EAT: St. Bart's Fine Dining And Everything In Between
St. Bart's is known for its notoriously delicious gourmet fare, so of course the next entry has to be about my food experiences throughout the island. For a great write-up on St. Bart's dining, check out "Which Caribbean Island Is Right for You" on independenttraveler.com. Tell me — are you really surprised?
For more up-to-the-moment SBH restaurant ideas and specials of the day — check out stbartslive.com or follow them on Twitter.
BON APPÉTIT!
Begin the day in St. Bart's with a hearty breakfast. Photo credit: Lola DiMarco
This picture doesn't do the croissants any justice! It was heavenly to arrive at our St. Bart's villa on the first day to a fridge stocked with French jam, coffee and fixings, soda, water & Carib — thank you, Pierre! As I've mentioned before, Pierre came each morning to the villa with fresh croissants and baguettes and made us our coffee. This was our breakfast every day — and why not — it was fantastic and included as part of our villa package. LOVED this!
If you've been to SBH you know that Le Select is a staple on the island. It is, after all, where Jimmy Buffett got his inspiration for Cheeseburger in Paradise; how true! Le Select is right in Gustavia and offers quick counter service that's VERY affordable for St. Bart's (money saving tip). We ate there a couple of times and would definitely recommend it even if just so you could say you had your own cheeseburger in paradise.
Other Places Worth the Mention:
Le Sereno's Restaurant des Pêcheurs — beautiful & serene – I chose le risotto aux St. Jacques grillées (risotto with grilled scallops, leeks & asparagus). Doesn't it sound even more delicious in French?
Maya's — on everyone's list of favorites for dining on St. Bart's, Maya's was warm, welcoming and wonderful. Their menu changes daily. I had a fish trio including wahoo, which was fabulous. The view over Gustavia Harbor isn't too shabby either!
Hotel Isle de France's Case de L'Isle — what could be better than an al fresco lunch on the beach – especially if the beach is Anse des Flamands on St. Bart's? Yummy rum punches and club sandwiches were the order of the day – delish!
Harbour Saladerie — set in an "outside" room at the water's edge of Gustavia's harbor – this was a perfect dinner of flatbread-style pizza. Maybe it doesn't sound terribly French or fancy, but the pizza was outstanding and a nice change from richer French fare. It was also very reasonably priced.
My favorite meal of the whole trip was at Nikki Beach. Just look at that wahoo with curry sauce – YUM! And then there are those out-of-this-world rum punches I mentioned before. Set right on Le Plage de St. Jean — the food was awesome and the view even better. Remember this is the place to see and be seen!
TRIP TIPS — how to eat on St. Bart's for less? Eat in a couple of nights (again, yea villa!). We found that the supermarché (grocery store) by the airport had the biggest, best and least expensive selection of food. They stay open until 7-7:30 p.m. so you can pick up your supplies on the way home from your day at the beach. Pierre picked up fresh fish for us one day so we could cook Caribbean fish tacos SBH-style!
Another tip is to eat your hors d'oeuvres at home before you go out for dinner. OMG we found the most divine cumin cheese!!!
Also buy some wine, beer and booze at supermarché and start off with a cocktail or two home before you head out. Pierre bought us some amazing French wines at Le Cave de Saint-Barth's. a votre sante!
Where in the world is Lola? Find out at Lola Travels.