Our Guide to Dining in the Caribbean

It can be very valuable to have local tips when you travel, especially when it comes to dining. With decades of experience in their destinations, our local experts give us their top picks on where to eat in the Caribbean. Whether you’re looking for the perfect venue for a special meal or the absolutely freshest fish, eat your way from island to island with the recommendations below.

Anguilla

Anguilla is one of the ultimate foodie destination of the Caribbean and our regional expert Tim Roney gives us his insider tips on the island’s best tables. Anguilla has an impressive array of dining options from fine French gastronomy to laid back local BBQ. The most famous restaurant on the island is undoubtedly Blanchards, one of the first high end restaurants in Anguilla. This oceanfront venue is situated on Meads Bay, also home to many of the island’s top luxury villas. On offer is a well curated selection of the Caribbean, American, Mediterranean and Asian specialties. Enjoy equally delicious dishes at its more casual sister-restaurant Blanchard’s Beach Shack.

For a special night out, book in at Jacala where you can enjoy refined French food and stellar views. Chef Alain, named one of the top chefs in the Caribbean in 2014, and his team delicately prepare the likes of lobster soup, steak tartare and sautéed filet mignon, among other mouth-watering meals.

For creative cuisine, work your way through the menu at Veya (above left). With the motto of “cuisine of the sun,” it’ll be hard to choose from their inventive dishes fusing Island flavors and Asian influences like the jerk-spiced tuna which explodes with flavor. The unique setting gives diners the impression of being perched in a tree house in a tropical rainforest. Live music on several nights a week adds to the atmosphere and some guests prefer their lounge bar, Mezze, serving succulent cocktails and small plates.

Finally, at least once during your stay on Anguilla, Tim urges you to try Scilly Cay (above right). This is a quintessentially Anguillan restaurant with a focus on seafood, amazing rum cocktails and fabulously fun times.

Start planning a deliciously amazing vacation in Anguilla with our local experts here.

Saint Barthélemy

The little island of St. Barth has a wealth of world-class restaurants and there’s always something new. Our local expert Peg Walsh reveals her top choices to tantalize your palates in 2017:

This season Bo Káo opened in the delightful courtyard of Gustavia’s Carré d’Or. They introduced Nikkei cuisine  – a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian gastronomy. This culinary trend is sweeping Europe and diners are wowed. Pisco Sours headline a creative cocktail menu and they offer wines to complement their unique woks. Start with their Anticuchos  – this delicious appetizer is a concoction of marinated chicken tempura, chiso and corn. It’s divine.

St. Barth newest hotel, the 5-star Villa Marie has named its restaurant François Plantation in homage to its predecessor in this tropical garden setting. Guests can enjoy classical French cuisine, poultry from Mieral, house-made fois gras and heirloom Caribbean dishes. The wine list is impressive and includes offering from their signature Domaine De Marie label. Save room for dessert and order the lemon soufflé. There’s an intimate bar for a digestif and perhaps a cigar. Dining here is well worth the ride out to Colombier.

The perennial favorite Santa Fe has changed hands but happily is still garnering rave reviews, the casual atmosphere, friendly service, and delightful breezes are just the same. And the langoustes are still swimming in that giant tank! Moule frites (flown in from France) are still the Thursday lunch special and so delicious and popular that if you are interested enjoying them for dinner, you must place your order when you make your reservation.

Tap into Peg Walsh’s vast expertise of St. Barth to plan your perfect gastronomic holiday to the island at this link.

Barbados

Barbados might allure visitors with its beautiful and gorgeous luxury accommodation, however, its cuisine is just as tempting. Our local experts at Blue Sky Luxury have been keeping their eye on the Barbadian dining scene for more than 30 years and let us in on some of their favorite eateries.

For gourmet experiences, look no further than the west coast, where you’ll find the island’s widest selection of fine dining establishments. You certainly won’t be disappointed with The Cliff, consistently considered as the top fine dining restaurant on the whole island. You’ll be wowed by their contemporary dishes with an emphasis on seafood such as spicy tuna tartare, Cajun salmon or chargrilled mahi mahi. Otherwise, you may like the posh Cin Cin By The Sea, a great option for fresh salads, seafood escabeche and amazing cocktails in a sleek and stylish setting with a stunning backdrop of the turquoise sea.

If you’re looking to try some of the island’s traditional fare at lively outdoor grills, the Blue Sky Luxury team suggests trying Cuz’s fish shack for their to-die-for fish sandwiches or rub shoulders with the locals at the fish-fries of seaside towns like Oistins and Moontown. On Saturdays everyone heads to the Village Bar at Lemon Arbor for their cow heel soup and famous pudding, which go down well with a crisp beer or rum punch.

Or why not have your private chef whip up some of these delicacies in the comfort of your luxury villa? Many of Blue Sky Luxury’s exquisite villas have professionally equipped kitchens where their repertoire of excellent private chefs can work their culinary magic. Learn more about this or other exceptional Barbadian holiday experiences by contacting their team here.

Saint Martin

Another culinary hotspot of the region, Saint Martin proudly carries the well-deserved title of “Food Capital of the Caribbean”. The high level of quality and wonderful diversity of cuisines thrills food lovers who come from far and wide to savor everything from local Caribbean specialities to French gastronomic masterpieces. Meghann Cundall, director of our Saint Martin luxury villa specialists Carimo, has been living on the island for decades and therefore has her pulse on the best dining on this island with both French and Dutch heritage.

If you’re striving for a stylish beach restaurant with fabulous food then Meghann recommends Le Sand. Popular with locals and visitors, this beachfront restaurant in Cupe Coy serves up the likes of juicy ribs, fresh salads and spicy mojitos.

Hardcore foodies should flock to Grand Case, a charming fishing village deemed the “Lyon of the Caribbean.” Here you’ll find over 65 restaurants, including The Calmos Cafe, a beachside eatery with a chilled vibe, great drinks and tasty tapas suitable for both young and old alike or the romantic Sunset Café where locals go on Thursday nights to gobble up their fresh off the boat mussels.

For a more refined experience in a unique location, try Bacchus, situated in a million bottle wine warehouse, the Loterie Farm with its lush rainforest ambience and divine cuisine or the inventive Temptation, blending Creole with international flavors at the Starz Casino.

Create the perfect menu for a divine culinary getaway to Saint Martin with Carimo here.

Turks and Caicos

Of the 40 islands and cays of the Turks and Caicos, Providenciales is our go-to pick. According to our regional expert Tim Roney the most in-demand restaurant on the island is the stylish Coco Bistro. Its menu could include such dishes as Coco Bistro Style Ahi Tuna Tataki, Homemade Ravioli of Conch and Flame Grilled Sweet Peppers or Palmers Jerk Pork Tenderloin. If you can’t get in at Coco, then Coyaba is the best alternative. Set within a lush tropical garden, you might find Edamame Hummus, Hijike Wakime Kale or “Wellington Freebird” jerk chicken on the menu.

Great Italian food in the Caribbean is rare, however, Via Veneto. Succeeds at this beautifully. Their excellent dishes include Homemade Ricotta Cheese and Porcini Mushrooms Ravioli, Paccheri Pasta with Shrimp, Zucchini and Saffron and Sliced Beef Entrecote with Arugula. Lastly for a French bistro with a tropical twist, you’ll surely enjoy Le Bouchon du Village.

Pair exquisite Caribbean cuisine with a dream villa vacation with our local experts at this link.

Harbour Island, Bahamas

If you’re seeking a great foodie destination away from the crowds, consider holidaying on gorgeous Harbour Island. Despite its size, this tiny island of the Bahamas has a fantastic collection of dining spots. Our local expert Pamela H. Murdock can’t get enough of the lobster quesadillas at Sip Sip, a laid back restaurant overlooking the immaculate white sandy beach. For fresh conch salad there’s no better place than Queen Conch, a rustic shack on Bay Street.

Enjoy some time out on the water as you take a short boat trip to Ocean Tally, a bar and grill found in a lighthouse on Eleuthera. For the best sunsets and Italian food, grab a table at Acquapazza, found close to the ruins of an allegedly haunted plantation house. For something more relaxed pick up some supplies at the various shops in town and enjoy a picnic lunch on a deserted island or arrange a fishing charter to catch your own dinner to be grilled at the end of the day back at your beach house.

Make the most of this island food paradise vacationing with Pamela H. Murdock here.

Jamaica

Jamaica is one of the most vibrant islands of the Caribbean and their cuisine is no exception to this. It’s most famous dish has to be its spicy jerk pork or jerk chicken and our Caribbean expert Sylvia Delvaille Jones of Villas and Apartments Abroad suggests going straight to where it was invented: Boston Bay, Port Antonio. If you can’t make it there, you’ll be able to enjoy this tasty dish at food shacks can be found on roadsides around the island.

For the most succulent lobsters, conch salad and others from the sea, stop in at Lobster Shack, located just down from Round Hill Hotel, roaming with royals, rovers and locals. Enjoy these dishes with an ice cold bottle of local beer (Red Stripe, of course) and to the soundtrack of reggae. Here you may spot Ralph Lauren or other celebrities like shoe designer Vanessa Noel and other notables who own homes at Round Hill.

Sylvia also recommends the Driftwood Bar, found one mile out to sea and where you can enjoy reggae music, rum and coconut water, as well as Dip And Fallback served up with boiled green bananas. Little shacks serve the best local foods – ox tail and broad beans, curry goat and rice and peas, Escovitch fish and pepper shrimps – your eyes water as you eat but you can’t stop. The choices are endless.

There is also a wonderful range of fine dining options. To cool down, pick up a cone of homemade ice cream at Devon House using fresh local mangoes, papaya, nesberries, starapples, pineapples and more. Check out Harmony Hall in Ocho Rios for a gospel or jazz brunch on Sundays, where fantastic local artists also exhibit their works.

Cook up your perfect Jamaican holiday with Sylvia Delvaille Jones at this link.