We just returned from our trip and I thought I'd share my thoughts on the restaurants we visited during our stay. Since we have not been to the island in 6 years I think it might be useful to some to have an "outsider" perspective. I have to say we feel very spoiled and didn't have a single bad dish the entire time, but some places shone more than others.
Le Papillon Ivre - our first night meal set an incredibly high bar! The care that they put in to every dish (and the service) really shines through. Cured spanish sausage, white asparagus, eggplant, beef carpaccio (UNREAL), bacon salad, cheese course, apricot tart... all excellent. I was blown away by the quality, especially at such an unassuming location, and the wine was delicious as well. We loved how they asked for our wine preferences and then brought out a selection or 4-5 wines for us to taste before choosing a glass or bottle. Really nice touch! Can't recommend highly enough - a gem.
Nikki Beach - drinks and sushi were good as we remembered, although it's really more about the scene. The view is incredible, the people watching is entertaining, and the beach is probably my favorite on the island.
Tamarin - absolutely stunning setting at night... I mean, just jaw-dropping. We ate in the garden and didn't have any mosquito issues. Food was good, but not spectacular. The best thing was probably the roasted mango dessert. I found the atmosphere to be probably the best on the island and the food to be average to below average (which is still great outside of SBH). Cocktails and service were both solid.
Le Barthelemy - we had lunch & drinks on the loungers after enjoying some stand-up paddleboarding. I have to say this was one of our favorite days. The frozen drinks were absolutely perfect for a hot day (the Parrot Colada was delicious) and the poke bowl was one of the best things we ate all week - I'm salivating just thinking of it. Service was excellent and the calm beach was great for taking a dip between drinks. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
Black Ginger - a great casual dinner with my go-to comfort food (Thai). The dim sum was another of our favorite things all week, and the massaman curry really hit the spot after a long day in the sun. I think I would abuse the to-go service if I lived on the island. We both happily curled up for bed early after a very satisfying dinner.
Le Petite Colombe (Lorient) - we stayed at Villa Nita in Lorient so their pastries were our morning ritual. Very friendly girls working the counter didn't mind our lack of French, and all of the pastries and sandwiches were just delicious. Choisy was good as well, but I preferred Colombe.
Shellona - love what they've done with the place since Do Brazil. Great interior design and the lower seating area has a really cool vibe. The fried seafood plate with spicy mayo was the perfect thing after we spent our morning out on a boat. Drinks and atmosphere were both great - a lovely place to spend some time and I imagine a perfect spot for sunset drinks.
Victoria - we were craving pizza and La Isoletta was closed on Monday, so we wound up wandering over to Victoria and finding a couch overlooking the harbor. Pizza was good with some pretty creative options, although overall not terribly memorable. The interior was very nice with mood lighting and a really cool bar. Pretty reasonably priced by SBH standards, it seemed like a nice place to go with a small group.
Pearl Beach - we went to St Jean hoping to catch Lil Rock, but it was closed that day. Luckily for us, as an unplanned lunch at Pearl Beach was terrific. Frozen drinks, tempura shrimp with spicy mayo (my wife's favorite), veggie quinoa salad, and wahoo ceviche were all delicious. Friendly servers, great atmosphere, plane landings, all around wonderful.
Quarter Kitchen - we went for "Taco Tuesday" because we wanted to try the Rhum Room and they required you to eat dinner first. Turned out to be very good and also our cheapest dinner on the island by far (maybe 70 euro). The cocktails are incredible (we went back for more another night), the tacos were delicious (we tried almost all of them), and the Rhum Room is not to be missed in my opinion. Christopher was an encyclopedia of knowledge and made some awesome, creative drinks while being a real pleasure to spend time with. I was expecting a huge bill, but our 4 cocktails came out to 66 euro (although we left him a nice tip). All for less than 150 euro? A steal.
Fish Corner - this place is great. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and every dish was fresh and delicious. Carpaccio, tartare, cold lobster salad, catch of the day, all excellent. As most people know it's tucked in an alley so the setting is maybe the only slight drawback, but the food and service more than made up for it. Highly recommended.
Bonito - this is probably the most polarizing dinner for me, and it was for our anniversary. First, I made reservations well in advance but was told I could only get one of the prime spots with a harbor view if we arrived at 6:30pm. This just felt a little strange because the place was completely empty until 7, and even when we left around 9 there were plenty of empty seats around. Not a huge deal, but it just felt odd to be the only people there when it felt like we could have gotten those same seats later in the evening. Anyway, the drinks were great (the famous Sex in the Bath and Beauty and the Beast) and the ceviches and tiraditos were all very good (Ceviche Cilantro being the highlight). Lobster risotto was also very good, as was the Tres Leches dessert. Really no complaints about the food, drinks or atmosphere. What felt a little off was the service. Even though we reserved in advance, arrived early, and were one of maybe 3-5 tables there until 8pm, it felt like they were trying to get us out of there ASAP. Nothing too pushy, but they didn't seem to like that we weren't ordering everything at once, coming back several times to ask if we were ready to put in our mains even though we said we were in no rush. We ordered drinks, watched the sunset, ordered a bottle of wine, ordered ceviches, then another starter, THEN put in our mains. The server seemed pretty put out by that, which just felt disappointing since this was our most expensive meal of the trip at around 300 euro. Maybe it was my high expectations as I really wanted to love Bonito, but I went away feeling a little bit disappointed. This is not to say it was bad, it just sort of left me cold, which was a real bummer since it was completely preventable.
Lil Rock - great casual, old-school Caribbean beach bar. Classic drinks, great fish dishes (the seared tune creole was a highlight), and probably the best service we had all week. The server was a joy and she really brightened our day. A great spot to spend an afternoon.
Orega - our last night meal did not disappoint. The special sushi roll with scallop and foie gras, smoked duck roll, sea bass, chocolate bomb, cocktails, all delicious. Service excellent. No complaints whatsoever. They were clearly understaffed with only two servers for a full house, but they managed perfectly as everyone pitched in. High quality & creative food, delicate flavors, friendly service. Highly recommended.
Zion - we stopped and had lunch at the newly opened Zion while waiting for our flight out, and I have to say we were blown away. Maybe because we had no expectations, maybe because we were savoring our last meal, maybe because we stopped in on a whim... either way, we wanted to lick the plates dry on both the beet tartare with goat cheese and the mahi with coconut rice. We got there right when it opened at noon and within 15 minutes it seemed to be filled with locals, probably for the great value on the 3 course lunch (I want to say it was something like 26 euro??). Excellent food, great interior design (especially for being tucked in a strip center), tasty cocktails, excellent value. What a great addition to St Jean!
Overall a fantastic week of dining. We can't wait to return. Hope this is helpful!
Le Papillon Ivre - our first night meal set an incredibly high bar! The care that they put in to every dish (and the service) really shines through. Cured spanish sausage, white asparagus, eggplant, beef carpaccio (UNREAL), bacon salad, cheese course, apricot tart... all excellent. I was blown away by the quality, especially at such an unassuming location, and the wine was delicious as well. We loved how they asked for our wine preferences and then brought out a selection or 4-5 wines for us to taste before choosing a glass or bottle. Really nice touch! Can't recommend highly enough - a gem.
Nikki Beach - drinks and sushi were good as we remembered, although it's really more about the scene. The view is incredible, the people watching is entertaining, and the beach is probably my favorite on the island.
Tamarin - absolutely stunning setting at night... I mean, just jaw-dropping. We ate in the garden and didn't have any mosquito issues. Food was good, but not spectacular. The best thing was probably the roasted mango dessert. I found the atmosphere to be probably the best on the island and the food to be average to below average (which is still great outside of SBH). Cocktails and service were both solid.
Le Barthelemy - we had lunch & drinks on the loungers after enjoying some stand-up paddleboarding. I have to say this was one of our favorite days. The frozen drinks were absolutely perfect for a hot day (the Parrot Colada was delicious) and the poke bowl was one of the best things we ate all week - I'm salivating just thinking of it. Service was excellent and the calm beach was great for taking a dip between drinks. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
Black Ginger - a great casual dinner with my go-to comfort food (Thai). The dim sum was another of our favorite things all week, and the massaman curry really hit the spot after a long day in the sun. I think I would abuse the to-go service if I lived on the island. We both happily curled up for bed early after a very satisfying dinner.
Le Petite Colombe (Lorient) - we stayed at Villa Nita in Lorient so their pastries were our morning ritual. Very friendly girls working the counter didn't mind our lack of French, and all of the pastries and sandwiches were just delicious. Choisy was good as well, but I preferred Colombe.
Shellona - love what they've done with the place since Do Brazil. Great interior design and the lower seating area has a really cool vibe. The fried seafood plate with spicy mayo was the perfect thing after we spent our morning out on a boat. Drinks and atmosphere were both great - a lovely place to spend some time and I imagine a perfect spot for sunset drinks.
Victoria - we were craving pizza and La Isoletta was closed on Monday, so we wound up wandering over to Victoria and finding a couch overlooking the harbor. Pizza was good with some pretty creative options, although overall not terribly memorable. The interior was very nice with mood lighting and a really cool bar. Pretty reasonably priced by SBH standards, it seemed like a nice place to go with a small group.
Pearl Beach - we went to St Jean hoping to catch Lil Rock, but it was closed that day. Luckily for us, as an unplanned lunch at Pearl Beach was terrific. Frozen drinks, tempura shrimp with spicy mayo (my wife's favorite), veggie quinoa salad, and wahoo ceviche were all delicious. Friendly servers, great atmosphere, plane landings, all around wonderful.
Quarter Kitchen - we went for "Taco Tuesday" because we wanted to try the Rhum Room and they required you to eat dinner first. Turned out to be very good and also our cheapest dinner on the island by far (maybe 70 euro). The cocktails are incredible (we went back for more another night), the tacos were delicious (we tried almost all of them), and the Rhum Room is not to be missed in my opinion. Christopher was an encyclopedia of knowledge and made some awesome, creative drinks while being a real pleasure to spend time with. I was expecting a huge bill, but our 4 cocktails came out to 66 euro (although we left him a nice tip). All for less than 150 euro? A steal.
Fish Corner - this place is great. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and every dish was fresh and delicious. Carpaccio, tartare, cold lobster salad, catch of the day, all excellent. As most people know it's tucked in an alley so the setting is maybe the only slight drawback, but the food and service more than made up for it. Highly recommended.
Bonito - this is probably the most polarizing dinner for me, and it was for our anniversary. First, I made reservations well in advance but was told I could only get one of the prime spots with a harbor view if we arrived at 6:30pm. This just felt a little strange because the place was completely empty until 7, and even when we left around 9 there were plenty of empty seats around. Not a huge deal, but it just felt odd to be the only people there when it felt like we could have gotten those same seats later in the evening. Anyway, the drinks were great (the famous Sex in the Bath and Beauty and the Beast) and the ceviches and tiraditos were all very good (Ceviche Cilantro being the highlight). Lobster risotto was also very good, as was the Tres Leches dessert. Really no complaints about the food, drinks or atmosphere. What felt a little off was the service. Even though we reserved in advance, arrived early, and were one of maybe 3-5 tables there until 8pm, it felt like they were trying to get us out of there ASAP. Nothing too pushy, but they didn't seem to like that we weren't ordering everything at once, coming back several times to ask if we were ready to put in our mains even though we said we were in no rush. We ordered drinks, watched the sunset, ordered a bottle of wine, ordered ceviches, then another starter, THEN put in our mains. The server seemed pretty put out by that, which just felt disappointing since this was our most expensive meal of the trip at around 300 euro. Maybe it was my high expectations as I really wanted to love Bonito, but I went away feeling a little bit disappointed. This is not to say it was bad, it just sort of left me cold, which was a real bummer since it was completely preventable.
Lil Rock - great casual, old-school Caribbean beach bar. Classic drinks, great fish dishes (the seared tune creole was a highlight), and probably the best service we had all week. The server was a joy and she really brightened our day. A great spot to spend an afternoon.
Orega - our last night meal did not disappoint. The special sushi roll with scallop and foie gras, smoked duck roll, sea bass, chocolate bomb, cocktails, all delicious. Service excellent. No complaints whatsoever. They were clearly understaffed with only two servers for a full house, but they managed perfectly as everyone pitched in. High quality & creative food, delicate flavors, friendly service. Highly recommended.
Zion - we stopped and had lunch at the newly opened Zion while waiting for our flight out, and I have to say we were blown away. Maybe because we had no expectations, maybe because we were savoring our last meal, maybe because we stopped in on a whim... either way, we wanted to lick the plates dry on both the beet tartare with goat cheese and the mahi with coconut rice. We got there right when it opened at noon and within 15 minutes it seemed to be filled with locals, probably for the great value on the 3 course lunch (I want to say it was something like 26 euro??). Excellent food, great interior design (especially for being tucked in a strip center), tasty cocktails, excellent value. What a great addition to St Jean!
Overall a fantastic week of dining. We can't wait to return. Hope this is helpful!