Calling all food lovers! This summer, your motto needs to be all about treating yourself, so why not indulge in the best fine-dining experiences? Better yet, combine your summer getaway with the culinary experience of a lifetime when you visit any of these five excellent establishments in Antigua.
The Caribbean destination of Antigua and Barbuda is home to an impressive 365 beaches, offering the perfect getaway experience for vacationers who want to sit back, relax, and soak up the sun. The local cuisine is centred around the seafood that is so plentiful in the island’s waters, with lobster, crayfish, and conch playing starring roles. Expert chefs and restaurants have carefully curated unique dishes using the island’s best locally sourced items and rest assured – these uniquely Caribbean concoctions live up to the hype.
This summer, visit the island of Antigua and Barbuda to give your tastebuds a real treat. Don’t be afraid to embrace indulgence with these unique and luxurious cuisine experiences!
Splurge on the Seven-Course Taster Menu at Sheer Rocks
Who says dinners should only consist of a three-course meal? Certainly not the chefs at Sheer Rocks! This restaurant is aptly named, as it hangs over the edge of a cliff and overlooks Antigua’s west coast. The sounds of gentle waves and the colourful evening sky are sure to set the mood as you enjoy an impressive seven-course tasting menu featuring unique items such as fire-roasted squid, pan-fried red snapper, and other local meats, desserts, and appetizers served with a bottle of wine. Don’t worry, the restaurant also serves a plant-based tasting option featuring roasted eggplant tortellini, grilled zucchini salad, and a pineapple-coconut panna cotta, just to name a few!
Sheer Rocks uses locally-sourced foods, making sure to serve guests only the best and freshest market produce the island has to offer. If you visit St John’s while it’s lobster season, we recommend that you try the beer-battered lobster – it doesn’t get any better than that! Pair it with Sheer Rocks’ take on classic cocktails with a modern spin like the Rocks Colada or the Watermelon Martini. You can find the full list of menus on their website where reservations can also be made. Sheer Rocks is truly a one-of-a-kind experience that food lovers should not miss out on!
Let Your Tastebuds Do the Travelling at Catherine’s Café
Did you know it’s possible to be in two places at once? You can at Catherine’s Café, where the menu is curated in true classic French cuisine and situated in the heart of English Harbor in St Johns, Antigua. Allow your tastebuds to do the travelling this summer at Catherine’s Café where you can find meals from brunch until dinner. Their “brunch and beach menu” is a great way to start off a luxurious day, after all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day so why not make the most of it? From savoury to sweet, Catherine’s Café has it all! For savoury-food lovers, try out the poached lobster served with Tobiko Mayonaise and fresh herbs. If you’re craving something sweet, then you should choose the blistered plantain, drizzled with a honey glaze. You get what you pay for, and at Catherine’s Café, you get an amazing fine-dining experience located along the serene beachfront of the English Harbor.
Try the Adventurous Fusion Menu Offered at MAIA South Point
For food lovers who can’t make a decision on what they want to eat, we recommend visiting MAIA South Point, where their Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fusion menu is sure to impress! Combining international dishes with locally-sourced foods, MAIA South Point wants to offer all visitors a chance to experience a blend of fine cuisines all in one meal! For lunch, choose between the many farm-to-table dishes such as the Faroe Islands salmon or the MAIA Asian tuna tartare. The restaurant offers an impressive wine collection, including traditional rice wines to complement your unique meals. The eclectic atmosphere is paired with daily local musicians and performers who elevate the romantic, fine-dining experience to another level.
Don’t worry if you didn’t pack for a fancy occasion because another unique feature of this fine-dining restaurant is that the dress attire is casual-friendly so you can feel right at home. MAIA South Point is the perfect place to enjoy the fine-dining experience without having to dress up and potentially spill your delectable meal over your fancy clothes. After you enjoy your lunch, you can literally jump right into the waters – the restaurant’s deck sits over the waters and allows visitors to tie up paddleboards and access the restaurant through the water.
Sample a deep Pan-Asian menu at Rokuni
This recent addition to the Rocks Group portfolio of restaurants (of which Sheer Rocks is, naturally, a member) has been making serious waves with its novel pairing of immaculate Asian cuisine with an idyllic Caribbean locale. Nestled into a cliff on Antigua’s eastern shore, Rokuni has all the trappings of a luxury hideaway, sporting a massive pool, verdant pavilions, and plenty of comfortable loungers and king-size poster beds. Nepalese-born Head Chef Rana Magar and award-winning Rocks Group Executive Chef Simon Christey-French have collaborated to realize a fresh, sustainably sourced menu that pays homage to the many great cuisines of Asia. An exhaustive dim sum menu features favourites like glazed pork bao buns, miso garlic snails, and togarashi calamari. The rest of the menu is equally appetizing, headlined by palate-pleasing dishes like crispy duck pancakes, bibimbap, and ceviche. The drinks menu is similarly impressive: in addition to the signature Rocks Group cocktails, you’ll want to try Rokuni specialties like the Nashi Mule (with ginger beer), the Mekong Mojito, and the Rokuni Rocks – a must-try for lovers of yuzu!
It should be noted that a meal at Rokuni is more than just a culinary experience. With its resort-like accommodations, Rokuni also offers lunch passes and experience packages that provide access to the pool and majestic views of the ocean. Sleep off an incredible meal in a sunkissed lounge chair as the kids play in the pool…and then wake up and order another round. You can have it all at Rokuni.
Special Mention: Antigua Vintage Tea House
This newsletter’s final entry may not strictly be a fine dining restaurant, but that’s okay…because it’s a fine dining teahouse! Stunning rainforest views and proximity to ziplining excursions aside, this tranquil, classy venue on Fig Tree Drive has an elegant yet cozy style all its own. Beanbags await patrons under shady trees while mulberry-colored tables dot the breezy, open-air pavilion. Proving that the quintessential British tea experience is still alive and well in the Caribbean, the Antigua Vintage Tea House nonetheless offers a regional twist on storied teatime favorites. Cheeseboards of all stripes, Victoria Sponge, and scones (served, of course, with locally made tropical jam) are ideal companions to a spot of whichever type of tea you favor. The Tea House offers the very best hand-picked, organic blends from The Paddling Duck – a homegrown tea company with a lemongrass blend that is to die for. It’s all presented on vintage china with real 24-karat engravings, giving you plenty to visually appreciate even as you dive into a sterling breakfast menu that features wholesome food from local farms and artisans.
