Cayman Islands’ Best Restaurants • Where to Eat in the Cayman Islands

Feb 16, 2021by Sarah Peterson

Searching for the best restaurants in the Cayman Islands?

The Cayman Islands is known as the “Culinary Capital of the Caribbean” for a reason.

The Islands offer a variety of cuisine ranging from local dishes tied to Jamaican cuisine with British influences, to Italian, Caribbean, Indian, and other international flavours with a local twist.

Find almost every style of dining in the Cayman Islands. Whether you’re looking to have an elegant table for two at an oceanfront, casual dining with friends, or quick, budget-friendly snacks for on-the-go tourists, you won't leave hungry from the Cayman Islands.

Caymanian Food: Your Guide to the Cayman Islands’ Cuisine

The Cayman Islands cuisine is known for using fresh and quality ingredients. Dishes are prepared with fresh seafood, vegetables and spice.

Cayman style lobster is a popular delicacy or you can also try their jerk chicken if you're craving some juicy meat.

Since the Cayman Islands is also home to conches, you can't leave the island without tasting their rich and thick conch stew or cracked conch made with fried conch. Turtle stew is another dish favoured by locals as turtling is a long-time Caymanian tradition.

Foodies looking for epicurean escape will enjoy the wide array of dining options!

9 Best Restaurants in the Cayman Islands

Here’s a roundup of the best restaurants to try in the Cayman Islands.

#1. Anchor & Den

Where to eat in Cayman Islands

Visit Anchor & Den at Grand Cayman Marriott Hotel to satisfy whatever you crave at the moment.. The restaurant features a mix of global flavours in its menu.

One of their signature dishes is the sought-after, well-seasoned braised short rib gnocchi. Their tasty lobster quesadilla is mouth-watering and contains at least a full lobster tail meat. There's also a raw bar filled with freshly prepared good food including salmon, sashimi, sushi and more.

Enjoy the live music and different theme nights like Asian night, Moroccan night, Tapas night, and Burger night!

Neighbourhood: Grand Cayman

Type: Caribbean, Bar, Seafood, International, Sushi, American

Best for: Families, couples, or groups, live music fans

#2. Chicken! Chicken!

Where to eat in Cayman Islands

For home-style Caribbean cuisine, Chicken! Chicken! is favoured by locals and tourists alike. Their soft and creamy mashed potato matches the savoury and tender chicken. If you're into spicy foods like a true Caymanian, try out their jerk chicken with rice and beans.

Neighbourhood: West Bay, Grand Cayman

Type: Caribbean

Best for: Families with children or groups looking for local cuisine

#3. Blue by Eric Ripert

Blue by Eric Ripert at Ritz-Carlton is the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant in the Caribbean.

They specialize in local seafood. Don’t miss their tuna foie gras on a toasted baguette, draped with thinly pounded yellow-fish tuna with chives and olive oil as garnish. It melts in the mouth and tastes great with wine.

Neighbourhood: Grand Cayman

Type: Seafood

Best for: Couples, friends, business travellers

#4. Bacaro

Where to eat in Cayman Islands

Visit Bacaro if you want an authentic Italian tapas restaurant and bar. Have a glass of wine or handcrafted cocktail inside the airy dining room or at the terrace which overlooks passing sailboats.

Aside from the great view, savour their specialties like the marinated grilled octopus which is perfectly cooked or the lightly battered lobster bites. Take note that the happy hour specials are available when seated at the bar!

Neighbourhood: Yacht Drive, West Bay at Grand Cayman

Type: Italian, Seafood, European, Contemporary

Best for: Business or family events, couples, and friends

#5. Islands Naturals Cafe

Where to eat in Cayman Islands

Fresh and healthy foods await vegetarians (or not) at Island Naturals Cafe. This cafe near Seven Mile Beach has a nutritious and delicious menu.

Get their baked falafel wrap with all the flavours and texture working well together. It contains chickpea falafel patties, mixed greens, tomato, onion, tahini sauce served with cashew tzatziki. For a perfect balance of spicy and crunchy, try their green coconut curry over quinoa!

Neighbourhood: Earth Close, Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman

Type: Cafe

Best for: Vegetarians, solo travellers, couples

#6. XQ's Pizza Bar Grill

Where to eat in Cayman Islands

Head to XQ's Pizza Bar Grill at the south end of Seven Mile Beach for an affordable and delicious lunch or snack.

Their brick oven pizza comes in the thick or thin crust in a variety of flavours including vegetarian, meaty, or cheesy pizza for sharing with your friends or kids.

Enjoy some palate-tempting pasta including the fettuccine a la puttanesca tossed in Naples' classic sauce or house-made pan-seared gnocchi prepared with trio mushrooms, almonds, wilted spinach and shaved manchego. Plus, their happy hour has great and cheap deals!

Neighbourhood: Grand Cayman

Type: Italian, Pizza, International

Best for: Friends or families with kids

#7. The Brasserie

Where to eat in Cayman Islands

The Brasserie is known for being the leader of sustainable cooking in the Cayman Islands. They have a wide selection of home-grown produce for their vegan lunches and local catches for seafood meals.

Their tuna tartare has soy flavour coming from the tuna chunks while the seafood pasta is flavourful and not overly buttered. For the salad, try a hearty pumpkin salad with lightly cooked walnuts and cheese that adds the right amount of flavour to your food.

The bread basket is also a hit for diners. It’s a combination of multi-grain buns and flatbreads with bowls of hummus and oil with toasted chickpeas as a dip. Save room for desserts like their chocolate lava cake and rich and velvety homemade ice cream!

Neighbourhood: Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman

Type: Caribbean, Seafood, Fusion

Best for: Vegetarians and seafood-lovers

#8. Veranda

The Veranda is an oceanfront restaurant with vintage and bohemian chic decor. Enjoy the culinary experience while looking at the pristine Caribbean sea from your table.

Veranda always prepares its dishes with fresh catches. That’s why dishes like Cayman style bouillabaisse and Caribbean fish and chips has balanced flavours and texture.

Their Lobster Fete night every Wednesday has an all-you-can-eat or ordering à la carte option. The lobster and avocado salad, lobster bisque and Caribbean grilled lobster are just some of the dishes to choose from. Pair it with wine and enjoy the feast.

Neighbourhood: Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort

Type: International

Best for: Families with kids, foodies, live music fans

#9. The Falls Steakhouse

Longing for an old-style house dinner? Relax and enjoy your food at The Falls Steakhouse.

The flavourful filet mignon is so tender you won’t have a hard time cutting it and it comes with a vegetable and steak sauce. There's a wide selection of wine to choose from that would go well with steak. You can also have a tasty salmon steak that you can pair with garlic mashed potatoes and cream spinach.

Neighbourhood: Canal Point Drive around Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman

Type: American, Steakhouse, Contemporary

Best for: Friends, couples, business meetings

Sarah Peterson

@sarah

Sarah Peterson

@sarah

Sarah Peterson is the co-founder and head of marketing at FLIGHTFŪD. She's a travel health expert and after having visited 20+ countries as a digital nomad and flying every 4-6 weeks for business, she became passionate about empowering others to protect their bodies on the go.