TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Dining

We have been going to SXM for over 30 years and seen many restaurants come and go we are sort of stuck in a rut we have some favorites but would like to try some new restaurants does anyone have suggestions . We will be on the island for 2 weeks starting oct 26 ,looking for new places .

Le Taitu on Mont Vernon road & bistro de la mer in marigot are great spots.

Have you tried Fig? It's not brand new but it's newish.

Funny it doesn't look newish. Sorry I had to put that last thing in.

What are your favorites? Are you looking for dinner suggestions?

What are your favorites now? A restaurant could be there a long time and if you personally haven't been there, it would be new to YOU.. A 'relatively' new restaurant that I personally love is Dreams. Have you been there?

Consider dining on the French side at a restaurant which has menu items priced in Euros. We always wanted to try Sol e Luna, but when the exchange rate was hovering around 1.30 dollars to Euro, a 30 Euro dinner was $39. Now the exchange rate is around 1.10, so that same 30 Euro dinner is $33.

Al Dente on the main road near the round about to Anse Marcel / Cul de Sac. Next door to Peninsule. Good Italian.

We tried Le Grain de Poivre in Cul de Sac for dinner and thought it was wonderful. The owners are a very sweet French couple. We were hoping to get back to try their burgers for lunch but we couldn't drag ourselves from the beach. It is directly across the street from Pancho Villa. Another stand out was Villa Royale in Grand Case. We ate there twice. Some of the best fish we've had in years. Seasoned correctly and cooked perfectly. I had a creole whole snapper, and a creole mahi/shrimp dish and my wife had the grille mahi twice. It was slow for tourists last week but Villa was very busy serving locals.

Where in Cul de Sac is Le Grain de Poivre? Is it what used to be Au grain du Sel?

Dick,

If you haven't already been there, I would definitely second FIG in its Maho location. We enjoyed it when it was basically a little hole in the wall at Cupecoy and IMHO, the move to Maho has made it even better.

We also enjoyed Luna Rossa in the Simpson Bay area (sort of across from and in between the entrance to Royal Palm and Toppers. Each time we've been there the food has been excellent.

And if you haven't been there and just want a very casual evening out, Bar Code near Cupecoy is also very good. Not fancy but good lighter fare.

And if you happen to make it into P'berg for lunch or dinner, I'm very anxious to hear how Antoine's is doing after the sale that was supposed to have happened back in the Spring. We met the new potential owners but at that time the deal hadn't been a hundred percent finalized. We will miss Jean Pierre for sure.

Isn't Bar Code in the old Fig location? Heard great things about it.

No. Escape is in the former Fig location. Bar Code is on the way up to the University.

Unless there has been a very recent change . . . .

Thanks. I wasn't sure so thanks for clarifying that for me. The person that recommended the old Fig location must have been referring to Escape. He said it was a great place to eat.

Scuba,

We tried Escape in the original FIG location shortly after it opened and the only thing that really stands out in my mind was that I thought it was rather on the expensive side. Dining prices usually don't intimidate me and this place wasn't outrageous, but perhaps just expensive for the offerings and what at the time seemed like a rather limited menu. I do specifically recall the service was good and the new owners were very pleasant and they readily admitted they were still trying to find their way.

And to add to what Linda said, we really enjoyed Barcode as a very pleasant place to enjoy a very casual evening with friends.

It is Bar Code that is a great place to eat. He probably was confused about the location of this great little spot!

Nope. As I stated in a prior post he definitely said the old Fig location so he wasn't referring to Bar Code. Not sure why you are questioning what he told me on this.

Not to take away from the current discussion...... but we really enjoy Palm Beach for lunch on Orient, Anse Marcel Beach Restaurant (not at the RIU but just outside of the resort area), and this year we tried the Villa Royale in Grand Case for dinner. Villa Royale is not as upscale as many of the restaurants but very good food and they have a limited amount of outside seating. Some of our favorites and "not to miss" restaurants include Friars Beach Cafe, Bistro Caribes and Spiga. Hope this helps.

Why was he defiant?

I need to use spell check more. Made the correction. Thanks.

I am questioning you because Escape, the restaurant in the former Fig location, is not a great place to eat in the opinion of many who have tried it. BAR Code, on the other hand, has been popular and enjoyed by many here and on other forums.Chill mon!

I believe this was a pizza place that changed hands for years. It is just past Jam Rock on the left side. Directly across the street from Pancho Villa and Le Ti Bouchon. Marie Laure and David are a very gracious hosts.

Spell check wouldn't have helped you with that one, lol. You're welcome.

What is the menu like at Fig? They have a FB page but most of what is posted is about their after hour club, Fig & Bananas.

Louise--I posted this picture before, from June 2016. Can't read the app's, sorry.

Below is a response that I received from Fig when I instant messages them about 10 days ago. I would think that if they have re-opened that they would have a new menu posted.


"Good morning Brian,

Sorry for the late response but the Restaurant is closed for a month now ( re-opening beginning of October ).
We are working on a brand new menu for the re-opening, with a lot of new stuff, nothing is done for now.
As soon as it will be finish we will send it to you.

If you need anything else, don't hesitate.

Best regards"

Thank you, Carol. Since we will be near Maho thought we might try it out.

Hmmm. I loved their "old" menu with all the dipping sauces - such a nice variety of flavors. And the Asian shrimp salad was wonderful. I'll be on island in 35 days for three weeks, staying in Maho, so suspect I'll be eating there at least a couple of times.

The Big Fish in Oyster Pond used to also offer several sauces for fish and beef dishes but that was before the new owners. I'd like to see lighter sauces offered for the fish as what is listed is very over powering. Squeeze of lemon is always a good substitute.

Linda -- what do you usually order there?

Over several dinners in both the old place and the new, we tried the rib eye steak, the lamb chops and their grilled fish and all were very, very good. Not so much into sauces myself and they were very happy to please when we asked for fresh lemon for the fish.

Personally speaking, I thought their salads were delicious! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Pat.

Pat,

Do you recall what Bar Code has on the menu, and what you liked?
It would be a close place for us! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

Have you tried (is it Fat Tony?) also near the med school? It's open air correct? Or I may be confused with another place.

How do you compare the meats at Fig to Bajatzu? Since Bajatzu changed chefs I haven't like it as much.

Thanks!

I'm not Pat, but I'll horn in here.. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
We tried Fat Tony's at Regatta. It is EXTREMELY casual, think kind of Sunset Beach Bar, circa 1990 or so (but no beach or airplanes !! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />). No table service, you go up to the window and order. They do smoked meats there. I had something else, like a panini or something, but those who had the smoked meats liked it. Someone else had a hot dog. As I said, extremely casual place. I would go back if it was close to where I was. Wouldn't travel across the island for it, but we all enjoyed it, for what it was.

Fig has never been at the same level as Bajatzu, which has always been a higher tier kind of place, which focused to some extent on great beef, a nice wine list and outstanding service. I haven't been to Bajatzu myself for a couple of years, but it had gone downhill the last time I was there, yes. Fig was always more casual, with fairly simple sides. Good food, but not what I would call 'fine dining', which is not meant to be an insult, but kind of sounds like it. We've always enjoyed our meals at Fig.

Leona,

I really don't recall the menu at Bar Code and it seems most of us had burgers that night, and in fact, a friend from the island was actually eager to go there just for their burgers. And they were very good.

We haven't made it to Fat Tony's - so many restaurants and so few nights to do dinners out!

We always do one dinner at Bajatzu because of a long-time casual relationship with one of the staff there, but personally speaking, I've thought for ages they were a bit over priced for their meals but when you consider the ambiance and the quality of their high end service, I never minded the prices too much.

I wouldn't dare to compare FIG to Bajatzu - totally different kinds of places, but remember, John and I thoroughly enjoyed the Rib Eye Steak Night at theblittle restaurant at the Ocean Club timeshare, too, so we're usually open to almost anything.

I can only suggest you check out the menu and try it yourself. And as already stated, their salads are very good, too.

I know you like duck. Do yourself a favor and have duck there. One of the best on the island along with their ahi tuna.

Did in 2013.

Some of the things are: Asian shrimp salad (incredible flavors, which don't show in the picture), duck (see my response to Scubaman), prawns, and a fish I don't remember. I also don't remember what it was that was served with the bruschetta, but it was fabulous.

Thank you Linda for the photos. Food looks good.

Linda--thanks for the pictures! Very much looking forward to some delectable food photos from you in about "1 month 3 days"! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

I'm getting in practice again on how to post photos. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Good deal!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />