Standards of cuisine, whether French, Creole, Indian, Chinese or English, are generally very high but fruit, meat, vegetables and even fresh seafood are often in short supply and restaurants must usually depend on imports.
National specialities:
• Venison (in season).
• Camarons (freshwater prawns) in hot sauces.
• Octopus.
• Fresh pineapple with chilli sauce.
• Rice with curry.
• Dholl purri is a wheat pancake stuffed with dholl and dipped in tomato sauce.
• Samosas.
National drinks:
• Rum.
• Beer.
• Alouda (almond drink).
• Fresh coconut milk.
Things to know: Waiter service is normal in restaurants and bars.
Tipping: 10 per cent is usual in most hotels and restaurants. Tips are not customary for taxi drivers.

In Grand Baie and some towns there are discos and nightclubs with music and dancing. Rivière Noire is a Creole fishermen’s district where sega dancing is especially lively on Saturday nights. Sega troupes give performances at most hotels. Gamblers are lavishly catered for; casinos in the island’s hotels are amongst the island’s attractions.

The Central Market in Port Louis is full of beautifully displayed goods, including fruit, vegetables, spices, fish, meat and handicrafts. Island crafts include jewellery, Chinese and Indian jade, silks, basketry and pottery. Shopping centres are located at Quatre-Bornes and Rose-Hill. There is no duty payable on a number of products, including textiles. Shop signs may be in English, French or Chinese. Beside the Museum in Mahébourg, on the southeast coast of the island, is a handicraft village. Shopping hours: Ranges from Mon-Sat 0930-1930. Some shops are open until 1200 on Sundays and public holidays. There are no shops open on Rose-Hill, Curepipe and Quatre-Bornes on Thursday afternoons.