19 Best Restaurants in 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.

This pretty pastel Soper's Hole eatery has reinvented itself as a coffeehouse, but you can still get "Sunday" brunch every day until mid-afternoon or sip your prosecco or cappuccino during "Mimosa Mondays" with live music. Omelets, crepes, high-protein breakfast bowls (with vegetarian and vegan options), and even the "full English" breakfast are served at a breezy counter–dining room combo, but the best seats are out back by the marina. There is another location in Nanny Cay, serving a similar menu alongside some of the best Indian curries in the BVI.

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.

Attached to the Bamboushay pottery boutique on Main Street, Bamboushay Lounge on adjacent Waterfront Drive serves barbecue ribs, fish and chips, and roti alongside and offers live music in the open-air garden. The bar attracts a lively mix of young local professionals, resident expats, visiting yachties, and tourists.

Located at the entrance to Nanny Cay, this sports bar attracts expats, locals, and sailors with its promise to have "the second-best burger on the island," underlining the eatery's irreverent tone (we never found out who has the best!). Hot wings, pizza, ribs, and burgers are on the menu, and most people come to watch the game on the big-screen TVs. A children's play area reflects a surprisingly family-friendly atmosphere. There is an upstairs nightclub occasionally featuring live music and dancing.

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.

This unique and welcome addition to Cane Garden Bay’s western beachfront is located in the owners' revamped former residence, where you'll find tacos, burgers, roti, and an eclectic collection of small plates filling enough for a meal, such as crispy Asian cauliflower and steak kebabs. Owner and bartender Vishaal Mohabir keeps the wine and conversation flowing behind an elegant bar you’d never know was made of reclaimed wood from Hurricane Irma.

Situated on Trellis Bay's beachfront, brightly painted Jeremy's Kitchen is the ideal spot to enjoy a leisurely breakfast or lunch while people-watching. Omelets, croque madame and monsieur sandwiches, and eggs Benedict are breakfast favorites, while pasta, curries, roti, and quesadillas round out the lunch and dinner options. "Jeremy's Awesome Sandwich" fits a choice of meats and seafood between slices of seven-grain bread with grilled cheese, vegetables, and mango relish. Live bands play here during the monthly full-moon parties at Trellis Bay.

Put on your biggest floppy hat and join the lunching ladies at this airy restaurant and coffee shop, where hyper-local, farm-to-table ingredients take center stage. The standouts from the rotating menu—prepared by chef-owner Portia Harrigan—include velvety pumpkin soup, fish croquettes, gourmet burgers, an elevated grilled cheese with aged cheddar, and sun-dried-tomato pesto, or build-your-own Caribbean jasmine rice bowls with calypso or chimichurri sauces. The comfy, shabby-chic interior and pretty garden out front invite you to linger. 

Along the road to The Baths, this small restaurant with pedestrian decor is a local favorite for fresh bread, cakes and pastries, and informal dining. You can always find fresh fish on the menu, accompanied by traditional local sides like peas and rice. A weekly barbecue on Friday nights starts at noon and includes live music and DJs. There's a second, smaller location in Road Town, Tortola.

When the cruise ships are in, this comfortable, breezy space just off the cruise pier—bearing little resemblance to its sister establishment on Tortola's North Shore—gets high-spirited with tourists drinking Painkillers; without the ships, it's a calm, chill oasis in the pier park where locals congregate for happy hour on weeknights after shopping near the pier. Expect a surprising menu featuring burgers, tacos, and the only authentic Buffalo wings in the BVI. 

Find this Cane Garden Bay eatery and bar on the beach by the "I Love BVI" sign---it's known for its traditional Caribbean breakfast, brick-oven pizza, lamb and chicken shawarma, and daily drink specials. DJs get a good beach jam going at night, including monthly full-moon parties and themed events. Saturday night at Paradise is usually where the party is in Tortola for locals and visitors alike. Ask for local Callwood rum and BVI gin in your mixed drinks from the bar.

This friendly, unassuming spot is one of the oldest and best sushi joints still open in the BVI, with competitive prices. Make sure to start with one of the luscious appetizers like chicken gyoza and veggie spring rolls, followed by rolls like the Mango Dragon (with prawn tempura, cucumber, and mayo topped with mango) or the Jazz Maki (with prawn tempura, avocado, and mango rolled in crunchy tanuki); or opt for the seared tuna with seaweed salad or the spicy sashimi platter. Ramen and chow mein dishes are also on offer. The atmosphere has improved in recent years, with a tiny, intimate garden seating area, though you will have to cope with traffic noise from Waterfront Drive.

Yachties navigate their way to the Soper's Hole boardwalk location of this locally renowned restaurant chainlet, guided by the big red Pusser's sign facing the water. From late morning to well into the evening, you can belly up to the outdoor mahogany bar or sit downstairs for sandwiches, fish-and-chips, and wings. At dinnertime, head upstairs for a harbor view and a quiet alfresco meal. The outdoor deck is a nice option day or night.

An oasis of calm awaits you in SushiBar's lush, enchantingly landscaped outdoor patio area—it's the place to go in the busy heart of Road Town for sushi, sashimi, ramen, and other Asian-inspired offerings. Signature rolls include a lobster roll and a hurricane roll with salmon, tuna, and crab.

Quietly tucked into a corner on Road Town's waterfront, the Watering Hole is an oasis amidst the jungle of concrete government buildings and banks in downtown Road Town. South African wine and local and imported beer—along with espresso, Wi-Fi, and light fare like pizza, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, and a new tapas menu—make this a popular lunch spot for Road Town professionals and charter-yacht crews. The after-work crowd is also drawn in with weeknight build-your-own pizza and burger specials and live sports screenings. There is live music on Saturday.

Willy T is a floating bar and restaurant that's anchored in Pirate's Bight. The current boat is new; its predecessor, sunk in 2017's Hurricane Irma, lies nearby at the bottom of the Bight and is now a dive site, complete with skeleton crew. Lunch and dinner are served in a party-hearty atmosphere where naked plunges off the back of the boat are a time-honored tradition. Try the conch fritters for starters. For lunch and dinner, British-style fish-and-chips, West Indian roti sandwiches, and the baby back ribs are winners. Call ahead for dinner reservations.

Perched high above North Sound, with panoramic views and incredible BBQ ribs, this casual eatery earns its name. Friendly atmosphere and down-home cooking includes buttery conch, BBQ and all the fixings, such as fried plantains, potato salad, and coleslaw. Hog Heaven is the perfect stopover during a day of island exploring.