Nadi eats in two languages at once: Fiji-Indian roti, dhal and tandoor on one street, kokoda, palusami and earth-oven lovo on the next. Three days covering market halls, Sagayam Road curry kitchens, Vuda Point seafood and Martintar's kava-and-beer bars.
Fiji's western produce hub trades from 06:00 Mon–Sat, busiest Saturday morning. The ground floor is dalo, cassava, breadfruit and bird's-eye chillies; the upper hall is bundled yaqona root sold by weight beside cinnamon bark and curry masalas.
A Nadi Town institution off Sagayam Road serving Fiji-Indian staples on steel trays: dhal soup, goat curry, tamarind fish, bhaji and roti cooked to order. Vegetarian thalis arrive with four sabzis, rice, dhal and pickle.
Smaller and far less touristed than Nadi's main market, Namaka trades produce beside a wet fish counter where walu, mahi mahi and reef fish arrive from Lautoka boats. Roadside stalls outside sell peeled cassava and drinking coconuts.
Fiji's home-grown roaster-café roasts beans grown in the Viti Levu highlands and serves them with cakes, wraps and cold-pressed juices. Air-conditioned and open into the evening, it is the one dependable espresso in greater Nadi.
A local canteen on Queens Road doing Fijian home cooking rather than resort food: kokoda (raw walu cured in lime and coconut cream), palusami, taro leaves in lolo, curried chicken and bowls of cassava chips.
Upstairs on Nadi Town's Main Street, Saffron runs a north-Indian tandoor kitchen — butter chicken, tandoori walu, garlic naan, paneer dishes — with a long vegetarian list and windows over the sari and duty-free shopfronts below.
The marina's Fijian kitchen plates duruka (Fijian asparagus) in season, kokoda, lovo-smoked pork, rourou and coconut-crab dishes in a woven-mat dining room, with a lali drum struck to announce service.
Marina-side grill working over a charcoal pit: Fijian-raised beef, whole reef fish, tiger prawns and a rum list built on Fiji's Lautoka distillery output. Tables face the yachts and the Mamanuca ferry berths.
Fiji's bakery chain opens at dawn and is where Nadi actually eats breakfast: coconut buns, curry-filled pies, roti parcels and sweet topsi buns, nearly all under FJD 3. The Namaka branch bakes in batches through the morning.
An open-sided restaurant built over the water among cruising yachts, 20 minutes north of Nadi. Fish and chips using local walu, Fiji-style chilli prawns and wood-fired pizza, with the Yasawa chain visible on the horizon.
Beachfront kitchen at the point where Fijians' ancestors are said to have come ashore, cooking lovo (earth-oven) plates, kokoda, rourou and grilled reef fish. Lovo pits are dug out in front of guests on set nights.
Martintar's long-running local bar on Queens Road, where Fiji Gold and Fiji Bitter come in cold stubbies and the kitchen sends out chilli chicken and fish and chips. Pool tables, airline crew, expats and Nadi locals mix late.