Taapuna Restaurant Tahiti — Restaurant in Punaʻauiʻa

The food was mostly ok but the service was an absolute mess. I understand that as an American tourist in an area with European cultural influence, I might be used to different customs in restaurants, but I felt like the staff had absolutely no interest in making sure I actually get what I order…they forgot about our reservation and were setting up a new table right after we walked in. We sat at our table for 45 minutes before anyone even talked to us. When we were finally able to ask for water, they never brought it. Our food came out and I motioned to my empty water glass and told the server how we still hadn’t gotten water even though we asked for it and had been sitting there for an hour and a half at that point. He then said “oh, ok” and then disappeared and still never brought it. I find it not only unacceptable but downright absurd that a server at a restaurant this pricey seemed unphased by the fact that we had been sitting there for so long and the doors to the restaurant had already closed and we still hadn’t even gotten water yet. Then, as we are all halfway through eating our food, they set down bread and butter on our table and say “here, for the table” as if that wasn’t supposed to have happened 2 hours ago. It was laughably bad and embarrassing at this point, clearly no one had any interest in actually serving my table. If I’m paying $30 for a burger, I shouldn’t have to ask 5 different people if I can please have some water, end of story. I would save your money for one of the more local places on the island, they are much more deserving of it than...

[This experience was in January 2024 and I’ve simply put off writing this review for a long time, but I feel potential diners should be aware]

Worst service I’ve ever experienced. We were guests at the hotel and this was our experience:

They pretended not to have open tables, made us wait an hour, and by then had clearly forgotten about us and had to scramble to get a table ready We asked at least 5 TIMES just to get water for the table and it took them OVER AN HOUR to bring us water. It literally came after our food. I hold a minor in French and studied it for 5 years. I don’t pretend my French is perfect, but I know how to order food and pronounce the words correctly. The waitress pretended not to understand me and made me repeat myself in English. At no point did anyone apologize to us for the horrible service. All we got was a periodic “thanks for your patience” while we waited for food/water.

I’m not sure if the staff at Taapuna just don’t like Americans, but I can’t think of any other reason why we were treated in such a dismissive manner. I recognize that many American tourists can be rude or culturally ignorant, but they never even gave us a chance.

You’d be far better off buying some ready-made food (or even just some bread and cheese) at the Carrefour and eating that for dinner. The hours of restaurants on the island didn’t work very well for us, so we ended up just doing this anyway for the rest...

On Christmas night 2024, my husband and I found ourselves without dinner plans, but we were incredibly lucky to stumble upon Taapuna Restaurant. Even though they were only accepting pre-bookings, the staff kindly accommodated us and found us a table—a gesture we deeply appreciated.

The menu was a treat, offering a variety of meats and seafood to smoke and grill over a barbecue. Our waiter was exceptionally friendly and welcoming, which added so much to the overall experience.

When our food arrived, we were blown away by the generous platter filled with an amazing variety of flavors. Every bite was absolutely delicious, and the portions were so generous that we couldn’t finish everything. To top it off, they provided us with a takeaway plate for the leftovers, allowing us to savor the meal even later.

This dinner wasn’t just a meal—it was a highlight and a cherished memory as our first Christmas dinner as a married couple. Taapuna Restaurant truly delivered 5-star hospitality, and we’re so grateful for the incredible experience.

Highly recommended for anyone...