Food & Culture Palau

The plate arrives: yellowfin tuna sashimi sliced this morning from a fish caught last night, served with a touch of Palauan sea salt and coconut oil. The server explains that the fish was landed at Malakal harbour, 10 minutes away. In Palau, fresh doesn’t mean “today’s delivery.” It means “this morning’s catch.”

Palauan food culture is shaped by three overlapping influences: the ancient subsistence traditions of a Pacific island people (taro, breadfruit, fish, coconut), the 40-year Japanese colonial era that introduced sashimi culture, rice dishes, and ramen, and the post-WWII American influence that brought everything else. The result is a food scene that’s small but genuinely interesting.

Koror is Palau’s dining centre. The town has perhaps 20–30 restaurants worth visiting, ranging from Elilai’s fine-dining waterfront experience to local eateries serving taro and coconut crab for US$10. Don’t expect Bangkok-scale food tourism — but do expect some genuinely memorable meals.

Traditional Palauan food

The cornerstone of traditional Palauan cooking is taro — the starchy root crop cultivated in Palau’s freshwater swamps for thousands of years. Taro is boiled, pounded, or made into a type of pudding. Palauans eat it at every meal, the way Thais eat rice.

Freshwater eel (brak in Palauan) baked in banana leaves over hot coals is a traditional delicacy rarely found in restaurants but sometimes available at community events. Coconut crab (Birgus latro) — the world’s largest terrestrial arthropod, capable of cracking open coconuts with its claws — is a highly prized Palauan delicacy. Ask at local restaurants whether they serve it; availability is seasonal and it must be ordered in advance.

Mangrove crab and fresh reef fish cooked in coconut milk represent everyday Palauan cooking. The Japanese colonial period introduced pickled vegetables, miso soup, and the habit of eating raw fish — sashimi is now part of Palauan food culture just as much as it is Japanese.

The first-child birth ceremony (a major cultural event in Palauan society) traditionally involves a community feast with specific foods: taro, fish, and betel nut. Betel nut chewing — a mild stimulant — is ubiquitous in Palau; red-stained pavements outside shops and offices mark its popularity.

Elilai Seaside Dining — Palau’s finest table

Elilai sits on the waterfront at Malakal’s northern edge, with floor-to-ceiling windows open to the Rock Islands lagoon. The setting is exceptional at any time — extraordinary at sunset when the limestone islands glow amber across the water.

The menu blends Palauan ingredients with Pacific Rim technique: fresh yellowfin tuna with a ponzu reduction, grilled mahimahi with coconut chilli sauce, seafood platters built around whatever the boats brought in that morning. The chef sources directly from local fishermen and a nearby organic farm.

Lunch runs 11am–1:30pm, dinner 5pm–10pm. Closed Sunday. Budget US$30–60 per person for dinner with a drink. Reservations strongly recommended — capacity is limited and tour groups sometimes book the whole restaurant. Free hotel pick-up and drop-off within Koror is available; call +680 488 8866.

The dress code is smart casual — not formal, but not flip-flops and dive gear. This is the kind of place you plan your day around.

Koror’s casual dining scene

Drop Off Bar & Grill on Main Street is the most popular casual spot in Koror — a large, open-air restaurant and bar where divers, expats, and locals converge. Fresh fish and burgers, strong cocktails, sports on TV. The daily seafood specials are reliably good and reasonably priced (US$15–25).

The Canoe House at 1724 Main Street is a Koror institution: restaurant, bar, and live music venue rolled into one. Pizza, burgers, local fish, cocktails. Live music on Thursday and Friday evenings brings out the local crowd. The bar is open until 2am on weekends.

Japanese food is unusually good in Koror due to the colonial heritage — Umi Japanese Restaurant, Sushi Bar Mito, and Fuji Restaurant all serve authentic ramen, sashimi, and izakaya-style small plates at prices significantly below Tokyo. A bowl of tonkotsu ramen runs US$8–12.

Filipino cuisine has a strong presence — reflecting Palau’s large Filipino migrant worker community. Several small local restaurants near the market area serve excellent adobo, sinigang, and lechon at US$5–8 per plate. Eat where the locals eat — no reservations, no menus, point and pay.

Markets, coffee, and sweet things

Koror’s local market area (near the government buildings) has informal food stalls open mornings and lunchtimes. Grilled fish, taro dishes, local fruit — pineapple, papaya, breadfruit. Prices are local rates: a full meal for US$3–5.

Surangel & Sons supermarket (the largest in Palau) has a deli section and bakery — the most reliable place to self-cater, though prices are high due to the cost of shipping everything in. Most packaged food is imported from the US or Philippines.

Coffee culture is emerging — Anthias Café and Coffee Berry offer decent espresso drinks. For something more traditional: young coconut water, sold from roadside vendors near the market, is the local afternoon drink of choice. Cold, fresh, and US$1.

🏳 Top Food & Culture Experiences