Food & Cuisine in St. Lucia
Food info sections | Eating locally
The wide range of restaurants in St. Lucia is enough to let you know that they are food lovers. There are many varieties of restaurants, cafes and fast food options that enable you to have many choices. If you are a lover of French, Italian, Pizza, Indian, seafoods and steakhouses you can locate them anywhere in St. Lucia.
Come and get a taste of the mouth watering feasts that are on offered in St. Lucia!
Built up an appetite after a morning shopping in St. Lucia, enjoying the seaside bazaars and markets? Sit back and relax in one of the many and diverse restaurants on offer, appeasing your appetite before once again hitting the track, taking in a St. Lucia Tour. For information about the cuisine of the Carribean see our Carribean Restaurant guide.
Food & Cuisine in St. Lucia
Eating out in St. Lucia
Eating out in St. Lucia has its unique charm and most eateries are found around the tourist hot spots of Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, Castries and Soufriere, all along the island's western coast. The eastern coast of the island, north of Dennery, features an inaccessible terrain and is quite sparsely populated. You will find the night life here a little less happening than on the other Caribbean islands.
The variety of food - mind boggling choices from Creole, Indian, Mexican, Nouveau American, Asian, pizzas and the unique ‘Friday Night Fish Fiestas' - will leave you spoilt for choice. Wash down the food with drinks of your choice or round it up with fresh fruits that can be purchased from the numerous road-side vendors. Make sure that the fruit you purchase is washed and peeled since stomach upsets are not on your list of travel "to do's".
You can opt for fine dining in the numerous water-front restaurants with an exotic view of the bay. Everything from local style cuisine to haute French cuisine, African, Dutch, Continental and Portuguese will be available. The fish extravaganza here is sure to beat any place in the world in variety, presentation and simply on the entertainment quotient, not to mention the very affordable prices.
St. Lucia starts its weekend right away Friday evening. The town of Gros Islet in the north of the island and the western coast fishing village of Anse-la-Raye both have ‘Friday Night Fish Fiestas' that have become so popular that they have been featured by travel magazines and television shows. The freshly caught fish prepared in the local style, the rum of your choice and music to party the night away are all part of these all-night events. However, a word of caution for women travelling on their own - though there is police around, it is advisable that you visit Gros Islet in a group.
A comparatively new alternative to Gros Islet is the ‘Fish Friday' at Anse la Rey. Though similar in concept, the Anse la Rey ‘do' concentrates on delicacies fished out of the sea such as Dorado, shrimp, lobster, lambi, octopus, whelks etc. If you have an appetite for seafood, then this is the place for you. Dennery has a Saturday ‘fish night' that gives you an option should you miss the Friday nights at the other places.
Winter is the peak season on the island, and you will need to make prior reservations for the restaurants that are fancy but also priced quite moderately. The service at most restaurants is friendly and you will often find transportation to and from your place of stay. Do not be surprised if the manager greets you as you settle down to eat your food. Take care not to go to the restaurant in your beachwear.
There are a few important things to remember on your visit here. Most of the small eateries and the road-side vendors accept only cash. So be sure to carry cash either in Eastern Caribbean Dollars or U.S. Dollars. Your change will be returned only in Eastern Caribbean Dollars. Your food bill will include an eight percent government tax and in some cases a 10 percent service tax, so that you can avoid the hassle of individual tipping. If you want to tip for service, the customary rates are 10 to 15 percent.
One of your major expenses on St. Lucia is bound to be on food, what with the amazing array of tempting cuisines available. Since this is as much a part of your visit to St. Lucia as the breathtaking beauty of the island, try out different options from the cheap road-side vendors to the exotic getaways, whether on the beach or overlooking the bay.
Opening Hours
In keeping with the unhurried life-style of the Caribbean islands, many of the eateries in St. Lucia are closed on Sundays. Your only option then is the hotel restaurants and the street vendors. During the lean season from May to November, restaurants may remain closed for weeks or have changed hours to suit the convenience of the owner, rather than the tourist. However, the normal hours for breakfast are from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., while lunch is served between noon and 2:00 p.m. and dinner is available from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Culinary Style
The culinary options offered by St. Lucia are both distinctive and varied. The Creole style is predominant in the island; this is reminiscent of French colonisation, though the British took control of St. Lucia from 1814. You will find that many eateries serve food that is typically Creole, both in flavour and preparation. However, the numerous beach bars, bistros, mom and pop restaurants, as well as the restaurant hotels, offer international cuisines such as British, Asian, Indian, Mexican, American Nouveau and Amerindian, in case you want a break from the local flavour.
Island cuisine also has a strong African influence, which can be seen in the liberal use of a tomato-based sauce along with spices, starch and innovative garnishing. Chefs in St. Lucia will be lost without spices such as cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, garlic, onions, pepper, thyme, etc. that make the food hot, fiery and rich. If these spices are not enough, add the hot pepper sauce that's present on most tables. Do not miss out on the banana ketchup made from banana and select herbs and spices. The pepperpot soup made from beef, spices and ‘callaloo', a spinach like leaf, and stews made from pig's tail and boudin or blood sausages are other delicacies that are recommended for those who would like to have a gastronomical adventure.
St. Lucia boasts of a natural abundance of fish, fruits and vegetables. The fruits available here are quite unique and for those of you who believe in natural goodness and healthy eating, go for the sweet sop, or sugar apple, which has creamy white flesh and tastes like custard. Also try out Soursop and Bwapen or breadfruit, which is eaten boiled or fried. The tropical ‘love apple' is another fruit that's worth a try.
St. Lucia is popular for its variety of fish, which is cooked in many different ways to suit a variety of taste buds. Snapper, Mahi Mahi, Tuna, Wahoo, Tatiri are some of the fishes that comprise island food. You can try the Tuna steaks, which are char-grilled and the deep-fried Tatiri. However, the national favourite is the saltfish, rich in protein, and eaten with green fig. The combination of fried saltfish and cooked banana may not quite be to your taste and you can always opt for the tasty Cod, which is used to make the ‘accra', a salty fish fritter.
Though lobsters and conch are enticing delicacies, it is advisable to try them only during the season, that is, between September and April. Popular local favourites such as the cassava, sweet potatoes and corn (often blackened) are undeniable proof of the Amerindian influence on the culinary heritage of St. Lucia.
The Indian concept of ‘curry' is quite popular on the island. A must try is the ‘colombo' made from goat, lamb or chicken. You can accompany this with the ‘roti', an Indian bread. Typical British fare such as steak and kidney pie, chips and ploughman's lunches are also available at select places.
Drinks
St. Lucia is just the place to have refreshing green coconut water, which is available in the markets and from road-side vendors. The naturally sweetened water is the perfect way to restore your energy after a long day out in the sun. All popular brands of soda are also available, to give you the feel of home.
The favourite drink of the island is rum or a rum and cola combo. St. Lucia has its own brands in the form of Bounty, Denros (strong white rum) and Old Fort Reserve Rum (dark rum). The St. Lucia Distillers, situated in the Roseau Valley, produce over twenty five varieties of rum and rum liqueurs in the Eastern Caribbean. Get your beer and rum on the rocks, at the ‘cabawes', which are also convenient shops to pick up odds and ends such as groceries and cigarettes.
If you are looking for something unconventional then go for coffee liqueurs such as Ti Tasse and La Belle Creole Black. For calorie conscious people, a low calorie version of the ‘mystic mountain brew' or Piton is recommended. Another choice is the ‘shandy', a cocktail of beer, ginger ale, and lemon or sorrel.
A Caribbean holiday in St. Lucia is all about beauty, leisure and a lazy pace. So while you are in St. Lucia, keep an open mind about the rich cultural heritage of the island, an eager palate to try out its exotic varieties and a no-hurried style to savour these culinary treats.
