French Polynesia has a genuine culinary tradition, shaped by its Polynesian roots and its French colonial history, with Chinese immigration adding a third strand that shows up in menus across the islands.
Poisson cru is the dish you will eat everywhere and never tire of: raw fish (usually tuna) marinated in lime juice and coconut milk, with tomato, cucumber, and onion. It is simple, fresh, and exactly right for the climate. The tama'ara'a is the traditional earth oven — food wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked over heated stones — used for feasts and special occasions. Breadfruit, taro, plantain, and coconut show up in various forms throughout the cuisine.
The French influence means you can eat excellent croissants in Papeete in the morning and a proper steak-frites in the evening. Chinese restaurants are remarkably common across the islands, a legacy of the 19th-century immigration of Chinese workers, and tend to offer some of the best value eating available.
The best and cheapest eating in the country happens at the roulottes — food trucks that set up each evening along the Papeete waterfront. A bowl of poisson cru or a plate of grilled mahi-mahi will cost a fraction of what a resort restaurant charges. In smaller islands, roadside snack bars (called snacks locally) serve simple grilled fish and plate lunches.
Outside the main towns and resorts, eating options thin out considerably. On remote atolls and in the Marquesas, your pension will usually provide meals — tell them your plans in advance, as provisions can be scarce and hosts need to prepare.