Top 10 St Kitts food and restaurant experiences

On the Caribbean island of St Kitts, the fresh fish is sold direct from the fishing boats, market stalls display a colorful range of tropical fruit. There’s always something interesting cooking on the road-side barbecues. If you love to eat, here are some of the local St Kitts food specialties I recommend from my visit to St Kitts.

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1. Relax with a local St Kitts beer

The local’s choice of beer as you settle into the relaxed Caribbean vibe, is the Carib beer. Made just outside Basseterre at the Carib brewery, its smooth and thirst quenching. This is an easy drinking lager and the same brewery offers the slightly more robust Stag and Skol.

For local soft drinks look out for Ting, a refreshing grapefruit soda. Or try Peardrella, a fizzy pear soda that are often used as mixers, or the fatigue busting Ginseng Up, with energizing Korean ginseng.

Experience locally made food and drinks on this Basseterre food and walking tour

2. St Kitts Rum – the spirit of the Caribbean

Every Caribbean island has its favorite rum and St Kitts is no exception. Even though sugar production on the island ended twenty years ago, you’ll be offered a deceptively strong rum punch at every opportunity. Each bar takes pride in their own special blend of rum, fruit juices, cane sugar, bitters and a sprinkling of nutmeg.

On the Ultimate Rum Runners tour you’ll learn about the island’s rum making history. Stop at several bars to sample the local produce

You’ll find the locally produced rums under the Belmont Estate and Brinley Gold Shipwreck brands. Flavored with mango, coffee, lime and coconut, they can be found in the duty free stores and bars.

As an alternative try the clear CSR spirit made from cane juice. It is often combined with the local grapefruit soda to make a ‘Ting with a sting’.

Looking for a hotel in St Kitts? Check these St Kitts hotel options and best prices.

3. St Kitts food – Locally caught lobster and seafood

Seafood is another St Kitts and Nevis food specialty to enjoy. While lobster might be considered a luxury in many parts of the world, it abounds in the waters around St Kitts. Lobster can be found in some form on practically every menu from the swankiest restaurant to the most rustic beach shack.

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Grilled lobster on the beach an unmissable St Kitts experience, at the relaxed Reggae Beach bar or the more upscale Spice Mill. Both restaurants are on Cockleshell beach, where many cruise visitors like to spend the day.

In Basseterre you’ll also find lobster on the menu at Ballahoo overlooking the circus, and at Fisherman’s Wharf on the edge of town. There’s also a wide choice of local fish in most restaurants; look out for Mahi Mahi, coconut shrimp and grilled grouper.

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4. Conch fritters & Conch chowder

Another seafood dish that you’ll find on restaurants and beach bar menus is Conch (pronounced Conk). This is a large sea snail with a pretty pink shell that’s sold in the craft markets.

The conch has a chewy texture, so it’s chopped finely and mixed with a flour and egg batter to make a deep fried conch fritter. You’ll find it served as a delicious lunchtime snack with a piquant dipping sauce.

Another tasty dish that is typical of St Kitts cuisine is conch chowder, a creamy soup with garlic and finely chopped vegetables. It’s served with bread on the side (at Ballahoo in Basseterre it’s actually served in a large bread roll).

On this full Island panoramic tour of St Kitts you’ll see landmarks of cultural, natural, and historical significance

Looking for a place to stay? Compare prices and availability for hotels on St Kitts

5. Organic and veggie at Ital Creations

Veggies, vegans and those looking for healthy food choices should take a short taxi ride from Basseterre to Ital Creations. This small organic farm that sells vegetarian dishes, juices and smoothies from a trailer just off the main road. It’s on the Bypass road close to the airport (look out for the yoga sign) and you could ask your taxi driver to stop here as part of an island taxi tour.

At lunchtime they serve veggie burgers and wraps filled with hummus and avocado. Or, order one of their home-made banana or carob cakes washed down with a bottle of red sorrel juice or a moringa smoothie.

While it’s being prepared take a look at the trees laden with mango and papaya, and walk between the vegetable beds. Here owner Judah Fari and his wife grow salads and health giving plants such as lemongrass, moringa and aloe.

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Also keep an eye out for Ital vans that serve tasty veggie food in Basseterre, especially around lunchtime when local office workers are out buying their lunch.

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6. Roti – a tasty fast food snack

Sample a tasty Caribbean style Roti from one of the restaurants or street-food vendors of Basseterre. This soft chapati wrapped around a filling is originally an Indian dish. It’s popular on St Kitts as a fast food or lunchtime snack.

Choose from a range of different fillings, especially chicken, shrimp or vegetable all in a light curry sauce. You’ll find Roti on many lunchtime menus in Basseterre, on the Frigate Bay Strip or at Cockleshell beach.

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7. Fresh fruit smoothies in Basseterre

Market stalls selling fresh fruit are dotted around the streets of Basseterre but you can get your fruit fix in the form of a chilled fruit smoothie. Seek out for the colorful Refresh Juice Bar van on Bank Street for smoothies made with frozen yoghurt and fresh fruit puree. Try the St Kittitian with mango, guava and strawberry.

The queue of locals marks out The Smoothie King on the corner of Princes and Fort Street, where owner Pedro blends a different fruit smoothie each day. Our banana, guava and strawberry smoothie was so cold it made my brain freeze (but in a good way!)

Looking for a place to stay? Compare prices and availability for hotels on St Kitts

8. Street food – St Kitts style

Spicy jerk chicken and pork is served all over the Caribbean. On St Kitts you’ll find street-food vendors serving cooking barbecued meat over oil drums along Bay Road that runs along the seafront of Basseterre.

Many stalls set up on Friday and Saturday, since this is when the locals love to stop and buy their favorite BBQ meats for a weekend dinner. Try traditional food, homemade treats and cold drinks on this Basseterre food and drink tour.

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Take time to check out a few different vendors. They sometimes have St Kitts traditional food such as black pudding and goat water (it’s actually a spicy stew of goat meat and breadfruit). Wash it all down with fresh coconut water from a green coconut sold at the roadside stalls.

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9. The sweet taste of St Kitts – Sugar cake & Guava cheese

If you have a sweet tooth look out for local treats such as Guava Cheese. This jelly sweet is made of guava fruit puree and sugar with lime juice to give a mouthwatering sweet and sour flavor. Once set, the jelly is cut into pieces, sprinkled with sugar and sold in bags by street vendors or supermarkets.

Be sure to buy a couple of bags, as the first will be empty by the time you’re back to your hotel. Sugar cake is often made by Kittitians at home. This crumbly cookie is made from coconut and cane sugar, spiced with ginger sometimes studded with peanuts. You’ll find it sold by many street food vendors around the streets of Basseterre.

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10. The St Kitts national dish – Salt fish and Johnny Cakes

You can’t leave St Kitts without trying its national dish of salt fish and Johnny cakes. Yes, there is actually an official national dish!

The salted, dried cod fish was easily preserved on board ships that sailed the Caribbean. The flaky fish is stewed in a sauce of onions, tomatoes and peppers.

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It’s served with a Johnny cake – originally a ‘Journey’ cake since it would be eaten at breakfast or on your way to work. Johnny cake is a deep fried cornmeal dough ball that’s best eaten as fresh as possible.

In Port Zante, the street food stall run by Ms. Moore behind the post office is reputed to offer the best Johnny cakes in town. They are served in a large size like a bread roll with a filling of salt fish or chicken.

You’ll also find vendors on Fort Street in Basseterre selling salt fish and Johnny cakes as a takeaway lunch. It’s served with their traditional accompaniment of white coconut dumplings, plantains and breadfruit. Enjoy!

Discover where to shop for local crafts and souvenirs in St Kitts

More fun things to do on St Kitts

Spend the day out on the waters off St Kitts on a 4-hour sail and snorkel with open bar and lunch

Explore Mount Liamuiga beyond the cloud forest on this volcano hiking and sightseeing excursion

Where to stay on St Kitts

Check out prices and book hotels on St Kitts.

Visitor Information for St Kitts

To plan your visit to St Kitts check out the tourism board website at www.stkittstourism.kn.

British Airways flies to St Kitts from London Gatwick twice a week on Saturdays and Wednesdays with the flight going on to nearby Antigua. There are regular ferries every day to Nevis, with a journey time of 45 minutes from Basseterre, making it easy to plan a combined stay on both islands.

Check out prices and book hotels on St Kitts.

For a full range of private tours available check out these St Kitts tour options.

If you’re looking for a guide book for use on a Caribbean cruise, we recommend the DK Eyewitness Caribbean Travel Guide which covers all your likely ports of call. For something more in depth try the Footprint Guide to St Kitts, Nevis, Antigua and Montserrat.

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My visit to St Kitts was hosted* by the St Kitts Tourism Board and some of the experiences and meals mentioned in this article were provided on a complimentary basis.

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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