5 Best Restaurants in Barbados

As local as local gets, this open-air waterfront beach bar (a former rum shop) is built on stilts a stone's throw from the Speightstown fish market. For years, fishermen and other locals have come here for the inexpensive authentic Bajan lunch buffet. Soak up the atmosphere and fill your plate with fried flying fish, stewed chicken or pork, curried goat or lamb, pepperpot, macaroni pie, fried plantain, peas and rice, sweet potatoes, cou-cou, and crisp green salad. Eat inside or on the deck. And on Wednesday night, you can also dance—or simply listen—to catchy steel pan or calypso music. (Whether dinner is served varies from season to season, so call ahead.)

Once you've stepped through the somewhat innocuous roadside building, you're transported to an open beachfront environment decorated with African-inspired artwork, thatched ceilings, and an endless view of the ocean. But wait. . .there's more; the cuisine here features French and Thai dishes (seafood thermidor, beef filet with peppercorn sauce, red or green curry with jasmine rice), along with local Bajan specialties (saltfish cakes, flying fish cutters). Desserts are amazing, and there's a children's menu. Juma's celebrates every Sunday afternoon with a beach barbecue (fish, chicken, burgers, and more), along with live music, complimentary beach loungers and umbrellas—even free showers if you take a dip in the ocean!

Operating out of an old retrofitted fishing boat, this rustic self-sustaining eatery serves up tasty and satisfying fish cutters (fish sandwiches) prepared by owner Wayne Francois. Located a stone’s throw from the beautiful Heywoods Beach, the intimate open-air setting creates a comfy family-friendly atmosphere.

Bright and cheery by day and relaxed and cozy by night, The Fish Pot offers a tasty dining experience in a setting that's classier than its name might suggest. Just north of Speightstown and the little fishing village of Six Men's Bay, this attractive restaurant serves internationally inspired, modern Caribbean cuisine. Gaze seaward through windows framed with pale-green louvered shutters while you dine.

An eclectic deli-bistro serving farm-to-plate-inspired food, the menu at The Orange Street Grocer includes fresh salads, baguettes, wraps, healthy bowls, and wood-fired pizza. They are open for breakfast and lunch, but stay open later on Friday and Saturday for dinner service. Make sure you call ahead to reserve a table for spectacular ocean views.