2 Best Restaurants in Mauritius

Once you navigate your way to this charming little restaurant, down a poorly lighted street some 30 meters (100 feet) past the open-air market in Grand-Baie, you'll be glad you made the effort. Hostess Francoise will greet you at the door, clad in a toque blanche (one of those white hats worn by chefs), as will the main chef. The restaurant has only 20 tables and a big following of happy diners, so it's advisable to book in advance. Try the house specialty, aumonieresde crabes (crab wontons) followed by a shrimp curry with saffron rice, or go for broke and order a large plate of delicious langouste (lobster). Finish off with the dreamy warm-chocolate fondant. Grand-Baie, on the northwestern tip of the island, is a buzzing resort with many restaurants, but this out-of-the-way place, with lace-curtain windows and potted palms, is a real find.

Le Courtyard has transformed a colonial building with its rusty-looking brick façade into the capital’s trendiest address. Set in a small interior courtyard, the charming eatery often attracts local high-profile politicians, businessmen, and foreign ambassadors looking for sophisticated French cuisine and discretion while seated among the palms, ferns, and other tropical plants. Most of the time, these people go back to work only after they've eaten the restaurant's renowned home-made fruit sorbet. The staff here is always helpful and quite efficient.