The bustling port town of Nassau is well-known for its lovely colonial architecture, and the Bahamas’ capital has long been as easy on the palate as it is on the eyes. You can dig into cracked conch (the Bahamas’ favorite mollusk is pounded, breaded and fried), fresh fish done perfectly in every way and that sweet Bahamian bread known as johnnycake – which is quite different from the fried rounds you’ll find on other islands. If you’re watching your trans fats, you’ll find plenty of Bahamian cookery lightened by European and Asian influences and served on everything from paper plates to bone china.
CHARLIE’S PLACE
Charlie’s Place, in the old Nassau stadium, is the sort of local find that makes a culinary traveler salivate. Signs proclaim Today’s Special: Pig Feet and Now Selling Gin & Coconut Water as a mostly Bahamian crowd digs into breakfast specialties such as stew fish or conch, both served in a rich brown gravy, or adventurous entrées like sheep-tongue souse, all served with a side of grits and the best johnnycake this side of heaven. Lunch diners enjoy grilled snapper, cracked conch, a variety of soups (pea, okra, crab) or Charlie Jr.’s own invention, “cracked chicken.” It’s not the place to go for white linens and candlelight – look instead for the warmest of welcomes and perfectly prepared Bahamian food.
Average lunch entrée $14; Fowler St. East; 242-394-0300
CHEF CHEA’S CORNER BISTRO
Opened in March 2010, Chef Chea’s Corner Bistro evokes old Nassau’s graciousness without being cloyingly nostalgic. The prints on the wall – hand-carried from Paris by chef Christopher Chea after his stint at Le Cordon Bleu – are lit by the soft glow of deco-style globe chandeliers and help create a refined atmosphere that’s all too rare in Nassau these days. The menu is mainly continental with a few Bahamian touches, so you might start with conch chowder or grilled, meaty portobello mushroom slices; if you know what’s good for you, though, choose the shrimp de jonge, three plump shrimp swimming in rich, garlicky sauce. Entrées range from plump lobster ravioli to dense, flavorful coq au vin; steaks are grilled to charred perfection; short ribs are a particular specialty. Guided by chef Chea’s sure hand, the bistro gives you fine dining at surprisingly good prices. And did we mention that to-die-for mango cheesecake?
Average dinner entrée $28; Dowdeswell St. and Armstrong St.; 242-323-3201
They’re doing great things at Circa 1890, an under-the-radar wonder for in-the-know diners. This charming old house (see restaurant name) has been given an intimate, hip update with a mere dozen tables beneath cocoa- and rust-hued walls and a textured gold bar. The charming atmosphere equals chef Anthony Stubbs’ artistry in the kitchen, from the best crab cakes in history and soups like a ginger-laden pumpkin-and-crab creation to entrées like sweet potato-crusted salmon and cranberry-accented rack of lamb. If molten chocolate cake is on the dessert menu the night you visit, we guarantee heaven. Whether it’s for Friday’s Martini Madness, live music or just a fabulous meal, this is the spot.
Average dinner entrée $36; 280 Shirley St.; 242-356-5445; circa1890restaurant.com
For decades, Graycliff has been a Nassau luxury leader, a testament to fine dining written in rich woods, gleaming crystal, soft candlelight and five-star service. But chef Elijah Bowe doesn’t rest on his laurels; his cuisine melds tradition and modernity effortlessly. Fata paper, a very 21st-century clear cooking parchment, makes snapper en papillote a little piece of Piscean heaven, while chilled Bahamian stone crab reaches toward Europe with warm Dijon-mustard sauce. Lobster bisque is made with Armagnac, foie gras with Calvados, and lobster chunks with cream and Spanish saffron. For an unforgettable experience, prepare your own meal in a cooking class with chef Bowe; you might make a lobster salad spilling temptingly out of the lobster shell or a perfectly spiced miniature rack of lamb. The chef’s patient good humor and utter expertise make even beginners feel like cooking connoisseurs.
Average dinner entrée $48; 8-12 W. Hill St.; 800-476-0446 or 242-302-9150; graycliff.com
INDIGO CAFÉ
This is the kind of place we wish there were more of in the islands: artsy and down-home chic, with a great art collection and even better food. The walls are adorned with a retrospective of Bahamian art (the owner is the daughter of famed painter Brent Malone), and the patio is perfect for a breezy Nassau day. The menu features some surprising twists: A curried conch chowder enlivens a Bahamian standard with a sweet and tangy flavor. Tequila shrimp are fiery and toothsome; sashimi are zesty with lime, wasabi and soy; and seafood pasta is rich with fish and shellfish. While you can go Asian or European for your main course, if desserts include guava duff, indulge in this amazing and purely Bahamian dessert.
Indigo Café: Average dinner entrée $26; 1 Skyline Dr.; 242-327-2524
Twin Brothers is a surprise for those who’ve visited the old Arawak Cay, once a shambling collection of shacks with local charm and a few outdoor stools. Now there’s a real restaurant feel, with several levels of dining amid the obligatory nautical decorations. Start with conch salad, which you watch being prepared out front, and wash it down with refreshing mango lemonade. Get your fish (broiled, steamed, grilled or fried), your conch (scorched or cracked), or steak, ribs or chicken – all served with mounds of side dishes like peas and rice, plantains, coleslaw or macaroni. The food’s all fresh and well-prepared, and the atmosphere’s hopping. It’s a down-home blend of local and touristy – Nassau in a nutshell.
Average dinner entrée $23; Arawak Cay; 242-328-5033; twinbrothersbahamas.com
Wash it all down with one of our Featured Island Drink recipes...
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