Le Tamarin (Maïdo Road)

Le Tamarin is a mountain Creole restaurant on the Route Forestière du Maïdo, in the commune of Saint-Paul, on the slopes above Saint-Gilles on Réunion's west coast. The area is known as Le Grand Bénare and sits at altitude on the road that climbs to the Maïdo viewpoint overlooking the Cirque de Mafate. The restaurant is open only on weekends and holidays, Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 to 15:00, so it functions as a lunch stop for visitors and families heading to or from the Maïdo. Set menus are priced at roughly €12–€22. The kitchen specialises in cari at altitude, with views over the Saint-Paul coast, and its signature dishes include a cari cabri maison (goat curry), a cari porc Malabar and a house rhum arrangé, rum infused with fruit and spices. The cooking is hearty and home-style, in line with Réunion's Creole tradition of slow-simmered caris served with rice, grains and pimento sauce. The cooler mountain air gives the room a relaxed, rural character, with a family clientele and a moderate noise level. Dress is casual, and walking shoes and light jackets are common because of the altitude and the frequent mountain mist. Reservations are recommended and are made by telephone; weekend lunch fills up in good weather and on holidays. Visitors often combine the meal with an early morning at the Maïdo viewpoint, where clear skies are most reliable before mid-morning. Because the road is winding and the restaurant is weekend-only, planning transport and a confirmed table in advance is sensible, particularly for those without a hire car.