Best places to find delicious food in the tropical paradise of Apia, Samoa

Samoa is the perfect destination for those seeking authentic culture, unspoilt beaches and dense forests. With cabins and resorts on the water’s edge, and coral reefs just meters from the shoreline, Samoa is unbeatable for snorkelling, kayaking and – for those who like to live dangerously – surfing!

Apia, the island nation’s capital, is the first stop on any Samoan adventure. It boasts a must-see cultural village in the centre of town where visitors can learn about traditional tattooing, weaving, and cooking.

The Pacific, with its just-caught seafood and love of pork and chicken, isn’t known to be vegan-friendly. While most places around Samoa will do you a vegetable stir-fry or local vegetable curry, some Apia restaurants are really upping their vegan game.

1. RiVaiv Café and Tumeric Bar

With two locations in Apia, RiVaiv Café and Tumeric Bar serves vegan, vegetarian and meat options.

The family behind the cafe are vegan, but acknowledge they need to have a wider customer base to be successful for now. RiVaiv has all your favourites, including vegan eggs benedict, delicious green smoothies using local tropical ingredients, wraps, sandwiches, crepes and even vegan Tom Yum soup!

I recommend the Pesto Burger and a fresh drinking coconut to keep you hydrated. 

Mosooi P.O Box 787 Apia, Samoa | Open Monday-Saturday 8am – 3:30pm | facebook.com/RivaivCafe

2. Kure Juice Bar

Owned by the same family as RiVaiv, Kure Juice Bar is 100% vegan. It has fewer options than Rivaiv, and has a smaller, bar-seating-only area. They specialise in – as the name suggests – juices, smoothies and vegan shakes made with fresh, local ingredients.

I highly recommend the “Glow” smoothie with local greens and aloe vera for a refreshing drink to beat the heat. 

If you’re looking for a bite to eat, their mushroom and pesto panini made with coconut pesto and sun-dried tomatoes is also excellent.

The vegan menu also boasts hearty plant-based options such as vegan sandwiches, a tofu “sushi” bowl, taro fries and a bean chilli.

Togafu’afu’a Rd, Apia, Samoa | Open Monday – Saturday 6:00am – 1:30pm | facebook.com/KrushJuiceLounge

3. Tiapapata Art Centre

A wonderful escape into Apia’s cooler green hills, Tiapapata Art Centre is a true breath of fresh air.

The art gallery, studio and café sits in lush, tropical gardens and even hosts a few Airbnb options if you’d like to extend your stay.

The owners, Wendy and Steven Percival, promote local Samoan wild food, host a vegetable festival, and welcome artists in residence to contribute to creative exchanges.

Their café strives to highlight local, seasonal ingredients, including wild greens side salad and homemade tropical fruit vegan ice creams (I highly, highly recommend the passionfruit!).

I visited multiple times, trying the steamed moringa, vegan moussaka, chickpea curry, onion tart and all the vegan ice cream. Their breadfruit (a Pacific staple) gnocchi is to die for.

 4629+WVM, Kelsey Way, Tiapapata, Apia | Open  Tuesday – Sunday 8am – 5pm | creativesamoa.com

4. All Things Sweet

While All Things Sweet only had one vegan option on the menu – the Malabar Bagel – they are very vegan-friendly. They have plant-based milk for their coffees, and the owner is a formidable baker.

With some advanced notice, they can whip up a huge variety of vegan cakes, from chocolate ganache to a caramel carrot cake, and a banana custard concoction that was simply delicious. 

568G+XX5, Savalalo Rd, Apia | Open Monday – Friday 7am – 2pm, Sunday 7am – 1pm | facebook.com/allthingssweetsamoa

5. Phat Burger

An Apia institution, Phat Burger is home of the triple-decker bacon cheeseburger, but the street art-industrial set-up also has two vegan burger options and a vegan salad.

The Phat Veggie features a homemade vegan bun crafted from Samoan staple taro, salad and hot sauce. A lot of hot sauce. This was my pick and cost 8.10 pounds.

Cross Island Road, Malifa, Apia | Open Monday – Saturday 11am – 9:30pm | facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057372651262

6. Taumesina

Upmarket resort Taumesina only has a few vegan options on the menu, but their internationally-experienced chefs have a whole range of off-menu dishes for vegans to enjoy.

While staff highly recommended the chef’s dhal, my pick was the broccoli and coconut soup, cold Moroccan couscous salad, saffron risotto and Indian-inspired vegetable curry.

This was truly a fine-dining experience unlike anything else on offer in Apia.

Matautu St, Apia, Samoa | Open 6:00pm – late | taumeasinaislandresortsamoa.com 

Top 5 things to do in Apia

1. Cultural Centre + Fia Fia nights

Samoans’ deep attachment to and pride in their culture is the heart of any trip to the islands. In the centre of Apia, the Samoan Tourist Authority hosts a cultural village, where for a small fee visitors can witness locals getting traditional tattoos, weave baskets and hats out of palm fronds, and cook in an underground oven called an umu.

Vegan umu options include roast taro, and taro leaves cooked in coconut cream.

Most hotels will also put on a Fia Fia night for their guests, and this is absolutely not to be missed. Opening with a traditional welcome ceremony, most will feature dancing, singing and fire knife twirling.

2. Palolo Deep

Right in the heart of Apia, Palolo Deep Marine Reserve has excellent snorkelling and beach fales (open huts) to relax in.

Like the vast majority of Samoa, the land is privately owned so requires a small fee to enter, but the coral and tropical fish make it more than worth it!

Snorkelling gear can be hired from the family running the beach, so bring along a picnic, snag a fale and make a day of the trip.

3. Robert Louis Stevenson

Famous Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, who is best known for Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, settled in Apia in 1889 and is buried in the gardens of his island home.

His residence has now been turned into a museum where you can learn more about the author, his works and his life on Apia. 

46MM+9Q2, Cross Island Rd, Apia, Samoa | robert-louis-stevenson.org

4. To Sua Ocean Trench

A couple of hours drive outside of Apia, the To Sua Trench is iconic. Meaning “giant swimming hole” in Samoan, the huge hole in the ground is fed by the ocean tides, and is a deep aquamarine colour.

It is stunningly beautiful, but like most attractions in Samoa, has limited safety precautions.

A slippery wooden ladder leads you into the trench and guide ropes criss-cross the water to give swimmers something to hold onto when the currents are strong. While you may risk being swept out to sea, the resulting photos are gorgeous!

5. Day trip to a beach

When it comes to beautiful beaches, there are no shortage of stunning, empty sandy beaches are just a short drive out of the capital.

At the top of the list are Lalomanu and Vavau beaches, and a trip to see the Giant Clams. Lalomanu has fine white sand, turquoise water (which is generally flat) to help you bob about as you sip a drink or snorkel around to see the fish.

It is one of the more popular beaches with bright coloured fales and a few basic restaurants, so while there might be a few others on the sand, you’ll never see the crowds you get at other holiday hot spots.

Vavau is more popular with Samoan families, and has more basic fales and no food, so bring a picnic and enjoy the swirling black and white sand and volcanic rock formations.

Finally, the Giant Clam sanctuary is a village eco project, that aims to breed and protect the giant clams in Samoan waters. A short snorkel out to a roped off section about twenty meters from shore reveals hundreds of clams in various sizes, and in all colours of the rainbow.

A long stick in the middle shows visitors where the largest and oldest clams are – big enough to inspire (false!) tales of swimmers being sucked in to their giant maw. 

Where to stay

Taumesina is a fantastic home base, with a wide variety of activities, including traditional handicrafts, watersports and kids activities.

The hotel’s beach has its own reef full of colourful sealife, and snorkelling gear of available free to guests. The rooms are modern, luxurious and bright, with sea views and balconies. Family villas are also available.

Getting there

Virgin, Qantas, Air New Zealand and Fiji Airways all fly to Apia.

Dreaming of a trip to the Big Apple? You won’t go hungry if you visit our favourite vegan restaurants in New York! 

Featured image © Carmen via Adobe Stock