French Guiana's food is one of its genuine pleasures — a Caribbean-Amazonian-French mix that reflects the territory's improbable diversity.
The base is Creole cuisine: stews built around smoked fish, smoked chicken, or salt cod, served with rice and red beans. Bouillon d'awara is a ceremonial dish made from the orange awara palm fruit, slow-cooked with fish, smoked meats, and crab. It's prepared mainly for Easter and special occasions, but you'll find it in some restaurants and at community events.
Hmong food is everywhere and excellent. The Sunday market at the village of Cacao (about an hour from Cayenne) is the best food experience in French Guiana — bowl after bowl of fragrant noodle soup, spring rolls, grilled meats, and fresh vegetables that the Hmong community grows themselves. Worth building your itinerary around.
Seafood is a constant along the coast. Fresh shrimp, barracuda, and various river fish appear on most menus. The fish market in Kourou's Vieux Bourg neighbourhood is worth a visit.
In Cayenne, you'll find everything from proper French bistros to Lebanese, Chinese, Brazilian, and Indonesian restaurants. Standards are generally good and the connection to France means decent bread and cheese, at French supermarket prices. Carrefour and Match are the main supermarket chains.
In rural areas and the interior, food options shrink dramatically. If you're heading to Saul or upriver, stock up before you go or expect simple gîte cooking.
Budget: eating out in French Guiana is expensive by South American standards. A sit-down meal in Cayenne runs €15–25 per person. Snacks and street food from market stalls are much cheaper. Self-catering from supermarkets is the most economical option.