My husband and I are going to ST Croix and ST Johns in Janaury and are wondering about some good places to eat that are not very expensive. We are renting a vehicle on both islands so transportation is not a problem. We will also have a full kitchen at both places and are wondering about purchasing food and where do buy good fish perhaps from the docks?? Any sugeestions would be helpful. Would you also suggest we bring any food products from the US? Thanks, Theresa

hi theresa, i have spent no time on st. croix and been to st. john only briefly. i am responding because i always travel with a cooler when staying in villa or condo.
on st.croix there should be some good sized grocery stores. on st. john only smaller more deli like stores.
my cooler normally contains all the meats i expect to cook (and sometimes fish - i live in maine and like north atlantic! swordfish and would not want to buy it there when i can buy fresh at home to take. i also preboil shrimp to have with cocktails on my deck one evening), plus butter, canned fruit juices, premade appetizers for those not really all that hungry nights (like the ones from sams club or on line gourmet like mckenzie), and most recently lobster meat and hotdog buns for lob salad sands on the beach. all/most these things are available on island, but the price is higher (or alot higher- like butter 6.00) and with meats the quality is better (or at least a known quality)
if you do the fancier meals & require spices & seasonings, take those too so you won't have to buy a whole jar for 2 tsps. we take our own coffee.
at www.stcroixtourism.com under dining there is a long list of restaurants with recommendations from someone, not sure who.
tons of st. john experts on here who can recommend particular restaurants for you and probably certain menu items.
if you do the cooler, take a printed list of all contents for the customs ppl and do not tape it shut as they will want to do it for you. mind the weight. same as baggage i thing its 28 lbs?
would love to hear a trip report about the st. croix portion of your trip as few on here seem to go there. have fun!

For what you can't get on St. John or to do a bigger "shop" just take the ferry across to Red Hook on St. Thomas & across the road is Marina Market with a butcher. More expensive than the States but everything you could possibly want.

Oh, and St. Croix has several large grocery stores including Pueblo.

We went to St. Croix last March (fun place, you will enjoy); I got all my restaurant advice from ccrosner and we enjoyed Rum Runners which is right in town on the water and Cheesburgers in Paradise which is a short drive out of town--fun, laidback place, inexpensive. I'm afraid the other places we ate didn't fall in the budget category.

Hope this helps,

Mary

staying in a villa on st. john is great and it does give you the option to cook/or not..personally i'm a not..if it's a tight year we just stay out of the higher end restaurants. most days we have breakfast in and pack a lunch to bring to whatever beach we're going to that day.so basically i shop for breakfast/lunch/snacks/beer/liquor at the mkt. there is a full service mkt in Cruz Bay --Starfish Mkt--very nice and carries most of your needs.to my knowledge there isn't any fish buying at the docks.might be a fish mkt but as i said i don't really cook on my vacation...some affordable restaurant sugg.anana Deck,Compass Rose,Woodys,Beach Bar,Skinny Legs,Ship Wreck,Joes BBq(really a shack/great chicken&ribs/take home),JJ's Texas. many people who love to cook and have to have certain items/cuts or type of meats bring a cooler filled w/them...to each his own..this might be an option for you. just go on this trip and enjoy!!

Is the food more better on St. Thomas's, St. Croixs or St. Johns?

Kidding aside there are a zillion posts on this board which discuss food on the Virgin Islands. I recommend you do some looking.

mm

Hello theresa52! There is a PUEBLO right at red hook in St. Thomas where you catch the ferry to S. John and they will have what you want.

Don, there isn't a Pueble in Red Hook & the one in 4 Winds Plaza closed. There's Marina Market right across from the ferry dock on St. Thomas & a big Food Center in Fredenhoj which is a couple miles west of Red Hook.

That should read "Pueblo."