St Barth’s Coolest New Eatery Is All About Authentic French Caribbean Food
I’ve had lots of great meals in St Barth. But until today, what I’d never enjoyed on the island was a bokit.
For the uninitiated, it’s a fried dough-style sandwich that’s the most famous street food on another French Caribbean island: Guadeloupe, where bokit food trucks and stalls abound.
And now it’s available in St Barth, thanks to what is easily the most exciting new place to eat on the island: Caribbean To Go.
I had a spectacular Crispy Mahi bokit with Mayo Colombo (curry mayonnaise), and it was one of the best things I’ve eaten all year.
The new spot in L’Orient (just across from the Oasis supermarket) is sleek, colorful and makes marvelous French Caribbean signatures, from bokit to an ever-changing selection of accras (fritters) to Martinique’s similarly-legendary Poulet Boucané (the Martinique answer to Jamaican jerk).
That’s along with quick, easy options like wraps, bowls and some impressive shakes, too.
It’s the brainchild of a Martinique-based chef named Paloma, who has cultivated an easy-to-access, quick, pan-Caribbean eatery that’s instantly the island’s go-to spot for real French West Indies food.
On an island where fine-dining restaurants are prolific, Caribbean To Go is a refreshing, fun addition.
And yes, you can actually get a bokit.
Alexander Britell is the founder and editor-in-chief of Caribbean Journal and one of the top experts on Caribbean travel worldwide, with decades of on-the-ground travel to the region and comprehensive knowledge of the entire Caribbean Basin.
