KevinS
Senior Insider
Every once in a while the question of dinner reservations comes up. Do I need them? Should I make them before I leave home? My usual answer is a solid maybe.
Many regular visitors to SBH make it through an entire trip without knowing more than a few hours or minutes in advance where they'll be going to lunch or dinner on any given day. Others have at least a loose idea of which restaurants they want to visit. A few even have a plan for the week. I'm somewhere between the last two groups I have an idea where I want to visit, and I have a plan, but the plan rarely lasts beyond the first night.
During normal times (other than holidays Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, perhaps Valentine's Day) it usually isn't necessary to make reservations for lunch or dinner at most restaurants. But it never hurts. At worst, in the slow times, it cheers the staff by letting them know that at least someone is coming to dinner that night. Often it will get you a better table. Perhaps you'll be able to get into a restaurant that might not be able to accommodate you as a walk-in later on that night.
There are certain hot tables where it always helps to have a reservation. Maya's is one that comes to mind. Andy's Hideaway on Sunday night is another. Reservations are helpful at some of the hotel restaurants at their prime dining hours - Sand Bar at Eden Rock, La Case de le Ile at Hotel St Barth Ile de France, and Le Gaac at Le Toiny are three that come to mind.
Another time when it helps to make a reservation is when you have a special night to celebrate - a birthday, anniversary, or other significant event - and you have your heart set on celebrating it at one particular restaurant. Making a reservation in advance will help to assure you that you will have a table, and will let you know if the restaurant is already booked for a special event on that night (I've had this happen), or if you've picked a night when the restaurant is normally closed (I've done this too).
What I generally do is to make reservations for special events in advance, but make previous day or same day reservations for the rest. Almost without exception (Eddy's, which doesn't accept reservations, comes to mind) I make reservations for dinner. About 30% of the time I make reservations for lunch.
So how do you make those reservations? I long ago discovered that nobody was keeping an up-to-date list of which restaurants are closed on which nights, or a complete list of restaurant phone numbers. I've made my own list, which gets updated about twice each year, either from my island visits or with info from other participants here. Others have found it useful, and JEK has been kind enough to post a copy of it on his web page. Another collaborative effort between JEK, Tim, and others has led to the creation of a pictorial restaurant guide, as well as island and Gustavia maps showing approximate restaurant locations.
Some restaurants, Au Port and Le Sapotillier are two, have practices that date back to the "Sorry, No Telephone Days", when not every villa had a phone. You'll find their menu and a pad of paper and pen on their front door. If the menu appeals to you and you would like to have dinner there that night then just write down your name and the time of your desired reservation. They'll still take a reservation by telephone, but sometimes it's just as easy to write down your name as you're passing by.
So, you've spent the day at the beach, you haven't even thought about dinner, and "horrors" you haven't made a reservation. No worries. While a reservation is helpful, you'll always be able to find someplace to eat without one. There's even a very good chance that you'll be able to get into your first choice of restaurants, assuming that it's not Wall House or Maya's on Thanksgiving, or Andy's on Sunday night. Every restaurant will do their best to seat you. You may have to wait a bit, or you may have to try another restaurant.
Either way, you'll likely end up with a great meal.
Many regular visitors to SBH make it through an entire trip without knowing more than a few hours or minutes in advance where they'll be going to lunch or dinner on any given day. Others have at least a loose idea of which restaurants they want to visit. A few even have a plan for the week. I'm somewhere between the last two groups I have an idea where I want to visit, and I have a plan, but the plan rarely lasts beyond the first night.
During normal times (other than holidays Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, perhaps Valentine's Day) it usually isn't necessary to make reservations for lunch or dinner at most restaurants. But it never hurts. At worst, in the slow times, it cheers the staff by letting them know that at least someone is coming to dinner that night. Often it will get you a better table. Perhaps you'll be able to get into a restaurant that might not be able to accommodate you as a walk-in later on that night.
There are certain hot tables where it always helps to have a reservation. Maya's is one that comes to mind. Andy's Hideaway on Sunday night is another. Reservations are helpful at some of the hotel restaurants at their prime dining hours - Sand Bar at Eden Rock, La Case de le Ile at Hotel St Barth Ile de France, and Le Gaac at Le Toiny are three that come to mind.
Another time when it helps to make a reservation is when you have a special night to celebrate - a birthday, anniversary, or other significant event - and you have your heart set on celebrating it at one particular restaurant. Making a reservation in advance will help to assure you that you will have a table, and will let you know if the restaurant is already booked for a special event on that night (I've had this happen), or if you've picked a night when the restaurant is normally closed (I've done this too).
What I generally do is to make reservations for special events in advance, but make previous day or same day reservations for the rest. Almost without exception (Eddy's, which doesn't accept reservations, comes to mind) I make reservations for dinner. About 30% of the time I make reservations for lunch.
So how do you make those reservations? I long ago discovered that nobody was keeping an up-to-date list of which restaurants are closed on which nights, or a complete list of restaurant phone numbers. I've made my own list, which gets updated about twice each year, either from my island visits or with info from other participants here. Others have found it useful, and JEK has been kind enough to post a copy of it on his web page. Another collaborative effort between JEK, Tim, and others has led to the creation of a pictorial restaurant guide, as well as island and Gustavia maps showing approximate restaurant locations.
Some restaurants, Au Port and Le Sapotillier are two, have practices that date back to the "Sorry, No Telephone Days", when not every villa had a phone. You'll find their menu and a pad of paper and pen on their front door. If the menu appeals to you and you would like to have dinner there that night then just write down your name and the time of your desired reservation. They'll still take a reservation by telephone, but sometimes it's just as easy to write down your name as you're passing by.
So, you've spent the day at the beach, you haven't even thought about dinner, and "horrors" you haven't made a reservation. No worries. While a reservation is helpful, you'll always be able to find someplace to eat without one. There's even a very good chance that you'll be able to get into your first choice of restaurants, assuming that it's not Wall House or Maya's on Thanksgiving, or Andy's on Sunday night. Every restaurant will do their best to seat you. You may have to wait a bit, or you may have to try another restaurant.
Either way, you'll likely end up with a great meal.
