Top 10 Street Food in Mauritius

mauritius street food

Mauritius is known for its sandy beaches and luxurious resorts but the street food is an attraction on its own. The list of Mauritian street food is very long and everything tastes better than the next.

The street food of Mauritius is spicy, colourful and varied - the mix of ethnicities, African, Indian, Chinese and French, all together offer a very unique, creol cuisine.

We have put together a list of the top 10 Mauritian street food. The list of street food in Mauritius does not stop with these, we listed only the most famous around the island and of course, our favourites:

1. Dholl Puri

dholl puri mauririut street food

The list would not be genuine if this is not on top. Dholl puri (or dhall puri, dal puri) can easily qualify as the national food of Mauritius. It is the favourite go to street food of the locals and very famous with tourists. It is rare to come across someone who has been to Mauritius and not tasted dholl puri. These are flatbreads are stuffed with split peas (chana dal) along with a pinch of turmeric which is added to the dough for colouring. The dough is then flattened and cooked in oil on a tawa (griddle) . Dholl puri is usually sold at every street corner.

Check the Story of Dholl Puri in Mauritius if you would like to know how this famous flatbread came to the island.

If you would like to try Dholl Puri, and some curries to go with it, check out these recipes:

Dholl Puri Recipe
Rougaille Recipe

2. Roti / Farata

roti farata mauritius street food

Another favourite is the roti or farata. Like dholl puri, rotis are also sold at every street corner and are usually sold together. We have not put these two together as they are completely different foods and do not taste the same, even if both are flatbreads. They are usually served with the same curries though, that is rougaille and lima beans curry (gros pois).

Rotis can be prepared in two different ways. The dough, once ready can just be flattened and cooked or it can be flattened a few times with butter in between layers (a bit like puff pastry). On the streets you’ll usually get the first type.

If you would like to try your own roti at home, you can follow the recipe below:

Roti (Flatbread) Recipe

3. Boulettes

boulette mauritian street food

These are dumplings made of different ingredients. The most common being “boulette chouchou” which is prepared with chayotes. Boulettes are of Chinese origin and can be served as a salad or in broth which is the way most prefer their boulettes in winter. Even if some would argue that the best dumplings are available in ChinaTown, Port Louis, there are great Sino-Mauritian eateries available around the island, offering a variety of boulette types.

Boulettes are easy to prepare too, you can find the recipe below:

Chayotte Dumplings (Boulette Chouchou) Recipe

4. Mine Bouilli

mine bouilli mauritius street food

This is a very simple meal yet among the favourites. It is only boiled noodles with the topping of your choice (chicken, minced meat or sauteed vegetables) or without topping (referred to locally as “mine touni”). The topping can be anything but it is usually served with chicken or without topping on the streets. This is a very simple dish that can be ready in very little time. And the thing is, whichever way you choose to prepare it, each version will turn out just as delicious.

Prepare your own mine bouilli at home:

Mine Bouilli Poulet (Boiled Noodles with Chicken) Recipe

5. Salade Confit

confit mauritius street food

This is basically just a fruit salad - but not the simple fruit salad that you are used to. The way it is served is just unique. The salt, chili and tamarind sauce added to the fruits just make them taste divine. The more you let the fruits soak in the “juices” the better the taste. You can not ask for anything better in the hot Mauritian weather.

Confit street vendors are everywhere around the island but mostly found on public beaches, markets and very often near schools as kids just love this!

6. Gateaux Piments

gateau piment

This is probably the most common street food in Mauritius as it is good to eat anytime during the day. Some would have it as their breakfast, gateaux piments in bread accompanied with tea, or the same thing at tea time in the afternoon. Others would even have it for lunch, gateaux piments can also be made into a salad, with chopped onions, tomatoes and chili.

You can find these tasty bites everywhere around the island. These are best eaten hot with a cup of tea. Easy to make, you just need a mixture of ground dhall (split peas soaked overnight) mixed with spring onions, coriander and turmeric ,then make small balls and deep fry.

We invite you to try this recipe:

Gateau Piments Recipe

Did you know that gateaux piments used to have a hole in the middle? Find out what happened to this tradition and why gateaux piments are no longer made this way https://restaurants.mu/en/articles/gateaux-piments-a-lost-tradition.html

7. Samossa and other fritters

samossa and fritters

We already mentioned a fritter above, but gateau piment does deserve a mention of its own. Various other fritters are sold on the Mauritian streets everyday and all day long but mostly early in the morning and afternoon. Among the fritters, you will find samossas, potato fritters (gâteau pomme de terre), bread fritters (du pain frire), baja, among others.

For many, fritters are their breakfast as well as an afternoon snack. We think fritters are good to eat all day long accompanied by a tomato chutney.

Most fritters can be prepared at home, check the following recipes and try the ones you like most:

8. Mine Frite / Riz Frite

mine frite mauritius street food

These are two different dishes as one is made with rice and the other with noodles but both are prepared more or less the same way. Fried rice and fried noodles are dishes from the Sino-Mauritian community. You can have these dishes with the ingredients of your choice; chicken, beef or even vegetarian, all are just as yummy! All the ingredients are sauteed with soy and fish sauce then served with garlic sauce.

Both dishes are easy to prepare, you may want to give them a try:

9. Biryani

biryani mauritius street food

The famous Mauritian biryani is of Indian origin. It is the classic celebration dish of the Indo-Muslim community. The Mauritian biryani taste is very different from the Indian one, it is less spicy and does not have the same ingredients. Same as the other street foods, biryani is available at every street corner but mainly in city centres. The most famous biryani location is Port Louis at la Rue Desforges. You will usually get either chicken, veg or beef biryani.

Biryani is usually served with carrot and cucumber salad, pickles and chilies. The flavourful dish is cooked in a “deg” on wood fire - some say that it tastes best this way, but it can also be cooked on any stove.

If you would like to cook biryani at home, you can try the following recipes:

10. Haleem

haleem mauritius street food

This is normally preferred during winter days but haleem is available all year long. Winters are not that cold in Mauritius anyway (only in higher regions like Curepipe and Vacoas), so a good mutton haleem is welcome anytime.

Mauritians like to have it with bread after a long day at work. It’s a complete meal that was brought to Mauritius from India.

If this haleem is mouth watering, you can try this chicken haleem recipe below:

Haleem Recipe

You may find it weird that chili is not mentioned anywhere. This article would be incomplete without the famous piment crasé. We are mentioning it last because it is something you can have with all of the Mauritian street foods above. Please check the article below (bonus: recipe included):

Mauritians like Piment Crasé with Everything

All the above street foods are approved by the tastebuds of Restaurants.mu team