It’s not just a trend anymore — it’s a fact. More and more travelers are doing so with food as their major motivating factor. It’s convenient, that the Caribbean is one of the world’s great food destinations — even if it doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. So where are the Caribbean’s great food destinations? Where are the places foodies need to go first? In our opinion, you want a place that excels in some area, whether it’s because of the restaurants or because of the street food or simply an overall high quality of food culture. So we have you covered, with our newest rankings of the top food getaways in the Caribbean, from fine-dining restaurants to undiscovered street food and everything in between — and the islands that have all of the above. These are the best Caribbean islands for foodies.
Chef Franck Mear at Le Pressoir, St. Martin’s best restaurant.
St. Martin
Plainly, the French side of St. Martin is the epicenter of great food in the Caribbean. There is no greater concentration of world-class restaurants anywhere in the region — and terrific street food to boot, from the famous lolos to several top bokit food trucks. And that’s just on Grand Case Boulevard. In simpler terms, it’s practically impossible to eat a bad meal here.
Jacala in Anguilla.
Anguilla
While Anguilla is tiny, it boasts more than 100 restaurants — ranging from luxury hotel restaurants to small beach shacks and rib joints. Anguilla has cultivated a rather unique, entrepreneurial food culture that has become a wonderful place to open a restaurant — whether you’re a local or a budding culinary impresario.
Martinique
There is no more adventurous or exotic destination in the Caribbean right now for foodies. Martinique presents a vast, diverse gastronomical world for the intrepid traveler, combining classic French gourmand fare with bold, inventive Creole recipes. The island is also home to a huge share of toes-in-the-sand beach restaurants, led by its famous Le Petibonum, which in many ways redefined the Caribbean beach restaurant.
Puerto Rico
In recent years, San Juan has developed an advanced, forward-thinking food scene led by a group of star chefs from Roberto Treviño of Budatai fame to Xiomara Marquez, arguably the Caribbean’s top female chef right now, helming the spectacular Yantar. But that’s just a small sample of the wonderful array of eateries concentrated in San Juan — without mentioning the island’s top-level street food.
St. Barth
A tiny slice of France in the heart of the Caribbean, it’s no surprise that St. Barth has amazing food. And the excellence extends to every level – whether you’re dining at the Eden Rock, having an eclair at La Petite Colombe or even, yes, in the supermarkets, perfect for foodie travelers who plan to do some cooking of their own on a villa vacation.
Grand Cayman
It’s become seriously famous due to the annual Cayman Cookout, which brings together top chefs including Anthony Bourdain, Jose Andres and Eric Ripert for a culinary extravaganza each January. But Cayman’s food scene has become excellent in its own right, whether at haute cuisine outposts like Ripert’s Blue at the Ritz-Carlton to wonderful local restaurants like Rankin’s Jerk Pit. Here, the key takeaway is the quality — at every turn.
Daphne’s in Barbados.
Barbados
One of the region’s fine-dining capitals, Barbados has a truly wide range of great food, from institutions like Daphne’s, the Cliff and the Camelot restaurant at Cobblers Cove (and newer spots like Cin Cin) to a terrific street food culture led by the island’s famous flying fish.
La Cantina in Bonaire.
Bonaire
Ever since Bonaire’s At Sea restaurant was named (by Caribbean Journal) as the number one restaurant in the Caribbean, what had been an under-the-radar foodie scene became a regional player. And while Bonaire is extremely small, it offers much for the culinary traveler, with a remarkably diverse restaurant offering that spans Dutch, South American, Italian and local cuisines.
Guadeloupe
This five-island archipelago has serious culinary clout, with a terrific street food culture led by the famous bokit (make sure you stop in Sainte Anne for the bokit food truck gathering), and extending to a significant number of creative, excellent restaurants, from Le Poisson Rouge at the Tendacayou eco-lodge to what is almost certainly the department’s top restaurant: La Savane in Deshaies.
Trinidad’s famous Pelau.
Trinidad
This is the Caribbean’s street food capital — and its flavor capital, too. Whether you’re munching on roti, doubles or corn soup at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Trinidad’s food scene is all about spice — and lots of it. And what Trinidad lacks in fine-dining restaurants (though eateries like Chaud have been trying to buck that trend) it more than makes up for with its simply delicious cuisine.
Zeerovers.
Aruba
Aruba has a unique place as perhaps the region’s capital of toes-in-the-sand dining, with a multitude of great places to eat right on the sand. But it’s not just about ambience — Aruba’s eateries deliver the goods, whether Screaming Eagle, the Caribbean’s top restaurant in 2015, or local favorite seafood shack Zeerover.
The Sugar Mill restaurant in Tortola.
The British Virgin Islands
If you love food and island hopping, this is your paradise. Whether you’re celebrating at the BVI Food Fete very November or dining at Tortola’s plethora of fine-dining restaurants, the BVI has everything you’re looking for in a food destination. And did we mention Peter Island?
New Providence
Home to the Bahamian capital, Nassau, this island remains a bit under the radar as a foodie spot — but it shouldn’t be. From landmark restaurants like Graycliff to eateries like Cafe Matisse, Sapodilla and Mahogany House to local hotspots like Potters Cay (you know it as the row of conch shacks under the Paradise Island bridge), it’s got a bit of everything. It’s also home to one of the region’s top food tours, Tru Bahamian Food Tours, a favorite for foodies.