Top Barbados Eateries
Zagat, the company said to originate crowd-sourcing for travel information, has released its listings of the top restaurants in Barbados. They’re divided into a variety of subsets.
This year, “Top Food” honors go to Zen in The Crane (a residential resort) at St. Philip, Barbados. It features classic Thai and Japanese cuisine overlooking Crane Beach. There’s are traditional Tatami rooms, a sushi bar and the option for guests to enjoy private dining. The Cliff and The Tides, both in St. James, follow as two and three for food.
The Cliff also takes No.1 for décor thanks to its “ultra-romantic” seaside setting, with Wispers on the Bay, Bridgetown St. Michael, in second place.
The Tides is No.1 in the “Top Service” category. This year’s Most Popular restaurant according to Zagat is the “unforgettable” Champers (that’s one of their entrées in the photo, above left), Christ Church, said to be “all you could want in a restaurant”.
The guide includes a list of “Best Buys” in Barbados, restaurants with high food scores and low price tags. Topping this list are The Ackee Tree, Christ Church; Shakers Bar & Grill, Christ Church, and Bean & Bagel Café, locations in St. James and St. Michael.
The 2010 Best of Barbados guide also comes with “An insider’s guide to Rum Shops of Barbados,” written by Peter Laurie, author of The Barbadian Rum Shop – The Other Watering Hole. The Barbadian rum shop is an iconic part of the culture and heritage, with more than 1000 on the island. Just a few on Laurie’s extensive list include Braddie’s Bar in Christ Church (lively atmosphere, pork chops and Friday night karaoke), Village Bar in St. John (Saturday pudding) and John Moore Bar in St. James, said to be the most famous rum shop on the island’s west coast.
The 2010 Best of Barbados is available from the Barbados Tourism Authority, as is all sorts of information on traveling to the Caribbean island.