5 Best Restaurants in South Long Island: Deadman's Cay to Gordon's, The Southern Out Islands

This family-owned and -operated takeout restaurant is a favorite with locals for tasty island food and value. It offers barbecued ribs, cracked conch, conch burgers, fish fingers, chicken snacks and dinners, and the ever-popular Forest Burger, a hamburger with boneless ribs and sautéed onions. Call ahead for your order or sit and wait with a cold beer. There's a shady shack with picnic tables adjoining.

This island treasure—and possibly the area's most-recommended dining spot—is praised up and down by locals and visitors alike. Quintessentially Bahamian, it's where you can sit all day on a stool at the colorful roadside hexagonal gazebo or at a table in the garden patio amid chickens and a goat, enjoying beers and nibbling on excellent conch salad prepared right in front of you. Become a veritable expert on Long Island and its people with gregarious Max and the sweet, chatty Liz. Such is the charm of this laid-back watering hole, visitors come back again and again. Their recipes are old-time Bahamian, hard to find elsewhere. Be sure to try the conch fritters, steamed snapper, and breadfruit chips, or any of the daily specials such as pot roast and crawfish-stuffed potatoes. Max also offers complimentary Wi-Fi for those needing to stay connected.

Outer Edge Grill is what local Long Islanders call a "poop deck," meaning a restaurant on the water. Open daily for lunch and dinner, Outer Edge serves up Bahamian favorites like conch fritters and fish fingers, along with sweet potato fries, mozzarella sticks, and homemade desserts. This is one of only a few restaurants open on Sunday.

Don't let the name scare you—it's named after the Knowles family's well-known construction company and the owners' two sons. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be served in the cool inside or out, and feature authentic Bahamian and American fare. The restaurant overlooks the roaring Atlantic, with a beach nearby, a big pool, a whirlpool, and a tiki bar on the large outside deck. The chef-owners Chloe (pronounced "Klo") and Bertram Knowles serve some of the best food on the island (including Bahamian stewed fish for breakfast with 24-hours notice)—and the prices are affordable (Delmonico steak for just $32 and lobster for $28). Clean, bright, popular with the locals, and with ocean views, it's a great place to enjoy a drink and hearty meal. If you can catch their Friday pig roast, you'll enter succulence heaven. This is one of the few restaurants open on Sunday.

Located at the end of Jerry Wells Road, this charming, authentic conch shack stuck out on a dock in the water is truly local, offering friendly service, fun music, and good food. Sling back in the hammock, catch some tunes and breeze as you (if you're lucky) watch the almost-tame osprey, "Iron," snack on fish morsels. House favorites include fresh conch salad (watch Kenny pull the conch straight from the water), grilled lobster, and grouper made any way you want it—all go best with a cold Kalik. Some visitors rate the fresh conch salad as the best, noticing the great care Kenny takes to make it. Seaside Village is open on Sunday.