The best restaurants Madagascar

Always crowded, it is a meeting place between residents and tourists. Installed within the eponymous hotel, one sits in a rather noisy but always nice atmosphere. On the menu, you will find dishes from all over the world as well as local favourites such as zebu tournedos with green pepper, Mahajunga camarons, and surprising cheeses from the highlands... Straightforward flavors and a success that lasts thanks to the good quality-price ratio. You can also choose the lunch buffet served in the refreshing patio (except on Saturday).

It is quite simply the best table of the Menabe, and, dare we say it, almost of all Mada! A real culinary journey, for ridiculous prices compared to the quality. The menu, on a large slate, gives pride of place to fresh and local products: tilapia terrine with black olives and tamarind vinaigrette, zebu steak with physalis, papaya tartar and pineapple fritters... to name but a few dishes. In addition, the service is just as impeccable. It's best to order in advance if you're making a quick stopover in the city.

This well known restaurant in Tana is appreciated by connoisseurs who crowd around the bar, in the mezzanine or in the main room. Philippe and his team welcome with sympathy the amateurs of good food. An interesting wine cellar accompanies a well-made cuisine which smells good French soil: frogs' legs terrine with gratin, pork loin with chanterelles, pig's trotters with red beans, rabbit with cider and bacon, game (teal, wild boar stew, quails...). It is better to reserve the evening.

Bruno, Dominique and their daughter Sophie welcome you to one of the best tables on the island. Well-decorated, this restaurant has a lounge and a lovely terrace on the seafront. The menu is varied, with the zebu ravioli with cep sauce at the top of the bill! Otherwise, XXL carpaccio of the sea, fish brochettes, grilled lobster, half a grilled cockerel with herbs, breaded camembert roasted in a casserole... For dessert, profiteroles or St-Marien pineapple granita with basil complete an exquisite meal. In addition, the welcome is excellent! A superb address.

Located in a magnificent renovated colonial residence, we come for the contemporary chic setting, the airy terraces, the large bar below; the place is quite popular. Exhibitions and concerts are regularly organized there. A cuisine of appreciated quality, we find the great classics (foie gras, duck breast...).

Papillon is a restaurant with Italian accents, a warm, well-cared-for décor (even in the toilets), and more than convincing cuisine. We regret the higher prices and smaller portions, but it's all good! Grouper steak, calamari with fresh ginger, Rossini-style tournedos, all accompanied by a fine Italian wine. The terrace and patio at the back are also very pleasant. One of the best addresses in town, in our opinion. The owner also owns Karibo, in Ambatoloaka.

One of the best tables of Tana with efficient service and exemplary regularity. It is also one of the most charming and surprising places, with its succession of old cars and its multiple collections of exposed objects. A subdued atmosphere with a remarkable cachet. The menu, fresh and light at lunchtime, becomes more sophisticated and gastro in the evening: crayfish salad with mafana bream, grouper tartar with seasonal fruits, zebu medallions with morel cream, etc. Prices are a bit high for Mada but reasonable considering the quality.

Opposite Memorial School, welcome to Davide's, Tuléar's revolving gourmet address. Many regulars come here for their home-made ice creams (a varied selection, among the best in Madagascar), natural fruit juices, pastries, pizzas, burgers, pastas and paninis! As you can see, it's an extensive menu at affordable prices. The shaded outdoor terrace is a delight on hot days!

This establishment, located in the Sun Beach hotel, offers a very nice menu: for example, shrimp bisque, seafood salad, grilled lobster or tournedos with pepper... Great hunter before the Eternal, Chez Cuccu regularly proposes excellent game (for the amateurs). For dessert, let yourself be tempted by the chocolate mousse! A good address. For the record, the restaurant was originally built on the site of the current Palissandre Hotel in 1988.

Nath proposes good and affordable dishes and pizzas (the speciality, which will perhaps change from the other restaurants of Sainte-Marie) to be tasted on a small covered terrace in the back. You can also come and enjoy the setting for a simple drink. To sleep, double or family bungalows are available, as well as beach bungalows with shared sanitary facilities for small budgets. Nath's welcome is particularly nice and makes us appreciate this small address since years!

In keeping with the hotel's image, the Analatsara restaurant offers a fine menu and quality service. On the menu are revisited classics: grilled chicken with honey and ginger, spaghetti with white truffle oil and foie gras, zebu daube, lobster and cicada on a hot stone, zourite civet or fish romazava with manioc, a real treat. On the sweet side: homemade cakes, mango carpaccio, gâteau de songe or bonbon coco vanille. Accommodation is now available in bungalows (€75 per night for two) and family homes.

Le Marais is an ode to the luxury culinary world. Launched in 2019 by food and caviar enthusiasts, the restaurant boasts an ultra-chic setting on the top floor of a building and offers high-flying cuisine. Excellence, technicality and creativity make the success of the place. All the dishes are concocted on the spot from selected fresh products. You will be invited into the kitchen (surrounded by bay windows) to discover the know-how of a perfectly trained team. The caviar is here in the honor and the choice of the wines admirable. We recommend it!

It is the team of the Grand Hotel in Diego that officiates in the kitchens of this beautiful address on the beach. We appreciate its shaded terrace with its typical straw huts and beach bar. On the menu, a simple and tasty cuisine with a lot of grilled meats. Perfect for family trips.

If the place is best known for its very good restaurant, Mexicoco also has four very simple rooms, with mosquito net, air conditioning, individual bathroom and a small private terrace opening onto a quiet courtyard. Prices are rather low. From the room to the restaurant-bar, there is only one step, which is very practical. The restaurant is in the same tone, well decorated, friendly, and a stone's throw from Diego's shops and entertainment.

Mariette Andrianjaka is an institution in Madagascar. Commander of the Blue Cords of France in 1985, she is under distinctions: the walls of his house are covered with various titles or diplomas. And it is in her home that this adorable cook invites us, for a tasty meal, in a bed and breakfast atmosphere. She lives on the heights and receives only on order: it is also appropriate to call and book. Everyone knows it, it is she who often represents the Great Island question gastronomy. It would be a shame to leave Tana without tasting his "tatao" (seven royal dishes) for example. No card, but an imposing and high quality menu, which you will discover in the evening in the lounge. Unique… but it's not given.

Opened in 2017, La Petite Cour has established itself as the best table in Majunga. Chef Cabillaud worked at Terres Blanches, a true restaurateur as we like. A beautiful presentation, appetizing dishes and an extensive wine list to offer a European-style cuisine inspired by the fresh products available. To know, the restaurant exhibits and sells the works of Emilie Blue (www.facebook.com/emilie.blue.artist/), the artists of the area often deposit works to Christophe (who does not take any commission on the sales).

Located away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Terrasse de Tydouce offers a welcome break in a green and peaceful setting. A refined menu between land and sea: shrimp fricassee, medallions of zebu steak a la plancha, pan-fried Creole blood sausage, pork filet with garlic or even brains with porcini mushrooms. You can taste here original dishes and a guaranteed quality. We also appreciate the quiet garden and the particularly well decorated interior. Moreover, the menu of the day offers an excellent quality-price ratio. We recommend it!

An experienced chef, he's not just starting out: ex-chef of the Princesse Bora, Samson is also in charge of catering for the Whale Festival and used to have a gargote in front of the Ravoraha. He specializes in seafood (gambas with vanilla sauce, prawns with combava or green pepper, mangrove crabs with coconut sauce, oysters), fish and chicken with lychee sauce, all fresh, refined and well-presented. The site is remarkable, and Samson can organize a tour of the mangrove, as well as a beautiful quad bike ride.

Near the small market, in a popular district, the restaurant Le Pousse-Pousse is a popular address for travelers and residents alike. One sits in a décor of fitted rickshaws (children love it, older children a little less), and the cuisine is of high quality. Here, you will enjoy very good zebu brochettes, excellent home-made mashed potatoes, camarons with pastis, but also home-made foie gras... Note that you can also appreciate the musical atmosphere, as well as the "Cabaret" evenings once a month in season.

A must for Asian cuisine in Antsirabe. Installed in a former butcher's shop, a pretty little shack with orange walls, with a terrace, all nicely decorated, the Conterno proposes Asian specialities at low prices. Woks, strips of zebu with Teryaki sauce, egg rolls, stir-fried rice... everything is freshly made to order. The wait can sometimes seem a bit long, but the result on the plate is worth it. Don't leave without having tasted the homemade ice cream! Exquisite. The iced coffee is not bad either.