There was some talk about Barbados last year. Anyone been recently? I haven’t in a few years and would appreciate any restaurant recommendations.
OK, nobody responded to me so I thought I’d do a quick report in case anyone bumps into this looking for recommendations.
The good news is you can eat better on Barbados than almost any other non-French island, confirming my recollection from my last visit. The bad news is it’s very expensive to dine well and even “budget” places are not really cheap. Not surprisingly, you will tend to do better if you stick with seafood, with several very good local options. Wine selections are limited, even in the restaurants with sizable lists, with a lot of the same wines appearing on multiple lists. Reserving in advance at most of these places will help get you a waterside table, which really adds to the experience. 17.5% VAT is always included in the quoted price. Some restaurants add a 10% service charge to the quoted price, but most add it on after.
On the west coast:
Daphne’s gave us our second best meal of the trip. There are Italian influences, but this is far from an Italian restaurant. Everything was well prepared, and service was very good. A slight delay in bringing out appetizers even caused the chef to come out and apologize personally. If you are going early for a drink and want a sunset/water view, you have to get there close to opening - the few outside lounge seats go quickly.
The Tides was also very good and worth considering. The menu is kind of all over the place - some Asian, some Italian, some Caribbean, but it works.
Il Tiempo has real Italian food, with Italian immigrant owners who seem to care a lot about making sure you enjoy your meal. We only went for lunch but based on that I would go back for dinner.
On the south coast:
Champers calls itself a restaurant and wine bar, but we really didn’t see evidence of a wine bar crowd. Good if not terribly creative menu. On a small side street - take a taxi or make sure you have a GPS.
Pisces is a very good seafood restaurant in St. Lawrence Gap, right on the beach. Lots of good fresh options.
The controversial:
Without a doubt, our best meal was at The Cliff, on the west coast. It holds itself out as comparable to world class restaurants anywhere, and charges accordingly (over US$120 per person for a two course meal, before service charge, which is not added to the bill). Its international staff clearly gets sent to NY or Paris for pretentiousness training, which stands out on an island where everyone is so open and friendly. The food, though, was fantastic. Would I recommend it? Particularly if you’re a foodie and don’t mind the cost, yes. If you won’t be able to fully enjoy the meal because you’ll constantly be thinking about the cost, though, not a chance.
Overall it was a great trip. A beautiful island with very friendly and welcoming people. We will definitely go back sooner rather than later.
Bumping this. Heading out in a week or so. Anyone have any dining recommendations?
George
We love Barbados. Lots of good places to eat from lowly fish cutters to very nice high end cuisine. The top places are probably The Cliff, Tides, and Cin Cin. Also for an interesting and very casual lobster meal, Lobster Alive. I haven’t been to the Sandy Lane restaurants but I understand they are good as well. It’s always fun to go out and about on the island and hit some of the local small restaurants and rum shops. A plate of flying fish or chicken with rice and beans and macaroni pie can be very good and very Bajan. You’ll love the Island. If you know Bill Lawrence, I would contact him as well. He’s a good friend and has helped me immensely with my understanding of Barbados. He’s been going there for many years.