Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Restaurants on Jost Van Dyke are informal (some serve meals family-style at long tables), but charming. The island's a favorite charter-boat stop, and you're bound to hear people exchanging stories about the previous night's anchoring adventures. Reservations are not mandatory, but it’s a good idea to call ahead in season for dinner. In all cases dress is casual. Most of the restaurants are also known for their nightlife, particularly during the weekends. Meal prices are fairly consistent across the island, with dinner entrées usually varying by a few dollars.
Lobster is the main attraction at this beach bar with a sandy floor, which is just some 20 feet from the sea. Grilled local fish—including swordfish, kingfish, and wahoo—are caught fresh daily, and the BabaQ ribs are the house specialty. Hammocks on the deck are made for swaying and supping on Ali Baba's special rum punch, as potent as it is delicious. Reservations are a good idea at dinner.
Owner Cynthia Harris is as famous for her friendliness as she is for her food. Lobster in a garlic butter sauce, and other freshly caught seafood, as well as pork, chicken, and ribs, are on the menu. House-made key lime pie and expertly blended Bushwackers are "to live for," as Cynthia would say, but diners also praise the fresh fish and lobster. Call for the schedule of live music, which varies from season to season. Breakfast and lunch are served on her big waterfront deck, too. Call ahead for reservations.
