Where to Eat Local on St. Croix: Our Captain’s Favorite Bites

Ask anyone on our crew where to eat on St. Croix and you’ll get an answer, usually with a lot of hand waving. Ask our captain, Capt. Matt, and he won’t hesitate. This is a short, honest guide: his two personal favorites, the local dishes every visitor should try, and how to fit a good meal around a day on the water. Menus, hours and prices change, so check with each place before you go.

The captain’s picks

These are Capt. Matt’s own favorites, in his words.

“The conch in butter sauce from El Sol Restaurant”

El Sol Bar & Restaurant is in Estate Peter’s Rest, a short drive southwest of Christiansted near Sion Farm. It serves a mix of local favorites, Latin American dishes and classic American meals, and its seafood includes seasonal conch, which a Royal Caribbean guide describes as served in a garlic butter sauce. That’s the plate the captain orders. Octopus gets the same garlic butter treatment if you want to branch out, and the kitchen also turns out pot fish, kingfish and steaks. Save room for the sides: mofongo, tostones, rice and beans and sweet plantains. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, and it’s a relaxed spot for a full Crucian meal. Conch is seasonal, so ask what’s on the menu the day you go.

“The Johnny Cake stuffed with open-pit rotisserie chicken from Chicken Shack”

The Chicken Shack is La Reine Chicken Shack, a local institution on Route 75 in Kingshill, in the middle of the island between Christiansted and Frederiksted. Its chicken is slow-roasted over wood coals, and its johnnycakes have a big following of their own. Put the two together, the way Capt. Matt does, and you have one of the most satisfying lunches on St. Croix: smoky, juicy chicken inside warm, crisp-edged fried bread. Grab napkins, and maybe a second one for the drive. It’s popular with locals and visitors alike, so expect a line at lunchtime and go early if you can.

Local dishes to try

Crucian food is hearty, generous and full of flavor. A few classic dishes to look out for on menus, at food stands and at festivals (VI Food Tours has a longer list):

• Patés. Golden fried pastries filled with spiced beef, chicken, conch, saltfish or vegetables. They’re the island’s grab-and-go lunch, best with a cold local drink like passion fruit, tamarind or sorrel.
• Johnnycakes. Fried bread that’s a little sweet and a little salty, served alongside chicken or fish, or (see above) stuffed with it.
• Fish and fungi. Fungi is a cornmeal dish made with okra, and served with boiled fish it’s what many locals will tell you is the true Crucian plate.
• Kallaloo. A thick stew of local leafy greens and okra, often cooked with pigtail or local seafood and served over fungi. It also comes vegetarian.
• Conch. You’ll find it stewed, in butter sauce or fried as fritters on menus across the island.

Something sweet

Gooseberry stew is a local favorite made from a small, tart fruit cooked down until sweet. Spoon it over ice cream or eat it straight, but watch for the tiny seeds. And if you see Armstrong’s ice cream, try the banana: it’s made from a Danish recipe dating back to 1900, and other island flavors include mango, pineapple, gooseberry, coconut and passion fruit.

A taste of Cruzan rum

St. Croix’s best-known export is made right here. The Cruzan Rum Distillery at Estate Diamond, on the west side of the island, runs a guided walking tour of about an hour that ends with samples and cocktails at its tasting bar, with Master Distiller Gary Nelthropp’s rums on the menu. Reservations are required and are made online, and it’s a walking tour, so wear comfortable closed shoes. On our trips, adults get a Cruzan Rum Punch on the ride home from Buck Island, served once we’re outside the park boundaries. More on the island’s rum and other land-based stops is in our guide to St. Croix on land.

Festival food

If your trip lines up with one, island festivals are some of the best places to eat local. The Festival Village at the Crucian Christmas Festival in Frederiksted is packed with food vendors serving traditional Crucian dishes, and AgriFest, the St. Croix Agriculture and Food Fair, is held each February at Estate Lower Love (UVI). Come hungry to both.

Pair a good meal with a day on the water

Food and boats go well together on St. Croix:

• Lunch after the Half Day Snorkel. Our Half Day Snorkel leaves from Christiansted and is back about 3.5 hours later, just in time for lunch in town, or a short drive to El Sol.
• Bring it on board. Lunch isn’t included on our trips, which keeps them more affordable, but you’re welcome to bring your own and our boats have cold storage. Picking up patés or chicken and johnnycakes for a Buck Island day is a very local move.
• Dinner after sunset. There’s no dinner on our two-hour sunset cruises, so plan to eat before or after. Christiansted’s restaurants and the historic downtown are right there when you step off the boat onto the boardwalk, so you can walk to dinner.
• Catering on a private charter. On a private charter, ask us about catering when you book.

With several boats departing from both Christiansted and Green Cay Marina, please check your confirmation for your departure point, or call us at (340) 773-2628 with any questions.