12 Best Restaurants in Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

It's well worth the winding, hilly drive or sometimes rough sail to get to Taboo, where there's a sophisticated menu and friendly staff with a welcoming attitude. Kebabs, hummus, and veggie-stuffed pitas stand alongside eggplant cheesecake on the Mediterranean-inspired menu. Located at Diamond Cay on Jost's mostly undeveloped East End, Taboo is less of a party bar than Foxy's in Great Harbour but has scenic views and usually a great breeze. The lunch menu differs from the standard island fare. Even the burgers, topped with mango chutney, are a step up from the average and the salads are the best on the island. Dinner reservations are recommended.

This upscale but family-friendly beach bar at White Bay beach features a handsome wood bar, lounge area, and hammocks nestled in among the palm trees, making you feel as if you're at a small resort. The pulled pork tacos are excellent, and bottomless mimosas are served with Sunday brunch. Come on Thursday night for sushi prepared with locally sourced tuna; the dinner menu ventures into more refined territory with offerings like tomahawk steak, lobster ravioli, and vegetarian pad Thai.

Caribbean-style, casual beach fare rules at this must-stop destination for BVI boaters, whose habit of wading ashore for a drink gives the bar its distinctive name. Don't miss the Painkiller cocktail, the semi-official drink of the BVI, invented here. For lunch, find your way through the throngs ordering drinks at the bar to get mahimahi sandwiches, hamburgers, chicken roti, and conch fritters. A bottle of Soggy Dollar rum makes a nice souvenir that you can use to make your own Painkillers at home.

Many sailors who cruise into this quiet bay come so they can dock right at this open-air eatery to enjoy the conch, lobster, and other fresh catches, always with peas and rice and coleslaw on the side. Chicken and ribs round out the menu, and affable owners Abe Coakley and his wife, Eunicy, add a pinch of hospitality that makes a meal into a memorable evening. Casual lunches are also served, and an adjoining market sells ice, canned goods, and other necessities. Dinner reservations are required by 5 pm.

Lobster is the main attraction at this beach bar with a sandy floor, which is just some 20 feet from the sea. Grilled local fish—including swordfish, kingfish, and wahoo—are caught fresh daily, and the BabaQ ribs are the house specialty. Hammocks on the deck are made for swaying and supping on Ali Baba's special rum punch, as potent as it is delicious. Reservations are a good idea at dinner.

The simple, open-air B-Line Beach Bar brings "getting away from it all" to a new level—if you're on mainland Jost Van Dyke you'll have to charter a dinghy or boat, or wade (at low tide) across the few hundred meters of water between Little Jost Van Dyke and Jost Van Dyke. Here you can have an ice-cold beer, an assortment of rums, and great grilled food like barbecued ribs and chicken on a beautiful, remote beach.

This brightly colored eatery with a pool table and big-screen TVs for watching sports is frequented by locals and visitors. Expect a range of dinner options, including fresh grilled lobster, barbecue chicken and ribs, and vegetarian dishes. Come Tuesday night for a pig roast and karaoke; the bar stays open until midnight.

The big draw here is the owner, Foxy Callwood, a famed calypso singer who will serenade you with funny songs as you fork into grilled chicken, burgers, barbecue ribs, and lobster. Check out the pennants, postcards, and weathered T-shirts that adorn every inch of the walls and ceiling of this large, two-story beach bar; they've been left by previous visitors who are mostly either day-trippers from elsewhere in the Virgin Islands or yacht owners. On Friday and Saturday nights, Foxy's hosts a Caribbean-style barbecue with grilled fresh fish, chicken and ribs, peas and rice, salad, and more, followed by live music. Other nights choose from steak, fresh lobster, pork, or pasta; at lunch Foxy serves sandwiches and salads. The drinks are strong no matter what time of day you order them. Foxy's is one of the most reliable eating establishments on Jost. You're unlikely to find Foxy performing at night, but he takes the mike many afternoons and makes time to mingle with guests—this a popular happy-hour pit stop. The all-night "Old Years" party here is the biggest New Years Eve celebration in the Caribbean.

A casual bar and West Indian restaurant right on White Bay Beach, Gertrude's makes guests feel at home with burgers, conch fritters, and rotis. Ask the bartender to mix you a drink, or you can pour your own. The lime-green eatery has a giant Adirondack chair out front that's a popular spot for Instagram snaps.

Owner Cynthia Harris is as famous for her friendliness as she is for her food. Lobster in a garlic butter sauce, and other freshly caught seafood, as well as pork, chicken, and ribs, are on the menu. House-made key lime pie and expertly blended Bushwackers are "to live for," as Cynthia would say, but diners also praise the fresh fish and lobster. Call for the schedule of live music, which varies from season to season. Breakfast and lunch are served on her big waterfront deck, too. Call ahead for reservations.

Top dishes at this beachfront eatery include seafood freshly caught by owner Seddy, who also may come to your table and perform magic tricks. Local lobster finds its way into nachos and quesadillas, and the Food Network's Alton Brown once sought out this beachfront eatery and featured its stewed conch on a flavor-finding trip. Try the specialty drinks—a Bushwacker or a tri-colored One Love Marley. 

At this open-air terrace eatery on the water's edge, you can find great local lobster and fish, as well as barbecue chicken and ribs with all the fixings, including peas and rice, corn, coleslaw, and potato salad. A popular pig roast happens on Monday and Saturday nights. Those in the know sail here for dinner, since there's no beach—and therefore no annoying sand fleas. Lunch is served, too, and guests help themselves at the honor bar and record their visits for posterity on the bright yellow walls.