As if it wasn’t enough to have crystal clear turquoise waters, the Bahamas is also home to some truly delectable cuisine. With a variety of cultural influences and a diet heavy in seafood, Bahamian food is anything but boring. And, in keeping with island life, Bahamian restaurants are decidedly casual. So leave behind the black-tie attire, grab your flip-flops and explore these amazing restaurants known for their impeccable Bahamian food!
Bahamian Cookin’
Bahamian Cookin’ (formerly Bahamian Kitchen) is one of Nassau’s oldest Bahamian restaurants. It first opened in 1986 and is run by three generations of a local family, grandmother Mena, daughter Cookie, and granddaughters Ginger and Cinnamon.
Are you ready to try authentic and deliciously prepared Bahamian food? We’ll have your stomach smiling.
The restaurant offers all the traditional foods you would expect from conch fritters to steamed grouper to plantains. It has a casual, homey vibe that gives this off the beaten path restaurant an appeal that will make you want to return time and again.
Oh Andros
Oh Andros is a fish fry restaurant located in Nassau on Grand Bahama Island. The portions are huge, the carbohydrates are plenty, and the experience is authentic. The menu features all of the traditional Bahamian food specialties you would expect. Try the fried conch fritters, fried snapper, grilled lobster, peas and rice, and potato salad especially.
Chat ‘N’ Chill
Chat ‘N’ Chill is one of the Bahamian restaurants located on Stocking Island in the Exumas. This beachfront restaurant offers up grilled-to-order Bahamian food and invites guests to “chill” and relax island style in the meantime.
Chat ‘N’ Chill™, a volleyball beach bar and grill, is an international playground for those seeking adventure and those loving the sun, sand and sea. Boaters, yachties and visitors come worldwide to enjoy the casual laid back atmosphere, menu of grilled island foods, tropical drinks, 6 regulation volleyball courts and over 1000 feet of pristine white sand beach where shoes are never required.
The venue offers even more than delicious Bahamian food, however. Here you can also hand feed stingrays, swim, or simply relax on the beach and enjoy the views.
Queen Conch
Located on Harbour Island, this Bay Street roadside stand is known for serving the most authentic Conch Salad in the Bahamas.
Owner Richard and his wife mix freshly chopped, raw conch meat, onions, peppers, and tomatoes with freshly squeezed sour orange juice—the key ingredient. Richard, nicknamed The Conch King, dives for the mollusks all around the Bahamas, and stores them in cages below the restaurant’s back deck, so they are as fresh as possible. On a busy day, this cash-only eatery goes through 150-200 of those critters. –Travel + Leisure
Come early if you want to experience this local favorite, the lines can get long at lunchtime!
Sip, Sip
The lunch-only waterfront restaurant of Sip, Sip is also located on the Bahama’s Harbour island.
Sip Sip (local slang for “gossip”), overlooks the pink sand beach of Harbour Island and serves “Bahamian with a twist” dishes made with fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. Julie Lightbourn, whose family has owned the Sip Sip property for over fifty years, turned her family land into a restaurant in 2002, and thus Sip Sip was born. Sip Sip’s blackboard menu changes daily, depending on what’s fresh and what’s in season, but their famous lobster quesadilla is always on!
Be sure to arrive early to experience this delightful eatery, the kitchen closes for the day at 3:45!
No trip to the Bahamas would be complete without sampling some of this island country’s traditional Bahamian food. So sit back, relax, and kick off your flip-flops at these five must-try Bahamian restaurants. For even more island living ideas, explore the Barbadoes Food and Rum Festival.
