5 Best Restaurants in Ha'apai 🍽️ [2024]

The Top Places to Eat in Ha’apai

Travelling is a treat for the senses, so be sure to not neglect your palate while exploring Ha’apai. Admittedly, Ha’apai isn’t a destination to try a different restaurant for every meal. Remote accommodations provide their own meals to guests through a meal plan, while those on Lifuka and Foa islands have restaurants with full a la carte menus that guests and sometimes non-guests alike can indulge in. On the other hand, Ha’apai’s largest villages, Pangai and Hihifo, have a small selection of eateries to try. We list the best if not all of your options for eating out in this list of restaurants in Ha’apai.

While you’re here, also don’t miss our complete foodie survival guide for the islands, The Food Guide to Ha’apai: Places to Eat & Food Tours.

1. Leleno ki Moana

Nestled among coconut palms of the beachfront approximately 400 m (440 yards) south of Hihifo, Leleno ki Moana meaning “Run to the Ocean”, is a quirky beach hut restaurant serving quality meals for an affordable price. Delight in fresh fish and chips, beasty burgers, aromatic curries, Tongan dishes and more, all lovingly presented on timber boards and banana leaves. You’ll hardly get a more island vibe!

Opening hours: 9 am to 9 pm Monday to Saturday and 9 am to 4 pm Wednesday.
Location: Hala Holopeka Road, Hihifo (approximately 400 m/440 yards down the dirt road at the end of Hihifo villages), Lifuka Island.

2. Tiger Inn

What was a popular Chinese restaurant in the “Big Smoke” of Nuku’alofa has now opened in Ha’apai conveniently placed on the waterfront moments away from the Pangai Market and Taufa’ahau Wharf. Tiger Inn offers a shady respite from the Ha’apai heat as well as a huge range of flavourful Chinese cuisine. Sweet and sour chicken is the most popular dish on the menu of otherwise well-priced chicken, beef, pork, seafood and vegetable dishes.

Opening hours: 9 am to 8 pm Monday to Saturday.
Location: Waterfront Road, Pangai, Lifuka Island.

3. Lucky Pot Restaurant

Located in the Pangai Market Building with attractive outdoor and indoor seating, Lucky Pot Restaurant offers another fantastic dining option on Pangai’s waterfront. They specialise in pele dishes made with local spinach, as well as fast food favourites like chicken and chips. Head there on a Friday afternoon/evening for pizzas and burgers! For more like this, check out The Top Cheap Eats in Tonga.

Opening hours: 8:30 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday and 8:30 am to 3 pm Saturday.
Location: Waterfront Road, Pangai, Lifuka Island.

4. RayLela’s Cake & Ice Cream Shop

That’s right, Ha’apai has its priorities straight by having an ice cream parlour right in the middle of town! RayLela’s Cake & Ice Cream Shop scoops up a wide range of ice cream flavours from New Zealand and with generous portions too. Feel free to mix it up with a couple (or all) of the flavours. They also do baked goods that are usually made to order.

Opening hours: 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.
Location: Hala Holopeka Road (near the Visitor Information Centre), Pangai, Lifuka Island.

5. Matafonua Lodge

Mainly catering to their resort clientele, the restaurant at Matafonua Lodge is also open to non-guests however reluctantly in the busy whale season. Should you be visiting during the peak season, call ahead to order the burgers, seafood tacos, ota ika, quiche, fish and chips, and, most famously with the locals, their pizzas! Vegetarians also have plenty of creative dishes to choose from – see Tonga for Vegans & Vegetarians + 10 Best Restaurants for more on the subject. Needless to say, your resort meals come at resort prices.

Opening hours: 11 am to 9 pm Monday to Sunday.
Location: Northern end of Loto Foa Road, Foa Island.

More Places to Eat and the Best Restaurants in Ha’apai

That’s it for our top recommendations for the best restaurants in Ha’apai. For more places to eat, check out our other food guides:

Finally, if there’s anything we’ve missed, you’re likely to find it in The Food Guide to Tonga: Places to Eat & Food Tours.

Author

Robin (Lopini) C.

This article was reviewed and published by Robin, the co-founder of Tonga Pocket Guide. He has lived, worked and travelled across 16 different countries before settling in the South Pacific, so he knows a thing or two about planning the perfect trip in this corner of the world. Robin works and consults regularly with the Ministry of Tourism of Tonga. Robin is also the co-founder of several other South Pacific travel guides and is a regular host of webinars with the South Pacific Tourism Organisation.

Contact Robin via our contact page