35 Best Caribbean Restaurants For A Late-Season Getaway

Winter and early spring are prime tourist time in the Caribbean, but in late spring and early summer, the weather is beautiful and the prices are coming down for some late-season Caribbean dining. 

A picturesque restaurant that bears a resemblance to the bow of a ship, The Cliff in Barbados is one of the most beautiful and cinematic restaurants in the Caribbean. Liverpool-born chef Paul Owens' menu changes frequently, but you can count on char-grilled meats and seafood including mahi mahi and swordfish, and spellbinding dishes like Caribbean shrimp in Thai green curry coconut sauce with coriander rice and fried basil; savory snails in puff pastry with chive cream sauce; and even vegetarian items like an open ravioli of char-grilled vegetables with pesto and tomato-basil coulis.

Its appearance in the Cuban film Fresa y Chocolate isn't the only reason that discerning diners head to this hidden gem, run by husband-and-wife duo Enrique and Odeisys Nuñez, in central Havana. This paladar (a small, family-run restaurant typically located inside a home that gained legal status in Cuba in the early 1990s) is tucked up three flights of rickety stairs at the top of a dilapidated turn-of-the-20th-century residential edifice at 418 Concordia. La Guarida's whimsical setting, which stretches through three small rooms, is adorned with autographed celebrity photos. Start off with the eggplant caviar before moving on to sea bass in coconut reduction and chicken with honey and lemon sauce. Reservations for lunch and dinner are essential.

Café Matisse is a welcome respite for island visitors looking for a sophisticated meal, as diners are required to wear "proper dress" (no island slippers) to dine here. The quaint restaurant — set in a centuries-old colonial mansion where reprints of Matisse's work deck the walls — is run by a husband-and-wife duo. The menu features simple Italian fare that is best enjoyed alfresco on the café's courtyard veranda. The couple blends Bahamian and Italian cultures brilliantly with seasonally changing appetizers like warm Parmigiano-Reggiano terrine with green salad and pine nuts, and mains like crabmeat and avocado tartare topped with celery heart and radish salad; gratin veal and spinach cannelloni with creamy Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; and pizza topped with bacon, pumpkin, pecorino cheese and fresh oregano. Save room for dessert, which includes avocado mousse with raspberry sauce and panna cotta with soy milk, karkadé sauce, and fresh raspberries. 

This paladar is one of the top private restaurants in Havana. Named after its owner, Cuban chef Carlos Cristóbal Márquez Valdés, San Cristóbal is tucked inside a ground-level, cozy room in his family's home, an early 20th-century mansion on Calle San Rafael in Central Havana. The space is crammed with bric-a-brac, with antique furniture and walls adorned with black and white photos, record covers, and posters. The Cuban-Creole menu features simple, native home-style fare like pork in garlic and onions with beans and rice, fried malanga (similar to a yam or potato); roast pork; spiny lobster cooked with soft sautéed onions, peppers and celery; and pudding San Cristóbal, a rich mix of eggs, fruit, milk, and almonds.

The culinary wizardry of Bordeaux-born chef Jean-Claude Dufour elevates this modest French beach bistro's menu from noteworthy to extraordinary. Dufour has created a daily-changing menu of fusion cuisine served in a casual wooden café, evocative of those found in Arcachon, a town southwest of Bordeaux. Standout dishes include mussels tossed in a wok with lemongrass, tomatoes, onions, white wine, and red chile flakes; grilled jamón Ibérico; and chocolate and toffee pie (a sweet shortbread piecrust filled with toffee and topped with chocolate and accompanied by toasted almonds, pistachios, and vanilla ice cream).

On the Rocks serves a seasonal menu created by renowned executive chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The globally inspired menu changes based on the season and product availability, celebrating the best of the chef's favorite dishes. Expect creations such as foie gras brûlée with dried cranberries, candied pistachios, and white port gelée; lobster with citrus-glazed carrots, passion fruit, and black olive; and lamb chops with smoked chile glaze and crunchy polenta. The international wine list features organic vintages and specially selected wines from Alsace, Vongerichten's native region.

Diners at the spacious 50-seat eatery at the Hotel Corail Résidence can enjoy a French-inspired meal while enjoying views of the Caribbean. Chef Jean-Paul Debreuil uses local ingredients to create playful, inventive dishes such as fresh fish tartare with tomato-basil ice cream, lobster and sea urchin cream ravioli, foie gras served with rum hibiscus jelly, no-frills fresh fish dishes sourced from local fishermen, and a simple but delicious fresh fruit crumble.

After more than 20 years of working around the world, Iowa-born chef Peter Schintler — whose résumé includes a stint at Le Cirque in New York City and apprenticeships with Gordon Ramsey and Raymond Blanc — moved to San Juan, where he brings excitement and flair to the city's dining scene with Marmalade Restaurant & Wine Bar. Located in the Old San Juan, Marmalade focuses on supporting small local farmers and producers and utilizing organic ingredients when possible. The menu features European-influenced dishes based on Puerto Rican ingredients. Past dishes have included horseradish-potato gnocchi served with short ribs and wilted greens, white bean soup, halibut-and-prawn bouillabaisse, paella bites, pork cheeks with a peach-poblano marmalade, and caramel corn crème brûlée. Marmalade is vegetarian-friendly, too.

In the early 1970s, Gloria Prawl established what would become one of the most popular seafood joints in Kingston. Prawl's family still attends to the loyal customers who have been coming to Gloria's for decades. You'll hardly ever find a quiet moment at Gloria's, yet this small eatery manages to maintain a laid-back vibe with its sidewalk seating and its views across the harbor. (In 2013, the restaurant expanded to add a top deck.) For appetizers, try the fish soup or oyster and conch fritters served with a honey-mustard dip. Mains include escoveitched fish, lobster tails, curried lobster, steamed fish, garlic lobster, and honey-jerk shrimp. Be sure to order a side of bammy, or cassava bread.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are located in the North Atlantic Ocean rather than the Caribbean Sea, but they are often grouped with the nations of the Caribbean for convenience. Coyaba's selling point is the food, not its non-beachside location. The restaurant's name is Arawak for "heavenly," and that's what the indoor/outdoor gazebo-style space is, complete with twinkly lights illuminating the lush garden terrace. It's also how the food can be described. Appetizers include bay scallop ceviche with hijiki seaweed salad, spiced Marie Rose sauce, tobiko caviar, and crisp ginger; and slow-braised guava- and tamarind-glazed Danish baby back ribs with Haitian fire slaw. Mains include wild mushroom ravioli with basil, pine nuts, spinach, and plum tomato sauce; Turk's Head beer-battered strawberry grouper with guava ketchup, sauce rémoulade, minted green pea purée, and white truffle fries; and slow-braised pork "osso buccolettes" with West Indian ginger jus, truffle garlic mash, and compote of tamarind and pickled chayote. Coyaba is closed annually in September and October.

Big Chef Steakhouse in Gros Islet is the place to go for melt-in-your-mouth steaks, perfectly glazed ribs, swimmingly fresh seafood, and juicy grilled chicken, among many other items on the extensive and diverse menu. Here you'll find less of a laid-back island vibe and more of a comfortably chic and exciting dining experience. Starters include dishes like sesame tuna carpaccio, coconut-crusted shrimp, and escargots. There are a variety of soups available, like cream of pumpkin or clam chowder, as well as generously sized salads. Mains include three different kinds of cuts of steak — ribeye, sirloin, and filet mignon — as well as seafood dishes like a mahi burger or pan-seared salmon.

Set inside the mansion of a former Cuban senator in the city's central business district, Atelier's walls are adorned with Cuban art and framed photographs, but you want to grab a seat out on the terrace. The hand-written menu at Atelier, crafted by owner Niuris Higueras and head chef Enrique Higueras, changes daily, based on fresh, local ingredients. Past dishes have included falafel, feta and tomato salad, rabbit in wine, duck confit, fresh fish, and red snapper escabèche.

Scotchies, a roadside jerk emporium about 130 miles to the northwest in Montego Bay, is arguably the most celebrated jerk spot of all — the go-to jerk shack for that allspice-and-chile-marinated grilled chicken or pork (or sometimes fish) that has become Jamaica's most popular culinary export. (There are newer offshoots of Scotchies in Kingston and outside Ocho Rios). Scotchies is as simple as it gets: Some open-sided structures with palm-frond roofs, rough-hewn wooden tables and chairs, and windows in the side of a building where customers order and pick up their food — spiced chicken, pork, or fish cooked on open-air grills over allspice (or pimento, as it's called in Jamaica) wood, served with such side dishes as rice and field peas, roast yams, roast breadfruit, and "festival" — sweet fried cornmeal dumplings.

Executive chef Jonathan Dearden serves a contemporary menu that coalesces the flavors of the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Pacific Rim, and Latin America. Dearden and his team source ingredients like cocoa, turmeric, cashews, almonds, and avocados from Jade Mountain's own tropical plantation, Anse Mamin; and lettuce, tropical vegetables, herbs, vanilla beans, bay leaf, nutmeg, cinnamon, mangos, sour oranges, limes, and plantains from Emerald Estate, a rain forest farm on the island. These ingredients are combined with local seafood, such as yellowtail snapper, grouper, cobia, wahoo, stone crab, conch, shrimp, and lobster to create a diverse menu. Non-local dishes include a "Caviar Kiss" of smoked salmon cream and farm-raised caviar; dry-aged filet mignon with purple potato cake and grilled pumpkin; and "Chocolate vs. Vanilla," a dessert of flourless chocolate cake, vanilla custard cake, and white chocolate cashew ice cream.

Named for the year the recently renovated 305-room Spanish Revivalist-style Condado Vanderbilt Hotel opened, 1919 Restaurant, under executive chef Juan José Cuevas, has garnered accolades for its forward-thinking contemporary cuisine. The dishes are crafted with organic, artisanal, locally sourced ingredients. The four-course dinner menu includes selections like chilled eggplant served with foie gras, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and tomato–extra-virgin olive oil vinaigrette; herb rigatoni with longaniza–red wine ragù; rabbit with bulgao mushroom fideuà, aïoli, and romesco; and a "Coco, Piña, Parcha" passion fruit tart with pineapple sorbet and coconut cream.

Once a houseboat (as its name suggests) but now docked at the base of the Freeport Peninsula, The HouseBoat Grill Restaurant (only reachable by ferry) offers spectacular views of land and sea. Grab a drink on the open-air upper deck before heading below for your meal. The menu includes such starters as hearty beef and black bean chili soup, spicy smoked marlin dip, and brown butter-grilled shrimp with Kalamata olive and anchovy tapenade crema. For mains, you'll find gnocchi in a Gorgonzola chardonnay cream sauce, pan-roasted pork tenderloin in a cranberry port wine sauce, and a surf-and-turf of grilled beef tenderloin and garlic butter lobster.

Pat'e Palo, housed in a 500-year-old building, has an interesting history. Dutch buccaneer Peg-Leg (Pata de Palo in Spanish) is said to have run a tavern on this site in the 1500s, which would make it the oldest such establishment in the Americas. Don't let the pirate theme — yes, the waiters are dressed like pirates — deter you, as Pat'e Palo has been recommended time and time again as one of the best eateries in Santo Domingo. Dine inside the antique walls or take a seat outside at one of the tables situated on the terrace, where you can watch as the activity unfolds in the lively Plaza de España with the gorgeous Alcázar de Colón as the backdrop. The menu includes a large variety of starters like a Parmigiano-Reggiano fondue served with ginger and onion confit and topped with sautéed shrimp, seared tuna carpaccio, and a variety of soups and salads. 

Le Gaïac in the Hôtel Le Toiny could be mistaken for an elegant Parisian dining room, with its bookshelf-lined alcove and opulently set tables — except for the view out one side, past the infinity pool and the palm trees to the Caribbean. Though there are some local references on the menu — superb Caribbean lobster and pilaf flavored with fresh island coconut, for instance — the cuisine, by chef Jean-Christophe Gille, is mostly French: foie gras with lemon marmalade and toasted brioche, braised sea bass with artichoke mousseline and confit tomatoes, herb- and tomato-crusted fillet of lamb with lamb shoulder ravioli and eggplant caviar, baba au rhum with bourbon vanilla cream... A repast here is a delicious reminder that the French West Indies are still officially a part of France.

Chef Khalid Mohammed's Chaud is situated just across the street from the expansive Queen's Savannah Park, and set inside a charming old house. The smart décor includes local artwork available for purchase. The menu represents Caribbean flavors with a subtle international influence, with starters like smoked salmon served with a poached shrimp-lobster-crab salad, pickled cucumber, red onions, and green apple water; or seared foie gras served with braised oxtail, sweet onion jam, potato gnocchi, and truffle beurre monté. The menu features entrées like lavender-honey-glazed duck breast, roasted lamb rack, sautéed rainbow trout, and pork tenderloin.

Meander your way down Mercaderes, one of Havana's oldest streets, to find Paladar Los Mercaderes. Though it's located in Old Havana, Paladar Los Mercaderes is new to the city's dining scene, and you'll find this 50-seat restaurant teeming with locals, especially at lunchtime. Walk up a flight of stairs to the generous first-floor dining room, where you will be greeted by live music and an incredible menu of Cuban and international dishes. Dishes include, among many others, ceviche, French onion soup, smoked pork with onion eggplant lasagna, ropa vieja, lobster with pineapple sauce, and fresh fish with salsa verde.

Mr. Grouper's Restaurant is very close to Grace Bay's famous beaches. It's where the locals and an ever-increasing number of tourists go for Caribbean fare, like pork chops and fried fish, paired with local Turk's Head beer and sweet rum punch. The no-frills restaurant features an indoor bar with limited seating and an outdoor terrace populated with plastic patio furniture. While there's plenty of "touristy" American and Italian food on the menu, it's the simple, classic Caribbean, Cajun, and Creole dishes prepared by Philippe Legagneur and his team that have made Mr. Grouper's Restaurant popular.

There's much to enjoy at the aptly named 374-year-old stone sugar mill Sugar Mill. The hotel restaurant's chef/proprietors, Jeff and Jinx Morgan, offer a daily changing dinner menu served by candlelight. Reserve a table on the gazebo-style terrace, which overlooks nearby Jost Van Dyke. Dinner options recently included lobster bisque with basil croutons, shrimp and vegetable skewers served over caramelized pineapple salsa, poached lobster salad à la niçoise, and wild mushroom empanadas with fresh pico de gallo and lime crème fraîche.

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay made his first move outside of the States when he opened the oceanfront Mesa Grill inside the Atlantis resort complex. This Southwestern-style restaurant offers hotel guests an exclusive menu with dishes like Bahamian-spiced chicken skewers with yogurt-cilantro sauce, crispy squid, and cracked conch salad with orange-chipotle vinaigrette, and Flay's own interpretation of black-eyed peas and rice. Entrées also include ancho chile-honey-glazed salmon served with spicy black bean sauce and roasted jalapeño cream, 16-spice chicken served with tamarind barbecue sauce and red cabbage-jicama slaw, and chipotle-glazed ribeye served with red and green chile sauces.

This beachside restaurant, in the Hotel Baie des Anges on the sands at Flamands, offers an assortment of seafood dishes and an ample menu for those who want to avoid the sea, with Caesar salad, chicken brochettes, veal chops, and so on. But the main reason to come here is the eponymous langouste, which is Caribbean spiny lobster that's more flavorful than its North Atlantic cousin. Plucked live out of holding tanks, it is sometimes offered Thermidor-style, but the best way to enjoy this delicious meat is simply grilled, which the chef knows how to do very well. 

At the legendary Da Conch Shack, diners enjoy seafood and rum-laced cocktails under swaying palm trees just feet from the water. While the menu includes options like jerk ribs, it's the namesake conch (which is found not far from where you'd be sitting) that keeps folks coming back year after year. You can have it many ways — as cracked conch dusted with flour and fried, as a conch salad (conch ceviche with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and lime juice), in a curried conch chowder, or as conch fritters — but be sure to combine it with Johnny Fries (drizzled with black bean and pepper gravy) or the island staple of rice and peas. Don't forget a pitcher of potent, red, fruity rum punch and rum cake garnished with rum raisins. 

Franco Seccarelli opened Il Nuovo Perugino to showcase the cuisine of his native Umbria in the heart of San Juan. Here, diners can sample such Italian dishes as pasta e fagioli, pappardelle with veal ragù, veal scaloppini, pasta amatriciana, sweet and sour pork, and a much-raved-about chocolate soufflé. The striking interior, featuring stone, glass, and various metals, with accents of bright color, was designed using advanced computer design technology.

With a handful of tables that overlook historic buildings in downtown Christiansted, Café Christine attracts a loyal following of local workers and tourists alike for weekday lunch. The chalkboard menu changes daily, but there are plenty of options, like the vegetarian platter and quiche. Definitely save room for the pie, which comes in flavors like coconut and chocolate pear. Café Christine is typically closed for the summer months, so call ahead.

Havana Blue stands out for its Spanish cuisine with pan-Asian influences. Perched on a cliff overlooking Morningstar Bay, the airy, gazebo-style restaurant is awash in icy blue lighting and swirling ceiling fans, billowy white curtains, and candles galore. Appetizers, mains, and desserts are expertly prepared and thoughtfully presented using the latest contemporary techniques. Try the mahi malo mahi (pan-seared yucca-encrusted mahi mahi with citrus jicama slaw, Malaysian red curry risotto, and coconut-Key lime sensación) and mojito skirt steak (mojito-glazed tender skirt steak with cilantro-chorizo mash and crispy tobacco onions, served with mojito and cocojito dipping sauces). 

Tutto Bene has been, as the Italian name suggests, "everything good" since 1991. Chef Negust Kaza prepares traditional southern Italian dishes for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Try to book the chef's table, available twice a week by reservation only. The à la carte menu includes sweet potato goat cheese ravioli with mango rum and sage brown butter, fresh fish of the day, and grilled flatbread pizzas.

Michael Schwartz's cooking lives up to his promise of serving "fresh, simple, and pure" food. Though the menus at his original Miami location and this Caribbean outpost offer similar dishes, Schwartz seamlessly blends local seafood, fruit, and other products on the Grand Cayman menu. Schwartz's flavors are vivid, with Asian, Latin American, and Mediterranean accents: chile chicken wings with creamy cucumbers; char-grilled octopus salad of gigante beans, roasted red peppers, green olives, tomato harissa, and torn herbs; slow-roasted and grilled short rib with roasted shallot, romesco sauce, and hazelnuts; and wood oven-roasted local mahi mahi with hearts of palm salad, ackee, and seasonal pepper vinaigrette.

This vegetarian restaurant, set in a verdant garden, is run by two sisters and their brother and has been an iconic eatery since 1998. Diners will find a variety of vegetarian, seafood, and Ital (classic Rastafarian) dishes at budget-friendly prices. Menu favorites are the vegetarian burger, conch salad, and vegetarian lasagna, and Jamaican breakfast, which typically consists of ackee (with or without salt fish), sautéed callaloo (leafy greens), and fried dumplings (like biscuits) with homemade preserves and fresh seasonal fruit.

Chef Johnny Roberts opened Bolero Brasserie in 2007 with the hopes of becoming a neighborhood eatery that would be inviting to all guests — from business suit-clad clientele to casually dressed locals. Since then, it has become one of the top spots in Hamilton, earning itself an esteemed reputation among locals and visitors alike. The menu at the brasserie changes seasonally, but the vision behind it is a constant: brasserie fare with a twist from Roberts' own neo-European culinary training. On the menu, guests will find starters like lamb belly sliders with homemade sauerkraut, pickles and chimichurri, and mains including risotto with toasted Arborio rice, candied parsnips, horseradish, burnt cauliflower, and lemon. Since you're bound to grow tired of seafood, here you'll find dishes involving duck confit, pig's feet, pork cheeks, and lamb's liver.

José Andrés' Mi Casa, located in a Ritz-Carlton in Dorado Beach, offers everything from breakfast to dinner to in-room dining, all in the signature playful style of chef Andrés. He makes sure the food is truly Puerto Rican, and shies away from heavy-handed fusion. The array of tapas ranges from the traditional to the innovative. Dishes labeled "José's Way" include such modernist riffs as yucca gnocchi with hearts of palm and Puerto Rican pesto; there is seafood aplenty (for instance, sautéed baby squid with Puerto Rican red beans); and the "Simply Prepared Plates... José's Way" — pan-seared shrimp, herb-marinated chicken breast, etc. — are just right.  

The sprawling Atlantis resort in the Bahamas feels like the Vegas of the Caribbean, with restaurants helmed by some of the biggest names in the culinary world and over-the-top pools every which way you look. One such restaurant is the world's most famous sushi bar, Nobu. A massive neon green arch pulls guests into a dining room of backlit cherry blossom walls. The larger-than-life décor is matched by the massive menu, which contains a combination of traditional sushi and hot Japanese dishes, like the Nobu classics black cod with miso and rock shrimp tempura, as well as innovative dishes like pasta ribbons made of squid.

Éric Ripert's Caribbean outpost at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, which is ranked at No. 7 on our list of the world's 101 Best Hotel Restaurants, is also the only AAA Five Diamond award-winning restaurant in the Caribbean. Focusing on locally caught and responsibly fished seafood, executive chef Frederic Morineau — named a Master Chef by the French government — prepares an impressive set of five different tasting menus, including the Éric Ripert Classics Tasting Menu, inspired by the menu at Ripert's renowned Le Bernardin in New York City. Dishes include seared cobia with red wine-beluge lentils, bok choi, and citrus-mustard emulsion, and poached halibut with celery and corn chowder. Awarded the Wine Spectator "Best of Award of Excellence" since 2008, Blue also features a wine cellar with more than 800 selections.