Moorea Beach Café

The restaurant was founded by Bruno Jamais, a Parisian restaurateur and maître d’hôtel who spent two decades in New York running the Bruno Jamais Supper Club, and it is still family-owned. Under one roof are a bistro, a wood-fired pizzeria, a sushi bar and a wine bar serving tapas. It is also French Polynesia’s representative for Champagne Veuve Clicquot, with a small boutique.

From the bistro menu, try the red tuna tartare on crispy rice cakes, the Tuscan-style bluefin tuna carpaccio with burrata, or seared Brittany scallops on a lobster bisque risotto. Whole spiny lobster is grilled with Provençal herb butter or served in a squid-ink risotto, and local swordfish comes with sauce vierge. Finish with a crêpe Suzette flambéed with Grand Marnier, or a crêpe with Moorea pineapple.

The Maharepa anchorage, east of Cook’s Bay, is well protected from swell and has room for two yachts for up to 48 hours. The restaurant’s floating dock is for its customers only, so it is the natural landing for a meal. Otherwise, land the dinghy on the small beach in front of the pharmacy, and go only in good light, as there is coral.

The restaurant is open every day from 11.30am to 9.30pm, and walk-ins are welcome for lunch and coffee. Book online or by phone for a sunset table or dinner. With a dinner booking, a free shuttle runs from the Hilton, Sofitel, Manava and Cook’s Bay hotels, though not for drinks only. Tax and service are included in the menu.