mah1980

We will be in St. John for 7 days/6 nights in several weeks. I've read the many posts dedicated to St. John restaurants. We are not looking for elaborate meals each night...more like casual half the time and more high end fare the remaining half.

Here are the restaurants I have (In order of positive feedback):
1. La Tapa
2. Tage
3. Zozo's
4. Stone Terrace
5. Chloe & Bernards

Can anyone add some lunch places that we can eat at in the Cruz Bay area. How is the lunch at Caneel Bay?

Also, can anyone add some moderate choices to the restaurants I listed above, which are presumably on the pricier end of the spectrum.

Thanks!

iamq

I loved La Tapa, but I'd check to make sure they are going to be open as they close in the off season. We just made it. I think we ate there in late June.

As far as other places go...we liked The Fish Trap, The Lime Inn, Sweet Plantains and Shipwreck Landing (both in Coral Bay), and the nightly buffet over at the Mahoe Bay camp.

ScottB

If you're looking for a casual lunch, the Beach Bar has very good burgers & some good sandwiches. We ate lunch there several times, and had good food each time....and reasonable prices. It's right on the bay, and very nice place for an afternoon burger & beer. Enjoy!

brenandg

mah,
We try to eat more budget minded since we started traveling more. For higher end, La Tapa is our current favorite. We each had filet mignon, an upscale appetizer and one drink each for $110. You might want to look into Tage a little more because their chef Ted Robinson has left and he really was their signature. We passed on Tage our last trip because of lukewarm reviews. Ted is now working for one of the catering companies.

For moderate priced dinners we like The Banana Deck and Cafe Roma. Cafe Roma has very large portions and DH and I would usually split an entree, appetizer and salad and have plenty of food. Banana Deck has a nice ribeye dinner and large, fresh salads. There is also a new authentic Italian restaurant that has just opened across from the Lime Inn. We were a little disappointed in The Lime Inn this time other than their mussels appetizer.

For lunch, Deli Grotto, and Sun Dog Cafe in Mongoose Junction are good choices. For a good burger, Banana Deck or Skinny Legs in Coral Bay. I read mixed reviews about Skinny's burgers, but we loved ours. There is also a little place called Mojo Cafe in Wharfside Village that looked like it had some interesting lunches. I think it was Indian food?

For breakfast we like a little kiosk in Wharfside Village called Paradise Cafe. Great breakfast sandwich for $4. Good smoothies too.

For cheap eats, Joe's BBQ, China Shack and Ronnie's Pizza are a few.

We have probably gotten a little boring with our dining choices, but we know what works for us and don't want to spend a large part of our budget on eating.

DebitNM

Brenda - not recommending Miss Lucy's I see!
Debi

DebitNM

We had dinner twice at Skinny Legs – once would have been enough for me. The burgers were okay and the ambience was okay too.

We had lunch at Miss Lucy’s – the crunchy fish sandwich was really good as were conch fritters but terrible service. The view was great but there were goats running around and eating leftovers off table as it was vacated.

We had the cold lunch buffet at Caneel, nice but not worth $23.

We ate dinner at Shipwreck, fair at best. Conch fritters were tasteless and felt like they had rubber bands in them.
We had lunch at Panini which was good.

We had breakfast at Maho Bay campgrounds which was reasonably priced and very good. A

For our last night, we ate at Aqua Bistro in Coral Bay, which was by far the best meal we had.

Tuxedocat

mah1980: You will be there at the height of their low season I'd say a good number of restaurants may be closed, incl. Miss Lucy's. Also, no one mentioned Morgan's Mango which is near Caneel. Also, for more casual, there is Rhumblines, Margarita Phil's or even Woody's. Have a wonderful time.

brenandg

http://stjohnspice.com/stjohnrestaurants.htm Here is a list of some of the restaurant closings. Have fun!

Debi, I guess I should have gotten the crunchy fish sandwich at Miss Lucy's. You are right. That particular day the service was very slow. We are probably going to try out more restaurants in Coral Bay next trip.

christiegr

For breakfast..JJ's Texas Coast is good and nice to sit and watch people come in on the ferry.

We liked La Tapa,The Balcony (the view of St Thomas is great at night),Deli Grotto (for quick sandwiches or pastas),Sun Dog Cafe (good Mahi Mahi sandwich).The Beach bar has good quick food and Senorita's pizza.

Have a great trip!
Christie

beachplum

Might want to try to catch Ms. Vie at her Snak Shack and beach for lunch. Great homecooking - garlic chicken, heavenly tarts. She isn't there everyday but well worth it with a swim on "her" beach.
Last time I was at Morgan's Mango, it was right along the street on the way to Mongoose Jct - not near Caneel.

mah1980

Hey all:

Thanks for the info. I took a look at the list of open restaurants for when we will be there and made a list of many recommended here. It looks like La Tapa and Tage won't be open. For the pricier meals I think we'll probably go with Stone Terrace, Asolare, Zozo's, or Chateaux Bordeaux.

I find a website for the Tap Room, St. John's only microbrewery. My husband is excited about that because he is into good beer and we try to seek out local microbreweries and pubs in our travels.

I'm sure I'll have more questions before the trip but thanks for helping out with my restaurant questions!

owa

mah1980, I can't remember. What dates are you on St. John? We leave Sunday until the 14th. Owa

mah1980

We'll be there from August 11-17th! Can't wait!

Dianebridles

Caneel lunch is great! At the Terrace, there is a huge buffet with a large assortment of salads, appetizers and desserts A variety of hot foods including grilled items, and both cold and hot soups. You will not need much for dinner if you eat there.

A smaller lunch with typical soups/ sandwiches can be had at the beach bar.

Lime Inn is also another favorite of mine.

rockie

We really liked Stone Terrace for a little nicer meal, but also enjoyed Rhumb Lines and Cafe Roma. For sandwiches and baked goods, Baked in the Sun was excellent. Morgan's Mango and Shipwreck Landing were our least favorite meals but do get good reviews generally. Joe's BBQ was also a great, inexpensive dinner. Have a great trip!

MP07950

Our experience has been that Morgans Mango has gone down hill over the last several years. We love Lime Inn and also Paradiso...

hawksbill

I think I posted this on some other thread maybe... my favorite food on the island lately is at Paradiso. Paradiso was pretty bad until a few months ago, when Paul, the chef from the now defunct Ten Tables, moved over there. I think he's the best chef on St. John.

I'm also quite fond of Zozo's.

Asolare should probably be on a list of the best restaurants. I haven't been there in a few years, as it has a little more of a "formal restaurant" feel to it, and somehow I haven't felt like going for that reason. But the food was always very good, and the ambience and the views are really wonderful.

These are all "high-end" places, and I don't actually know if any or all are open in August.

Pulley

mah1980, you've listed some of the best on St. John. For expensive meals you might want to add Chateau Bourdeaux & Asolore (sp) to your lsit. Two of my favorites are Uncle Joe's in Cruz Bay & Chilly Billy's for breakfast or lunch. We'll be on St. John 08/25 -09/01 celebrating my 50th! This will be our 10th trip and I don't think I've ever been more excited to go.

mah1980

Has anyone been to the Tap Room where the brewery, St. John Brewers is?

It looks like it is a relatively new microbrewery in Cruz Bay.