Definitive BVI Restaurant Guide – Restaurants To Visit (and for which occasion)

So you’ve booked your BVI holiday and you have a precious couple of weeks exploring the islands, but where should you be eating? The gastronomic scene has changed quite a bit post-Irma with many of our favourite restaurants sadly closing (at least temporarily). But, worry not, I’ve got you covered!

Below is my BVI restaurant guide, showcasing the British Virgin Islands’ finest dining establishments and offering my tips on which venues you should be eating at (and for which occasion…)

Please don’t be disheartened if one of your favourites is currently closed – most are working hard to get back on their feet, as soon as possible!

TORTOLA

For Dinner with the one you love – Brandywine Estate Restaurant, Tortola (+1 284 495 2301) ($$$)

Brandywine Estate’s new and improved location opened beginning of December 2018. They have kept the original footprint and style of the restaurant but the terrace area now has a sweeping wooden roof. Their renovations post-Irma are seriously impressive! Die-hard Brandywine fans will love what they have done with the place!

Start with cocktails on the terrace and enjoy views of neighboring islands across the channel as the sun sets – move into the restaurant to enjoy superb French cuisine on crisp white linens by candlelight with friendly service and finish your evening with coffees and digestifs in the garden, a game of pétanque and (hopefully) a kiss. Read more.

Eat: the oysters, the duck starter three ways and the classic steak frites

Drink: champagne

For Sunday Brunch – Tramonti at the Sugar Mill Hotel, Tortola – (+1 284 495 4355) ($$)

Overlooking Apple Bay as you head out West you’ll find Tramonti, the beach side restaurant at the Sugar Mill Hotel, and that is where you need to be going for Sunday brunch. A varied brunch menu in a beautiful ocean-front location is a real treat for a Sunday afternoon. Featuring items that you won’t find anywhere else in the BVI (his lordship’s kipper and the kedgeree are prime examples) we wiled away several hours watching the pelicans fish while enjoying delicious food and a few mimosas and mary’s. (I’m keen to get back and try their dinner menu too). Read More.

Eat: the pancho villa (avocado toast with poached eggs and bacon)

Drink: bubbles

Photos by The Barefoot Angel

For Authentic Caribbean Food – D’Coal Pot, Tortola (+1 284 495 4998) ($$)

Head out West along the coast road to Carrot Bay to find D’Coal Pot. A large restaurant pressed right up against the sea with a casual feel. D’Coal Pot serves up the best authentic West Indian fare and offers good value for money.

Eat: their famous ginger wine chicken, the shrimp roti or the steak

Drink: rum punch

For the Best Pizza – The Watering Hole, Tortola (on Friday nights) (+1 284 346 5950) ($$)

Paper thin and perfectly crispy bases topped with wonderfully creative combinations (no ham and pineapple here!)* are turned out quickly for the hungry happy hour masses on a Friday evening at the Watering Hole. Right in the middle of town and walking distance from everyone’s offices this place can get hot and heaving but is totally worth it! Get there around 5pm in order to grab a seat.

Eat: the Piggly Wiggly

Drink: whatever you want – it’s Friday night!

For the freshest local ingredients – Lady Sarah’s Farms, Tortola (+1 (284) 541 8011) ($$)

Conveniently located in Road Town at the end of Main Street (the end closest to the hospital) this charming and comfortable little eatery is serving up fantastic lunches with farm fresh ingredients. Salt Island fish cakes share the menu with creamy lobster mac and cheese and the homemade juices and lemonades (served with a stick of sugar-cane) are to-die-for! Menus change daily so there is always something new to try. Leave room for a sweet treat from the bakery or take it to go! Read more.

Eat: the bang bang conch and the lobster mac and cheese

Drink: the watermelon lemonade or the lemongrass and ginger tea

Photo by The Barefoot Angel

For Fine Dining in Road Town – The Dove Restaurant, Tortola (+1 284 494 0313) ($$$)

Re-opening at the end of 2018 after a lengthy closure post-Irma, the return of The Dove Restaurant was a breath of fresh air for Road Town diners. Open Monday – Friday for lunch and dinner, it caters to the busy office lunch crowd, thirsty happy hour drinkers and discerning dinner guests. Be sure to make a reservation as this little venue on Main Street can fill up! Read more here and here.

Eat: the grilled pork bahn mi or the grilled cheese sandwich with duck confit (literally the best grilled cheese you’ve ever had)

Drink: the signature G&T made with our very own BVI Gin, or whatever is on special for happy hour.

Photos by The Barefoot Angel 

For beachside dining – Long Bay Beach Resort, West End (+1 284 340 2281) ($$$)

Another newly refurbished restaurant is Long Bay Beach Resort’s 1748 Restaurant. The resort is being rebuilt in phases and the first section to be completed was the restaurant, bar and a handful of beautifully decorated beachfront rooms (the hillside rooms, pool etc. are coming soon). With exposed stonework on the interior and then a generous deck area that drops onto the beach, it’s seriously instagrammable and the food is delicious too!

Eat: a selection of the small plates

Drink: the pink gin and pomegranate mojito

VIRGIN GORDA

For A Group – CocoMaya, Virgin Gorda (+1 284 495 6344) ($$$)

A stunning beachfront location with delicious tapas-style sharing plates and an inventive cocktail menu makes for the perfect setting for dinner with friends. Enjoy a taste of everything! Get there for in time for sunset by the fire pit and make sure you have a turn on the swings. Read More

Eat: the tacos, the fried rice and the dulce de leche cheesecake

Drink: elderflower and jalapeño margaritas

Photos by The Barefoot Angel

For A Sunday Funday – Saba Rock, North Sound (+1 284 495 9966) ($$)

Saba Rock re-opened in October 2021 to great excitement following the lengthy closure and reconstruction post-Irma. Enjoy the 7-minute boat ride from Gun Creek over to Saba Rock Resort (ferry schedule can be found here) and enjoy a laid-back lunch with gorgeous views of the North Sound and all the kite-boarders zipping across. Stay to watch the tarpon feeding at happy hour and make sure to check out the gift shop before you leave.

Eat: the delicious Tuna Nicoise salad.

Drink: the Rock Saba Mule in their signature engraved copper mug

For a Special Day Out – Nova Restaurant at Oil Nut Bay, Virgin Gorda (info@oilnutbay.com) ($$$)

For a pampered day full of great food, craft cocktails and lounging by the pool, it doesn’t get much better than time spent at Oil Nut Bay. Email them to organise a reservation and check the ferry times from Gun Creek (and a special one from Trellis Bay) before heading over to enjoy the beautiful Marina Village facilities, attentive service and tasty treats. Enjoy their rose Saturday promotion or their bottomless brunch on Sunday’s with live music. Relax on the overwater daybeds or take a dip in the pool after lunch.  Read More.

Eat: The magnificent sharing sushi boats

Drink: endless bottles of chilled rose…

Photos by The Barefoot Angel

For Lunch with a View – Hog Heaven, Virgin Gorda (+1 284 547 5964) ($$)

Perched in the hills overlooking the North Sound and reopened in May 2018, Hog Heaven enjoys some of the most spectacular views of Leverick Bay, Necker, Moskito, Prickly Pear and Eustatia. On clear days you can see all the way to Anegada. Super breezy (and often quite chilly) Hog Heaven makes for the most picturesque lunch spot. Known for their ribs with a (phenomenal) sticky BBQ, ginger glaze – enjoy them with creamy coleslaw and fried plantain.

Eat: the ribs

Drink: the frozen rum smoothies

For a weekend Brunch on Virgin Gorda – Top of the Baths Restaurant, Virgin Gorda (+1 (284) 495 5497) ($$)

For a breakfast, lunch or brunch on the weekend you can usually find me up at Top of the Baths! Friendly service, breakfast favourites and mimosas lure me back time and time again. The views aren’t half bad either. Make sure to bring your swimmers as there’s a little pool to cool off in after your hike through the boulders (you know, to work up your appetite). Oh, and if you miss breakfast (served until 11.00 am) the lunches are also delicious – fresh sushi and salads alongside sandwiches and all the lunch staples.

Eat: the Tunisian eggs or the amaretto French toast (get a side of bacon, you know you want to!)

Drink: mimosas… (it is brunch time, afterall)

For a varied menu – Bath and Turtle Restaurant, Virgin Gorda (+1 (284) 495 5239) ($$$)

Only footsteps from the dock in Spanish Town is a leafy courtyard oasis serving up delicious food and luscious libations. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the amalgamation of Bath and Turtle, Chez Bamboo and Rendezvous Bar are now all found behind that bamboo facade, and all the fan favourites are on the menu. Homemade pizzas, fresh sushi, steak, salads and tasty fish dishes can all be found on their varied menu. Rose is ever the attentive host, the service is great and there are nights with live music.

Eat: the Asian light bites and tasty sushi rolls

Drink: Whatever the bartender recommends

For a Bottomless Brunch – Sugarcane Restaurant Nail Bay (+1 284 541 7575) ($$$)

Since it’s rebuild in 2019 Sugarcane Restaurant has rapidly established itself as a staple on the Virgin Gorda restaurant scene – especially with the introduction of their bottomless buffet brunches. My love of a good brunch is well documented and I couldn’t wait to try this one, I was certainly not disappointed. The menu changes every Sunday but always features a selection of breakfast classics, a raw bar, salad bar, variety of hot entrees and delicious desserts – all washed down with bottomless prosecco for $65 pp. Brunch runs every Sunday from 12:00 – 3:30 pm with either live music or a DJ and there is a fantastic pool available for restaurant patrons. Brunch tends to book up fast so be sure to make a reservation!

Eat: all of it…

Drink: bottomless prosecco

JOST VAN DYKE

For a fun and varied menu – Hendo’s Hideout, Jost van Dyke ($$) (+1 284 340 0074) ($$)

White Bay is packed with fun places to get your lunch – but one of my recent favourites is Hendo’s Hideout. And, judging by how hard it can be to find a table sometimes, I’m not the only one! Serving hearty casual fare with a good selection of burgers, wraps and other mains, I feel like there is something for everyone at Hendo’s. Read More.

Eat: the rum n’ coke pulled pork, the shrimp tacos or the down island wrap

Drink: any one of the imaginatively named cocktails – try the ‘White Bay Wasted’ or the ‘Delirious Donkey’.

Photos by The Barefoot Angel

For lunch on Jost – One Love, Jost van Dyke ($$)

When you first arrive on the pristine shores of White Bay it is very tempting to head straight to Soggy Dollar (indeed you should for your first Painkiller) and camp out there for the afternoon. But, when lunch time comes and you find yourself getting peckish, I urge you to wander away from the crowds and down the beach to One Love. For the freshest seafood (and when you go out back and see the catch you’ll know what I mean), the best value lobster** and rum drinks as strong as you can handle (they’ll sometimes let you pour it yourself) One Love is hard to beat. The eclectic decor and live music is a bonus.

Top tip: Ask the bartender for a magic trick – the slight of hand is impressive.

Eat: the shrimp or lobster** quesadilla

Drink: all of the rum

Photos by The Barefoot Angel

OTHER ISLANDS

For a Meal out on the Water – The Willy-T, Great Harbour Peter Island (+1 284 340 8603) ($$)

Following irreparable damage to their old boat during Hurricane Irma – the Willy-T is finally back! Bigger and better than ever (re-opened June 2nd 2018) and now floating at their new mooring at Peter Island’s Great Harbour. If you’ve ever visited the BVI, or even researched it as a holiday destination, I am sure that the Willy-T needs little to no introduction…

Eat: the catch of the day (the Willy-T gets the freshest fish from the fishermen on their way home, or caught by owner Ewan himself)

Drink: the shotski…

Photo by The Barefoot Angel (This is an extremely old picture on the old Willy-T, but you get the idea…)

For all the Rum… (and some tasty food too) – Cooper Island Beach Club and Cooper Island Rum Bar, Cooper Island (+1 284 345 6725) ($$$)

Calling all sailors… Set in a beautiful eco-resort on Cooper Island you’ll find a rum bar stocking enough different rums to suit all pirate tastes. Choose your libation from a huge menu of rums from around the globe, sit and learn all about them from the experienced and informative bar staff. But it’s not just the rum! Cooper Island Beach Club also makes all its own beer and the restaurant serves up fantastic meals. There is something for everyone. I still need t o try out their dinner menu… Read More.

Eat: the fish and chips

Drink: the rum (obviously…) and the affogato with the salted caramel ice cream (for an extra special experience add a shot of the coffee rum… you’re welcome!)

Photos by The Barefoot Angel

For something a little different – Sid’s Pomato Point Restaurant, Anegada (+1 284 441 5565) ($$)

Another welcome new kid in town is Sid’s – coming in with something a little different, Sid’s decided to do tacos and do them well! I like to go with the taco sampler and try three different ones (usually lobster, carne asada and cauliflower but I’m working my way through the menu!) The usual Anegada favourite of grilled lobster is also available.

Eat: the tacos

Drink: margaritas

There are so many great restaurants in the Territory and I know that you’re going to have a fantastic trip, but these are just a few of my hand-picked favourites.

While I appreciate that most people don’t plan entire trips around their restaurant reservations in quite the same way that I do – hopefully my tips still prove helpful. I will be working hard to keep this post updated, as and when restaurants re-open following the hurricane.

Whew, that was a long post! Any that you feel I’ve overlooked?

 

* I have really strong opinions about pineapple on pizza which I refuse to apologise for…

**fresh lobster available in season.