| Food and Cooking Barbados style | | | | The Mews, Holetown, t 432 1122 |
| You can eat well on the island - some of the best | | | | Popular for dinner and for its bar, international menu |
| restaurants in the Caribbean are along the West | | | | with lots of fish. Live music every Friday. |
| Coast but you really should venture out from the | | | | Olives Bar & Bistro, Holetown, t 432 2112 |
| tourist areas if you want to really 'taste' Barbados. | | | | Classic townhouse setting, bar upstairs, Mediterranean |
| Local food also has its own strong tradition in | | | | cuisine with spicy Caribbean flavours. |
| Barbados, and this can be interesting to experience. | | | | Patisserie Bistro Flindt, Holetown, t 432 2626 |
| Most hotels have a weekly buffet of local food, which | | | | Excellent array of deserts and light fare for breakfast |
| gives a taster. Barbadian food is quite hearty, with | | | | (full English breakfast Sat & Sun), lunch and dinner. |
| stews accompanied by rice 'n' peas or hefty | | | | Open for dinner Mon-Fri only. |
| vegetables such as plantain or sweet potato. | | | | Pizzaz, Holetown |
| Being an island there are of course plenty of fish | | | | For pizzas and simple meals, with kids play area. Will |
| dishes, but a favourite is flying fish, which is served | | | | deliver. See a Review of visiting Pizzaz with Children. |
| steamed in a tasty but light onion and tomato based | | | | Ragamuffins, Holetown, t 432 1295 |
| sauce on coo-coo (not unlike polenta, made from | | | | Brightly painted local house, fun bar, trusty Caribbean |
| cornmeal and okra) or the fish is seasoned with Bajan | | | | fare. |
| Seasoning (a blend of spring onions, thyme, marjoram, | | | | Sassafras, Sugar Hill Resort, t 419 9100 |
| onions, garlic, black pepper, spices and salt, which you | | | | Eclectic international fare, with great views from a |
| can buy in any local supermarket) and then dipped in | | | | gingerbread veranda with pool side setting. |
| egg and breadcrumbs and pan fried. A flying fish | | | | The Tides, Holetown, t 432 8356 |
| cutter (local saltbread roll with salad) is very popular, | | | | A recent success on the West Coast, superb setting |
| and is usually enhanced by a dash of the local yellow | | | | right on the beach, high quality cuisine, Caribbean with |
| pepper sauce.Black pudding and souse, a local | | | | an Asian touch. Art gallery. |
| delicacy, is very much a special treat in Barbados. | | | | It is also worth noting that most of the villas in |
| The black pudding is a blood sausage with sweet | | | | Barbados have their own cooks and they are always |
| potato and herbs and the accompanying souse is | | | | delighted to introduce you to local food. |
| pickled pig's head and trotters (thankfully, many places | | | | SOUTH COAST |
| substitute this with more traditional cuts of pork) with | | | | Aqua Restaurant and Lounge, Hastings Main Road, |
| cucumber and breadfruit. Such local fare is most often | | | | ChristChurch t 420 2995 or 228 0891, |
| found at street festivals, rum shops, and on occasions | | | | Stylish dining right on the south coast in a sleek-looking |
| even at fresh food counters at supermarkets. A | | | | shorefront building of contemporary design. Upstairs is |
| well-loved late evening out is Baxter's Road in | | | | for pure dining, whilst downstairs the bar and lounge |
| Bridgetown, where you can get a fish or seasoned | | | | (open until late) is also a popular meeting spot where |
| chicken fried on a brazier served with macaroni pie, | | | | you can simply sit and enjoy a drink or a selection of |
| grilled corn or other vegetables, such as coleslaw. | | | | starters. The service and food is top class, with an |
| Over recent years, the spot for local food has | | | | eclectic menu to cater to a variety of tastes which the |
| become the Fish Fry at Oistins, a fishing village on the | | | | chef calls "modern Caribbean food with International |
| South Coast, which sees a nice mix of locals and | | | | flavours". Open for lunch (Sun-Fri) and dinner. |
| visitors and makes a fun and cheap early evening out. | | | | Bean n Bagel Internet Cafe, St Lawrence Gap |
| In fact there are a number of places with a Friday | | | | Popular for its all day breakfasts. |
| night fish fry. At Six Men's Bay in the north of the | | | | Bellini's Trattoria, St Lawrence Gap, t 435 7246 |
| island you can go along to the fish fry with a bottle of | | | | Italian fare, fresh pasta made daily and a selection of |
| wine and cutlery provided by the Fish Pot Restaurant. | | | | seafood, overlooking the bay. |
| RESTAURANTS | | | | Brown Sugar, Aquatic Gap t 426 7684/436 7069 |
| True to form, the restaurants along the West Coast of | | | | Traditional Bajan fare with popular lunch time buffet, |
| Barbados are smart, quality and expensive. You can | | | | famous for its pepperpot. |
| eat well there, putting paid to the Caribbean's traditional | | | | Bubba's Sports Bar, Rockley, t 435 8731 |
| image of 'burger-tory'. The West Coast restaurants | | | | Air-conditioned, serving American style food, at |
| also have excellent settings, either on the cliffs or | | | | reasonable prices. Popular with families. |
| directly onto the sand and the ocean. And finally they | | | | Cafe Sol, St Lawrence Gap, t 432 9531 |
| are pretty well organised. There are some good | | | | Very lively early evening bar, then restaurant serving |
| growers on the island, producing local salads and herbs | | | | Mexican fare, burritos, taquitos with Latin music. |
| as well as normal tropical produce. | | | | Champers Wine Bar & Restaurant, Skeetes Hill, |
| Unfeasibly, chefs in Barbados can get fresh ingredients | | | | Rockley, ChristChurch, t 434 3463. |
| from the States and Europe, delivered on a weekly | | | | An immensely popular restaurant, even more so in its |
| cargo plane. And the fishermen in Barbados actually | | | | new cliff-top setting with fabulous coastal views. The |
| carry mobile phones and phone back their catch, which | | | | downstairs dining area extends out to open-air dining |
| enables the restaurateurs to plan their specials menus | | | | terraces and a large gazebo set along the seafront, |
| properly. The south coast also has some good places | | | | whilst upstairs has covered dining gallery. International |
| to eat, along with a whole string of less expensive | | | | cuisine with Caribbean influence of a consistently good |
| bars where you can get a reasonable meal. | | | | standard. Dedicated art gallery. WiFi available. Internet |
| While VAT will be included in the price of your meal, | | | | café. Open for lunch and dinner. |
| restaurants have different policies about service | | | | Carib Beach Bar, Worthing, t 435 8540 |
| charge. Sometime it is written on the menu, but you | | | | Simple but trusty fare, fritters, burgers and fish platters, |
| may want to check whether service has already been | | | | on a deck right above the sand of Sandy Beach. |
| included in your bill. | | | | Josef's, St Lawrence Gap, t 435 8245 |
| WEST COAST | | | | Elegant dining in a former private home on the |
| What follows is personal gastronomic trip. You can | | | | waterfront, tastes garnered from around the world. |
| follow it or you can select your own places to visit, I | | | | Oistins Fish Market |
| know that selecting restaurants can be a personal | | | | Easy evening hangout for a fish platter, or fritters and |
| issue but my recommendations are there for you to | | | | a beer. See a Review of a visit to Oistins Fish Fry with |
| try. | | | | Children. |
| Cafe Indigo, Holetown, t 432 0968 | | | | Opa!, Hastings, t 435 1234 |
| Located upstairs with traditional wooden floors and | | | | Traditional Greek cuisine in a relaxed ocean front |
| jalousie shutters. Relaxed atmosphere for breakfast or | | | | setting. |
| lunch. | | | | Patisserie Bistro Flindt, Rockley, t 435 2600 |
| Calabaza, Prospect, t 424 4557 | | | | Excellent array of deserts and light fare for breakfast |
| Classic cliffside setting on the West Coast, top notch | | | | (full English breakfast Tue-Fri), and lunch. |
| cuisine in an eclectic mix, run by the amiable Peter | | | | Pisces, St Lawrence Gap, t 435 6564 |
| 'Huggie' Harris. | | | | Ever-popular restaurant right on the waterfront in St |
| The Cliff, Derricks, t 432 1922 | | | | Lawrence Gap, endless fish dishes. |
| Ever-fashionable, exquisite setting on cliffs overlooking | | | | Restaurant at Southsea, St Lawrence Gap, t 420 |
| a tiny cove, consistently good, top quality cuisine, an | | | | 7423 |
| excellent elegant evening out. | | | | Elegant dining on a veranda right above the sea, long, |
| Cocomos, Holetown, t 432 0134 | | | | excellent menu. |
| Popular beach front bistro and meeting place, simple | | | | BRIDGETOWN |
| fare, burgers, salads and fish platters. See a Review | | | | Lobster Alive, Bay Street, t 435 0305 |
| of visiting Cococmos with Children. | | | | Fresh Grenadine spiny lobster and selection of |
| Daphne's, PaynesBay, t 432 2731 | | | | seafood dishes. Beach front setting with umbrellas and |
| Elegant wooden veranda looking over flaming torches | | | | lounges available. |
| to the beach, refined Italian cuisine adapted to the | | | | The Waterfront Cafe, BridgetownMarina, t 427 0093 |
| Caribbean. | | | | Popular café on the marina serving Caribbean |
| The Fish Pot, Little GoodHarbour, t 439 2604 | | | | cuisine. Live jazz every evening apart from Tues |
| Charming setting in an old fort right and on a wooden | | | | when it's Steel Pan night. |
| deck right above the sand, excellent lunch or evening | | | | Wispers on the Bay, Old Bayshore Complex, Bay |
| out, well worth the drive beyond Speightstown. | | | | Street, Bridgetown, t 435 9486. |
| Fisherman's Pub, Speightstown | | | | A sophisticated beachfront restaurant overlooking a |
| Very local waterfront bar and restaurant in | | | | sweep of stunning white sand and Carlisle Bay in |
| Speightstown, chicken and fish (it's next to the fish | | | | Bridgetown. There is an air-conditioned indoor dining |
| market). | | | | area with walls of glass, white muslin drapes and table |
| La Mer, Port St Charles, t 419 2000 | | | | cloths, but you can also dine outside on the deck under |
| Classic waterfront setting on the limpid waters of Port | | | | canvas or one of their romantic cabanas tucked |
| St Charles, elegant dining, refined continental cuisine, | | | | amongst the palms. First class international cuisine with |
| famous for its Sunday brunch in season. | | | | some Caribbean influences, an a la carte menu for |
| Lone Star Restaurant, Mount Standfast, t 432 1099 | | | | lunch and a fixed price menu for dinner. Open for lunch |
| Superb Caribbean setting, on a wooden deck just | | | | 11am-3pm and dinner 6pm-9.30pm. Reservations |
| above the waves, tastes from around the world. See | | | | required. |
| a Review of visiting the Lone Star with Children. | | | | EAST COAST |
| Mango's by the Sea, Speightstown, t 422 0704 | | | | The Atlantis, St Joseph, t 433 9445 |
| Intimate, atmospheric setting on a deck hung with | | | | Opened in 1884, famous for its Sunday Bajan Buffet |
| palms above the beach. Good Caribbean and | | | | lunch. |
| international fare of mostly fresh fish and seafood - | | | | So with that lot to keep you busy I'd expect you to |
| their grilled lobster is a popular choice. Art gallery | | | | come home a couple of pounds heavier! Well yo will |
| featuring the work of Michael Adams and Terence | | | | be on holiday and if you can't indulge while on holiday |
| Piggot. | | | | we might as well all give up now! |