional. For a coffee or a drink, opt for the outdoor deck facing the green.

In the town centre, on the edge of the bay, directly on the sand and under the filaos of the beach, several shops have taken over this little corner of seaside greenery and offer fresh juices, ice creams, waffles, croque-monsieur (toasted sandwiches) and quick dishes of local cuisine. Cheap, in the open air, the place is almost nicer than a restaurant when you don't really feel like eating, but just to nibble a bite before or after an excursion, or to take a break for a quick drink or snack. A few tables and chairs in the shade

This unique restaurant is housed in the superbly restored ruins of a former powder mill built in 1743 by the French. In an industrial chic setting overlooking parkland and other relics, it offers a varied French-inspired bistro-style menu, specializing in premium beef steaks with a choice of sauces and accompaniments. Not to be missed at weekends: The Distillery (superb adjoining rum bar) and Nest, a rooftop bar overlooking the ruins and a magnificent banyan grove.

Overlooking Pereybère beach, this new contemporary-style beach club is reserved for the tenants and owners of the 2futures group's luxury residences. However, it is open to all for a (deductible) sunbed/towel fee, which gives access to the various areas: pool, beach, panoramic rooftop, bar and restaurant. Sleek and minimalist, the restaurant is widely open to the outdoors and the lagoon, and offers a range of atmospheres. The menu features world cuisine with diverse influences. Live music on certain evenings.

Open since 1984, and run by the colorful Deva and his charming family, it is, as the guestbook testifies, a local institution frequented even by ministers! The setting is as simple and rustic as a large fisherman's hut, and the success is based on the kindness of the owners combined with the quality of the produce and the tasty dishes prepared just like home! The restaurant is best known for its fish and seafood specialities, depending on what's available. No wine, but beers and house-arranged rum.

In the series of tin trailers that brighten up the roadside, it is impossible to miss the shimmering colors of Pierre's: this sunny yellow tickling a bright blue and these touches of red like a painting. For more than thirty years, the family has been treating passers-by and Mauritians in the area to this street food that is part of the island's DNA - dumplings, steamed ravioli and the unavoidable fried mines or noodles , as they are known locally in England. After Papa, Pierre and his wife took over, and it continues!

Like the famous Baudelairean poem, Correspondances is a space of interactions and resonances - gastronomic, artistic, vegetal. More than a chic restaurant with a magical evening setting thanks to a subtle play of lighting, the place is at the same time an art gallery, a workshop, a sculpture garden... - a living place with a unique character, straight out of the dreams of Max, a Franco-Mauritian painter. At lunchtime, the menu is inspired by French brasseries; in the evening, it is creative and refined. You can have a drink in the lounge area and dine in the garden.

A symbol of culinary globalisation, the hamburger also has its followers in Mauritius and its share of more or less recognised brands. Highly placed on the podium of the latter, Seb's Kitchen gives its letters of nobility to the most popular sandwich in the world via a version based on fresh and qualitative products, that is the key, declined in a reduced but tasty number of beautiful proposals. The beef, matured to perfection, comes from Australia and everything is homemade: bread, chips, sauces. For dessert, opt for the delicious cinnamon rolls or a giant cookie