13 Best Restaurants in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

This trendy place is small and cozy with a casual atmosphere. The menu selections include fresh fish prepared in creative ways, Italian specialties, and salads made with fresh local greens—check the daily specials on the blackboard. Several varieties of mac and cheese constitute the signature dish. The frozen chocolate peanut butter pie is a chocolate-lover's delight. Craft cocktails are concocted by creative mixologists.

This waterfront restaurant on the back deck of the Waves at Cane Bay hotel serves sustainably sourced Caribbean-American food that pairs wonderfully with the creative craft cocktails, such as the Old Cuban made with 18-year-old Matusalem rum and Champagne. The dining room overlooks Cane Bay, a perfect backdrop to try the lobster pappardelle, local ceviche, or the catch of the day.

This barnlike “Crucian-Rican” restaurant is often the first stop that locals make before heading to the airport and after arriving back home. Out back, dozens of chickens slowly rotate on a giant rotisserie; in front, regulars and a smattering of in-the-know visitors queue up for the juicy birds, traditional johnnycakes, and local food like stewed oxtail and conch in butter sauce.

One of those small but special spots that everyone loves, including critics who regularly rank it among the Caribbean's best restaurants, this lively spot relies on local ingredients in its fusion of Mexican, Thai, and Caribbean dishes that can include anything from Thai curry with chicken to a fillet of beef stuffed with portobello mushrooms and goat cheese. You can't go wrong with the daily egg roll special or the catch of the day. Call early for reservations: the indoor dining room is small, and you'll want to nab a table in the candelit back courtyard if you can.

Sunday brunch is big here, but locals and visitors also flock to this oceanfront bistro at the Sand Castle on the Beach resort for lunch and dinner. Both menus include burgers and salads, but at dinner the daily pasta specials shine. For lunch, the hummus plate and award-winning seafood chowder are good bets. Brunch is served on weekends.

A perennial favorite with local and visiting families, this open-air restaurant in the middle of a field serves up terrific New York strip steak, burgers with toppings that run from mushrooms to fried onions, and, of course, cheeseburgers. There's room for kids to run around before dinner.

The fare served here is the farthest thing from traditional Mexican food—in addition to the usual ingredients you can get a taco stuffed with buffalo chicken, or jambalaya, and vegan options are available, too. The bar and restaurant are one story up, so the views of the beach and surf are nice. Drink prices are fairly priced—expect to pay $6 for a local Leatherback beer and $8 for the signature cocktails made with crushed ice.

Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner indoors and out, the dockside spot has something for everyone on its extensive menu. Dinner can be as fancy as tilapia and garlic shrimp with mushrooms, white wine, and garlic butter, or as basic as a burger or chicken sandwich. If your taste buds run to hot, try the shrimp pistolette—a hollowed-out baguette filled with shrimp and laced with really hot sauce. Drinks at the bar are half-price daily from 4 to 6.

Divers fresh from a plunge at the North Shore's popular Cane Bay Wall gather at this breezy spot on the beach, where sunsets are celebrated with a toast at the bar and the winter months offer the possibility of whale sightings offshore. The menu includes deli sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs, but the stars are the calzones and pizzas, which run the gamut from vegetarian to meat-lovers. You can also build your own pizza from an extensive ingredients list or, if you just want a snack, order a slice for $5.

This popular dockside restaurant is the place to get off-the-boat seafood and Southern soul food in St. Croix—chef-owner Charles Mereday is a graduate of the Charleston, S.C., branch of Johnson and Wales University, after all. But you'll also find hand-cut steaks alongside island favorites like curried chicken and mango mahimahi. Take Route 82 out of Christiansted, and then turn left at the sign for Green Cay Marina.

Grilled mahimahi sandwiches, falafel, tacos, and burgers are among the favorites at this open-air bar across the street from Cane Bay beach. Some dishes are prepared using local Leatherback beer, which is available behind the bar. Sunday brunch includes bottomless mimosas, and live bands occasionally entertain at dinnertime.

A favorite with locals and vacationers, this poolside restaurant serves up salads, burgers, sandwiches, and seafood, as well as delicious pasta dishes and popular salads. Come for disco bingo on Thursday with dancing between games, the West Indian Carnival on Fridays, Sunday brunch, and live music on weekends. Open for breakfast (the $10 special is popular), lunch, and dinner.

This beautiful courtyard restaurant serves French-inspired American cuisine; the barbecued ribs are excellent, and you can do a partially healthy offset by ordering the roasted Brussels sprouts dip and scooping it onto flatbread. Don’t skip the desserts, particularly the apple crisp topped with house-made vanilla ice cream.