23 Best Restaurants in Saint Lucia

High on top of a cliff at the northern tip of Saint Lucia, the open-air dining room at Cap Maison welcomes diners to what executive chef Craig Jones calls "nouveau" French--West Indian cuisine. True, he incorporates local vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices with the best meats and fresh-caught seafood you'll find on the island; but the technique and presentation—and the service—lean more toward the French. Lucky Cap Maison guests who choose a meal plan get to dine here daily, but nonguests make up about 40% of the dinner clientele. Day or night, this is one of the loveliest dining venues on Saint Lucia. At lunch, the view on a clear day stretches to Martinique; in the evening, twinkling stars and waves crashing far below lend an air of romance. And the Friday night Maison Deli Dinner (wines, charcuterie, and artisanal cheeses) in Cellar Maison—which boasts more than 2,000 bottles—is quite special.

The terrace restaurant at Ladera Resort has breathtaking close-up views of the Pitons and the sea between them, especially beautiful at sunset. The atmosphere is casual by day and magical at night with a menu that features appetizers like the soup of the day and entrées like grilled island seafood with a choice of flavored butter or sauces, shrimp Dasheene (pan-fried with local herbs), and risotto. Light meals, pasta dishes, and fresh salads are also served at lunch—along with that million-dollar view.

A 140-year-old, pretty-in-pink, French Colonial plantation house is the setting for authentic French creole cuisine—the inspiration of local artist Michelle Elliott, whose ceramics and paintings are displayed for sale in a cozy room set up as a gift shop. The three-story house, a labyrinth of rooms filled with antiques, is wrapped in a forest of tropical plants and trees; you'll really feel like you've been carried back to the 19th century. Diners enjoy grilled fish, steak, rack of lamb, jumbo shrimp, or chicken breast matched with interesting homemade sauces and accompanied by steamed rice, fried plantains, sautéed vegetables, breadfruit/sweet potato balls, local peas, and christophene gratin. Alternatively, you can have a main-course salad or vegetarian dish. The service is friendly, the food is good, and the atmosphere is, well, historic.

Arrange taxi transportation, as it's really hard to find..

A 140-year-old, pretty-in-pink French Colonial plantation house is the setting for authentic French Creole cuisine—the inspiration of local artist Michelle Elliott, whose ceramics and paintings are displayed for sale in a cozy room set up as a gift shop. Diners enjoy grilled fish, steak, rack of lamb, jumbo shrimp, or chicken breast matched with interesting homemade sauces and accompanied by steamed rice, fried plantains, sautéed vegetables, breadfruit/sweet potato balls, local peas, and christophene (chayote) gratin. Alternatively, you can have a main-course salad or vegetarian dish. You'll really feel that you've been carried back to the 19th century. The three-story house, a labyrinth of rooms filled with antiques, is wrapped in a forest of tropical plants and trees. The service is friendly, the food is good and the atmosphere is, well, historic.

Prearrange your taxi pickup, as taxis are really hard to find in this area.

Located on the Rabot Estate, a working cocoa farm, chocolate is infused into nearly every dish. Starters include an organic citrus salad with cashew nuts and white chocolate–coconut dressing as well as sea scallops marinated with cacao, seared and basted in a cacao-citrus sauce. The main course might be cocoa pork tenderloin, a rib-eye steak matured and infused with cocoa nibs, or a handmade cacao linguine with vegetables in an earthy tomato-basil sauce. For dessert, don't resist the Rabot Chocolate Lava, a sponge dome with a molten interior paired with coconut milk sorbet, inspired by the nearby Pitons. In a word: Yum.

For a special evening, head for this Cap Estate restaurant on the premises of BodyHoliday Saint Lucia resort. On a second-floor balcony at the edge of Cariblue Beach, you'll enjoy a pleasant breeze and a starry sky while you dine on fusion cuisine—mouthwatering Asian tastes with a Caribbean touch. The menu includes gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and Ayurvedic dishes for all diets. Fine wines accompany the meal, desserts are extravagant, and service is superb. Seating is limited and hotel guests have priority, so reserve early.

India has had an important influence on the Caribbean islands, from the heritage of their people to the colorful madras plaids and the curry flavors that are a staple of Caribbean cuisine. At night, Anse Chastanet's Trou au Diable restaurant transforms into APSARA, an extraordinarily romantic, candlelit, beachfront dining experience with modern Indian cuisine. The innovative menu, mixing East Indian and Caribbean cooking, produces food that's full of flavor but not too spicy, although you can opt for some hotter dishes. Roasted cashew nut and raisin samosas with chunky mango-ginger sauce might be followed by tandoori-roasted salmon, lamb, or chicken. Definitely order the naan, either plain, stuffed with cheese, onion, and chili, or flavored with almond, coconut, and raisins. For dessert, choose the mango, saffron, or sea moss kulfi (Indian-style ice cream) or go all the way with Apsara's Temptation (tandoori-baked pineapple with honey, saffron, and passion-fruit syrup, kulfi, and sun-blushed chili).

FAYE is a hidden gem, just across the main road from the entrance to Hewanorra International Airport, and the elegant ambiance and fine French dining are nothing short of restorative after a long flight. You enter through their gourmet food and wine shop, where weekly imports from France supply their restaurant and many others in Saint Lucia with fresh seasonal European produce and other specialty gourmet products, including a large selection of wine and cheese. To your left is an expansive glass-walled wine cellar with over 300 labels, and to your right, an open-concept kitchen where chef Jacques Chretien creates "French gastronomie with a Creole touch." Four- or six-course Chef's Menus are available, or the on-staff sommelier will happily suggest pairings for items from the regular menu. Sushi and specialty cocktails are also available. 

This pair of small rustic restaurants are two of the most popular spots to enjoy a Creole lunch when touring the natural sights in and around Soufrière. Bamboo offers à la carte options at both lunch and dinner, while the Creole Pot serves breakfast daily. Nearly all ingredients are locally sourced. Wash it all down with a local fruit juice or evening rum punch, and finish with something sweet such as coconut or banana cake. Private dinners by candlelight are offered at The Creole Pot. The à la carte menu often features a choice of seafood, chicken, beef, and pasta dishes with a local twist—pepper pot, for example. Most people who come for lunch also take the Heritage Tour of the estate and learn about how the cacao growing on the plantation is turned into delicious chocolate, which you can purchase at the gift shop. 

It’s not always easy to find a good thick steak outside of a major city—or perhaps Texas!—but Big Chef owners Marc and Rosie Joinville have been delivering mouthwatering steaks (and more) for more than a decade. Chef Rosie trained at Le Cordon Bleu London Culinary School, worked all over the world, and has run several restaurants in Saint Lucia, so she knows what she’s doing in the kitchen. Marc studied hotel management in Switzerland and knows a thing or two about service. You won’t be disappointed.

Opposite the Mystique St. Lucia and Reduit Beach, this dining spot is part of Rodney Bay's "restaurant central." After cool drinks and warm appetizers at the bar, diners make their way to the dining room or garden for some serious seafood or a good steak, spicy Moroccan-style lamb shanks, or simple chicken and chips. The seared yellowfin tuna, potato-crusted fish of the day, and fresh lobster (in season August–February) are big hits, too. 

Cacoa Sainte Lucie's second-story restaurant sits perched above their chocolate shop and processing facility with rainforest views of the surrounding hillsides. The menu is, of course, chocolate inspired, with cocoa inventively worked into sauces and seasonings. Burgers, wraps, salads, and entrees like cocoa-crusted grilled mahi are available, as are milkshakes, smoothies, and desserts. Downstairs, a tantalizing display of chocolate bonbons and bars flavored with local spices, nuts, and fruit tempt you in. Cacoa Sainte Lucie also does chocolate-making and tasting workshops. 

Walk down a garden path to Chateau Mygo (a colloquial corruption of "Marigot") or sail up on your boat, pick out a table on the deck of this popular dockside restaurant, and soak up the waterfront atmosphere of what may be the Caribbean's prettiest bay. The tableau is mesmerizing—and that's at lunch, when you can order a sandwich, burger, roti, fish- or chicken-and-chips, and salads. At dinner, owner/chef Shaid Rambally draws on three generations of East Indian and Creole family recipes. Beautifully grilled fresh fish and local lobster in season are embellished with flavors such as ginger, mango, papaya, or passion fruit, and then dished up with regional vegetables—perhaps callaloo, okra, dasheen, breadfruit, christophene, or yams. This is a very casual restaurant with reasonably priced meals. And, oh, that view! 

Popular since it opened in 1968, this tiny waterfront restaurant overlooks pretty Vigie Cove. Come for a light lunch of fresh local fish or enjoy an exquisite French-inspired dinner under the stars. Heartier eaters may prefer duck, lamb, beef, or chicken laced with peppercorns, red wine, mushroom, or Roquefort sauce. Tables are set with the owner's colorful handmade ceramics, and you sit amongst old stone pillars with the water lapping at your feet.

The Corner boasts the best coffee in St. Lucia and is a great place to grab a latte or pastry and browse the elegant adjoining boutique. For something a bit more substantial, take a seat on the covered patio for all-day breakfast or Middle-Eastern-style tapas. Gluten-free and vegan dishes are often available, and the desserts are a worthwhile treat. 

If gut health has been on your mind don't miss It's Alive, St. Lucia's first and only vegan bakery and fermentary. Everything is made and fermented in-house, from the sourdough bread that holds together the BBQ tempeh and ginger sauerkraut of the bursting-with-flavor Biome sandwich, to the coconut yogurt, bottles of komboucha, and sourdough cookies. Seating is limited to a single outdoor picnic table, but it's a great option for a grab-and-go lunch.

The rather sophisticated beachside restaurant at Cap Maison is tucked into a cliff surrounding a crescent of sand at the northern tip of Saint Lucia. During the day, match a glass (or bottle) of excellent wine to fresh salad or perfectly cooked burger with shoestring fries while staring across the sea as far as Martinique. The atmosphere changes in the evening, when the surf gently laps the sand and candlelit lanterns grace the alfresco dining deck. The dinner menu is a little more substantial but still focuses on excellent seafood. Desserts are rich but mini, which you'll appreciate when negotiating the 92 steps back up to the road.

A man on a mission, chef Orlando Sachell opened his restaurant in downtown Soufrière to present his "Share the Love" (or STL) style of Caribbean cooking. Portions are small, but the flavors and richness of the food make it perfectly filling. Orlando supports local farmers and fishermen by using only locally grown organic produce, local meats, and freshly caught fish in his delicious—and world-class—dishes. And if there's something on the menu that you can't eat or doesn't appeal to you, chef Orlando is very accommodating.

Even when closed, chef Orlando will happily open the restaurant for six or more people.

As you're traveling south to Soufrière, watch for this tiny bakery in Anse La Verdure, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it spot on the West Coast Road between Anse La Raye and Canaries. Cinnamon, cherries, raisins, coconut, and other flavorings are added, then the dough—13 varieties in all—is formed into small buns, placed on banana leaves, and baked over hot coals. Plas Kassav (Creole for "Cassava Place") began as a small family bakery in 1998 and has grown into a popular local enterprise simply by word of mouth. There is a small sign, but taxi drivers all know where it is and will not hesitate to stop so you can try a warm mouthwatering treat that is a staple of St. Lucia's traditional cuisine.  If you're there early enough, you can see the cassava roots being grated and processed into flour using traditional methods, as well as the cassava bread dough being mixed in huge copper caldrons.

Situate yourself at a table under a shady tree for breakfast, a casual beachside lunch, or just chill with drinks and snacks. The café is part of The Reef complex, which includes four tiny rooms for overnight stays and a popular kitesurfing and windsurfing venue.

Poolside at the Coco Palm hotel, this alfresco bistro and bar attracts mostly hotel guests for breakfast but a wider clientele for lunch and dinner—and happy hour—especially when there's live entertainment. The dinner menu focuses on Caribbean favorites, and the BBQ is always fired up for rich smokey flavors. Lunch is a good bet if you're poking around Rodney Bay, need a break from Reduit Beach, or are just looking for a good meal in an attractive spot. For dessert, try the key lime pie or chocolate cake.