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The food on T&T is a delight to the senses and has a distinctively creole touch, though everyone has a different idea about what creole seasoning is (just ask around, and you'll see). Bountiful herbs and spices include bay leaf, chadon bene (aka culantro, and similar in taste to cilantro), nutmeg, turmeric, and different varieties of peppers. The cooking also involves a lot of brown sugar, rum, plantain, and local fish and meat. If there's fresh juice on the menu, be sure to try it. You can taste Asian, Indian, African, French, and Spanish influences, among others, often in a single meal. Indian-inspired food is a favorite: rotis (ample sandwiches of soft dough with a filling, similar to a wrap) are served as a fast food; a mélange of curried meat or fish and vegetables frequently makes an appearance, as do vindaloos (spicy meat, vegetable, and seafood dishes). Pelau (rice, peas, and meat stewed in coconut milk) is another local favorite. Crab lovers will find large bluebacks curried, peppered, or in callaloo (Trinidad's national dish), a stew made with green dasheen leaves, okra, and coconut milk. Bake and shark (lightly seasoned, fried shark meat) is the sandwich of choice at the beach.
What to Wear. Restaurants are informal: you won't find any jacket-and-tie requirements. Beachwear, however, is too casual for most places. A nice pair of shorts is appropriate for lunch, and pants or sundresses are probably a better choice for dinner.
This chic spot is tucked away on a side street in the Newtown area of uptown Port of Spain, but every taxi driver knows where it is. It offers classic Italian favorites—the authentic, surprisingly affordable pizza is probably the island's best—and the bar attracts young professionals and hipsters who come for the excellent cocktails and late-night desserts. Service is personal and impeccable.
Chef Umesh Meena offers elegant twists on traditional Indian and fusion dishes at this splurge-worthy eatery, where the menu has a dizzying array of choices. Save room for the beautifully presented desserts. There's often live music from popular local performers.
Port of Spainers in the know flock to this teak-lined dining room on the eighth floor of the Kapok Hotel, where the solid menu features fantastic Polynesian and Asian fare. The Sunday dim sum—with tasting-size portions of dishes such as pepper squid and tofu-stuffed fish—is very popular.
This family-owned restaurant has been known for excellent Chinese food for decades and maintains that reputation at its newest location in Port of Spain. The sleek and airy interior provides a pleasant foil to the variety of traditional dishes on offer at reasonable prices. The pepper shrimp is a favorite.
This popular after-work drinking and dining spot serves consistently excellent sushi—indeed, it was the first sushi establishment on the Ariapita Avenue dining strip. Eat on the outdoor deck amid the sights (and traffic sounds) of "the avenue," or sit indoors for a cooler, quieter, and more intimate experience with a view of sushi masters preparing the Maracas roll (tuna, cucumber, tobiko, onion, and a dynamite sauce) and other crowd pleasers.
Though the menu is skewed toward Chinese cuisine, this extremely popular eatery offers everything from ravioli to lobster thermidor. Young professionals flock here in the evening to enjoy the cocktails, lively atmosphere, attentive but laid-back service, and consistently good (and reasonably priced) food. Parking is always an issue in the area; don't be fooled by the men on the roadside offering to find you a spot and "look after your car" for a price.
Although Trinidad has several American sports-bar chains, this local version easily beats them at their own game, with more than 20 giant screens showing the latest in international sports and lively crowds gathered at the huge, central bar (although some dining areas are more isolated than others, it's virtually impossible to escape the cheers). The food includes excellent burgers, hearty salads, Italian favorites, and steaks, and the servers, bedecked in pins and safari hats, are efficient and attentive.
Rum shops and good food are an intrinsic part of Trinidad life, and both are combined in this colorful eatery, which is open from 10 to 6. Regulars from the nearby university and industrial park flock here at lunchtime to enjoy a wide selection of spicy local Indian food. It can get a bit loud, but at least there are fans to keep the heat under control—just barely. If the atmosphere is a bit too much there's always the option of takeout. To get here, turn off the Churchill Roosevelt Highway at the FedEx building (north side of the highway) in Tunapuna, and take the first left.
