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

On the edge of Baie Nettlé, this well-established, family-owned island standout has wonderful views of the lagoon from its dining room and open-air patio, but the charm comes the devoted attention to detail. The delicious food is edible sculpture—perhaps, lobster bisque under a pastry dome, fresh sea bass with a leek fondue, and the signature Le Cigale foie-gras emulsion soup. For dessert, the macaroon with raspberry and vanilla ice cream is a favorite.

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.

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.

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. 

The authentic decor and classic dishes at this romantic spot transport you straight to Morocco. The meze (mixed appetizers) are delectable, and the couscous and tagines are nicely spiced well. After dinner, you can lounge in the tented rooftop, where belly dancers perform on Friday.

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 award-winning restaurant is like a slice of Italy in the heart of the Caribbean. The Mediterranean flavors in the authentic Italian dishes transport you straight to Europe, while the stunning island views remind you that you’re still in island paradise.

The food at this popular French restaurant on the square is inspired by the owner's grandmother. Expect simple, beautifully prepared steak and seafood dishes made with top-notch ingredients like premium tomahawk steak from Creekstone Farms, Wagyu beef from Japan, and local fish catches. Enjoy live music on the square on Thursday.

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.

Somewhat hidden behind the boutiques of Marina Port La Royale, this tiny restaurant features a French seasonal menu as well as salads, soups, and pastries. The pasta dishes are inventive, but lighter fare such as the crab tartare with seaweed or the chicken salad are also delicious.

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.

It's hard to top the authentic French fare (steak au poivre, sweetbreads with mushroom sauce, sole meunière) at this friendly, intimate, air-conditioned restaurant. Although it's routinely packed until closing, it's also a bit tucked away on an alley in a neighborhood that isn't exactly upscale and where parking can be hard to come by, so it's best to take a taxi at night. The prix-fixe menu is a very good value, as are many of the bottles on the wine list.

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.

Enjoy Italian fare and a beautiful water view from this restaurant's terrace. The hardest part of a meal here might be choosing one of the many varieties of pizza—either rossa or bianca—on offer here.

This well-established Marigot gem with indoor and alfresco seating is, as they say in French, incontournable (unmissable). It's known for its unique French cuisine with a Creole twist, and, whether you love seafood or prefer meat, you'll find something to suit your palate.

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. 

With a varied menu, reasonable prices, and a friendly staff, it's no surprise that this bistro in the bustling Marina Port La Royale is popular. At lunch, salads like the Niçoise with medallions of crusted goat cheese are good bets, and, at dinner (when it's best to arrive by taxi as the parking lot is sketchy), there's an array of delicious steak or seafood dishes and desserts, including old standbys like crème brûlée.

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.

Follow the locals to Yvette's Kitchen, set in a private house, for the island's best Creole cooking. All the St. Martin favorites are dished up in big portions at a reasonable price, so this is the place to try stuffed crab backs, conch and dumplings, or coconut curry chicken. Fried plantains, rice and peas, and hot johnnycakes come on the side. It's hard to find, so consider scoping it out in the daylight before your visit, or come for lunch.