Natural Bar Grill & Drinks — Restaurant in La Digue

I unfortunately need to leave a negative review for Natural Bar (NB) after an unpleasant experience on New Years' Eve. My pregnant wife and I went to NB for dinner in the early evening, when the restaurant was almost empty. We were seated quickly and began to order food and drinks, explaining to the staff that my wife was not very hungry and we did not want to order 2x full BBQ buffets (just 1x full BBQ with a small side salad). The waiter struggled to understand and insisted that we could not share a BBQ between two people, which is understandable. But we explained that we did not want to share, and that only one of us would be eating, as my wife was uncomfortable and did not want to eat anything more than a small salad. They could not understand the concept, and the waiter went to fetch the manager. The manager then informed us that we were not welcome to eat at the restaurant if we were not both ordering a full BBQ, as we were taking up valuable space (there were about 10 covers in the restaurant of ~100 seats). My wife at this point was near tears as we had been looking for food for some time. The staff's attitude towards us at this point was so poor that we wanted to leave immediately. We went and spent our money elsewhere at Le Nautique, which was infinitely more welcoming and a much nicer vibe, with far higher quality in food, drinks and service. We later saw that NB was still dead, with very few customers, and we couldnt help but feel a small satisfaction.

In terms of a general review, NB looks interesting from the outside but the food looked distinctly average for the price, the drinks were overpriced, and the interesting atmosphere from the decor was ruined by the blunt and frankly idiotic service. I strongly advise discerning customers look elsewhere for good...

Right so first thing first the food is good! All has a distinct bbq flavour and is overall both well seasoned and well cooked (apart from the beef, which while somehow tasty? has no grill flavour to it nor any crust, it looked kinda boiled? odd), however while the premise is very simple, 6 bbq items pick 3, not all items are equal as far as amounts go, fish is a clear winner as you're getting a whole grilled fish while some like octopus and prawns are a skewer whith whey less food on them, chicken and beef are also overall smaller (we didn't try the lamb), so definitely consider having the fish as one of the 3 elements, also the dessert is quite bland just come custard with floating banana cake bits (you're told a dessert is included when ordering, not obvious as per menu) The atmosphere is nice, a strong castaway vibe with everything being wood made, nice relaxed music, service was OK too. Now for the negatives, no WiFi offered, which while overall kinda common for seychelles is still odd at this price point, the final bill had some prices higher then the menu (beer bottle 80scr in the menu 92 on the bill, water 50scr on the menu 60~ on the hill), which is a bit upsetting, I get that the menu itself is carved in a big chunk of wood so not exactly easy to update, but nobody pointed out the difference while we were ordering either, also as a final blow, they have a hidden extra charge if paying by card, it's not too much (30scr at time of writing) but still enough to be upsetting, specially as it was also never mentioned before nor noted anywhere Also, and this is probably the worst offender my partner, and I quote "just...

“Beautiful island, ugly attitude – avoid this place.”

Never again. I don’t care how good the food is — when a place treats you like a walking wallet instead of a human being, it’s a hard no.

We walked in not very hungry, hoping to share a light meal and enjoy a couple of drinks. Sounds reasonable, right? Apparently not here. The waitress flat-out refused to let us share one meal, insisting we order two full sets — even after we explained that one was more than enough for us both. We asked to speak to the manager, and surprise: “He’s busy.” But when he finally showed up for five fake-friendly seconds, calling me “brother” like we’re best friends, he openly admitted we should order more because, quote: “I need to earn money.” The place wasn’t even full.

This wasn’t hospitality. This was pure greed, dressed up with a smile.

It’s a shame. The Seychelles is breathtaking — the nature, the water, the peace. But behavior like this leaves a bitter aftertaste that no beach can wash away. Local pride should mean caring about people, not just profit.

Do yourself a favor: spend your money where respect is on...