LE LÉZARD JAUNE CAFÉ — Restaurant in Moorea-Maiao

The best thing about this place is that it is open on a Sunday night. This restaurant had potential, with a nice interior and welcoming staff who accommodated us and took us through the menu. The wait staff suggested sharing some of the items, and told us portions were 'generous Tahitian' sized. It was after this point that things took a turn. We ordered drinks, and two mains to share between four people. The second staff member seemed unhappy we were sharing, but said nothing else. It confused us after the first wait staff had suggested sharing and told us portions were generous. When the food arrived both staff were incredibly rude, refusing to give us an extra two plates for sharing, emphasising that we only ordered "two meals only". I've never had an experience where a restaurant has refused to accommodate sharing, and I've never been treated so awfully and rudely by wait staff before. We found the meals were generally nice, however the mixed green vegetables were bland and disappointing (just spinach and onion), and the portions certainly not generous or 'tahitian'. We had initially been planning to get desserts, which looked beautiful, but after such awful treatment by the staff, we left as quickly as possible. Would not recommend, would...

I appreciated the staff letting us sit at 18:30 without a reservation, but it feels like we weren’t entirely welcome to eat as if we had reserved. The owner took her time to guide us through the menu, but then the server came around immediately to take our order, without giving us any time to think or discuss our options. We had to ask her multiple times to give us ‘a minute’ to decide, she kept coming back after a literal minute to ask again, even making comments like “can you be ready in 2 min?” and “but, it is time for the chef”, as well as glancing apologetically at the kitchen staff from our table. All of this created a sense of urgency and made ordering a very unpleasant, even stressful situation. After we placed our order no one checked on us again until we had finished our meals. The food and mojitos were very tasty, but the overall experience was not great. When we asked for the bill, the owner said “of course” and walked away. After some time we waved our server over to ask her, and she told us that you pay the bill at the front of the restaurant. It seems to me that the owner could have told us that, instead of having us wait for nothing. The sense of urgency was...

I booked a table for two at this highly recommended restaurant, and from the start, their professionalism stood out. They promptly confirmed our reservation and even sent a reminder email the day before our dinner.

Although it was quite a drive from our Airbnb on the opposite side of the island, it was absolutely worth the effort. The food was outstanding — rooted in tradition but elevated with unique and delicious touches. We ordered the poisson cru, a dish I came to love in Moorea, and this was by far the best version I’ve had. It was beautifully presented as a tower, and our main course fish was served on skewers — the presentation was truly impressive.

The highlight of the evening was a delightful surprise: our lovely waitstaff performed a traditional dance to local music, adding an unforgettable cultural touch to the experience.

Just a heads-up — the portions are generous! When I saw the size of our poisson cru starter, I was shocked, and our waiter cheerfully said, “It’s a Tahitian portion.”

Fantastic food, warm hospitality, vibrant music, and a beautiful setting — this restaurant truly delivers a Michelin-star-worthy experience. Highly...