The Food Guide to Tanna: Places to Eat & Food Tours

While Tanna’s dining scene is small, its food experiences run much deeper than restaurants. Here, foodie moments come with kastom villages, garden walks, traditional cooking demonstrations, freshly prepared kava, local markets, coffee plants and even eggs cooked in a hot spring.

Yakel Cultural Village

One of Tanna’s standout food-meets-culture experiences is Yakel Cultural Village, where food and kava form part of a much wider introduction to traditional village life. During the visit, you can explore taro gardens, try sugarcane, see coffee growing, feed the pigs and watch fire-making demonstrations.

The kava experience is particularly memorable. You can see the traditional preparation method, including the boys chewing the root before it is prepared, then taste a full shell yourself.

It’s not a “food tour” in the restaurant-hopping sense, but it gives you a fascinating look at how food, gardening, custom and communal gathering fit together on Tanna.

For more cultural experiences around the country, check out the 10 Best Cultural & Kastom Villages in Vanuatu.

Imaio Cultural Village

For another hands-on taste of traditional Tanna life, Imaio Cultural Village in southeast Tanna combines cultural demonstrations with the chance to sample local food.

The approximately one-hour experience includes fire-making and coconut demonstrations before you get to taste foods such as sweet potato with grated coconut. Dancing and opportunities for photos round off the visit.

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Lowinio Cultural Village

Food is even more closely tied to the gardens at Lowinio Cultural Village, inland from Lenakel. Your guide takes you through gardens growing taro, nuts, fruit and kava before moving on to traditional activities and a food demonstration.

What is prepared varies from day to day, but one example from our visit was manioc wrapped in spinach and served with coconut cream.

Traditional Cooking and Island Lunch Tours

If you want to combine food with a bigger sightseeing day, Tanna Evergreen Resort & Tours runs several tours where traditional cooking becomes part of the itinerary.

The "Tanna's Big Three - Combo 2 Cultural Rich Experience" combines Louniel Waterfall, traditional local food cooking, an island lunch, the Blue Cave and a magic tour over approximately eight hours.

Its "Louniel Waterfall Cultural Village Tour" also visits village gardens and includes traditional cooking, eating local food and an island lunch.

For something more ocean-focused, the "Tanna Ocean Experience" combines activities such as snorkelling, fishing or the Blue Cave, with your catch of the day cooked for free.

Kava Experiences in Tanna

You can hardly write a Tanna food guide without mentioning kava. While it is found throughout Vanuatu, several experiences on Tanna give you the chance to learn how it is grown, prepared and consumed rather than simply being handed a shell and told to get on with it.

At Fortunate Lodge, the kava bar offers guests the chance to learn about the process from the host before tasting it themselves.

Rockwater, meanwhile, can arrange fresh kava with around six hours' notice and serve it beside the nightly campfire, with the option of having it blended into a fruit cocktail.

Learn more about Vanuatu's favourite evening ritual in the 10 Best Kava Bars & Nakamals in Vanuatu.

Tanna Volcano Sunrise and Day Tour

Entani Company Ltd.

from AU$125

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Lenakel Market

You can also visit Lenakel Market independently for the everyday side of Tanna’s food scene. Open from 5 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday, it’s the easiest place to browse fresh produce and food stalls while seeing what locals are buying that day.

Check out the 10 Best Markets in Vanuatu to learn more about it.

Tanna Gardens' Cafe & Coffee Tour

For one of the easiest dedicated food tours to fit into your itinerary, head to Tanna Gardens, a coffee processing factory and café run by Nasituan just a five-minute walk from Whitegrass Airport.

The approximately 30-minute guided factory tour follows locally grown Tanna coffee through the processing chain, from hulling and hand-grading to roasting and grinding, with the stories of the farmers behind the beans woven into the experience.

The café is also open from around 8 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday, where you can try Tanna coffee in light, medium and dark roasts.

More Food Tours and Experiences in Tanna

And that’s not all the food scene in Tanna has to offer. Check out alternative food tours and experiences, such as:

• Visiting Lava View Bungalow for coconut demonstrations, pig feeding and meals in Isaka Village
• Sampling local dishes such as simboro and manioc at Big A's Food Shop
• Pairing a stay near Mt Yasur with local meals of taro, cassava, rice and meat or fish at Glowing Mountain View Tree House

... For elaboration on food-focused activities across the country, check out the 10 Best Foodie Experiences in Vanuatu.

Tanna’s food scene is much more spread out than you’ll find in Port Vila, with most places to eat clustered around Lenakel, the White Grass airport area and accommodation on the east coast. Outside town, dining often means eating at a resort, bungalow or guesthouse, so booking ahead becomes part of the experience rather than an optional extra.

Where to Eat: Restaurants

For straightforward local meals in Lenakel, Nonda Restaurant (Lenakel) serves a mix of beef, chicken and pizza, along with fresh juices. The menu is displayed on a blackboard, so the exact selection can vary.

Tafea Slow Food (Lenakel) combines local and Western-style dishes, with options such as "Rice Steak", "Omelette" and "Tanna Soup". You can also stop in for Tanna coffee, cake, peanuts and dried banana, with packaged coffee available to take away.

For home-style food, Tino's (Lenakel) offers simple blackboard meals such as chicken and rice, beef stew, omelettes and chips. Smoothies and milkshakes are also part of the menu.

Chez Lea (Port Resolution) is more of a cook-to-order dining experience, with meals prepared depending on the guests booked that day. Rather than a fixed menu, what you eat depends on what is being cooked for that service.

For something a little more polished, The Dine House at Fortunate Lodge (Imelone Sub Division, West Tanna) serves French cuisine alongside barbecue nights and drinks. There is also a kava corner, giving the restaurant a mix of sit-down dining and local evening drinking culture.

Where to Eat: Local Food

For a casual local bite in Lenakel, Big A's Food Shop (Lenakel) mixes sandwiches, cakes, snacks and ice cream with more distinctly Tanna-style food. Depending on the day, the blackboard special might feature local fish with vegetables and rice, while simboro, manioc and grated coconut also make appearances.

For an even more local food experience, Lenakel Market (Lenakel) is worth browsing for fresh fruit, produce and food stalls. What is available changes from day to day, which is all part of the fun, and it’s one of the easiest places to see what people on Tanna are actually buying and eating.

On the west coast, Apera Beach Bungalows (South Beach Road, Isangel) serves simple local meals based on what is available from the market. A typical plate might include soy chicken, steamed vegetables such as broccoli, rice and taro, while other days could bring beef or whatever ingredients are available.

White Beach Restaurant at Sea Breeze Bungalows follows a similarly local, availability-led approach to its meals. The bonus here is the setting, where you can eat near the beach and settle into a hearty meal after spending time by the water.

Where to Eat: Resort Restaurants

Resort restaurants are some of the more established dining options on Tanna, particularly around the White Grass area. They’re useful when you want a broader menu, a sit-down meal and a few more choices than you’ll typically find at smaller local eateries.

Rockwater Resort Tanna (Ocean Road, Ipak Bay) runs an à la carte restaurant with a menu that changes daily depending on what is fresh and available. Dishes can include creamy pumpkin soup, beef nem, spicy vegetable samosas, prawn curry with coconut rice, chicken stir-fry with coconut sauce and vegetarian pasta, followed by desserts such as coffee and mint ice cream or banana flambé with ice cream.

White Grass Ocean Resort & Spa (Saltwater Road, Lenakel) offers a varied resort menu covering breakfast, bar snacks, coffee, cocktails and changing à la carte lunch and dinner dishes. Casual options include kumala fries, shaved manioc chips, salt and pepper squid and calamari rings, while breakfast dishes range from eggs and omelettes to "Island French Toast" with coconut cream and caramelised banana.

Nearby, Tanna Evergreen Resort (Iuiak, Lenakel) has one of the broader menus in the area, mixing international, Asian and local dishes. You might find grilled fish, fish and chips, beef or chicken stir-fry, steaks, chow mein, sweet and sour chicken and pasta alongside more island-style choices such as "Mighty Volcano Soup", "Island Chicken Curry" and "Beach Curry".

Self-catering in Tanna is easiest around Lenakel, where you’ll find the island’s main market, small stores and several accommodations with kitchen facilities. Once you head towards Port Resolution, the east coast or the Mt Yasur area, shopping options become much more limited, so it pays to stock up before leaving town.

Stores on Tanna cover the basics for simple holiday meals rather than supermarket-style shopping. Expect useful staples such as tuna, instant noodles, beans, bread, peanut butter, drinks and snacks, while fresh fruit and vegetables are better picked up from the market.

Kiwi Store (next to Centre Lodge, Lenakel) is a handy option for self-caterers staying in town, stocking items such as canned tuna, instant noodles, coffee, peanut butter and juice.

JB Store (Lenakel) is another useful grocery stop, with canned tuna, beans, tea and local chips among the supplies found in store. There is also a small shop in front of Ellen's guesthouse where you can pick up basics such as bread, bottled water and soft drinks.

For fresh produce, Lenakel Market is the place to go. Fruit, vegetables and snacks are available from local vendors, making the market particularly useful if you have access to a kitchen and want to add fresh island produce to your meals.

For a complete breakdown of supermarkets, shops, insider tips and what to expect, check out A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in Vanuatu.

Accommodations with Kitchen Facilities in Tanna

You have a few easy options for accommodations with kitchen facilities in Tanna:

• Lenakel Lodge - A shared kitchen with a stove, oven and cooking utensils
• Tanna Travel Lodge - A family room with its own kitchen
• Centre Lodge - No restaurant or breakfast, so guests can cook for themselves, with Kiwi Store conveniently located next door
• Ifainia Homestay - Kitchen facilities are provided for guests, but meals are not supplied
• Lamkail Aeland Bungalows - A self-contained house with its own kitchen, with a simple breakfast included in the stay
• Talapoa View Lodge - Shared kitchen facilities for guests
• Yasur Backpackers Treehouses - A communal kitchen for travellers staying near Mt Yasur

Find out more about these accommodations in Where to Stay on Tanna: 20 Best Accommodations.

When it comes to foodie stays, Tanna has everything from resort restaurants with changing à la carte menus to beachfront bungalows serving simple local meals and volcano-side lodges where dinner depends on what is available that day.

Although we outline all your options in Where to Stay in Tanna, here are some of our top picks for foodies.

Tanna Evergreen Resort - Island Dining, Local Flavours and Resort Comfort

Around a five-minute drive from Tanna Airport, Tanna Evergreen Resort combines distinctly Tanna-style accommodation with an on-site spa, pool, snorkelling and a full restaurant. Its bungalows and multi-level rooms sit among rocky stone walls, woven roofs, carvings and tropical gardens, with free WiFi available at reception.

Foodies have plenty to choose from at the restaurant, with international, Asian, local and pasta dishes alongside steaks, seafood and lobster. A continental breakfast is included for in-house guests, while cooked breakfasts are available separately and room service comes without a delivery charge.

Evergreen also works particularly well if you want food experiences built into your sightseeing. Its tours include traditional local cooking, island lunches, barbecue dinners and an ocean experience where your catch can be cooked for you.

Discover what makes Tanna Evergreen Resort ideal for foodies wanting to taste more of Tanna during their stay, and book on Tanna Evergreen Resort website.

Fortunate Lodge – French Dining, Kava Tastings and a Garden Stay Near Lenakel

Set in Imelone Sub Division near Lenakel, Fortunate Lodge is one of Tanna’s newer accommodation options, with three arch-shaped cabin bungalows surrounded by banana and papaya trees. Each bungalow has a queen bed, single bed, private ensuite, electric kettle, tea and coffee facilities, an iron, drying rack and free WiFi.

Its on-site restaurant, The Dine House, is a big part of the appeal for food-focused travellers. The restaurant serves French cuisine alongside barbecue nights, while the bar offers beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks.

There is also a kava corner where the host can explain the preparation process, with tastings available on request. Guests can arrange tours to Mt Yasur, the Blue Cave and Yakel village, with packages including cold drinks, snacks and seasonal local fruit.

Discover why Fortunate Lodge is a convenient choice for travellers wanting accommodation, dining and local flavours all in one place, and book your stay on the Fortunate Lodge website.