4 Best Restaurants in Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

It's well worth the winding, hilly drive or sometimes rough sail to get to Taboo, where there's a sophisticated menu and friendly staff with a welcoming attitude. Kebabs, hummus, and veggie-stuffed pitas stand alongside eggplant cheesecake on the Mediterranean-inspired menu. Located at Diamond Cay on Jost's mostly undeveloped East End, Taboo is less of a party bar than Foxy's in Great Harbour but has scenic views and usually a great breeze. The lunch menu differs from the standard island fare. Even the burgers, topped with mango chutney, are a step up from the average and the salads are the best on the island. Dinner reservations are recommended.

Caribbean-style, casual beach fare rules at this must-stop destination for BVI boaters, whose habit of wading ashore for a drink gives the bar its distinctive name. Don't miss the Painkiller cocktail, the semi-official drink of the BVI, invented here. For lunch, find your way through the throngs ordering drinks at the bar to get mahimahi sandwiches, hamburgers, chicken roti, and conch fritters. A bottle of Soggy Dollar rum makes a nice souvenir that you can use to make your own Painkillers at home.

The simple, open-air B-Line Beach Bar brings "getting away from it all" to a new level—if you're on mainland Jost Van Dyke you'll have to charter a dinghy or boat, or wade (at low tide) across the few hundred meters of water between Little Jost Van Dyke and Jost Van Dyke. Here you can have an ice-cold beer, an assortment of rums, and great grilled food like barbecued ribs and chicken on a beautiful, remote beach.

A casual bar and West Indian restaurant right on White Bay Beach, Gertrude's makes guests feel at home with burgers, conch fritters, and rotis. Ask the bartender to mix you a drink, or you can pour your own. The lime-green eatery has a giant Adirondack chair out front that's a popular spot for Instagram snaps.