9 Best Restaurants in Grenada

As the name suggests, fresh seafood is the specialty here and the dinner menu always includes fresh fish and grilled lobster, as well as specialties such as jerk chicken and callaloo cannelloni. Spend the day at adjacent Magazine Beach (you can rent kayaks or snorkeling gear) and then break for a cool drink or satisfying lunch—a salad, sandwich or burger, fresh fish, or pasta—served on the waterfront deck at the restaurant's La Sirena Beach Bar. Tropical plants and palms surround the dining room, and a waterfall adds a touch of romance in the evening. On Sunday, there's a beach barbecue with live reggae music.

On the waterfront at the edge of Tyrrel Bay, Lazy Turtle has been a favorite eatery and watering hole for divers, yachting families, and vacationers for years. Claiming "the best thin-crusted pizza in the Caribbean"—baked in a specially imported Italian pizza oven—the 12-inch pizzas range from the usual, and delicious, toppings of tomato/cheese/oregano to the Lazy Turtle Special (artichoke/fresh tomato/onion/mushroom) or seafood (lobster sautéed in garlic and butter/anchovies/lambi). In addition to pizzas, the menu offers a full range of pastas, salads, seafood (lobster in season, deep-fried or curried shrimp, fresh-caught fish), and chicken dishes. Desserts are all homemade.

Overlooking St. George's Harbour, on the north side of The Carenage, BB's Crabback features Grenadian and West Indian dishes prepared by Grenada-born, England-trained, Chef BB (Brian Benjamin). Crabback (local land crab) is a house specialty, but you'll want to try some of his seafood dishes, as well, like prawns in lobster sauce. Other dishes to try: the signature curried goat dish, the breast of chicken marinated in 12 herbs and spices, the pan-fried barracuda in a crab and lobster sauce, or oildown (Grenada's national dish). The views of the harbor and out to sea are nothing short of spectacular. It's definitely the place to go for lunch or dinner in downtown St. George's.

If you're visiting the northern reaches of Grenada, plan to stop at Belmont Estate, a 400-year-old working nutmeg and cocoa plantation. A waiter will offer some refreshing local juice and a choice of callaloo or pumpkin soup; then head to the buffet and help yourself to salad, rice, stewed chicken, beef curry, stewed fish, local vegetables, and more. Dessert may be homemade ice cream, ginger cake, or another delicious confection. The breezy open-air dining room overlooks enormous trays of nutmeg, cocoa, and mace drying in the sunshine. After lunch, feel free to take a tour ($6) of the museum, tree-to-bar chocolate factory, sugarcane garden, and old cemetery. Farm animals (and a couple of monkeys) roam the property, and there's often folk music and dancing on the lawn.

No alcohol is served here.

Take local seafood, add butter, wine, and Grenadian spices, and you have excellent French-creole cuisine. Throw in a beautiful location at the northern end of Grand Anse Beach, and this West Indian cottage becomes a perfect spot for either an alfresco lunch, snacks at sunset, or dinner by moonlight. Lobster is a specialty, whether it's lobster thermidor or perhaps wrapped in a crepe, dipped in garlic butter, or added to pasta. Homemade coconut pie is a winner for dessert. Dine "wet or fine" at a table on the beach or inside. At lunch, you can walk down Grand Anse Beach to the restaurant; at night, either drive or opt for a taxi. And on Saturday, stick around for late-night drinks and DJ music.

As you approach this popular restaurant and bar on Main Street, you're greeted by the unmistakable scent of authentic Jamaican jerk chicken and pork. That's the specialty (and personal favorite) of Chef Purgeon Reece, who hails from Jamaica, although his menu also includes other local and regional dishes such as curried goat, baked chicken, or grilled fish with rice and peas. Daily specials are posted on a streetside blackboard. This "jerk center" is definitely a casual spot, the best bet for a delicious lunch, and a good place to catch the local vibe.

Settle into a seat at a colorful picnic table, set right in the sand, and gaze out to sea at the picture-perfect view of Sandy Island. Your mouth will water from the scent of lobster, chicken, fish, and ribs being barbecued on the grill. Curtis, the extremely laid-back owner, is usually around and will even arrange a water taxi to take you to Sandy Island to swim and snorkel for EC$40 ($16) round trip. Come for a frosty drink or hang around all day, but you won't be able to resist the barbecue.

For a real taste treat, head to Spice Affair for Indian cuisine fused with local seafood and Grenadian spices—and an Asian flair. After renovating and modernizing the original Red Crab restaurant, an island institution for many, many years, the chefs here offer a completely different dining experience. The extensive menu goes well beyond curry, tandoori, masala, vendaloo, Goan, and Kashmiri specialties to include less spicy dishes like Italian pasta, rotis, and grilled pork chops. The kids menu offers mac 'n' cheese, chicken nuggets, grilled flatbread with loads of cheese, brownies, and other favorites.

Whether you're spending the day on Grand Anse Beach or just looking for a quick bite, Umbrellas is the place to go. Right on the beach, next to Coyaba Beach Resort, this classic beach bar is open from breakfast until well into the evening. The burgers and sandwiches are great, the salads are freshly made, and there's barbecued fish or steak with wedge potatoes or sweet potato fries. Everything's reasonably priced—yet another reason it's so busy. Of course, you can also just sit on the top deck with a beer or rum punch and a plate of appetizers and stare at the waves—or watch the sunset.