As regular readers will know, Mark and I have spent an awful lot of time in Tobago! We love the island, its glorious beaches, its friendly people, its culture, and its amazing food! Tobagonian cuisine is a mix of African, Indian, Chinese, European and Latin American flavours. The dining style is usually casual to match the vibe of the island. In this article, I will talk about our favourite restaurants in Tobago. I have arranged them by location and have put the places in alphabetical order. I hope you get to try some of them for yourself.
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In this article
Buccoo
Luvinia’s Seafood and Steak Restaurant
This brightly painted blue and white open-air eatery overlooking Buccoo Bay is one of our favourite restaurants in Tobago. The service is always efficient and friendly. They serve a really good breakfast. For lunch, I recommend one of their composed salads. They are made with the freshest ingredients and the dressings are really tasty. It’s the perfect location to sit and watch the pleasure boats and fishing craft coming and going.
Makara Restaurant
This waterfront restaurant overlooking Buccoo Bay serves a mix of Caribbean and European food. The setting is lovely and the service is friendly and attentive. On our most recent visit to Makara, Mark ordered the pork and shrimp duo, barbecued baby back ribs in sauce and jumbo fried shrimp served with seasoned wedges and dressed pickled red cabbage. I had the penne pasta skillet which arrived at the table sizzling hot and came served with homemade garlic bread. Both dishes were very tasty. Expect to pay European prices.
La Tartaruga
This is undoubtedly the best Italian restaurant in Tobago. The chef-patron, Gabriele, is a bundle of energy, leaving the kitchen to explain to diners the origin of the dishes on their plates and the provenance of the ingredients. His presence adds to the theatre of the experience. He imports many of the components of his dishes directly from Italy. We have never tasted such flavourful olives outside of the Mediterranean region.
We recently went to La Tartaruga to celebrate my 55th birthday. From starting the meal with an authentic Aperol spritz as good as any we had when we lived in Italy, to ending it with the most delectable homemade tiramisu and a deliciously-strong café affogato, every dish was a delight. A truly memorable evening!
Boathouse Bar and Restaurant
I have to declare a certain amount of bias when it comes to recommending the Boathouse in Castara! This is where we volunteered when we first went to Tobago as Workawayers. The owners, Sharon and Brenton Taylor, are now our good friends. Friendships aside though, I still maintain that the Boathouse is one of the best restaurants in Tobago.
Located right on the beach in Little Bay, the Boathouse offers a casual dining experience and the deck is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail as you watch the sun go down. My favourite is a Castara Cruise, a refreshing blend of vodka, gin, apple juice, and grapefruit juice. The house rum punch is amazing, too!
The food at the Boathouse is typically Tobagonian in that your choice of protein (chicken, goat, fish, shrimp, squid, homemade burger, lamb, or pork) is served with a set vegetable plate which might include macaroni pie, sweet potato mash, pumpkin curry, coleslaw, three onion rice, or fresh salsa salad. Try the chilli coconut shrimp which can be prepared mild, medium, or scary! The lionfish in Carib beer batter should not be missed!
On Sunday afternoons, the Boathouse serves homemade pizzas. The crunchy bases (the secret is the addition of cornmeal!) come with generous toppings such as cheese and tomato, tuna and plantain, or chilli beef. Be warned that the pizzas are extremely popular and are cooked to order so you may have to wait. Just chill on the beach with an ice-cold Carib and the staff will give you a shout when it’s ready!
Wednesday nights at the Boathouse are special! It seems that the whole island gathers for a traditional dinner followed by an evening of African drumming and limbo dancing. Be sure to book a table!
Get a Copy of My Boathouse Cookbook
I’m very proud to have edited this cookbook of recipes from the Boathouse Restaurant in Tobago created by owner Sharon Taylor and her team. Within these pages, you will find many recipes for delicious Tobagonian dishes including onion bakes, pumpkin curry, lionfish in Carib beer batter, curry goat, Tobago black cake, and so much more!
Charlotteville
Suckhole Restaurant and Bar
Don’t let the name put you off! This casual restaurant right on the beach at Man O War Bay serves huge portions of freshly-caught grilled fish (we had red snapper which was absolutely delicious!), breaded shrimps, and curried chicken. Go early as the Suckhole gets very busy and you could be in for a long wait if you don’t get your order in before the crowd arrives.
Crown Point
Blu at Crown Point
Crown Point is where the majority of visitors to Tobago stay. Consequently, there is a plethora of decent restaurants in the area. For me, though, I like to escape the crowds and go for lunch at the Blu Restaurant within the Crown Point Beach Hotel. Grab yourself a table by the pool and enjoy delicious shark bites with tartare sauce, tasty fish and chips, or crispy squid. The portions are generous and the prices are very reasonable. They even do an English breakfast if you’re missing a taste of home!
Good Eats
Whilst it might not be an immediate choice, the tiny eatery Good Eats just outside Tobago’s international airport is a great spot for breakfast or lunch. There are only three or four tables, so you might have to wait to get a seat. It’s worth it though! The home-cooked dishes are tasty and well-presented. If you find yourself with a wait before your flight home, don’t use the café in the airport – go here instead!
Englishman’s Bay
Eula’s Shack
I’ve written before that Englishman’s Bay is my favourite beach in Tobago. One of the things it has going for it is Eula’s shack. You sit upstairs from a shop selling local crafts and colourful sarongs. There are no windows so you can enjoy your meal whilst listening to the waves and enjoying the sea breeze. There’s no menu. You can choose from a few simple dishes. I would always recommend the catch of the day which is simply grilled and served with potatoes and salad. The mahi-mahi is especially good.
Milford Road
Fortune Chinese Restaurant
I know you’re in the Caribbean but if like us, you’ve been travelling for a while, sometimes all you want is a Chinese meal like you get at home! The Fortune fits the bill perfectly. They offer a takeaway service or you can opt to sit in their air-conditioned dining room. The food is familiar and comforting. The portions are generous and service always comes with a smile!
Scarborough
Blue Crab Restaurant
For authentic Tobagonian food, you can’t beat the Blue Crab Restaurant in the capital, Scarborough. A visit here is a delight! Husband and wife team, Kenneth and ‘Auntie’ Alison Sardinha have run the place for over thirty years. Kenneth does the cooking and Alison welcomes the diners. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxing. They are open for lunch every day and dinner a couple of times a week. The menu is simple and limited, but the dishes are guaranteed to be freshly-cooked and delicious. Mark loves the blue crab cakes.
Speyside
Jemma’s Seaview Kitchen
If you’ve always wanted to dine in a treehouse, now’s your chance! Jemma’s has always been a rather ramshackle collection of sheds linked by wooden walkways. I rather liked it like that, but it has recently been spruced up and now looks much smarter! It’s a great spot for lunch if you’re having a tour around Tobago. The views across to Goat Island and Little Tobago are incredible.
Jemma’s is one of the most popular restaurants in Tobago so expect it to be busy. The style is casual Caribbean dining with the usual choice of fish or meat served with salads, rice and beans. The portions are generous. The signature breadfruit pie is served as a side but could easily be a meal in itself. The perfect choice for vegetarians.
Stonehaven Bay
The Pavilion Restaurant
This is one of my favourite restaurants in Tobago, not least because if you have lunch there, you can then spend the afternoon enjoying the infinity pool! The restaurant is located at the Villas at Stonehaven, a gated community of privately-owned holiday homes. Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to stay there to use the facilities!
I love the relaxed atmosphere at this place. I’ve been for lunch many times (Mark has never been – it tends to be a ‘girls’ day out’ destination!) and have rarely seen it busy. This doesn’t mean that the food isn’t good – I just think that people don’t know it’s there!
They have an extensive cocktail list and a European-style menu. When I go with friends, our favourite thing to do is order a selection from the bar snacks menu – crab cakes, calamari, ribs, chicken strips, potato wedges, etc. The chef has a particular penchant for onion rings and tends to put them on everything! I’m not complaining – they are light, crispy, and extremely moreish! The house salad is excellent, too – fresh leaves, peppers, and tomatoes with diced feta cheese and a tasty strawberry balsamic dressing.
The Seahorse Inn
Of all the restaurants in Tobago, the Seahorse is a great choice for a special occasion dinner. Dine on a large open terrace decorated with twinkly fairy lights as you listen to the waves lapping on the sand. The menu offers a choice of Caribbean and European dishes, all of which are well prepared and presented. The service is very good, too. The Seahorse is quite pricey by European standards, but it is well worth it if you’re pushing the boat out.
On our last visit, we had the full works – cocktails, a three-course dinner, coffee. Everything was delicious. Our party had the bruschetta, the paté, and the scallops to start with. For the main course, we tried the seafood tempura, the daube of beef, and the chicken provençal. It was a real treat!
Waves
The appropriately named Waves is on the beach just across the road from the Seahorse. It’s a great place to stop for a cold beer and a light lunch. Mark loves the spicy shrimp roti they serve.
Store Bay Beach
There are a number of wooden shacks at the back of Store Bay Beach which should be on everyone’s culinary itinerary of Tobago. These are the best places on the island to sample the national dish – curry crab and dumplings. All of these eateries are run by ladies of a certain age who all claim to make the best-tasting plate. To be honest, they are all pretty similar! Take your pick from Alma’s Local Food, Miss Esmie’s, Miss Jean’s, Miss Joyce, Miss Trim, and Sylvia’s Food Shop.
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