The Best Restaurants in St Vincent and The Grenadines

It’s worth visiting Basil’s just to spy who’s sitting on the next table as famous diners at this legendary spot on Mustique include Bon Jovi, Kate and William and Liam Gallagher. Pop over on a day trip from Bequia and you’ll be fed well too; the restaurant serves up crisp stone-baked flatbreads, grilled yellowfin tuna burgers and unbeatable homemade ice creams. Visit on Thursday for taco and tequila night, rounded off with outstanding cinnamon churros.

Though St Vincent’s capital can be hectic for first-time visitors, it’s always blissfully calm at this chic first-floor restaurant in downtown Kingstown. Expect flickering candles, elegant music and attentive staff, plus an excellent choice of wine. The menu features great pastas and enormous salads, but we’d recommend the aromatic goat stew with breadfruit cake. If you’re hungry for more, head to the sister property right on the beach at the Blue Lagoon Hotel.

Locals know Vee Jay’s is the best in town for island classics like curried goat, fish stew and the stand-out rotis, which also come in a meat-free soy version. Eat inside or head upstairs to the lively open-air terrace. Not sure what to order? Visit at lunchtime when a hugely popular buffet offers a range of traditional Vincentian dishes so you can pick and mix.

It’s easy to think there are only five-star hotel restaurants available in Canouan but if you know where to look, you can feast on Caribbean comfort food that beats fine dining hands down. Tiny Pompey is located inside a vivid turquoise house on Retreat Road, though it’s easy to miss as there’s only a small sign marking the door. Grab a table on the porch or in a small room inside to dine on hearty, reasonably priced stews – and get there early or it will all be gone.

An hour’s drive north of capital Kingstown, Wallilabou Anchorage was a key location for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, with this hotel and restaurant serving as part of the fictional pirate village of Port Royal. Much of the set is still intact and families can see costumes, sets and props used by the actors before tucking into generous breakfasts, burgers and fresh fish dishes.

Sample private island life, without forking out A-list prices, by hopping on a two-minute ferry from St Vincent to the first of the Grenadines. The idyllic Young Island is a honeymooners’ paradise with just one exclusive resort, but anyone can eat at the hotel’s outstanding restaurant if they book ahead. Go for Sunday lunch for a curry buffet or try Saturday night’s extravagant barbeque, all served in open-air thatched huts on the beachfront.

This gloriously laid-back beach bar is located on the powder-soft stretch of sand that was renamed Princess Margaret Beach after she stopped for a swim here in the 1950s. After a dip in the sea, call in for a lobster roll, crunchy salad or Jack’s famous fried chicken served with mango chutney, smokey barbeque sauce, blue cheese or – if you’re feeling brave – Mama’s Hot Sauce. Most of your fellow diners will have popped in from their yachts bobbing out on the waves in front of the beach.

If you’re out to impress in St Vincent, this romantic beachfront restaurant in the Mariners Hotel is the only place to do it. French dishes with a Caribbean twist and plenty of fresh seafood are served up on the candlelit terrace, complete with views over Young Island and a glittering starlit sea. It’s not cheap but a must-do for special occasions or for an unforgettable holiday treat.

Hunt down the Waterloo Guesthouse, not far from the docks, to find this simple café just upstairs from the hotel. It’s considered one of the best places to eat on the island, serving food all day, washed down with cold beers and a powerful rum punch that could make the steep downhill walk back to the harbour a little more challenging. The freshly caught fish and conch fritters are a highlight but the sweeping views over Union Island are the real draw.