Eating in and around Nassau, Bahamas

Cable Beach

Of course, my main mission, whenever I go away, is to discover the food culture of that place. So, although we were staying in an all-inclusive resort, we were keen to get out into Nassau and find the real Bahamas! And that’s what we did!

Sadly, being such a small place with a BIG tourist pull, we were disappointed to find lots of restaurants serving everything but Bahamian food – Chinese, Italian and American seemed to top the bill. However, when we did eat the local food it was great – fresh seafood including Conch, Grouper and Giant Shrimp! Conch fritters were a revelation but sadly something I doubt I’ll find here! Conch is a massive part of food culture in the Bahamas and is basically a giant sea snail. Judging by the first picture below, its one of those things it’s better NOT to know what it is before eating! They serve is as mainly as a ceviche style salad and in fritters with island sauce. We munched through many fritters during our stay and they were delicious!

One evening we headed down to the harbour, across from the famous Paradise Island, to at the well known Poop Deck. They offer fresh seafood cooked on the grill and in a variety of ways, all traditional Bahamian classics. As you walk in, a huge iced display of today’s catch greets you. Simply choose what you want and sit down and admire the views over the harbour!

Another place worth visiting is Arawak Cay – its kind of a collection of seafood streetfood vendors although most of them have permanent structures. They serve the famous ‘down home fish fry’ for not much dosh. Twin Brothers is supposed to be one of the best but I think they are probably all as good as each other!

If you ever get the chance to go to Nassau or another part of The Bahamas, make sure you step outside of your hotel and try some of the islands real food. You won’t be disappointed.

Now… time to plan my next holiday. Where to??