Where to eat in Grenada, including beach barbecues and fish curries
While Grenada doesn't have a big restaurant scene like some other Caribbean islands, in the more tourist-friendly south-west of the island there's a pretty good choice of appealing places to eat out, ranging from upmarket fine-dining establishments, which are mostly in hotels, to simpler and more affordable standalone restaurants. Many offer prime positions looking out over the water, and most serve lots of local produce, including freshly caught fish and island-grown tropical fruit and vegetables.
St George's
BB's Crabback
This informal restaurant, on whose walls and pillars customers leave graffitied messages of appreciation, is the best place in St George's for lunch. Its dining terrace is right on the waterfront of the Carenage, with views across the bay to the mega-yachts moored at Port Louis. The menu offers Caribbean and Grenadian specialities, including crab backs (baked crabmeat of land crabs), curried goat and side dishes such as pumpkin fritters, dasheen and fried plantains; portions are generous.
Contact: 00 1 473 435 7058; bbscrabbackrestaurant.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 9am-10pm
Prices: ££
Reservations: Rarely necessary
Best tables: By the water's edge
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Grand Anse
Umbrellas Beach Bar
Many visitors drop by for a cold Carib beer or cocktail at this lively beach bar overlooking Grand Anse Beach. But the shuttered building, with its attractive, vaulted and fan-cooled interior and picnic tables out the front and on the roof, is also a great place to eat, popular with Grenadians as well as tourists. The grilled catch of the day sandwich in focaccia bread, sweet potato fries and conch fritters are all recommended, and the menu also includes steak and fish platters, superior burgers and salads. There's live music in season on weekend evenings.
Contact: 00 1 473 439 9149; umbrellas.gd
Opening times: Sun-Thur, 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-11pm
Prices: £
Reservations: Not necessary
Andy's Soup House
This, friendly, bustling and down-to-earth roadside eatery, painted in lime green and sky blue, is a great place to savour no-nonsense Caribbean food. The soups – among them lobster, lambi, turkey – are a meal in itself, with lots of local veg in the broth. They also do curries and stews, and chicken and fish roti. You order at the hatch and wait for your food to be brought out. To get there, drive about five minutes' from the centre of Grand Anse eastwards on the main road towards the south coast.
Contact: 00 1 473 406 1600; facebook.com/Andys-Soup-House
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 8am-8pm
Prices: £
Reservations: Not necessary
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Morne Rouge
Laluna
The open-air, thatched-roofed restaurant at the trendy Laluna hotel is a dreamy spot right behind the beach, with a mellow, romantic ambience. You can expect high-quality Italian/Caribbean dishes: homemade pasta (the seafood spaghetti is a good choice), risotto, octopus salad, grilled catch of the day, and puddings such as panna cotta and tiramisu. Some ingredients are local, others such as olives, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and bresaola are imported from Italy. There's also a good Italian wine list.
Contact: 00 1 473 439 0001; laluna.com
Opening times: Daily, 7.30am-10pm
Prices: £££
Reservations: Recommended
Best tables: By the rail overlooking the beach
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Lance Aux Epines
The Beach Club and Rhodes Restaurant
The restaurants at the ultra-civilised Calabash hotel provide the finest food on Grenada. Lunches at The Beach Club – a casual, open-air, shingle-roofed building by the sands of Prickly Bay – include memorable, gently spicy, tapas-sized dishes; try the the ginger chilli chicken. The romantic, vine-covered, fairly formal, dinner-only Rhodes Restaurant (as in Gary Rhodes, who provides guidance) serves accomplished Caribbean/international fare, such as a shrimp and callaloo tartlet and lobster macaroni. Breads and ice creams are made on the premises.
Contact: 00 1 473 444 4334; calabashhotel.com
Opening times: The Beach Club, daily, 12pm-3pm; Rhodes Restaurant, daily, 7pm-9.30pm
Prices: £££
Reservations: Essential
Spice Affair by Red Crab
An upmarket (so quite expensive) Indian restaurant, with a fan-cooled terrace and rather swish, high-ceilinged, air-conditioned interior. The darkly rich rogan josh goat curry is recommended, or there's a wide choice of vegetarian and fish curries, and waiters ask how spicy you'd like your curry to be. Rice phirnee – a saffron-flavoured rice pudding – is a good choice for dessert. The menu also covers some Asian and European dishes. If you want beers before your curry, The Brewery is just up the road.
Contact: 00 1 473 444 4424; spiceaffair.gd
Opening times: Sun-Thu, 12pm-10pm; Fri-Sat, 12pm-11pm
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
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True Blue
Container Park
This is an unusual food court just outside St George's University campus, with its dozen or so outlets housed in brightly painted shipping containers. Among the inexpensive but appetising things to eat and drink are tacos from Little Mexico, smoothies and crêpes from Blender Boyz, and homemade ice cream from Oui Papa (try the guava). Join the students hanging out on their phones and laptops at the communal tables and benches that are dotted around.
Address: True Blue Drive (just outside the eastern entrance to the university campus)
Opening times: Varies by food outlet; most are open daily, morning to 10pm/11pm
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk-ins only
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Magazine Beach
The Aquarium
This casual beachfront restaurant – a Grenada institution – is tucked into the cliff at one end of beautiful Magazine Beach. With a beach bar and sun loungers, it's a great place to hang out during the day: for lunch Monday to Saturday you could have something light such as a fish sandwich or seafood salad, as well as a full meal. The food is Caribbean-meets-international, with lots of fresh fish available, as well as local specialities such as a West Indian beef pepperpot stew and a bitter Grenadian chocolate mousse. Sunday lunch is a very popular barbecue, with live music from 3pm.
Contact: 00 1 473 444 1410; aquarium-grenada.com
Opening times: Tue-Sun, 10am-10.30pm
Prices: ££
Reservations: Essential for Sunday barbecue; otherwise recommended
Best tables: Out on the palm-shaded beachfront deck
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Egmont
Island Fever Tropical Tavern
A laid-back, open-air, beachfront restaurant, hidden away on the south coast at sleepy Le Phare Bleu marina and villa resort. Devin and Christine Nelles, a Canadian couple who also have healthy fast-food outlets by St George's University, have revivified the restaurant, painting it vibrantly in teal blue and white, and introducing an all-day menu of comfort food, with the emphasis on seafood. The red snapper tacos are highly recommended, as are sides of fried cou-cou (like polenta) and buttery, braised greens. Come for lunch and you're welcome to use the good-sized swimming pool next to the restaurant.
Contact: 00 1 473 444 2400; lepharebleu.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 8.30am-11pm (all-day menu from 11am)
Prices: ££
Reservations: Walk-ins fine for groups of fewer than eight
