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With the exception of the grown-on-the-island greens, which you can find in salads at a wide variety of local restaurants, and an occasional catch of local fish, almost all the food served here is imported from the mainland. This means that you may find prices on restaurant menus and supermarket shelves on the high side, since the shipping costs are passed along to the consumer.
During the summer, call ahead to confirm restaurant hours; some restaurants close for a month or so.
Sailors who live aboard boats anchored offshore and an eclectic coterie of residents and visitors gather for lunch and dinner at this funky spot in the middle of a boatyard and shopping complex. It's a great place for burgers (they're served with potato chips, not fries—there's no deep fryer), fish sandwiches, and whatever sports are on the satellite TV.
Sit in the open-air courtyard of this locals' favorite eatery for reasonably priced Mexican staples like tacos, tostadas, and fajitas. The best bet is at breakfast. Go for rib-sticking biscuits and gravy, three-egg omelets, or French toast spiked with a cinnamon amaretto batter to fuel up for a day of hiking and swimming.
Sitting seaside at remote Friis Bay, Miss Lucy's dishes up Caribbean food conch fritters, vacation staples like burgers, and crossover dishes such as a grouper Reuben. The handful of small tables near the water are nicest, but if they're taken or the mosquitoes are swarming, the indoor tables do nicely.
At this air-conditioned but otherwise no-frills breakfast and sandwich shop, you place your order at the counter and wait for it to be delivered to your table or for takeout. The classic Reuben is a favorite, but other sandwiches, like the turkey pesto and vegan Greek flatbread pita with hummus and veggies, also get rave reviews. For breakfast, try the brown sugar oatmeal or turkey hash with toast and eggs.
More than a dozen house-brewed beers on tap, including the signature Tropical Mango Pale Ale, make dining at St. John Brewers' tap room special. The rich wood décor is the perfect place for a soft Bavarian-style pretzel, burgers, and build-your-own-pizzas.
Juicy ribs and tasty chicken legs dripping with house barbecue sauce make for one of St. John's best dining deals. An ear of corn, rice, and a generous scoop of macaroni salad, potato salad, or coleslaw round out the plate. This casual spot crowds the edge of a busy sidewalk in the heart of Cruz Bay. Even though there are a few open-air tables for "dining in," the ambience is more than a tad on the pedestrian side, so takeout is a better bet.
Come for the bird's-eye view over Hawksnest Bay and Pillsbury Sound, and stay to drink and dine. Rum-drenched libations are on special for happy hour between 3 pm to 5 pm. The menu is a casual mix of burgers; jerk, shrimp, and fish tacos; and cheesesteaks and mahi sandwiches, but the icing on the cake is definitely the sweeping view.
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