TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Lunch in Grand Case or at Orient

Looking for LUNCH in Grand Case (ocean side only please!) or somewhere on Orient. High end French only, NOT interested in sushi at all. I loathe techno, loud music. I thinking Ocean 82. Anyone know if they serve souffles there for lunch? I'm open to other suggestions, for sure. The last time we went, Tropicana was NOT serving souffles for lunch. Does anyone know if that has changed?

You might want to try Nice in GC. Not as upscale as Ocean 82, but the food is excellent. We've always been full from dinner, so never looked at the dessert menu.

Carol, unfortunately most of the restaurants that fit your description ("high end French") are not open for lunch in GC. Like Le Cottage, L'Auberge Gourmande, Bistrot Caraibes, La Villa, Le Pressoir... they're only open for dinner as far as I know. Ocean 82, Nice SXM (as mentioned above), and Rainbow Cafe might be your few options. I doubt you'll find your souffle and you might find music you don't want (looking at you Rainbow haha).

cruzer--Thanks. I have heard people talk about Nice in the past. Not to ask a stupid question, but it is pronounced NIECE? John--Yes, Rainbow never was on the list.

Suggestions on Orient?

Coco has a very nice lunch. And if you want to make it a day, you could shell out the $25 for the chairs & umbrella for the day. We always treat ourselves to (at least) one day here. The service is great on the beach and the restaurant.

Kathleen--thanks for the recommendation. When we go for a really nice lunch, I don't want to be hot and sweaty before sitting down to a great lunch, so we never do a beach day, combined with that lunch (except at Anse Marcel Beach Club). We go for a nice, leisurely late lunch, toddle home afterward and then are usually in for the evening!

Where is Coco these days? I get so confused, with all the restaurants switching all around. Do they or anyone else on Orient have a price fixe 3 course meal?

Yes, Carol, it is pronounced like niece (the city in France).

we went to Ocean 82 for a very late lunch (early dinner) at 4:30 and it was too early to get the Grand Marnier souffle.

lcote--thanks
cruzer--thanks

Re Coco - I get confused. It's either the left turn BEFORE or AFTER the turn to Esmeralda; it's signed so you shouldn't have a problem finding it. You go to the end of the street, and there it is, with its own parking lot. Some of my best meals have been there. I think WendyK told me they no longer have fixed-price offerings so it's a spendy day. It is a very similar day to being at Anse Marcel, except the water sometimes isn't as nice as at AM. It's a lovely day, and throwing in a towel and bottle of water with the chairs is a nice touch.

Linda--thanks. I looked at their lunch menu online and it does seem kind of pricy. As I said, we'd just be going for the meal, not the day. If anyone could confirm for sure whether they are still doing the price-fixe offers, that would be helpful.

Our favorite high-end lunch in either Grand Case or Orient is definitely Coco. Yes, it's pricey, but isn't that the definition of high-end?

They are definitely NOT doing a fixed price menu right now. I just messaged with Antoine a little while ago and he confirmed this as fact.

Georgia--not necessarily.

bdeeley--thanks.

The owners of fine dining restaurant Les Galets in Jardin de Orient have taken over the operation of Aloha on Orient Beach. I am not sure if they are open yet but that might be another option.

Hi. We don't go until June, so that might give them time to open. Will keep an eye out to see if they do.

If the ocean view is not absolutely required I suggest trying Bacchus (Hope Estate, i.e. just outside GC) for lunch. We've never eaten better food in GC and it's a very pleasant space to dine.
Dave.

Dave--thanks for the input, but I really want ocean view. I might go by there and get something to go. They have pre-prepared stuff, right? Or am I thinking of someplace else?

Carol,
What about Sunset Cafe at GCBC? They must be open for lunch and you can't get a better water view!!

Yeah, I thought about GCBC, but it seems like it's a real PITA to be able to park there. I don't want to have to park outside the gate and walk a long distance, which is what people had been reporting you have to do.

If you have distance walking issues I bet you could call them and explain that you want to have lunch but can't do the long walk from outside of the gate..they may let you park inside......just a thought and worth a try!!!

Bacchus is probably the nicest lunch/experience on this island without a view.

They have multiple smaller locations that sell bakery good/cold cuts and such but the Hope Estate one is the main location with a huge wine/liquor selection and a lunch only restaurant.

Its like a 2-3hour lunch type place akin to a nice place in France itself.

Worth a try at least once.

Obgirl--I recall people asking the same thing before in the past and having been told no. Seems like too much trouble, just to be able to spend money.

erb--I'll consider it.

Another possibility you might consider is Calmos cafe? I thought they were open for lunch but I could be wrong....and not sure of the menu...but that will be on our list when we arrive later this month!

I actually loved Calmos from before, but I'm talking an upscale meal, and Calmos isn't really that.

Nor is it open for lunch,

OK, thanks.

erb923 has it right, Bacchus Express (Hope Estate, Sandy Ground, Marigot - I think) for decent to-go stuff, Bacchus resto for a memorable lunch but definitely no ocean view. The Bacchus deli/wine shop is worth a visit too, same place as the restaurant.
Dave.

Where’s the time machine to take it back to Dreams

TravelHat--For sure!!! DREAMS!

The best meal I ever ate

We enjoyed lunch at Java when we were in Grand Case last week. Nice ocean view!

In my humble opinion it's high end gourmet food at orange fever. Kitchen is open until at least 3 great view,great food,great people. And great french fries!
Tropicana doesn't have souffle at lunch & only at dinner if she has a certain amount ordered & that was January. Thankfully we had just enough for it to happen. I heard a rumour she may retire this summer. Good luck.

Best food and experience post ever!

Now that was a culinary experience!!! Bruno was heartbroken when he was told he could not rebuild there, too close to the shore. So sad!! Seems that he has a gift! IMHO all his restaurants were amazing!!

jeepers--I like Orange Fever, but looking for something more upscale than that. Their french fries are good, that's for sure.

susan--Is Java new? I don't recall hearing about it before. Where is it, exactly?

Java is right beside the Lolo's on the ocean side. Walked around, looks very nice, do not know about the food
J&B

JohnandBev--thanks

Java is in the former Barranco location and is getting excellent reviews on Facebook. They have their own loungers and umbrellas on a balcony, which is an interesting twist.

Java LINK

ok, thanks for the link