The Best Waterside Restaurants in Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe offers a taste of French-inflected Caribbean paradise | © Hemis / Alamy Stock Photo

15 December 2021

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Guadeloupe may float on the Caribbean like the butterfly its shape resembles, but its flavours will stick to your tongue like a bee. A wonderful mix of Creole, French, and Caribbean influences will awaken your palate. Seafood is naturally on the menu at any coastal restaurant, though you’ll be surprised at how the spicy lamb, beef, and pork dishes rival even a lobster dinner. Taste the best Guadeloupe’s chefs have to offer with a side of their best views at these waterside restaurants.

Savour coastal cuisine of Guadeloupe by chartering a yacht for the day with SamBoat. Alternatively, book a multi-day sailing adventure with Dream Yacht Charter.

The Creole Table

Restaurant, Caribbean

The winds may have blown you to Gourbeyre, but it’s the aroma of spicy codfish fritters that will allure you to The Creole Table. Spring off of the top deck and ask for an order before you’ve scooted into your seat. As the salty fritters arrive, request that queen conch ravioli and swordfish rillettes follow. These delicious dishes are also low priced, which means you won’t feel wasteful for only gnawing on the salad in between starters.

L'Otantik Grill

Restaurant, Caribbean, $$$

This is a chilled place across from the beach to lower your sails after a long day at sea. Skewer your appetite with fish, chicken, and beef – because everything tastes better on a stick. For those who know that the real test of a barbecue joint is how they prepare their sides, you’re in luck. The fries are fantastic and so is the rice. Anything on the menu is sure to impress when dipped, dunked, and drizzled with their Creole sauce.

Ti Bo Doudou

Bar, Cocktails, $$$

Let’s set the stage at Ti Bo Doudou. Beneath the table, your toes dig into the sand. On the table, mahi-mahi and duck breast with green pepper sauce are no match for a quick fork. Above your table, an umbrella shades your rum runner from the sun. You’d be wise to make a reservation, even for matinée dining; the secret is out on this formerly hidden gem so expect a packed audience.

Le Zagaya

Restaurant, European

In a stew over what delicious waterside restaurant to try in Saint-François first? Le Zagaya insists that you stew it over their spicy seafood stew, appropriate, given the waterfront setting and Creole spices galore. Switch up the meat and dive into a bubbling bowl of pot au feu, a stew with pig snout and tail blended with freshly chopped vegetables.

La Touna

Restaurant, Fusion, $$$

La Touna is the setting for a slow-speed dinner. Not that the service is slow – it’s more you’ll want every bite of lionfish risotto to last as long as possible. Let the sun find its hiding spot behind the Pigeon Islands while you taste the fusion of French, Creole, and Caribbean flavors. Linger just a bit longer over your drink, or at very least, until they can tempt you to stay put with an order of passion fruit créme brûlée.

Couleurs du Monde

Restaurant, Caribbean

Consider yourself signed up for the signature tuna tataki when you arrive at Couleurs du Monde in Terre de Haut. It’s a superb dish, though your vegetarian shipmates don’t need to feel lost at sea as the gnocchi is equally tasty. The relaxed vibes at this waterside restaurant are as fitting for an afternoon with a good book as a giant beer from their tap.

Restaurant Koté t’Chalis

Restaurant, Seafood

After working up an appetite walking to the cooling Bras de Fort waterfall, you’ll find some of the best saltfish fritters on the island at the portside Koté t’Chalis. Here, music mixes with the rolling waves to create a relaxed soundscape. Given how accommodating skipper-and-chef Jean-Marc is, we would say you won’t need to lift a finger, but the grilled fish is smothered in a special finger-licking sauce.

Ti Kaz’ la

Restaurant, Seafood

As you gaze out at the Passe de la Baleine with a freshly-caught tuna trio in front of you, the word lunch doesn’t describe it well enough. Others have used amazing while stuffing their mouths with Antillean cod fritters and best meal of my life, to attempt to rename the Iberian pluma and house fried. All we know is that the mango soufflé is indescribable, and your mouth will be too full to utter a word.

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