591656 Wed Jan 28 14:19:32 -0800 2009 10 54 Caribbean 0 4366839 We are going for a long weekend getaway to the Bahamas in May (staying at the Hilton Colonial in Nassau) and wanted to get some ideas where to eat good LOCAL food. I am sure we will spend a few hours on the Paradise Island and from reading other posts it seems we should try the Fish Fry- right? Also, maybe somebody stayed at that hotel or in the immediate area and can suggest something close by . Also, what is worth trying other than conch fritters and rice with peas? I am not very familiar wit Caribbean cuisine, so any suggestions will be appreciated. Wed Jan 28 14:19:32 -0800 2009 147538 polish_girl 1 4381933 We are going in a few weeks, I'll report back as we really like to eat with the locals as well. We'll be on Paradise Island but will venture to Nassau often. Mon Feb 02 17:52:51 -0800 2009 4366839 49588 lexpatti 2 4458902 We just got back, but had a kitchen as we did timeshare right there next to Atlantis (actually tucked in between Marina Village and Harborside). We prefer local native food, where the tourist don't go but keep in mind we walked at lot to keep the lbs from creeping up on us. We found a great place on Paradise Isl for our last night, overlooking the harbor - excellent food at decent prices ($18-$40 entres, $7-$10 apps) called Columbus Tavern. Ambiance was great, food was phenominal, service was fantastic (we found this was lacking a bit throughout our dining experiences - except for the real native local places - Potter's Cay (under the bridge) and Fish Fry at Arawak Cay - awesome friendly folks (several restaurants are there, everyone said Seafood Heaven was the best as was Twin Brothers - we did Seafood Heaven and loved it. Have a blast, you won't be disappointed if you just accept that it is expensive. Water Taxi is the best way to get to Paradise Island and back (we saw Nicholas Cage - waved to us from his yacht outside his home). If you like cigars, do Graycliff (very close to your hotel) - tour the factory and watch them doing/rolling them. Easy walk to the base of the exit bridge to Potter's Cay - Mckenzies is fantastic and the most crowded for great local food. You'll see many vendors set up under the bridge, it's a real local gathering - some though didn't seem sanitary but McKenzies was awesome. All local native food, fantastic - I fell in love with conch, especially conch salad but really enjoyed snapper and grouper - l kept hearing that I should have gotten the crab rice, also loved their peas and rice (which was pigeon peas, more like beans to me). We had cracked conch which is very similar to fried calamari, we had conch fritters, I almost got the scorched conch but they said it was very similar to the salad which I'm bummed that I can't make this at home (I'm going to make it with tiny maine shrimp just to get that flavor again). One place we heard about from people like us who love local native food was the Nassau Stadium (??) but never made it there. Have a blast, hope that helps. Fri Feb 27 15:03:10 -0800 2009 4381933 49588 lexpatti 3 4459699 Thanks, this is very helpful. I will print this, so we won't miss anything! Fri Feb 27 21:11:57 -0800 2009 4458902 147538 polish_girl 4 4460685 check it out, conch salad (my first time posting a pic) Sat Feb 28 10:39:50 -0800 2009 4459699 49588 lexpatti 1 4649579 When are you going to be in Nassau? Junkanoo is a big style of parade and celebration here, and If you are here on the 16th, one of the major groups has a float parade and rush out. Rush out will start within a walk of the Hilton and continues out to Awarak Cay. There will be lots of stuff going on in Arawak Cay that day, including lots of BBQ stands, the permanent restaurants at Fish Fry, music, and lots of stuff! Keep in mind that gratuities are included at all restaurants in Nassau and PI except at Fish Fry! Conch fritters are definitely worth trying, but there are good ones and then there are doughy and greasy ones. Potters Cay and Arawak Cay are good places to try them. Conch chowder and conch salad are must tries as well. Cracked conch is also really good. You'll see a lot of grouper and snapper on local menus too, cooked in lots of different ways, and often caught fresh. Peas & rice......well.......depends on if you like rice with peas. It's really popular with locals, but it isn't anything particularly special. If you're staying at the Hilton, there is "Conch Fritters" across the street. I admit, I can't vouch for the food there anymore, since I haven't been since they reopened it after a brief closure about 3 years ago. If you're looking for a really nice meal while here, check out Cafe Matisse (walking distance from the Hilton) - eat out in the courtyard.....it's a beautiful setting. Not "Local" food, but one of our favourite restaurants. http://www.cafe-matisse.com/ (the pictures don't do it justice, though) For a really innovative and fabulous meal, check out the Shogun Revolver - a longer walk or a short cab ride. http://www.shogunrevolver.com/ Chef Michael's Faith Menu is always fabulous! Definitely some of our best meals here. While here, take the water taxi over to PI and back - $6 return. It leaves from the docks behind the Straw Market around the corner from the Hilton. Have a blast! Sun May 03 04:37:10 -0700 2009 4366839 11572 Food on the brain 2 4653285 Just got back from Nassau on Saturday, having stayed at the Hilton. I can report that "Conch Fritters" across the street from the hotel is atrocious. My wife and I had the single worst meal of our trip there (a literally inedible grilled conch). AVOID AT ALL COST. That said, we had some great food as well, so here you go: Arawak Cay Fish Fry: As stated many times before on this board, it's the place to go for some fantastic local fare. Conch Salad (my wife and I literally ate this every other day during our trip), Crack Conch, Conch Fritters, all great. We usually hit either Seafood Haven or Twin Brothers. You'll be happy with either. There are some streetside joints just east of the Fish Fry that are great as well. We had a grilled conch from a simple black barbecue setup - it was as great as the one from "Conch Fritters" was bad. For non-local fare, I'll second the above posts. Cafe Matisse is very good Italian, with a really pleasant patio. A great place for lunch. Shogun Revolver was awesome. You'll pay a pretty penny (well, not just here, anywhere really) but you won't regret it for a moment once you taste their food. The drinks are awesome too - really inventive and tasty as hell. It could stand up to most places in NYC. GO HERE. Luciano's of Chicago was pretty good as well. Again, on the pricey side, but some very tasty Italian (Tuscan?) offerings. Don't ask me why it's "of Chicago"... We didn't hit Graycliff, but did go to The Humidor, it's attached Brazilian churrascaria. It was very nice (great wines as well) and the grounds are stunning. It was worth it for the tour of their cigar-rolling operations and a nice walk around the garden if nothing else. The meat was very good as well, and I'm still craving the grilled pineapple. If you like churrascaria and you're tired of seafood, give it a shot. Finally, don't be afraid of the Filipino restaurant behind the Straw Market (next to the nauseating Senor Frog's)! It's a total hole in the wall and a little bit intimidating (read: minimal-to-no descriptions of the menu items and a staff who have trouble articulating what exactly they are), but it was damn good and CHEAP! My wife and I ate lunch there, just looking for something different that wouldn't break the bank and were totally shocked by how good the food was. Here's an endorsement: When we were in there, there were three other parties, all of them Filipino, and all of them looked pretty happy with the food. Have a great time - you'll spend $$, especially for the more upscale joints, but you can find some deals if you're adventurous and willing to explore a bit. Mon May 04 12:23:52 -0700 2009 4649579 191670 taystahl 3 4653561 Well, good to hear that Conch Fritters is no better since it reopened than before! :-) Hubby once deducted all the gratuity when he paid the bill. As I said above, Matisse is one of our favourites, especially in terms of atmosphere, and Shogun is phenomenal. Chef Michael has started doing some fabulous wine paired dinners about every 4 to 6 weeks that are absolutely fabulous. A group of us who are all foodies all agree that 2 Saturdays ago was the best meal any of us had had in a very long time! DEFINITE MUST GO! Luciano's - nice view, food is ok. Glad you had a good visit, taystahl......glad you had some good Chow! Mon May 04 13:35:28 -0700 2009 4653285 11572 Food on the brain 4 4701399 Wow, I will have to print this post again.... thanks for all the great info! We are leaving this Friday, coming back Monday so we won't have much time but I am sure we will still have a chance to enjoy some good food. My foodie daughter (16) is already talking about a conch salad and a Bahama Mama(virgin of course). Husband will eat anything, but prefers simple local food. I feel pretty ready for this quick trip, just have one , not really food related question-is it legal to bring one of these beautiful conch shells back to the US? Wed May 20 13:25:39 -0700 2009 4653561 147538 polish_girl 1 4955614 the Clay Oven at 100 West Bay makes excellent Indian at very reasonable prices. Better the London and as good as Omars in Nha Trang. *8 of us went and had 30 plates, mango lassis, and 3 breads. Everything was excellent. Tue Aug 18 07:57:01 -0700 2009 4366839 13468 Fritz 2 4995343 we ended up at Clay oven 3 times in total. Very consistent. We went back to an old fave, Matisse. While it was very good, it didn't thrill us like before. At Atlantis, I have new found respect for Nobu and Flays Mesa Grill. Both were excellent though of course, exorbitant. Murrays was pretty good to for "inexpensive". Bahamian Kitchen in ton is also very good and reasonable place where the locals have lunch. Tue Sep 01 06:57:10 -0700 2009 4955614 13468 Fritz