Dholl puri first: two soft flatbreads made with split peas, filled with bean curry, chutney and pickles. Rs 15 – 25 each, and you'll always have two. The best ones are fought over between Port Louis (Chinatown), Rose-Hill and Mahébourg.
Gato pima (chilli fritters), gato arouille (taro fritters) and samosas are sold in paper cones outside schools and bus stations at tea time (3 – 5 pm). Rs 5 apiece, dangerously addictive.
Alouda to finish: milk, agar-agar jelly, basil seeds and syrup, served ice-cold at the Port Louis central market. The coconut version in Mahébourg is worth the detour. And on weekends, look for wood-fired briani cooked under a marquee — a feast for Rs 100.
How do you spot the right stall? The golden Mauritian rule: follow the queue. A vendor with office workers, schoolkids and grandmas lining up at 4 pm is a safe bet. Go for food fried to order — a gato pima should burn your fingers — and stalls where the stock moves fast. Your traveller's stomach will thank you: over the past decade Mauritian street food has professionalised, and gloves and glass displays have become the norm.
Don't skip the sweet section: the napolitaine (two melting shortbreads glued with jam and glazed in pink, Rs 10 – 15), the flashy gato coco of the bazaars, steamed rice poutou and the sesame gato zinzli of Chinatown. You'll find them at neighbourhood pastry shops and market stalls — perfect with a vanilla tea at 3 pm, like a true Mauritian.