ONE meal in St. John

nikkiki · Post by **nikkiki** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:58 pm

We're trying to plan a budget friendly trip, and we know that this result in lots of meals at the villa. However, I'm hoping we will grab a few meals out....which brings me to my question. If you could only eat ONE meal at a restaurant in St. John, where would it be? Alternatively, if you had ONE night out, where would you go to drink?

jwwj · Post by **jwwj** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 1:39 pm

Tough question because there are a lot of really good restaurants but for me it would be La Tapa. We've eaten there 6 or 7 times and never had anything that wasn't great.
For drinks my choice is the Beach Bar.

Xislandgirl · Post by **Xislandgirl** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 1:46 pm

I think a great way to enjoy a few restaurants on a budget is to hit up places for happy hour. Share a few apps and have a few drinks at reduced prices instead of spending all of your time staying in.
You can $1 beers at Woodys. At to that a reasonably priced appetizer to share and you can get out of there for $25. That is a lot of fun for $25 for 2 people.

I am not sure I could pick just one place. There are so many that I love but I think Rhumb Lines might be my mid-range choice.

Drinks? They are pretty cheap on STJ, I would pick anywhere!

iheartsj · Post by **iheartsj** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 1:48 pm

If I had only one meal out, it would be at an authentic West Indian place. I recommend Sogo in Cruz Bay for a taste of real Caribbean food. It is also reasonably priced.

melmd · Post by **melmd** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 2:50 pm

If I only had 1 dinner out in STJ it would be a Rhumblines - hands down. It's my favorite restaurant anywhere.

My bar of choice is Beach Bar.

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 6:32 pm

It just so happens that my one meal would also happen to be at one of the cheapest places to eat on-island: Candi's. I just LOVE ribs, haven't found anything that tastes like her sauce anywhere else, and I'm infatuated with her cole slaw.
What can I say? I'm a (super) cheap date!

We just got back from a trip. Our only eating out consisted of burgers once at Skinny's, early dinner once at Concordia, apps once at Spyglass, lunch once at Pickles, and twice at Candi's (both our arrival and our departure meals). I called Elvis "Mr. Candy" and got a big belly laugh out of him

For $10 or so, you really should try it!

Charlie2001 · Post by **Charlie2001** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 9:13 pm

iheartsj wrote:If I had only one meal out, it would be at an authentic West Indian place. I recommend Sogo in Cruz Bay for a taste of real Caribbean food. It is also reasonably priced.

I totally agree with the sentiment of eating an authentic West Indian meal. I can eat fine dining here at home any time, with my choice of steak, seafood, pasta, italian, etc. However, I can't find conch in butter sauce, chicken roti, beans and rice, plantains, or any number of other local dishes.

We absolutely love going to P&P By The Sea and would choose it as our only meal out, if that was the call. You'll need to call ahead for a reservation and pre-order, as Patricia cooks only what is needed. They are located just outside Cruz Bay. Follow the road past Gallows Point all the way to the end, and you'll end up at her place. Call (340) 693-8587 to make your reservation and I guarantee you won't be sorry.

toes in the sand · Post by **toes in the sand** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 10:04 pm

This map might help with your decision.
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/s ... -map.shtml

Pete (Mr. Marcia) · Post by **Pete (Mr. Marcia)** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 11:02 pm

I agree with iheartsj...Sogo's. It is unlike anything we can get at home. At home, we have Asian that makes Rhumblines look silly. Banana Deck, while fun, can be found anywhere, etc.

Try to think of one restaurant on STJ that you can't find at home...Sogo's. (We've never been to P and P's but I'd guess from what I've read that it also would be unique. We're going to try it on our next trip.)

betsyv · Post by **betsyv** » Wed Nov 20, 2013 7:41 am

The BEST meal I have had on island was at ZoZos, but now that it has moved I dont know if it would be the same.
For drinks we really enjoyed the BB. The people watching, the view, the music, were all a ton of fun....The drinks were great too!

mfaughey · Post by **mfaughey** » Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:58 am

Agree about Zozo's on both points..

Lunch and drinks at Caneel is very nice alternative to the other popular places...

nikkiki · Post by **nikkiki** » Wed Nov 20, 2013 1:00 pm

Wow, so many votes for the Beach Bar! We'll definitely make it over there. We're staying in Coral Bay so I imagine we'll take the walk to Skinny's at least once. And I KNOW that I'll be able to convince my group to eat something unique - I'll take your West Indies picks to heart! I'm also hoping the lure of the beach will convince the group to drive out to Vie's as well.

adsjayhawk · Post by **adsjayhawk** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 9:22 am

If you are in Coral Bay, you may want to try lunch at Aqua Bistro. We hiked Ram Head and needed a beverage and lunch afterwards. That's when we discovered the Buffalo Grouper Sandwich!

It is fantastic and a good value for lunch. We hit it every trip now.

Otherwise, I'm with Xislandgirl on the Happy Hours and Rhumb Lines, or mindehankins on Candi's. We stopped at Candi's two years ago (after Happy Hour), excellent food and locals! We were going to bring it home, but we met some people so nice, that we (family of 5) ended up staying there for dinner and we all bought each other rounds of drinks.

iheartsj · Post by **iheartsj** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 11:47 am

Since you are on the Coral Bay side, I recommend the Pink Corner for great West Indian food. You can't miss it, It is located at the intersection in Coral Bay and is painted bright pink.

nikkiki · Post by **nikkiki** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 12:20 pm

Thanks for the Coral Bay picks! I'm so excited about trying some new restaurants. Hurry up ticker....MOVE!

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