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

Beachside calm with a side order of chic is on the menu at this lovely restaurant and beach club, which was designed with the environment in mind. Dishes are based on what's fresh and readily available, but there are always salads, sandwiches, mussels, grilled fish, and steaks, as well as amazing desserts (be sure to try the crepes). You can dine and lounge all day, either in the restaurant or on the beach, but if you don't rent a beach chair here, pick a sandy spot a little away from the restaurant. There is safe, private parking available. Reservations are essential in high season.

At this quiet, understated café with a slightly sophisticated vibe, you can rent lounge chairs and umbrellas (half price with lunch) and relax, drink, and dine on the sand from morning till sunset—a spectacular sight here. Along with burgers and sandwiches are bistro standbys like tomato-and-goat-cheese tartlets, and a blackboard lists the daily meat, fish, and salad specials. To get here, look for the red-and-black signs on the road between Grand Case and Marigot, and drive slowly because the road is rough, especially the last 200 yards before the beach.

L'Astrolabe gets raves for its modern interpretations of classic French cuisine served poolside at the Esmeralda Resort. Menu highlights might include duck breast in a smoked paprika sauce, black Angus filet mignon, sea scallops with fennel and preserved lemon, and fresh-vanilla crème brûlée. You can enjoy a fixed-price surf-and-turf menu on Monday, a lobster menu on Friday, and live music on both nights. The restaurant is also open daily for breakfast. 

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.

Enjoy flavorful cocktails on the beach or at the bar of this trendy restaurant. Although the breakfast and lunch menus vary, dishes like blue lobster, fish tartare, and oysters are among the items frequently scrawled on the blackboard menu. There is a DJ and entertainment on Sunday (daily in peak season).

The creole, lolo (open-air-grill)--style food at this no-frills, family-owned restaurant is a Marigot must. Specialties include garlic shrimp, fresh lobster, and rice and beans, but you better come early as some of the best dishes sell out.

It's easy to slow down and relax at this open-to-the-breezes spot. Come for breakfast, lunch (burgers, sandwiches, salads), or a snack.