Craving seafood, sui (meaty bone soup) or vakalolo (our local cassava and coconut milk-based desert)? Here’s a wrap up of places you can eat traditional Fijian food around Viti Levu, from fine dining to market locations. Mai kana!
Sails
Sails at Port Denarau Marina is renowned for its gourmet take on traditional Fijian dishes, offering a fresh dining experience with interesting marina views. It is also famous for their fancy kokoda, a special twist on a Fijian favourite.
Web: sailsfiji.com
IG: @sails_denarau
Tiko’s Floating Restaurant
Tiko’s Floating Restaurant is a Suva institution and a unique dining experience, as you eat aboard a vessel moored in the waters of central Suva. Highlights from the menu include lobster Mornay, Cracked Curried Qari, and dishes with rich coconut cream, bringing a true taste of Fiji to every bite.
FB: Tiko’s Floating Restaurant
Contact: +679 331 3626 / +679 450 2959
Fiji’s Market Vendors
At the Suva Municipal Market, seafood vendors offer a variety offering fresh, local delicacies ready for takeaway. You can find sea urchins, sea molluscs, nama (seaweed), and kokoda (raw fish in coconut cream), often accompanied by lemon, chili, and sides of cooked cassava or dalo (taro). Neatly packed in
containers, they are perfect for a quick and delicious meal and an instant picnic!
Market Restaurant
Located beside the Suva Market and bus stand, this bustling local eatery serves up traditional Fijian dishes like ika vakalolo, Ika miti, rourou, vakasakera, and sui. Always packed with locals, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy an authentic home-style Fijian food in a vibrant atmosphere.
Nadina
Also, at Port Denarau, Nadina offers a genuine taste of Fiji, offering fresh seafood like slipper lobster and mud crab with coconut curry sauce. Vegetarian options include rourou soup and rourou balls, which are dumpling-like parcels made with dalo leaves and coconut milk. The venue also gets top points for its
hospitality, live band, and local rum.
Contact: +679 675 0290
Sweet Laisa’s Kitchen
Sweet Laisa’s Kitchen in Nadi’s Martintar neighbourhood offers an authentic taste of Fijian cuisine in a casual, bamboo-framed setting. Signature dishes include sui moca (meaty bone soup), kuita vakalolo (octopus in coconut cream), and vakasakera, a Lauan seafood casserole layered with coconut, cassava, or
moringa leaves. The menu also features fresh seafood like chargrilled fish, kokoda, and stuffed kai (mussels). Laisa is also a bit of a sweet tooth, with homemade mango candy and pancakes with chunky banana syrup occasionally gracing the menu. You’ll find it at Lot 4, Queens Road, Martintar in Nadi.
Contact: +679 930 5164
Lautoka Wharf seafood restaurants
Kusima Restaurant specialises in traditional Fijian seafood dishes, offering a wide variety of options to satisfy your cravings. You can indulge in their seafood platters for $100 or create your own platter with selections like lobster, fried fish, crab, stuffed kai, nama, kokoda, ika miti, rourou, and more.
Check them out on TikTok @kusima_777.
Neighbouring Helen’s Seafood Cravings brings you all your favorite seafood dishes, offering a fresh and delicious dining experience. Helen’s is situated in the first shop next to the eating tables. Contact +679 289 4883 or visit their Facebook page at
Helen’s Seafood Cravings.
Namosi Eco-Lodge
Guests at Namosi Eco Retreat enjoy simple, traditional local meals prepared with locally sourced, chemical-free ingredients. The menu features root crops, vegetables grown on-site, and fresh fish and prawns from the nearby Luva River. Try the traditional vakalolo, a sweet Fijian dessert made from grated
cassava, coconut milk, and sugar, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed to perfection. And because guests have spent the day enjoying fresh air adventures, everything tastes incredible!
Namosi Eco Retreat
Contact: +679 777 9099 / +679 777 9098
Vavavi
Vavavi Food and Cultural Experience offers a hands-on, authentic Fijian cooking adventure centred around the traditional lovo. Guests learn to prepare local favourites like palusami, lovo chicken and fish, kokoda, cassava, dalo, and falawa (Fijian flour pudding), all cooked underground in the earth oven.
Founded by Anna and Samu, Vavavi is now located at The Lookout in Vuda, just outside Nadi, with stunning views of Nadi Bay.
IG: @vavavifiji
Email: va********@***il.com
Tukuni Restaurant
Eating at Tukuni is a very special experience – its vast, light filled room has spectacular views over Lautoka cane fields and the ocean. A must-try is their specialty, baigani tavu with lolo, a savory eggplant dish cooked in rich coconut milk, showcasing the authentic flavours of the islands. Based at the FRIEND Fiji compound, you can also pick up the community organisation’s famous chutneys and chilli sauces while there.
Contact: +679 898 3188
The Bar-Belle
The Bar-Belle is a beloved local gem located at the National Fitness Centre in Suva, known for its hearty, traditional Fijian seafood platters. Especially popular on Saturdays, the restaurant serves up dishes like lobster, prawns, kokoda, nama, rourou, and kakana dina (cassava, taro, uto, and vudi), all perfect for
sharing. Pair your meal with a jug of icy kumquat juice, and don’t miss their desserts like banana lote and coconut pie.
FB: The Bar-Belle
