Dining

Maldives has an extensive range of cafés and restaurants, nearly all of which offer a variety of hot and spicy local snacks and meals. A greater part of the food joints in Male' are cafés or teashops and these are ideal for light snacks and refreshments. The cafés in Malé (locally referred to as hotaa) is a perfect place to taste local cuisines. During Ramadan, when Maldivian residents observe the Islamic month of fasting, all food joints in Male' are shut during the daytime. Restaurants in Maldives offer varied and superb international cuisines such as Oriental, Middle Eastern, Indian and Continental. Asian cuisines such as Chinese, Thai, and Sri Lankan are also served aplenty.

Breakfast generally constitutes of corn flakes and other cereals, fruit juices, omelets, freshly baked breads, scrambled eggs on toast, tea and coffee. During meal times, fish, chicken and beef curries, and other delicacies are often a favorite on the platter. Apart from these, lunches and dinners generally include pasta and rice. The curries are highly spiced but if you can manage, these will give you a taste of authentic local cuisine. A traditional meal additionally contains garudhiya (fish soup), with chili, lemon and onion spicing. Fish paste (rihaakuru) is also an excellent accompanying dish. Deserts consist of fresh, and canned flan, cakes, fruits and mousses. Local specialties include different seafood available, some of which are unique to the archipelago, but Sri Lankan and Indian food also influence many Maldivian dishes. Maldive Fish is a specialty and is made of tuna cooked in the Maldivian way.

Maldivian cafés and restaurants are generally open till late in the night. The opening hours vary with some cafés opening as early as 5 in the morning. Most restaurants offer a variety of ‘short eats', which include local sweets and savories. Hedhikaa is a small snack, popular in several cafés. Hot and spicy delicacies are prepared from smoked fish, grated coconut, limejuice, onion and chilly. These consist of bajiyaa (pastry stuffed with fish), keemia (fish rolls) and masroshi (small pancake stuffed with fish). Other savories served in restaurants are kulhi boakibaa (fishcake) and gulha (fishballs). The sweet dishes are prepared from flour, sugar, and essence. Widely popular sweet dishes are foniboakiba (cake made of flour), githeyo boakiba (mixture of flour, onions, and butter), huni hakuru folhi (grated coconut, sugar and flour) and bodibaiy (rice and sugar). People generally have a cup of black tea (kalhu sai) at the end of ‘short eats'. Roshi (chapati), mas huni (coconut, fish, lemon and onions) and fried yams are well known Maldivian dishes. A majority of the resorts arrange for Maldivian Night, when they serve traditional local cuisine. Alcohol and pork are forbidden by law and only found in tourist resorts and on-board, for tourist use.

Most Maldivian restaurants offer good service and a pleasant ambiance. The prices vary from US $1 to US $20. For US $1-$2, you can eat at tea shops, which offer rice, curry, several accompanying dishes, tea, and snacks known as ‘short eats'. However, these small teashops are mainly Male' joints. Maldivian women almost never enter teashops and foreign women feel quite uncomfortable entering such places. Women usually go to cafés, which are slightly more costly and classier than teashops.

A. Top restaurants

Athamaa Palace

Address:

G.Dhivehi Atha,

Majeedhee Magu

This restaurant specializes in the famous chicken biryani cooked the Indian style, accompanied by gravy, chili chicken and Maldivian cuisine.

Kam Hotel

Address

H. Roanuge,

Meheli Goalhi

Kam Hotel serves international and Asian cuisine as well as seafood, cuttlefish and fresh salads, fish and chips.

Thai Wok Restaurant

Address

Ameer Ahmed Magu,

Male'

This is one of the best Thai restaurants in Maldives. It serves genuine Thai cuisine, fried chicken covered in pandanus leaves along with Thai sauce, spicy prawns, Thai green curry and Thai salads. The food here costs around US $11 to US $20.

24 Degrees

Address

Taj Exotica,

Emboodhu Finolhu,

Maldives

24 Degrees offers an assortment of à la Carte delicacies that include the pan-Asian, Japanese and Continental cuisine. The menu for breakfast includes eggs with sausage, bacon, and basil-topped tomatoes, herb focaccia and omelets with lot of fillings. The restaurant also serves banana hot cakes, with cream and wild berries, mint crepes full of vanilla bean rice and pistacio coulis, exotic fruits, and lentil cakes with chili sauce. The main course consists of pastas, duck, veal, steak, chicken, and fish and various other seafood, curries and Japanese cuisine. The home-style chicken curry, and the vegetable curry served here are tasty. The chicken with tomato polenta, spinach and mushroom sauce and the pepper-crusted tuna in herb and butter sauce are worth a try. You can have dinner with red or white wine. A wine bottle costs around US $40 to US $1200. The price for starters range from about US $9 to US $20, main course from US $15 to US $40, and desserts from US $10 to US $20. On average for 2 people, 2 meals each and a bottle of wine will vary from US $100 to US $140, together with service charges. Some of the desserts served here include passion fruit brulee, baked lemon grass tart with vanilla beach ice cream and chocolate parfaits with macerated fruits. The restaurant serves food from 7am to 11pm.

Salsa Café

Address

Keneree Magu,

Male'

The food served here is good, but expensive. A small tuna sandwich (4 pieces) will cost you around US $3 and a pizza is available for US $14.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant

Address

Rangali Island,

PO Box 2034,

Rangali Island,

Maldives 2034

This exclusive underwater restaurant provides an enthralling experience of dining 16 feet below sea level. Here you can eat a blend of Maldivian and Western cuisines. This is the world's only aquarium-style restaurant and is open for both lunch as well as dinner.

Tuscaloosa

Address

Boduthakurufaanu Magu

Male'

This restaurant serves Western, Indian and à-La-Carte cuisine. They serve food from Saturdays to Thursdays, 9:30am to 1:00am and on Fridays from 2:30pm to 1:00am. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Prices range from US $1.19 to US $5. Live music is put up at times for the entertainment of the customers.