Culinary Magic

Caribbean Cuisine

A Marriage of Two Cuisines, French and Creole

Many Caribbean islands are synonymous with “magic,” but the kind of magic found in Martinique is, quite simply, culinary. Cooking here is an art practiced by wizardly chefs who can take something very ordinary, like spiny sea urchins, do secret things to them, and -- with just a whisper of “open sesame” to the oven door -- bring forth a soufflé that is positively spellbinding. Food sets Martinique apart from the other Caribbean islands. Here, chefs are seasoned sorcerers; elsewhere, they are just apprentices.

Magic aside, Martinique also happens to be French and shows its Frenchness very noticeably through its love affair with good food. Many shops close from noon to 2:30 for the sacrosanct tradition of a copious and leisurely lunch and dinner often is a gastronomic adventure lasting all evening. Since local people dine out as a matter of course, visitors to Martinique have one of the widest choices of restaurants in the Caribbean -- more than 150.

Hotels and better-known spots have menus in English, but many little places do not so it is wise to bring along a French phrase book and pocket dictionary. Many dining rooms offer both French cuisine and Creole dishes, a wondrous mix of African, Indian, European and Caribbean flavors. Others serve recipes that combine the best from both kitchen traditions. To classic French dishes, for example, might be added such exotic local fruits and vegetables as guava, sour sop, cassava, christophine, breadfruit, okra and plantain.

Restaurants In Martinique - Visitors Pick

Show records 1 - 3 of 14

Chez Tante Arlette

The restaurant Chez Tante Arlette welcomes you to Grand-Rivière, the northern-most town in Martinique. In keeping with the island of flowers’ culinary traditions, each dish that comes out of Tante Arlette’s kitchen is a masterpiece. Your memories of Tante Arlette’s culinary prowess will linger long after your plate is empty. Tante Arlette also has 3 tastefully furnished guest rooms for a cozy experience.
3, rue Lucy de Fossarieu
97218 Grand Rivière
t: 05 96 55 75 75

Fleur De Sel

27 avenue de l’Impératrice Joséphine – Bourg
97229 Les Trois Ilets
t: 05 96 68 42 11

Hippopotamus

Air-conditioned restaurant with wheelchair access, groups welcome. Parking nearby.
La Galleria shopping center
97232 La Lamentin
Non-stop service Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 am to 11 pm
Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 am to midnight
t: 05 96 54 62 66

The classic tour of Martinique travels north along the Caribbean coast to St-Pierre, the "Paris of the West Indies" until 1902 when Mont Pelée Volcano erupted and turned the city into a New World Pompeii.
A museum on the spot vividly portrays the tragedy. A convenient way to reach this historic site is on a little train, the Cyparis Express.
One-hour tours on weekdays and half-hour tours during weekends cost about 6€ for adults, 3€ for children.
The fee includes train fare and the tour.
In l990, St. Pierre was designated a Ville d'Art et d'Histoire.

The drive from Fort-de-France takes less than an hour, but several sightseeing stops along the way are highly recommended, including the fishing villages of Case-Pilote and Bellefontaine, as well as Carbet, where Columbus landed in 1502 and where Gauguin lived and painted in 1887. The Gauguin Museum is well worth a visit.

Inland is Morne Rouge, a pretty town with a cool climate and the site of MacIntosh Plantation, named for the renowned cultivator of Martinique's best-known flower, the anthurium. Nearby is La Trace, a dazzling route through the rain forest. This mountainous region in the northern half of the island is lush with banana and pineapple plantations, avocado groves, cane fields, and lovely old island inns such as Leyritz and Habitation Lagrange.

Other noteworthy communities in the north include Le Prêcheur, the last village along the northern Caribbean coast, known for hot springs of volcanic origin and the Tomb of the Carib Indians; Ajoupa-Bouillon, an enchanting flower-lined town with a nature trail called Les Ombrages and nearby the Gorges de la Falaise, mini canyons along the Falaise River that lead to a waterfall; Grand Rivière, a picturesque fishing village constantly braving the fierce Atlantic Ocean; Trinité and the Caravelle Peninsula, where at the very tip of land stand ruins of the Château Dubuc, a spot that evokes memories of the intriguing people who have lived here - such as Louis-François Dubuc, the man instrumental in preventing the spread of the French Revolution to Martinique, and Aimée Dubuc de Rivery who, like Joséphine, was destined for history. Returning home to Martinique after her schooling in Nantes, she was captured by pirates, sold into slavery, then given as a present to the Sultan of Constantinople. Aimée became Sultana Validé, mother of Sultan Mahmoud II. Close