Adventurous travelers who journey to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), one of the world's most remote islands, are treated to fascinating archaeology and plenty of local seafood. The history of the Rapa Nui society and their massive moai statues are the main draw to this volcanic speck 2,300 miles west of Santiago, Chile. The restaurants and cuisine of Easter Island may be an afterthought for many, but not me.
It's no surprise that, given Easter Island's remote location and low visitor numbers (about 100,000 tourists annually), little is written about its culinary scene. While dining out wasn't the main focus of our visit in May 2024, I did my best to choose memorable restaurants based on the limited information available.
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Easter Island Cuisine
Before sharing Easter Island (Isla de Pascua in Spanish) restaurants, I'd like to introduce traditional Pascuense cuisine. This tiny, remote island was discovered by Polynesian chief Hotu Matu'a between 400 AD and 1,200 AD. The settlers from East Polynesia brought with them plants and animals to cultivate.
Sweet potatoes were one of the most critical crops introduced and are still grown today. Taro, yams, bananas, and sugarcane also did well. Chickens and rats were sources of protein, along with an unlimited supply of seafood, including fish (tuna), crustaceans (lobster), mollusks, and octopus.
In 2019, new research published in Plos One pointed to a correlation between the locations of hundreds of moai statues around the coast and clean water sources. Rain filters through the volcanic rock and flows toward the coastline. There, it helps dilute seawater that collects in tide pools. The result is salty but drinkable water that would've been critical for the survival of the Rapa Nui people.
Europeans discovered Rapa Nui on Easter in 1722 and named the island after the holiday. Their visits over the ensuing centuries impacted the cuisine, as did the Peruvians, who, sadly, began removing Rapa Nui people in the 1860s and enslaving them on the mainland.
Chile annexed Easter Island in 1888 and granted its residents citizenship in 1966. The island was given constitutional protection as a "special territory" of Valparaiso in 2007. The introduction of commercial flights to the island in the mid-to-late 20th century further impacted the cuisine by reducing the islanders' reliance on what only they could produce.
Restaurants
Kona o' Pule
Kel and I got our first taste of Anakena Beach on the northern coast of Easter Island during a day-long guided tour. As the only sand beach on the island, it has a long history of being used by settlers and explorers to come ashore. In addition to offering visitors the chance to go swimming (in frigid water, I discovered), there are the restored moai statues of Ahu Nau Nau and Ahu Ature Huki to admire.
Three small thatched-roof restaurants offer beachgoers ocean views with their food and beverages. While we didn't have time to enjoy them on our first visit, we returned with a rental car a few days later for lunch. We chose Kona o' Pule, a restaurant that not only accepts credit cards in addition to cash but also offers Wi-Fi, making it a convenient choice for visitors who want to stay connected.
Lunch
Lunch began with a Tahiti sour cocktail (8,000 Chilean pesos / $8.50). Other alcoholic drinks on the menu included pisco sour, mango sour, beer, and wine. Sodas, fresh fruit juices, and coffee and tea were also available.
My choice was the Polynesian ceviche, a dish that celebrates the freshness of the local tuna. It was a burst of flavors with coconut milk, red onions, carrots, lemon, and cilantro. Served with a side of white rice, French fries, lime, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, the dish was a testament to the quality of the ingredients and the chef's skill.
Locals fish tuna in the deep waters around Easter Island; it's widely available on the island and used in everything from empanadas to ceviche. Given the freshness of the ingredients and our ocean view, the ceviche felt like an incredible value at 19,000 pesos ($20).
Kel got the pollo a la plancha, served with a salad and French fries. This Cuban grilled chicken dish is one of my go-to meals when traveling in Latin America.
Taha Tai Restaurant
For our first dinner on Easter Island, Kel and I ate at the Taha Tai Restaurant adjacent to a guesthouse we rented. Located along the southwest coast in Hanga Roa, the island's only town, Taha Tai offered al fresco dining with sunset views. When our waitress said we were at the island's best restaurant, I took her word for it with a grain of salt. And then the food arrived.
I'd ordered a French stew, lamb navarin, served with butter-sauteed potatoes, bacon, green onions, smoked radish, and a "hint" of tuava (the Rapa Nui name for guava) and rosemary. Based on the presentation, my first impression was positive and backed up by the tenderness of the meat. Not bad for 22,500 pesos ($24).
I also tried Kel's entree, slow-cooked baby back ribs marinated in local honey, served with sweet potato puree and caramelized pearl onions (18,500 pesos, $20). For dessert, we shared a delicious bitter chocolate mousse. The total dinner cost, including bottled water and a standard 10% gratuity, was 58,300 pesos ($62).
Later in the week, Kel asked me where I'd like to go to dinner; I didn't hesitate to suggest Taha Tai. For our second dinner, I enjoyed chicken stuffed with mushroom confit and cheese, served with a green maize pebre (a Chilean dressing) and a local mustard-honey sauce.
Kel ordered the "French Fries," which at Taha Tai, is a plate of steak fries layered with sirloin, shrimp, and Roquefort cheese fondue. We'd seen variations of the "French Fries" plate at other restaurants, so I'm glad Kel tried it.
Pea Restaurant
Perched on rocks overlooking a natural swimming pool, Pea Restaurant offers diners fantastic ocean views. We'd noticed surfers on Easter Island like to paddle out and catch waves at sunset, and a restaurant like Pea provides the perfect vantage point.
At 7 p.m., we had no trouble getting a table on the covered patio. Kel and I shared a mango colada as surfers caught their last waves of the day. I ordered sweet potato gnocchi in tomato sauce, which I had to eat in the restaurant's dining room due to an unexpected rainstorm.
Once the rain let up, we paid our check and walked across the street to Kanahau restaurant for dessert.
Kanahau
Kanahau is another seafood restaurant along the coastal road in Hanga Roa. This laid-back, centrally located spot is opposite the Pea swimming pool and restaurant. It offers excellent views of the surfers and sunset. On our first visit, we were only interested in dessert and got the maracuya (passion fruit) tart with blueberry sauce.
I was so impressed that I suggested we return the next night for dinner. On the second visit, I chose grilled tuna on white rice, while Kel went with one of her favorites, a bowl of garlic shrimp. We shared a red fruit spritz to drink and tried several more desserts.
I ordered the tiramisu based on our positive dessert experience the first night. I appreciated the effort to dress it up with edible flowers and dark chocolate with nuts. Kel went with chocolate ice cream.
Neptuno Sunset Restaurant
A bit further south of town, still along the coastal road, is Neptuno Seafood Restaurant. Look for the blue building with a blue-and-white wooden walkway to the entrance (as the Google Maps marker isn't 100% accurate).
Despite the wet weather on our last night on Easter Island, we still enjoyed dining at this seafood restaurant. Polynesian music played when we arrived at 6 p.m., and the cute interior continued the nautical theme.
We began with a strawberry daiquiri. I ordered a large bowl of creamy shrimp risotto, and Kel got shrimp tempura. The latter's presentation looked silly to me, but it tasted fine. Points for their creativity! We skipped dessert at Neptune's as we'd already picked up cake at a bakery we'd come to love. More on that below.
La Boulangerie
For breakfast on Easter Island, on our first morning, we ate at La Boulangerie, a French-inspired restaurant on the same road as Kanahau. It was 8:30 a.m. when we dropped by before a full-day guided tour that would take us across the island.
I ordered a cappuccino and a ham and cheese omelet with crustless toast. The omelet was substantial and kept me full until lunch. Kel got scrambled eggs with bacon, which was also served with toast. Both dishes, presented on delightful turquoise blue plates, were 6,500 pesos ($7). I would've loved to revisit La Boulangerie, but we didn't manage to.
Bakeries and Cafes
O Te Ahi
The individual cake slices at O Te Ahi in the center of Hanga Roa were the surprise hit of our week on Easter Island. We came across the pastry shop and bakery while shopping for a rental car (it was adjacent to O Nei Rent a Car, which gave us the best quote). Fresh-baked loaves of bread, muffins, and cookies were all available.
As it was lunchtime, we ordered the large baked empanadas (at about $5 apiece): one Neopolitan (ham, cheese, and tomato) and a carne mechada (meatloaf and cheese). They were a good value and you could tell the dough had been freshly made. Additional options included pollo queso (chicken and cheese), atun queso (tuna and cheese), mariscos (seafood), and vegetarian.
The empanadas brought back memories of my travels through Argentina in 2012, as did the large slice of dulce de leche cake with chocolate frosting we shared for dessert. One piece was enough to serve two adults, maybe even three. We returned twice more to buy pieces of cake from O Te Ahi. On both visits, I waited to be served while locals picked up their custom cakes—some of which you can see on Instagram.
Nena's Specialty Coffee
One morning, on our walk back to town from the moai statues at the Tahai Ceremonial Complex, I asked Kel if we could stop in Nena's, a cafe near Hanga Roa's harbor. I ordered a mocha, lemon cake, and banana bread. For some reason, the banana bread was served with a small cup of cookies and cream ice cream. If you're looking for an espresso and something sweet to nibble on within a view of the Pacific Ocean, check out Nena's.
See also: A Culinary Adventure at Borago
Nayara Hangaroa
After spending our first four nights in a small studio apartment at Cabanas Matavai, we moved to Nayara Hangaroa, one of Easter Island’s few luxury resorts, to wrap up our trip. We opted for a room rate that included the daily breakfast buffet but nothing else, allowing us to choose where we dined the rest of the day.
There are three places to eat at Nayara Hangaroa:
- The Kaloa Lounge is the swankiest dining option. Its curvaceous white interior features concrete floors, plenty of windows facing the ocean, and an outdoor patio. An a la carte dinner menu features surf and turf.
- Poerava offers the most spacious dining area, with indoor seating and a partially covered outdoor patio with ocean views. The breakfast and lunch buffets are served here; arrive early as the place can fill up fast. Dinner is served a la carte, with optional Chilean wine pairings.
- Vaikoa Pool Bar offers drinks and sandwiches that can be quickly prepared. Guests can also enjoy a complimentary cocktail (available from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.) every night.
I was excited to check out the resort's offerings during our brief stay.
Dinner at Kaloa Lounge
On our first night at Nayara Hangaroa, I reserved a table for dinner in the Kaloa Lounge. The dinner menu was priced similarly to the other restaurants we'd been eating at in town, with appetizers and entrees priced from 13,500 to 20,500 pesos (about $14 to $22). And you do not need to stay at the hotel to dine at this Easter Island restaurant.
The appetizers included shrimp, yellowfin tuna tataki, roasted octopus, beef tartare, and vegetable carpaccio with hummus. Since we weren't too hungry, we skipped the starters and ordered our entrees: fish tempura made with black beer and a beef filet with potato puree. The portions were a little smaller than we'd been getting elsewhere, but the food tasted good, and we weren't left wanting more.
The dessert menu had eight offerings, including chocolate volcano cake, homemade ice creams, a creme brulee trilogy, lemongrass namelaka, and banana po'e (a Polynesian pudding). We chose the pineapple tarte tatin with coconut ice cream. Desserts are priced from 7,500 to 9,000 pesos ($8 to $10).
Breakfast and Lunch at Poerava
Kel and I enjoyed the breakfast buffets each morning at Poerava. Aside from an omelet station and requests for beverages (like espresso), it was self-serve. I put together plates of eggs, cured meats, local cheese, fresh fruits, and pastries.
On the first morning, we ate inside. We could see the ocean, but it felt muted and distant. The second morning, the weather was more accommodating. I enjoyed the breakfast experience more sitting at one of the tables on the terrace.
After a rainy morning spent driving around Easter Island, trying to make the most of our time despite the weather, we returned to Nayara Hangaroa for lunch. I mistakenly assumed the lunch buffet couldn't be much more expensive than our dinner the previous night in the lounge.
Kel and I had already filled our plates with meat, fish, potatoes, and corn when a server informed us of the cost: 70,000 pesos ($75) per person. My jaw dropped in disbelief. The person added that it included beer and wine, but we had neither the time nor the desire for alcohol. I couldn't consume enough to justify the $150 meal we'd unknowingly agreed to (by far the costliest of our week on Easter Island).
After assessing the situation, we finished lunch (including some tasty pastries) and went to the lobby to wait for our tour guide to collect us. While there, I voiced my surprise at the front desk about the cost of lunch and that nobody had informed us beforehand.
I was grateful when a supervisor gave us a 30% discount on lunch to help make it right. Still, at a little over $100 for two people, it was our most expensive meal on Easter Island.
Happy Hour at Vaikoa Bar
Last but not least, I'd like to make a toast to the Vaikoa Bar at Nayara Hangaroa, where you can order mixed drinks, beer, and wine. There's indoor and outdoor seating, and as I mentioned before, a complimentary cocktail is served nightly for resort guests. The sunset drinks served during our stay were the pisco sour and tom collins.
Places We Missed
Despite the luxury of a week on Easter Island, there were plenty of places we didn't get to try. It's a special spot in the South Pacific, and Kel and I agreed we'd both be up for returning one day. Below are a few more Easter Island restaurants I'm bookmarking for next time.
- Te Ra'ai - traditional food and show. The Google Reviews are mixed but mostly positive.
- Restaurante Explora Rapa Nui - an upscale restaurant at an all-inclusive luxury resort about a 20-minute drive east of Hanga Roa. You do not need to be a guest to dine there, but reservations are required.
