Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Need restaurant recommendations on Barbados

Hello...restaurant info based on 15 trips: Restaurants: West Coast (not to be missed): The Cliff: Gourmet food in a stunning location. As for Terrace seating (as close to the water as you can get). They have some new seating close to the water now available. Best to make reservations in advance to be sure you get the type of seating you want. (246) 432-1922. Pricey - $120 US/couple if you get appetizer and bottle of moderately priced wine. Carambola: This is our favorite. The cliff-top location offers lots of seating along the rail by the cliff overlooking the Caribbean which is light up at night so you can see the gorgeous water. They even have sting ray that frequently swims through the area at night. The food is French cuisine with a Caaribbean flair and a touch of Asian as well. Gourmet food and excellent service. Robin Walcott owns this restaurant and is frequently there to greet his guests & provide the best in everything. Phone: (246) 432-0832 La Terra: This restaurant is located at Baku Beach and is upstairs overlooking a terraced area. Price-wise this vyes with The Cliff & Carambola and is definitely among the most expensive on the West Coast. The quality of the food is worth it. The Chef, Larry Rogers really has a flair for an imaginative menu with the emphasis on Italian (truly Italian gourmet). If you go late enough you can enjoy the Casbah Nightclub downstairs (action starts in about 10:30 pm). Phone: (246) 432-1099 Olives Bar & Bistro: This is the first restauranat run by Larry Rogers. it's in a quaint old Barbadian style building in Holetown. You can eat in their courtyard, or also enjoy indoor dining with air conditioning. The food again is imaginative with a Mediterranean and Caribbean flair. They have wonderful gourmet pizzas here too. Phone: (246) 432-2112. The Tides is Guy Beasley's new restaurant on the West coast....wonderful food for both lunch and dinner. Sakura: If you like Japanese, this restaurant has been open a couple of years and still gets rave reviews. It's in Holetown & has a complete sushi and sashimi selection as well as traditional and "nouvell" Japanse cuisine. (246) 432-5187 La Mer: In Port St. Charles is supposed to be good for seafood. East Coast Restaurants: The Round House: Offers indoor or outdoor seating. We enjoy stopping here for lunch & enjoy looking out over the Bathsheeba area. Crane Beach: Pay the $5 entrance fee each (redeemable at the restaurant/bar). Definitely go daytime - the view is spectacular. It's one of the prettiest beaches anywhere. If you sit on the balcony & enjoy a drink or lunch, you have one of the best views anywhere. And the pool there, with its Roman colums, is used in many magazine ads -- you won't regret it. North Point: If you drive up there some afternoon, the view in that area of the water crashing on the rocks & through the holes in the coral is spectacular. We usually enjoy a snack in their A-frame tiny restaurant. You might enjoy trying a "cheese cutter" - a Bajan special snack. We like that with a beer. It would be a unique experience. Pisces: In St. Lawrence Gap: Ok for moderately priced food on south coast. Masquerede's: Also in St. Lawrence Gap -- the best coconut shrimp on the island & the pumpkin soup is great too. Champers: On South coast -- great for a meal overlooking the southcoast water. Shak Shak: Also south coast & good was good (used to be Chef Guy Beasley -- not sure with new chef). Get waterfront seating wherever you can. Don't bother with: Brown Sugar (pretty with plants, but food quality not good); David's Place (I've heard it's overrated for the price); Josef's -- food quality & service not what it should be. Lois