10 Best Restaurants in Grand Case, St. Martin and St. Maarten

In the Hope Estate commercial area just southeast of Grand Case, wine importer Benjamin Laurent and his wife, Magali, have created a lively, deliciously air-conditioned wine emporium, where it's worth the wait to enjoy superb meals made using high-quality ingredients from France. You can also buy gourmet groceries, delicious chocolates, and organic teas, as well as wine (of course) and rum or other spirits.

One of the five lolos in the middle of the village on the water side couldn't be more informal—with plastic utensils, paper plates, and leisurely but friendly service—but it's a fun spot to enjoy an iconic St. Martin meal. Main dishes—everything from succulent ribs to stewed conch, fresh snapper, and grilled lobster—all come with tasty sides like plantains, curried rice, beans, or coleslaw. On weekends there may be live music.

Rainbow brings a bit of wit and Instagrammable boho panache to the beach bar genre. Although it's open for breakfast and lunch—with an eclectic menu of burgers, steaks, grilled fish or lobster, and vegan and vegetarian dishes—it's fun to come here later in the day to enjoy tapas, sushi, dynamite cocktails, and spectacular sunsets from a comfortable lounge chair on the beach deck or a table on the open-air rooftop deck. There's DJ music live music most days and beach parties on weekends.

This formal French-provincial dining room is set in one of the island's oldest creole houses, a yellow-and-white confection of gingerbread fretwork, arched doorways, tiled floors, and wood-beam ceilings. In addition to noteworthy daily specials, the Provençal menu features dishes such as roasted rack of lamb with garlic potatoes, Dover sole in an almond butter sauce, and sea bass with Parmesan risotto. Plan to spend time here—the service is attentive but can be slow.

Whether you opt for the three-course prix-fixe menu or the à la carte offerings, you can't go wrong at this classy, breezy restaurant, set in a charming cottage in the middle of Grand Case. Choose from such classic French starters as frog legs, onion soup, or escargots before moving on to duck breast in a pepper sauce, Angus beef fillet in a fois gras sauce, triggerfish meuniere with turmeric-flavored rice, or branzino in a bell-pepper sauce.

French cuisine with Caribbean flavors is prepared with a light touch and presented with flair at Le Cottage, where a lively community gathers on the street-front porch. With an amazing wine cellar and a sommelier from the Burgundy region, the restaurant offers a great wine-pairing menu at €89. Alternatively, try the lobster menu at €79.

This vibrant, colorful restaurant serves fresh poke bowls and refreshing natural juices and smoothies, as well as delicious desserts. The chocolate cake and the carrot cake are particularly satisfying.

Set in a beautifully restored Creole house, Spiga fuses exceptional Italian cuisine with some Caribbean ingredients and cooking techniques. Follow one of the ample appetizers (perhaps the tuna tartare) and excellent pastas or risottos with such fresh fish or meat mains as pan-seared tuna or osso buco. The porch can be affected by windy or wet weather. 

At this warm, inviting restaurant with madras table settings, the dishes are crafted with love and offer a flavorful creole journey from the appetizers through to the desserts. Don’t miss the signature Djon Djon rice, a unique dish made with black mushrooms.