Creole Cuisine

Comprised of people from many different ethnic backgrounds, the population of Seychelles is hyper-diverse, culturally resembling the Caribbean rather than mainland Africa. Its multi-cultural heritage is fully echoed in the local cuisine, known as Creole, incorporating influences from Africa, Europe and Asia into a brilliant plethora of scrumptious delicacies.
The country’s location in the middle of the Indian Ocean makes the culinary use of fish and seafood extremely widespread, therefore, most creole dishes consist of freshly caught fish, squids or shrimps, accompanied by rice and several locally crafted appetizers, while the fish itself is either grilled, baked or finely diced and cooked in Seychellois style curry.

Marie Antoinette
Considered as one of the country’s oldest restaurants, the glorious Marie Antoinette resides in a lavish 19^th century colonial building in Victoria, beautifully preserved both at its exterior and interior parts.

With a remarkable assortment of locally crafted and reasonably priced dishes, the restaurant is the place to go to if you want to enjoy a local authentic creole cuisine. Octopus and red snapper curries, mango salad with vinegar and pink peppercorn and mashed pumpkin are just a handful of the scrumptious delights Marie Antoinette has. Yet, perhaps the most exceptional item in the menu is the Seychellois bat curry, best suited for the pallet of the most intrepid foodies.

Seychelles is home to large amount of breadfruit trees, and while this quirky grenade looking fruit might not seem appealing at first glance, the puffy and soft breadfruit croquets at Marie Antoinette are brilliant, definitely not be missed.

Interestingly, the restaurant has a charming tortoise pen at its backyard, open for curious visitors who want to have a glimpse of this wild majestic animal without venturing out to La-Digue or Moyenne Island.

Following a heavy rainfall in 2001, the surrounding wall collapsed over the tortoises, that were first presumed dead, yet after days of intense treatment manage to survive the ordeal. If you happen to enter inside the enclosure, you’ll immediately notice the numerous scars on their shell, a testimony for that horrific event.

Cafe Chez Julien
Overlooking the pristine Anse Soleil Beach at Mahe’s western coast is Cafe Chez Julien, renowned for their myriads of creole style dishes, particularly the freshly caught fish steaks, drizzled with semi sweet sauce and accompanied by rice and mashed pumpkin.

Among the grilled fish are tuna, sward fish, red snapper and even shark. Additionally, there are also plenty of seafood options like lobster and crab curries.

The Boat House
The Boat House in Beau Vallon is a magnet for sunbathers who wish to grab a tasty bite between beach sessions, focusing on mildly flavored creole food. The octopus salad is one of the best appetizers in the menu, refreshing, light and served with generous amount of octopus slices.

The restaurant also has several curry dishes, one of which is the gorgeous tuna curry, accompanied with rice and creole mango salad.

Chez Batista
The restaurant of Chez Batista resort near Ros Sodyer offers an awesome vista of the nearby Anse Takamaka Beach, as well as a plethora of scrumptious creole eats.
The shrimp salad has an insanely generous amount of shrimps, in complete contrast to the average restaurant across the industrialized world.

Fish Trap
Probably the most famous restaurant on the island of La-Digue, Fish Trap sits just in front of the Indian Ocean, serving all kinds of fresh and local food. The island’s version of shrimp salad is pretty interesting, mixed with slices of orange that add a slight sweetness and tanginess, somewhat substituting a vinegar.

Seychelles’ capital, Victoria, has several booths that sell take away creole food, perfectly suited for whoever in a rush or simply prefer a low budget, yet still tasty meal. Ironically, those fast-food booths gained a lot of momentum during 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that made the take-away food a global trend.

Small fish and seafood roadside stalls are quite a common sight throughout the archipelago, selling fresh catch that swam just moments before. Those vendors typically have great bargains, so if you happen to rent a fully equipped apartment including a kitchen, you might want to try cooking one of these freshly caught fish by yourself.

Besides fish vendors, there are plenty of fruit and vegetables stands as well, offering all sort of tropical fruits like mango, banana and coconut, whereas if you get lucky enough, you’ll also find local fruits which aren’t that familiar like Java Apple, tasting somewhere between an apple and a light green pepper.

Indian Food

Home to a large community of roughly 10,000 Indo-Seychellois (out of 97,000 inhabitants), it’s difficult to overstate the importance of the Indian community to the local economy and culture. Originally brought by the British colonial rulers as indentured laborers during the 19^th and 20^th centuries, many Indian workers ultimately decided to stay in the islands, forming a strong and influential community to these days.
The sheer significance of the Indian culture for the entire archipelago is well manifested in the local cuisine, where not only the Indian style eateries and grocery items constitute a large percentage of the overall dining scene, but also at the countless Indian influences infused into the creole cuisine itself, most notably the locally made curries.

Mahek
Nestled on Beau Vallon’s main beach, Mahek is truly an authentic Indian restaurant, offering a large array of both meat-based and vegetarian dishes, divided according to their geographic location in the sub-continent, culminating in the heavenly curries and stews like the Murg Ka Mokul, a chicken with cashews, turmeric and saffron.
Every now and then, the talented chef moves between the tables and warmly greets the customers, elaborating about the food and its origins.

Besides the main courses, the restaurant has a decent selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetizers such as Masala fish fingers and lamb sukka.

Despite not being a major part of the Indian cuisine, Mahek is renowned for its delightful desserts, ranging from a typical Indian home-made ice cream with blueberries to the brilliant baked yoghurt with fig, definitely a great way to conclude a meal.

International Cuisine

With 150,000 tourists annually and a significant expat community, it’s only natural to expect Seychelles to have a vibrant dining scene that caters the need of foreigners. Western style restaurants are abundant throughout the entire country, while Italian and French cuisines seem to be the most prominent types. Whether restaurants are part of a secluded five stars resort or situated along a sandy beach in Beau Vallon, they all incorporate local ingredients in their menu, particularly fish and seafood.

La Plage
La Plage Restaurant at Beau Vallon beachfront is one of the most popular dining places among foreigners, as its menu consists mostly of French Style seafood dishes, including a really worthy starter section.
The marlin carpaccio with papaya salad is especially recommended as starter or light snack.

Interestingly, in Seychelles, even a French-style restaurant like La Plage is inspired by the local cuisine, offering mild curries with shrimps or octopus, satisfying enough even for a fussy palate.

La Perle Noire
Tucked away near Savoy Seychelles Resort & Spa, La Perle Noire is an Italian restaurant serving all sorts of classic dishes, focusing particularly on seafood and fish.
Among its scrumptious appetizers is the red snapper carpaccio with wasabi and lime, standing out as a heavenly delicacy.

The main course section is especially impressive, with mind boggling assortment of fish fillets and daily specials. Any main course, like this red snapper fillet wrapped with citrus peel, is accompanied with rice, mashed potato, green salad or grilled vegetables according to your choice.

Alcoholic Beverages

Globally famous for its stylish cocktails, Seychelles has a widespread and developed drinking culture, evident by the plenty of local bars and restaurants that have a sizable variety of alcoholic drinks, from imported French wines and locally brewed rum to artisanal craft cocktails.
On the other hand, if you prefer to grab a drink at your resort porch, there are numerous liquor stores which sell high-quality alcohol, including some glamorous brands like Dom Pérignon and Moët.

Local restaurants tend to have a decent alcohol menu, dominated by imported wines and enticing cocktails, yet the latter is usually confined to classic options so if you wish to sip a rather exceptional drink, it’s better to go to one of Mahe’s or Praslin’s numerous bars, which often prepare their own signature cocktails.

Both boat house and Beach Shak in Beau Vallon have a great selection of cocktails, including some local versions of mojito and Moscow mule, gin-based drinks and Seychellois rum infused cocktails.

While coconut vendors are a common sight in many beaches around the world, the Seychellois version includes a pinch of local rum that completely enhance its flavors, making it a makeshift cocktail for sunbathers.

Coffee, Ice-Cream and Soft Drinks

Seychelles might be far from being a coffee superpower, yet decent cafés are found in major towns and touristy spots, while the third-generation coffee trend that conquered much of Europe and North America is still waiting to be introduced to the islands.
Ice coffee drinks are overly sweeten, thus it’s recommended to specifically ask for a separate syrup cup if you prefer your cold coffee drink less sugary.
Fruit Smoothies and virgin cocktails are popular allover the country, as fleshy and juicy tropical fruits are exceedingly abundant, making their way directly and instantly from the tree into the blender.

Victoria has a couple of small and cozy cafés, with News Café in Albert St. being the most appealing one in terms of both quality and prices, featuring a charming balcony that overlooks the bustling street downwards, including the eye-catching colonial buildings in front.
On the other hand, Cafe Chez Julien near Anse Soleil Beach, like other more faraway places, has a rather basic coffee options, so while a foam-rich cappuccino might be out of reach, the ocean vista definitely makes up for that.

Refreshing after a full day under the equatorial sun, the local iced-coffee is not as sophisticated as the ones you’ll find in the average fashionable café in London or Tokyo, but it’s still tasty, especially when the sugary syrup is served separately, as I’ve already mentioned earlier.

Run by ethnically Italians, Panini & Ice is probably Seychelles’ best ice-cream parlor, serving authentic Italian gelato, that beside its ridiculously cheap prices has also a handful of flavors inspired by the local cuisine, most notably the blissful mango-yoghurt.
Le Café de L’horloge in Victoria has a lovely virgin cocktails menu, offering non-alcoholic versions of many classic cocktails like mojito and pina-colada.

Victoria’s main market is a charming place to visit if you want to see a glimpse of the local culture and try some Seychellois staple food. If you do visit, don’t miss the freshly picked coconut booth, as the warm-hearted hawker will gladly chop a one for you, insanely cheap and refreshing.