There are so many food specialties to try out in Martinique, so I’ve made you a list of the most famous and tasty ones !
If you are coming to the island, you cannot miss the food culture there.
Whether it is chicken boucané, cod accras or guava pâtés, I’ll list here what specialties you can find and where to try them.
First of all, you can’t miss the accras de morue (cod accras). Found in every restaurants or roadside stalls, they are small fried cod fritters served with creole sauce (on the first and third pics below). They are usually eaten as a warm appetizer, but you will also find them in big plates of creole specialties (with salad, sweet potato fries, blood sausages…). The best ones we had were on roadside small joints.
Also served as an appetizer is the boudin créole (creole blood sausage) : a black pudding, revisited in the Martinique style, very flavourful, served hot (on the first and third pics below).
Martinique sure loves its cod ! Another specialty is the chiquetaille de morue (cod chiquetaille) : a blend of crumbled salted cod, chives, parsley, garlic and vegetarian chili pepper, served cold. It’s quite taste, you can see what it looks like at the top right of the first photo below.
We got to try the balaous frits (fried fish) which are small fish with little flesh that are fried and eaten whole. We didn’t like those, they are way too much fish bones and it’s too crispy you don’t taste anything (see on the third picture below).
Our absolute favorite : poulet boucané (chicken boucané) : marinated chicken cooked on a barbecue for a long time. The twist is that sugar cane is mixed with the wood for extra flavour ! It is then accompanied by a creole sauce (see second picture below). Many locals are grilling them on the side of the road (these are the best ones), here you can’t get a chicken thigh for 4€, sometimes 3,5€.
Martinique is famous for its Colombo : either with pork, chicken, goat or even shrimp, the colombo is a spice blend : paprika, cumin, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, mustard seeds and saffron.
If you are looking for another fish specialty try the Blaff de poisson (fish blaff). It’s a dish made of fish cooked in a flavourful broth with vegetables (similar to fish court bouillon). Mine was a barracuda blaff (see fourth picture below), the broth was tasty and the fish extremely well cooked !
If you want a fancier diner, many restaurants have langouste grillée (grilled lobster).
Last but not least savory specialty that we got to try : the Fricassée de chatrou. It’s a sauce dish with octopus cut into pieces.
If you come to a local bakery, you must try the savoury pâtés : these are tasty little puff pastries filled with either chicken, cod, meat or vegetables.
Keep in mind that almost every dessert will be made with either coconut, banana or guava, so if you don’t like fruits, you probably won’t find your happiness in the Martinican specialties !
My absolute favorite food specialty to try on Martinique : the Blanc Manger Coco. It’s like a coconut flan, but with gelatin and lime.
You will find many other coconut-based dessert such as the flanc coco (coconut flan), coconut sorbet…
In bakeries you will mostly find Robinson or Amour caché (it translates as hidden love). These are creole cake with two layers (only one for the Amour caché) of shortcrust pastry and guava or banana jam in the center.
Another must : the sweet pâtés at the bakeries, either filled with coconut or guava (second picture below).
If you are coming to a local market, try they plantain bananas, fresh coconuts or any fruit really, they are delicious (third picture above).
It is in those food markets that you will also be able to try sugarcane juice or coconut water which is really refreshing !
One thing to know in Martinique is that restaurants close REALLY early, like 7pm early. So if you want to enjoy the sunset (which lasts until 6pm almost), you will have a hard time finding a restaurant.
Second thing to know, restaurants and food in general is expensive there. It’s an island of the Caribbean so many good are imported and it costs a lot.
Now that we set the terms, here are some restaurants recommendations :
- If you are staying in Anses d’Arlet, our go-to restaurant was Charlo, on the right of the church in the village. It was almost the only one open after 7pm and the menu was renewed every day. We got to try their poulet boucané, chicken (boucané still) salad, fish salad, colombo, as well as their good desserts. The owner was really nice and the prices were reasonable.
- Still in Anses d’Arlet, we tried the beach restaurant called Ti Payot’. This one is open only for lunch (or really early diner, as it closes at 6pm). We took the Assiette Creole which is a plate combining all the main specialties : boudin créole, accras de morue, chiquetaille de morue… Prices are a tiny bit higher but you are right in front of the sea and have a nice view of the Grande Anse d’Arlet.
- I personally wouldn’t recommend neither Ti Sable (it’s mainly famous for its concerts so the food is really expensive and not really typical) nor the Phoenix Creperie (the atmosphere was just off and the server was rude).
- If you fancy something different for a change, the pizzeria Pizzbook in Le Diamant is great (the Antillaise pizza was quite good).
- Another restaurant that opens “late” in the evening is Snack Chez Fredo on the Petite Anse d’Arlet. Their fish is really nice there (but they don’t have any desserts).
- If you are looking for bakeries to try the famous pâtés and pastries : Boulangerie Pom’ Kanel in Trois-Ilets commune (3 rue des balaous), SURENA in Fort-de-France or Le Fournil Arlésien in Anse d’Arlet.
- For a good café in Fort-de-France, head to LePatio19 in the colourful street of Garnier Pagès.
- The best poulet boucané and blanc manger coco that we tried was on a roundabout near Sainte-Anne village. You can easily find it, it’s called Chez Marie Georges. If you’d like, you can ask her to cut your pineapple and coconut for your picnic on the Anse des Salines which is nearby.
That’s it for my recommendations on the food specialties to try out in Martinique. We had a wonderful time trying all the best food specialties in Martinique and I’m sure you will too !
If you plan on visiting the island any time soon, check out my top 10 best beaches in Martinique, or the best distilleries to visit on the island and why.
