Is Maldives Good For Foodies

Why the Maldives is a foodie destination

The Maldives has always had fresh fish, but the real change started when resorts began flying in Michelin-starred chefs for month-long residencies. Today you can book a table at a two-star restaurant in Paris and then fly to the same chef’s pop-up in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The setting is the clincher: dining six metres below the surface while parrotfish dart past your plate is an experience you can’t replicate anywhere else. Add in the fact that most resorts grow their own herbs, harvest sea salt from the lagoon, and serve lobster caught that morning, and you have a destination that punches well above its weight on the global food scene.

The underwater restaurants you need to try

There are only a handful of underwater restaurants in the world, and three of them are in the Maldives. Conrad Rangali Island’s Ithaa was the first—opened in 2005, 16 feet below sea level. The all-glass tunnel seats twelve, and the six-course set menu includes Maldivian lobster medallions and wagyu beef. Hurawalhi’s 5.8 Undersea Restaurant is larger, with ten tables and a vegan tasting menu. It’s also the only underwater restaurant that serves lunch, so you can watch the reef come alive in daylight. Niyama’s Subsix is different again: it’s an underwater nightclub as well as a restaurant, so you can start with champagne breakfast and finish with glow-in-the-dark cocktails.

Michelin chefs and pop-up residencies

St Regis Vommuli runs a rotating Michelin chef programme. Recent guests have included chefs from London, Tokyo, and Copenhagen. The chefs host cooking classes and multi-course tasting menus that change every month. Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi has gone one step further: they’ve hired Michelin-starred chef Dave Pynt full-time to run The Ledge, a poolside grill that transforms into an intimate fine-dining experience at night. At Soneva Fushi, you can zip-line between courses at Flying Sauces, a treetop restaurant where the chef prepares each dish in front of you. If you book through me, I’ll make sure you get a table at the chef’s counter.

Treetop, sandbank, and private-island feasts

Treetop dining is now a Maldives staple. Waldorf Astoria’s Terra sits metres above the ground in bamboo pods, serving a ten-course degustation menu with wine pairings. Niyama’s Nest is perched among banyan trees and specialises in teppanyaki—watch the chef flip scallops while you sip sake. For something more casual, most resorts offer sandbank picnics: a private boat takes you to a deserted island where the chef sets up a grill and serves lobster, ceviche, and fresh coconut water. The top-tier foodie flex is booking a private island like Ithaafushi at Waldorf Astoria. The island has its own chef who will prepare anything you want, from sushi to wood-fired pizza, served on your deck or in a cave lit by torches.

Maldivian street food and local flavours

Don’t leave without trying the local cuisine. Hurawalhi’s Kashibo serves Asian street food — Vietnamese pho, Thai green curry, and Indonesian satay. Niyama’s Tribal restaurant brings African and South American flavours to the Maldives, with open-flame grills and jungle-canopy dining. Conrad Rangali Island has a dedicated Maldivian restaurant called Mandhoo, where you can try mas huni (tuna and coconut salad), garudhiya (fish soup), and hedhikaa (savoury snacks). Many resorts also offer cooking classes where you’ll learn to make roshi (Maldivian flatbread) and bondi (coconut dumplings).

What I’d actually book for a foodie trip

If I had to pick one resort for a week of serious eating, Fede would book Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi. It has eleven restaurants, including an underwater wine cellar, a treetop dining pod, and a Michelin-starred chef on-site. The private island option means you can have a chef at your beck and call, and the transfer is a luxury yacht—no seaplane required. The resort also offers a ‘dine-around’ credit, so you can try a different restaurant every night without worrying about the bill. For couples who want a more intimate experience, Fede recommends Hurawalhi. It’s adults-only, has the largest underwater restaurant in the world, and offers a champagne breakfast at 5.8 Undersea.

The honest bit

Not at most resorts lives up to the hype. Some underwater restaurants are more about the view than the food—Subsix at Niyama is stunning, but the menu is hit-or-miss. Michelin chef residencies can be expensive, and the waiting list is long. If you’re travelling with kids, check whether the resort has a kids’ menu; some fine-dining venues don’t cater to younger palates. And remember that most resorts are all-inclusive or half-board, so you’ll need to factor in the cost of premium restaurants. The good news is that I can negotiate upgrades and credits, so you’ll get more value than if you book online.