Restaurants in St. Maarten/St. Martin
 

What restaurants are "gotta go to" in any price range. Any recommendations for restaurants that have conch?

Grand Case has a lot of good French restaurants - some names that come to mind are L'Alabama, Le Tastevin, Le Cottage, Il Nettuno. There is a whole street there lined with restaurants. We had dinner at Le Cottage and Le Tastevin, and both were great. Not too sure about the conch, but they should have it, I think. Also, there are some nice restaurants in Marigot. The food on the Dutch side is more American-style (huge portions!). But probably you can also get conch there.

I agree that most of the best restaurants on the French side of St. Martin are in the Grand Case area (aka Groumet Capitol of the Caribbean). Port Royale Marina in Marigot also has many great restaurants. There are just too many to name a favorite. You can browse the menus posted outside of them all before deciding, however.

theere are also the lo los in Grand Case. they are local BBQ places with the best ribs, fresh fish, and they often have conch too.
another good place to eat for the same type of food is Lee's Roadside Grill in Simpson Bay on the Dutch side.
For a fantastic eating experience that is NOT cheap, try Temptationss restaruant at the Atlantis Casino
it is the best!

Yvettes is a well-known restaurant for local food and has very good conch dishes. If you want to try authentic local style food, this is the place. I always have the conch at Mark's, and Bistro Nu also has a good conch stew

Restaurants we really enjoyed were the Mini Club-Marigot (buffet night), Rainbow Cafe-Grand Case and Le Pressoir-Grand Case (our favorite). At Le Pressoir we dined in a charming west indian house which offered french and creole fusion (for dessert try the creme brulee--to die for). Very nice lunch at La Vie en Rose-Marigot. On the dutch side we enjoyed Spartaco at Almond Grove-Cole Bay.

The French side definately has better restaurants, but at night driving around the hills can be pretty scary. Since we stayed on the Dutch side, I liked Da Livio restaurant. The lobster was huge and delicious! They also had a great wine list!

In the Marina area La Belle Epoque is pretty popular. Our current fave is Au Plongeoir (diver) down on the harbourfront in Marigot. Cul de Sac also has several fine little places; one of which is aptly called Le Petit Cul de Sac.

There are many. Probably the best value can be found on the Dutch Side in most of the Simpson Bay area restaurants, where the cuisine is American targeted.

The French side is generally more expensive (particularly now with the sliding dollar against the euro)but without doubt has the best cuisine.

I live here, and the 'gotta go' one would be Le Cottage in Grand Case, small portions, but haute cuisine at its finest. Take a starter, main course and dessert ( the souflee is legendary and to die for, order at the start of the meal )and you wont be disappointed. But its not cheap.

Bon appetit

We would highly recommend the Boathouse for their sampler (which included conch - absolutely delicious) and Bamboo Bernies for their sushi.

Arriving in St. Maarten on Feb.20th with my 15 year old daughter. We love fresh seafood and great French food at the best value on the island and like to experience the "locals food". What are the locals and tourists favorite/well-known restaurants for fresh seafood AND French cuisine? You know....the ones that will always show up on St. Maarten's TOP 10 LIST for great food at some what reasonable prices. I live in a resort town too with many restaurants---the LOCALS KNOW the best places. Please help.