Restaurants in Tortola

Before really getting into any detail about restaurants in Tortola, let me firstly say this. One of the great things about going on vacation is when you can stumble on a little out of the way place, which you’ve never read about in any of your guide books, but which serves up the best food you have during your whole stay. Make sure to check out our casual reviews at the bottom of the page!

It becomes your ‘regular’ for two weeks and you go home with a photo of you and the owner with your arms round each other which serves as a real heartwarming memory when the snow is falling or the wind whistling outside the front door. Things like that make holidays precious.

What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that any reviews of restaurants in Tortola are going to concentrate on places that are already very popular and which we can be sure won’t let readers down or disappoint them in any way. And there are lots of those in Tortola.

A variety of restaurants in Tortola

As the largest of the British Virgin Islands, restaurants in Tortola are also the most varied, with every palate being catered for in a delightful assortment of everything from friendly beachside shacks to little hideaways in the hills to the more gourmet restaurants offering an elegant dining experience.

Bear in mind that Tortola didn’t have its first set of traffic lights until 2001, and you’ll begin to appreciate perhaps that the standard of cuisine here has developed enormously in the last few years. More chefs trained overseas are working in Tortola; the ability to import top quality ingredients on a regular basis has improved; the demand created by more tourists who expect good quality food – all of these things have contributed to the raising of standards of restaurants on the island.

As befits an island, most of the restaurants in Tortola rely heavily upon fish and sea food, usually locally caught in the Caribbean’s abundant waters. But, apart from this, what can you expect?
Well, this is a Caribbean island, so you can expect restaurants to mingle plenty of different spices and herbs – the famous jerk chicken, for example is popular as is other highly flavored barbecue food.

Also, you’ll come across lots of Roti – a kind of equivalent of tortilla, a flat bread filled with meat or vegetables; they’re great for a lunch time snack. Then there is paté, which shouldn’t be confused with the usual use of the term – West Indian paté is a baked/grilled style pita bread, again filled with spiced meat, seafood or even just vegetables. Another word which might confuse is Fungi – because it has nothing to do with mushrooms. Fungi is made from cornmeal and okra, similar to Italian polenta, and customarily served with seafood dishes.

Restaurants in Tortola and Lobster!

As far as seafood goes, your usual favorites will be found here but watch out especially for Anegada lobster – reputed to be the best in the Caribbean; conch – another delicacy that is delicious in fritters, paté, soup or salad; and, if you like escargot, then try the local equivalent, whelks.
You can also take the opportunity of trying out some of the fresh local fruits here such as soursop, papaya, sugar apple, guava and tamarind as well as the more widely known mangos, pineapples and passion fruits.

And the restaurants themselves? Well, there’s a few individual reviews of some of the very best restaurants in Tortola in the following pages – places such as The Sugar Mill and Brandywine Bay, which offer romantic, stylish international cuisine as well as local favorites. And more homely, almost out of the way places such as C & Fs, which is often tricky to find but, believe me, well worth the effort. And, of course, many places with sea views that enhance the whole dining experience.

But there are others not necessarily reviewed here – Skyworld, for example; one of the few Tortola restaurants able to serve food on top of a mountain. And the Virgin Queen, a favorite haunt of the local sporting set. The Capriccio de Mare, one of a number of places serving really fine Italian food. I could go on.

But, to go back to what I was saying at the beginning. You can try these restaurants – I hope you do – and enjoy some of the finest food Tortola can offer. But don’t forget to keep your eye open for that undiscovered gem somewhere; and when you get back home, please tell us about it too!

Check below for some casual reviews:

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