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Food & Drink

The Best Restaurants in Nassau, Bahamas

Explore the beauty of Nassau, Bahamas
Explore the beauty of Nassau, Bahamas | © Vladimir Sklyarov / Alamy Stock Photo
Photo of Sarah Holt
Sarah Holt
29 July 2021

Nassau is famous for its Fish Fry strip on Arawak Cay. Serving dishes like conch fritters and rice and peas in eyes-too-big-for-belly portions, this row of rustic wooden restaurants is a local institution. It’s not the be-all and end-all of Nassau’s dining scene, though. The Bahamian capital is also home to some top-notch fusion, steak and Mediterranean-inspired eateries. Here are some of the most popular options.

Cafe Matisse

Restaurant, Italian, Seafood, $$$
Map View
Government House, Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas
© Victor Korchenko / Alamy Stock Photo
Just round the corner from Parliament Square, this eatery specializes in Italian food. However, there’s more to this place than pasta and pizza. Highlights of the menu include the carasau (a Sardinian flatbread) starter and the ossobuco (slow-cooked veal shank) with a saffron risotto main. To experience this place at its best, book a seat in the leafy, flower-scented courtyard garden.

Curly’s Restaurant and Bar

Restaurant, Authentic, $$$
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Nassau Bahamas - Fish Fray Heritage Village
© Nino Marcutti / Alamy Stock Photo
With its wood-paneled walls and leather booth seating, Curly’s is one of the most popular eateries on the Fish Fry strip in Nassau. The golf ball-sized conch fritters and colorful conch salad always go down a storm here, but, whatever you order, you can expect your plate to be piled Everest-high. If you can, save a little room for the guava duff dessert. It’s a steamed, guava-flavored pudding that’s served swimming in rum.

Bahamian Cookin' Restaurant and Bar

Restaurant, Seafood, Caribbean, $$$
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Selective focus shot of cocktail Bahama mama
© Wirestock, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo
Founded by Grammy in 1986, this Downtown eatery is now run by three generations of Bahamian women. The recipes for the seasonings and sauces have been fine-tuned over decades, and it shows. Some of the most popular dishes include the tender grouper fingers, the buttery fried plantains and the golden-top mac and cheese. Need something to wash your dinner down? Go for a classic Bahama Mama cocktail or a zingy switcha lemonade.

Cleo Mediterráneo

Restaurant, Cocktails
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Cleo Mediterraneo
Courtesy of SLS Baha Mar hotel / Expedia
All wood, wicker and whitewash, this elegant restaurant is set inside the SLS Baha Mar hotel. There’s a world tour’s worth of dishes on the menu. Greek spanakopita (spinach pie), Lebanese kibbeh (beef and bulgur wheat croquettes) and Israeli couscous are just a few of the options. The eatery does a good line in cocktails, too – try the Cleo Colada made with coconut vodka, pineapple juice and fresh lime. It’s the eatery’s signature drink.

La Caverna

Restaurant, Italian, $$$
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Compass Point Resort at Love beach Nassau, Bahamas, Caribbean
© Richard Ellis / Alamy Stock Photo
The food at La Caverna, near Love Beach, is unapologetically Italian. Dishes like lasagne, carbonara, pizza and homemade tiramisu fill the menu. A slight nod to the Bahamas can be found on the cocktail menu, though. Alongside the negronis and espresso martinis, there’s the classically Bahamian Sky Juice – made with coconut water, condensed milk and gin – and the Bahama Mama, made with three types of rum and fruit punch.

Athena Cafe & Bar

Restaurant, Greek
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This is the premier Greek restaurant in Nassau – half a dozen blue-and-white flags flutter on the roof. The menu features all the classics, like stuffed vine leaves, tzatziki, souvlaki and gyros – for something a bit more Bahamian, try the conch option. The best seats in the house are on the shaded balcony that wraps around the restaurant. It’s a great place to people-watch as you dine.

Carna

Restaurant, American
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Nassau, Bahamas - May 3, 2019: Jet skis (water scooter, personal watercraft) on the Goodman's Bay Park. Goodman's Bay is a public beach in the east of
© byvalet / Alamy Stock Photo
Steak and seafood are the stars at this restaurant near Goodman’s Bay. There are more than 10 types of steak on the menu, including three varieties of wagyu and a tomahawk the size of a tennis racket. The highlight on the fish front, meanwhile, has to be the fit-for-a-king tower – it’s two tiers worth of oysters, lobster tail, king crab and prawns. The restaurant also has an impressive wine list – take your pick from more than 200 bottles.

Oh Andros

Restaurant, Caribbean, $$$
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You’ll always get a hill-high plate of food when you dine at Oh Andros on the Fish Fry strip in Nassau. The dishes at this wood-walled restaurant are typically Caribbean: think conch fritters, rice and peas, mac and cheese and fried plantains. If you’re feeling especially hungry, try the seafood platter: it comes with four swai (white fish) fillets, eight shrimp, lobster tail, rice, plantains and pikliz – a spicy slaw.

These recommendations were updated on July 29, 2021 to keep your travel plans fresh. This article is an updated version of a story created by Sarah Holt
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