Restaurants Overview

Mangoes, plantains, breadfruit, avocados, limes, pumpkins, cucumbers, papaya, yams, christophenes (also called chayote), and coconuts are among the fresh local produce that graces St. Lucian menus. The French influence is strong, and most chefs cook with a creole flair. Resort buffets and restaurant fare run the gamut, from steaks and chops to pasta and pizza. Every menu lists fresh fish along with the ever-popular lobster. Caribbean standards include callaloo, stuffed crab back, pepper pot stew, curried chicken or goat, and lambi (conch). The national dish of salt fish and green fig -- a stew of dried, salted codfish and boiled green banana -- is, let's say, an acquired taste. Soups and stews are traditionally prepared in a coal pot, a rustic clay casserole on a matching clay stand that holds the hot coals. Chicken and pork dishes and barbecues are also popular here. As they do throughout the Caribbean, local vendors who set up barbecues along the roadside, at street fairs, and at Friday-night "jump-ups" do a land-office business selling grilled fish or chicken legs, bakes (fried biscuits), and beer -- you can get a full meal for about $5. Most other meats are imported -- beef from Argentina and Iowa, lamb from New Zealand. Piton is the local brew, Bounty the local rum.

With so many popular all-inclusive resorts, guests take most meals at hotel restaurants -- which are generally quite good and, in some cases, exceptional. It's fun when vacationing, however, to try some of the local restaurants, as well -- for lunch when sightseeing or for a special night out.

What to Wear

Dress on St. Lucia is casual but conservative. Shorts are usually fine during the day, but bathing suits and immodest clothing are frowned upon anywhere but at the beach. In the evening the mood is casually elegant, but even the fanciest places generally expect only a collared shirt and long pants for men and a sundress or slacks for women.