Anguilla Restaurants: Where to Dine, With the Best Restaurant Picks by Area

The best Anguilla restaurants are spread across four areas. On Shoal Bay East you have Uncle Ernie’s, Gwen’s and Madeariman. Island Harbour has Falcon’s Nest and Scilly Cay, Anguilla’s boat-access lunch spot. Meads Bay has Blanchards and Blanchards Beach Shack, and Cap Juluca on Maundays Bay has Pimms and The Cap Shack. Anguilla was named the Caribbean’s Leading Culinary Destination at the 2024 World Travel Awards.

We are Leigh and Dave, and Villa Okeanos sits on the ridge above Shoal Bay East, at the quieter end of the island. Guests ask us where to eat more than anything else, so this is our list of restaurants in Anguilla, sorted by area, with a note on local food to order.

Anguilla restaurants at a glance

Which Shoal Bay Anguilla restaurants are worth it?

These sit on the sand at Shoal Bay East, a short drive down the hill from the house, so you can eat without packing up your chairs.

Uncle Ernie’s

An institution since 1984, in the middle of the bay. Cheeseburgers, BBQ and a cold drink. It is open daily for lunch except Tuesday.

Gwen’s Reggae Bar and Grill

The easiest introduction to eating here. Grilled fish, ribs and chairs you can sit in all afternoon. Relaxed rather than refined, and that is the appeal.

Elodia’s

Set on a quieter stretch, with a calmer room than the busy middle of the bay. Good crayfish and good rum punch. You can also park here.

Madeariman, Olas and Tropical Sunset

Madeariman is one of the most popular places on Shoal Bay to spend an afternoon, with salads, burgers, stone-oven pizza and Caribbean favorites. Olas does tacos, quesadillas and frozen margaritas. Tropical Sunset pairs piña coladas with chairs and umbrellas.

L’Etoile and 20 Knots

For a special dinner on the east end, L’Etoile at Manoah Boutique Hotel serves refined French-Caribbean cuisine in one of the most dramatic settings on the bay. 20 Knots at Zemi Beach House offers a tasting menu and takes reservations through OpenTable. Book both ahead in high season.

Where to eat in Anguilla for local seafood: Island Harbour

Island Harbour is a fishing village on the east end, close to us, and some of the most memorable dining experiences on the island happen here.

• Scilly Cay: a family-run, electricity-free restaurant on a tiny island just off Island Harbour, run by the Wallace family. You wait on the pier and a boat brings you over. It opens for lunch on Wednesdays and Sundays, so check before you go.
• Falcon’s Nest: right by the wharf where the fishermen bring in the catch, so the mahi, snapper and lobster have real freshness.
• Lime Keel House: a West Indian cottage run by the Lloyd family, with the most fun Friday night in Island Harbour and live music on weekends.
• Ben’s Pit Stop: where you go for good food rather than a view.
• Artisan: pizza when the group wants something easy.

Also on the east end, Nat’s Palm Grove Bar and Grill at Junks Hole on Savannah Bay is known for johnnycakes and Nat’s own hot pepper sauce.

Tasty’s and chef Dale Carty in South Hill

Dale Carty is one of Anguilla’s most highly regarded chefs. He trained in the French kitchen at Malliouhana before opening Tasty’s, and today he runs Tasty’s POV in South Hill, known for creative Caribbean cuisine and scenic views. South Hill is on the way to the West End from our side of the island, so it works well as a stop on the drive.

What are the best restaurants in Anguilla on the West End?

Much of the best Anguilla dining sits on the West End, on the far side of the island from us. Plan a whole evening around the drive.

Blanchards and Blanchards Beach Shack, Meads Bay

Blanchards was opened in 1994 by Bob and Melinda Blanchard, with Melinda as chef, and it is one of the names guests ask us about most. Next door, the Beach Shack serves fish tacos, hot dogs, fries and seafood for lunch and dinner. It is the casual version of the same family’s cooking, known for its hospitality. Both close on Sundays.

Cap Juluca, Maundays Bay

Cap Juluca has four restaurants along the bay. Pimms is the flagship, bringing the elegance of the Caribbean to seafood and local ingredients. The Cap Shack, right on the sand, serves Anguilla’s national dish, grilled lobster and authentic Caribbean cookery. Uchu brings Peruvian flavors and Japanese technique, and Cip’s by Cipriani does Italian with views of the Caribbean Sea. Private dining can also be arranged.

Four Seasons, Barnes Bay

At the Four Seasons, the Sunset Lounge is an open-air lounge over Barnes Bay with sushi, aged rums and a cocktail at golden hour. The resort also runs SALT, a blufftop restaurant, Bamboo Bar and Grill, and Café Nai for coffee and pastries.

Other West End and Sandy Ground favorites

• Straw Hat: oceanfront since the mid-1990s, known for its lobster johnnycake Benedict at breakfast.
• Jacala: French dining near the water, run by chef Alain Laurent.
• Veya: known as the “Treehouse of Anguilla,” with elevated Caribbean flavors in a garden setting.
• Mango’s Seaside Grill, Barnes Bay: relaxed dining with grilled whole snapper.
• B&D’s BBQ: affordable ribs, chicken and johnnycake.
• Sunshine Shack, Rendezvous Bay: a bar on the sand for grilled food and drinks.
• Johnno’s, Sandy Ground: a stop in the island’s liveliest village, with Sunday jazz. Sandy Ground is also where the nightlife happens.

Anguilla food: what should you order?

• Rice and peas with fish, Anguilla’s national dish. “Peas” covers pigeon peas and other beans.
• Lobster and crayfish, grilled, in Island Harbour or at a beach restaurant.
• Fresh fish such as mahi and snapper, straight off the boats.
• Ribs and chicken from the grill at B&D’s.
• Johnnycakes, a local fried bread, with almost anything.

How pricey are restaurants in Anguilla?

Anguilla splits fairly cleanly into two kinds of restaurant. There are the resort dining rooms, where you book ahead and dress smart casual, and there are local kitchens and beach bars where you just turn up. Most guests do a mix: two or three nights out somewhere memorable, the rest at home or picked up on the drive back.

Menu prices are generally quoted in US dollars. Many restaurants add a service charge, so check the bill before you add a tip.

Eating in, which more people do than expect to

Villa Okeanos has a fully equipped kitchen and a Napoleon gas grill, so groups tend to cook more than they planned. Breakfast almost always happens at home, and so does the last drink of the night at the outdoor bar. We can have the house provisioned with groceries before you arrive, and a private chef menu can be arranged when you book. Arriving late on your first trip and finding nothing open is avoidable.

Practical tips for dining options in Anguilla

• Book ahead in high season. Between January and April the well-known tables go fast.
• Rent a car. Restaurants are spread across the island and taxis add up over a week. The arrival guide covers getting onto the island.
• Check opening days. Many places open only on certain days, Scilly Cay, Uncle Ernie’s and Blanchards included.
• Ask us for the current list. Places change hands, and we would rather tell you what is good this season.