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Nevis’ cuisine tends to be quintessentially West Indian, thus dining here will be an authentic Caribbean experience for the taste buds. Though many of the restaurants are connected with hotels, there are a few independent eateries you’ll want to experience.
A delightful aspect about Nevis is that there are no cookie-cutter restaurants. Each and every one is unique.
Without a doubt, the most distinctive dining experience on the island is Miss June's Cuisine. Originally from Trinidad, June Mestier will welcome you into her home for the evening, prepare your meal, and after dinner join you at the bar. She'll delight you with more food than you can imagine, more drink than you can consume, and entertain you with tales of the islands. The five-course meal, including beverages and a ‘mega’ main course (36 dishes) served buffet-style for a truly memorable experience. Miss June cooks only two or three times a week, so reservations are essential. In fact, most make reservations before they even arrive on Nevis.
You'll feel like you're eating in a tree house at Banana’s Bistro, a fairly new and very interesting place cleverly set amongst a cluster of banana trees. Creative cuisine fused with Caribbean flavors is created by owner Gillian Smith, where on weekends she pumps up the action with late night rock, jazz, or live music, depending on the week and the season. It's a good place for a meal, or simply a drink.
Not far from Banana's is Jamakie's in the village of Cotton Ground; opened in late 1999 by a former Four Seasons Resort chef, Jamakie, after the hotel was knocked out by Hurricane Lenny. Born in Jamaica, he cooks up jerk chicken and interesting stews and fish, in a very simple fashion. This local spot is inexpensive and delicious, a perfect combination.
Tequila Sheila's now belongs to the Inn at Cades Bay, but was here long before the hotel. It’s a large round structure right on the beach, with wonderful views of neighboring St. Kitts. The restaurant is known for delightful Caribbean-style meals, including many fresh seafood dishes. The large bar is also a local gathering spot hosting many community events. On Sundays, Tequila Sheila's is very popular for its jazz brunch, offering up eclectic music by DJs and occasionally live performers.
Along that same stretch of beach is Cla-Cha-Del, which serves up ample portions of Caribbean food, including local fish and many lesser-known vegetables like christophene. Bartender Pas is well known for his tropical drink concoctions such as mango coladas and from time to time, he organizes evening entertainment and parties.
Not far from Tequila Sheila’s is Under the Sea (formerly Prinderellas), now transformed by a marine biologist into a restaurant/aquarium. In full swing, meals are set out on tables that are actually fish tanks! And, the under-the-sea theme pervades throughout this fun contemporary outdoor eatery. This waterside restaurant is a good place for man-sized breakfasts, lunches (local specialties like ginger pumpkin soup) and on some nights, it is open for dinner.
Both the bar and restaurant at Oualie Beach Hotel are popular gathering spots from breakfast through the wee hours of the night. Best known for its string band, the Honey Bees, Oualie is the place to go on Tuesday and Saturday nights, when ‘the Bees’ buzz. A busy hotel, meals are served regularly, and ‘manager’ barbecues are featured each Tuesday night for hotel guests.
There are several restaurants in the Newcastle area, near the airport. One is Hong Kong, a wonderful Chinese place with mellow curries and fresh seafood. Here you can eat outdoors in a screened in porch area or sit inside by the bar where TV is always going. Locals were thrilled when Hong Kong opened, introducing take-out to our tiny island.
For another take-out or eat-in novelty, there's Newcastle ‘Pizza Beach’, a waterfront eatery just north of the airport. Creating wonderful home made pizzas with notably delicious crust and even more delectable toppings. Pizza Beach also serves Mexican dishes, another first for Nevis.
For real West Indian style dishes, also in the same neighborhood, try Cornerstone (near Hong Kong) or Pemo's, both offering Caribbean meals.
Continuing around the island, one will encounter fabulous meals served up at the plantation inns. One is Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, which has marvelous lunches at the beach bar, including salads, wraps and lobster salad sandwiches. There’s an elegant fixed-prix dinner in the main dining room of the former great house, while outside on Thursdays there's an evening beach barbecue.
Another notable plantation restaurant is the Golden Rock Plantation Inn, frequented by seafood lovers craving its lobster and lobster sandwiches. This delightful inn has umbrellas set on a garden patio during breakfast and lunch, and dinner is served in the historic stone building that once served as the kitchen of the estate. Continuing around the island, the next plantation inn visitors will want to sample is Old Manor Estate Hotel, where the long, elegant dining room has a romantic balcony overlooking the sea.
As you head towards Charlestown, there's Hermitage Plantation Inn, where you’ll dine on the porch. Hermitage Plantation Inn is reported to be the oldest wooden house in the Lesser Antilles. The Hermitage has special meals, such as a pig roast one night each week during the busy season (November through May). Next comes the Montpelier area, where there are two restaurants: Montpelier Plantation Inn and Martha's Tea House at the Botanical Gardens. The elegant dinners at Montpelier may be the most exquisite on the island. The owners will personally come around to take your order while you enjoy drinks in the wonderful stone factory building. Then, farther down the road at the Botanical Gardens, Martha's serves lunches on the veranda of the lovely new West Indian-style building housing the restaurant, offices and gift shop as a complement to the gardens.
Each inn offers special dinners on certain nights (such as Hermitage's Pig Roast), so it's best to check once on island for the current schedule.
Also on the way into town, it's worth checking out Mem's Pizzeria, famous for casual fare, including lobster pizza, not to be missed. Mem also prepares reasonably priced and delicious beef burgers, veggie burgers, salads and sandwiches. This is a laid-back place where you can eat inside and watch TV or opt for a bite on the porch.
There's a newly refurbished Chinese restaurant on the south side of Charlestown called the New Thriving Chinese, which serves up a wide variety of Asian dishes to eat there or to take out.
There are several other restaurants in Charlestown — Café des Arts, an art gallery/café in a lovely pink West Indian house on the Main Street open for breakfast and lunch. Go for the best coffee in town, espresso and cappuccino, croissants and pastries. Owner Gillian Smith (also the proprietor of Bananas) creates interesting lunches, such as Greek salad on a pita you'll enjoy in the garden courtyard.
Along the waterfront, there are two restaurants: The Cotton House in the Cotton Ginnery and Unella's, both second-floor eateries where you can take in the sounds and activity of the harbor while you eat. Cotton House serves simple fare and drinks; Unella's serves three meals daily, including a popular West Indian luncheon buffet on certain days.
On the Main Street, there's the Courtyard Café located, of course, in a courtyard, behind a historic building where guests dine under umbrellas amidst flowers and trees. Off the Main Street a bit is Muriel's Cuisine for local fare, and the Nevis Bakery is a local favorite for lunch, serving grilled sandwiches for just a few US dollars.
Le Bistro is another relatively new restaurant in town, set in an old traditional wooden West Indian house. Lunches and dinners include casual meals of fish and other interesting native dishes. The busy bar is popular with locals, especially on Friday nights.
Leaving town, there are restaurants at both Sea Spawn Guest House, where you can eat right on its roadside porch for a bird’s eye view of the sea, or stop at Pinney's Beach Hotel, right by the water. There's also Seafood Madness, offering all types of local fish and lobster, deliciously prepared. At ‘Madness’ you’ll eat in a screened porch decorated with atmospheric twinkling lights.
Not to be forgotten are the restaurants at and near the Four Seasons Resort. There are two wonderful ones on the property (the beach restaurant and the formal indoor dining room), and two neighboring bar/restaurants for guests to patronize. One is the Beachcomber, located just north of the hotel's boundary line, open for lunch and dinner with music on weekends. Just south is the popular Sunshine's, a quintessential Caribbean beach side shack that turns out lobster, fish, and chicken dinners while tantalizing guests with its notorious "killer bee" punch. Once you've been stung, you won't forget it.
All in all, for a small island, Nevis offers a multitude of dining options.
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