Where to drink in Barbados, from classic rum shops to cool beach clubs
Barbados offers the full spectrum of enticing places to drink and party. On the one hand the island has hundreds of rum shops – welcoming little bars that double as basic shops and community focal points. But there are also a growing number of trendy beach bars and clubs, with a flurry of recent openings in and around Speightstown on the west coast. If you want to party the night away, then consider heading to St Lawrence Gap on the south coast, where you'll find lots of bars and clubs in close proximity to each other. On a Friday night, what seems like half the island's population heads along the coast to the weekly street party at Oistins.
West Coast
Little Bristol Beach Bar
These days Speightstown is a sleepy backwater, but in colonial times it was a busy port. As much of its trade was with the English city of Bristol, it was called also called Little Bristol... Hence the name of this unpretentious and laid-back bar directly above the town's beach. It has a wide wooden deck furnished with bright blue picnic benches, and as well as offering local beer and cocktails, you can order inexpensive meals such as fish cutters (sandwiches), jerk pork, rotis and cheeseburgers from a food truck. On Wednesday and Friday evenings there's live music and the place is often packed out.
Contact: 00 1 246 439 1592; @littlebristolbeachbar
Prices: £
Getting in: Just turn up
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La Cabane
Barbados's coolest beach bar is hidden away on pretty Batts Rock Beach, down towards the Bridgetown end of the west coast. Run by two French guys, La Cabane has a barefoot-chic, Gallic feel. You can lounge around on bean bags, play boules, or shoot the breeze at swing seats hanging by the bar over a glass or two of rosé – there's an extensive, and expensive, wine list. Many visitors also come to eat: bare wood tables, director's chairs and cream-coloured parasols are set out over the sand, and appetising Mediterranean-style salads and grills are on offer. A DJ provides a suitably hip soundtrack, and at weekends there's often live music late in the afternoon.
Contact: 00 1 246 256 2131; @lacabanaebarbados
Prices: £££
Getting in: Just turn up for drinks, but book ahead if you want to eat
One Eleven East Beach Bar
A fashionable hangout in up-and-coming Speightstown owned and run by an English/Trinidadian family. All decked out in white, the set-up includes a wooden hut that doubles as a bar and boutique shop, a pretty garden with parasol-shaded seating, a yoga deck, and sun loungers on the beach (usage redeemable against food and drink purchases). You can drop in for a coffee, beer, cocktail or light lunch. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings there's live jazz, and the music attracts a sizeable crowd.
Contact: 00 1 246 622 1870; @111EastBeach
Prices: £££
Getting in: Just turn up, but book ahead for a table for the jazz evenings
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John Moore Bar
If you visit just one rum shop, make it John Moore's. The old clapboard building emblazoned with Mount Gay rum advertising lies on the west coast yards from Weston fish market. It's basic inside, and utterly laid-back, with old-timers playing dominoes and cards and shooting the breeze. The rear room opens on to a lovely stretch of golden sand, perfect for a sundowner or two. As in most rum shops, the rums are sold by the bottle – relatively small sizes of bottle are available.
Address: Hwy 1B, Barbados
Contact: 00 1 246 422 2258
Opening times: Daily, 5am until the last person leaves
Prices: £
Getting in: Just turn up
Nikki Beach
A decadent beach club – part of a global chain – up by Port Ferdinand just north of Speightstown. There's a pool flanked by all-white day beds, an octagonal swim-up bar where DJs spin the latest beats, and an open-air restaurant. Many guests come for lunch (the food is good but expensive) and settle in for the rest of the day. By late afternoon things can get quite heady, especially in season, with dancing and sometimes live music, including from a saxophonist. You can also just pop in for a gawp over a coffee, beer, glass of champagne or a mojito (the signature Nikki Beach drink).
Contact: 00 1 246 436 4554; barbados.nikkibeach.com
Prices: £££
Getting in: You can just drop in for a drink, but reserve if you want a day bed or meal
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South coast
Harbour Lights
A large-scale, open-air venue in a lovely setting backing on to Carlisle Bay's beach, just south of Bridgetown. On Monday and Wednesday evenings there's a Beach Extravaganza Dinner Show, with a band and live acts (limbo dancing, fire eating, acrobats), and admission covers food, unlimited drinks and transport from/back to hotels. On Fridays, and later on Wednesdays, it's more of a conventional nightclub, with DJs, and admission includes unlimited drinks. It's all very touristy, but good fun if you're in the mood, and the place is pretty well run. During the daytime Harbour Lights is a beach club that is popular with cruise-ship passengers.
Contact: 00 1 246 436 7225; harbourlightsbarbados.com
Prices: £££
Getting in: For the dinner show, reservations required and all ages welcome; for the nightclub on Wed and Fri you need to be 17 or older – see website for dress code
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Oistins Fish Fry
Every Friday evening, the fishing village of Oistins lays on a big street party, which is enormously popular with locals and tourists alike. Along from the fish market, ladies preside over their wooden huts, grilling and frying swordfish, mahi-mahi, snapper and flying fish. Mo's, next to the main stage, is a good choice, as it also does lots of local side dishes. There's plenty of drinking too, plus deafening calypso and reggae, and everyone from teenagers to OAPs dancing the night away till late. Friday is the big night, but Saturdays are also usually quite lively. Other nights, many stalls do food and some bars are open, but it's more locals liming (a local word for gathering) and playing dominoes, rather than a party atmosphere.
Address: Oistins Fish Fry, Oistins, Barbados
Opening times: Fridays from around 6pm till late. Some food stalls and bars open other nights and a few at lunchtimes
Prices: £
Getting in: Just turn up
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Cocktail Kitchen
This casual, buzzy cocktail bar and restaurant occupies a prime people-watching corner spot on the main drag through St Lawrence Gap, opposite the church. You can sit out on a terrace overlooking the street or up on the rooftop deck. There's a long list of innovative cocktails, many made with local rum. Try the Mango Chow: rum infused with Scotch Bonnet peppers and mixed with mango purée and coriander. The food is also excellent – the chef Damian Leach has won awards – and creatively utilises local ingredients. Small bites include coconut ceviche and pudding and souse, a classic Bajan dish of pickled pork and sweet potato. Full meals are possible too.
Contact: 00 1 246 622 3017; ckbarbados.com
Prices: ££
Getting in: Just turn up for drinks, book to eat
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Carib Beach Bar
This recently reopened bar is a long-established, much-loved locals' haunt, hidden away behind Worthing Beach, a palm-shaded stretch of sand with usually safe swimming (the water is protected by an offshore reef). Decked out in the blue and yellow colours of the Barbados flag, the large, open-air bar is a few-frills place, with a spill-over of tables out on to a decked area and the sand. Sunday is the big night, when a live rock band plays from 6.30pm-9pm attracting a substantial crowd. Food – catch of the day, burgers and classic Bajan dishes such as fish cakes and flying fish cutters (sandwiches) – is available during the day and evening.
Contact: 00 1 246 571 4694; @caribbeachbar
Prices: £
Getting in: Just turn up
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Café Sol
This long-established, lively but not in any way rowdy open-air bar is one of the most civilised watering holes in St Lawrence Gap, Barbados's main nightlife hub. Lying at the western end of the strip overlooking a sandy cove, it's a favourite with ex-pats and airline crews. Margaritas and sangria are specialities, and happy hours are on offer nightly 5pm-7pm and 10pm-12am. There's also live music on the last Friday of every month, from 10pm-12am. The establishment doubles up as a popular Mexican restaurant.
Contact: 00 1 246 420 7655; cafesolbarbados.com
Prices: ££
Getting in: Just turn up
