With over 150 restaurants on Grand Cayman, ranging from simple jerk chicken stands, pizza and hamburger outlets (no McDonalds franchise, though), to dining rooms featuring five-star haute cuisine, there's a spot for virtually every budget, and every culinary whim. Gourmets won't be disappointed. Needless to say, the following is in no way an attempt to list all restaurants on Grand Cayman that are worthy of mention, nor a listing of paid advertisements. The few, selected restaurants below are simply those that have become our favourites over the last twenty-three years and that we feel offer consistent satisfaction and good value -- considering their pretentions, price, service, quality of ingredients and preparation. A couple are listed simply because they're convenient for guests. There's no particular order to the list below, and no attempt here to rank one against the other. However, for a comprehensive guide to Cayman restaurants, please see www.caymangoodtaste.com .

Tel: (345) 945-1815
Fax: (345) 945-2081
E-mail: info@brasseriecayman.com
Website: www.brasseriecayman.com
Price:

The Brasserie restaurant, well hidden in Cricket Square (George Town), is a sleeper. In spite of the French name, the menu is eclectic, ranging from Italian pasta, to Mediterranean dishes, seafood specials, classics like rack of lamb, and even Spanish tapas. However difficult to categorize, the cuisine at The Brasserie is probably the most imaginative on Grand Cayman. Serving lunch and dinner, the best bet here for a pleasant surprise is always the daily fish/seafood specials. No culinary sampling of the island is complete without at least one visit. The tasteful "plantation" decor is a pleasant visual surprise, as well. Closed on weekends.

Completely renovated after Hurricane Ivan, and better than ever! Situated in Breakers, just a couple of minutes east of Turtle Nest Inn & Condos, this oceanfront landmark is open for lunch and dinner, and boasts a very professional serving staff, and a first-class wine selection. The Lighthouse offers a creative menu of local seafood and Italian dishes, a screened patio, a new and very pleasant bar area. Their dock remains to be rebuilt, so that you'll have to wait a while before you can dine again over the water!

Tel: (345) 947-2047
Fax: (345) 947-2324
E-mail: captaing@candw.ky
Website: www.lighthouse.ky
Price:

Tel: (345) 947-2700
Fax: (345) 947-2701
E-mail: tukka@candw.ky
Website: www.tukka.ky
Price:

In place of Portofino, in Gun Bay (just past East End, about 13 miles east of Turtle Nest Inn), this new restaurant offers Australian dishes and many more familiar Caribbean meat and seafood appetizers and full couse meals.  Chef and owner Ron Hargrave and his capable staff assure you of intriguing dishes, and fresh fish from village fishermen.The setting is on the water and secluded, and the service informal yet efficient. Lunch and dinner are served, as well as breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, and a Sunday brunch. Ever eat a hamburger with fried egg and a slice of beet?  What about kangaroo or crocodile?

Morgans' Harbour Restaurant, located in West Bay, just next door to Calypso Grill, is another of our favourites, featuring a varied menu with something for every appetite, from sandwiches and an excellent Jerk burger with melted brie, to an original chicken schnitzel and the freshest of fish caught by local fishermen -- all excellently prepared and at very reasonable prices.  Excluding drinks, it's easy to get away with a filling meal at around CI$20, on the seaside terrace or indoors, both in an intimate and informal atmosphere. Daily from 11:00am to 10:00pm, bar open from 10:00am to midnight. Located 16.7 miles from the Inn & Condos.

Formerly in the West Shore Center, along Seven Mile Beach, this excellent Italian dining spot has moved to 147 North Church Street (upper-floor), along the George Town waterfront. Features an outdoor terrace and an indoor dining room. There's a full lunch and dinner menu, with soups, salads, cold and hot appetizers, pasta, meat, fish and seafood dishes, including great salads and bruschetta, excellent pasta, and a superb eggplant parmigiana. Also a full assortment of pizza, baked in a wood-burning oven Dishes are all "made from scratch", with fresh ingredients.  Still a favourite of ours -- Italian cuisine as it should be!! Open six days a week, closed Sunday.

This small and welcoming Mexican cantina is off the beaten track, but well worth a visit! Terrific and varied appetizers, sides, and numerous main courses including burritos, enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, tomales and relleños, all at bargain prices! Open for lunch and dinner from Monday through Saturday, with a small number of tables (a couple outside) in a cozy and comfortable atmosphere, but no reservations. The beef enchiladas platter at CI$9.75 is delicious, with real shredded beef (not ground meat), as are the chicken tacos platter (also CI$9.75) and the side called ragout of sweet peppers and onions (CI$3.50).  The platters are a meal unto themselves, with refried beans, rice, salsa, etc.  A favourite of ours!

Located in Galleria Plaza, along Seven Mile Beach, this spacious restaurant includes a bar, lounge, dining room, a very pleasant outdoor terrace, and plenty of available parking out front. It's open from 11:30am to 1:00am daily, with food served all day long. Very good selection of wine, and a menu which includes ceviches, fish, pasta and meat, with a number of Peruvian dishes and daily specials. Excellent service and a very flexible response to any particular request for modifying a dish. Excellent salads and a herb-crusted rack of lamb. But fish is the specialty here.

If you're staying at the Inn -- or just passing through Bodden Town -- this spot is a must!  Fresh fish and the trimmings, expertly fried before your eyes, just 200' down the beach from the Inn.  Only open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and on public Holidays.  You can bring your own wine and beer and enjoy the delicious food at a table under one of the thatched gazebos on the beach.  Located just behind Lorna's Texaco station, the convenience store, and small liquor outlet.  The choice of fish typically includes snapper, mahi, wahoo, and grouper, or whatever the local fishermen catch, at very reasonable prices!

Roland has moved from his private garden in Cottage, right into George Town -- on Lawrence Blvd, across the street from the old cinema -- and added a beer garden. As before, instead of a menu, Roland offers his motto: "Whatever I cook, that's what you get!" This is typically a full-course meal with a taste of almost everything -- chicken, fish, beef, sauages, etc. -- including a salad, and dessert. No menu...and no prices -- you pay what you think it's worth, and discreetly shove your money into a large barrel!  A unique ambiance, completely outdoors (but screened-in) in a lush garden setting. And, you're welcome to bring your own booze! Reservations are a must.

Probably the best dining value on Grand Cayman -- less than a mile west from Turtle Nest Inn & Condos, in Bodden Town. Very tasty jerk chicken or pork. A quarter chicken, complete with rice and beans, spicy sauce and "festival" (Jamaican corn bread), for only CI$5.00! A large portion is CI$7.00. A nice walk, if you eat at a picnic table on their lawn. Otherwise, take the car, carry it back to the Inn, pop open a bottle of wine and enjoy. Other local dishes may include oxtail stew, baked chicken, BBQ ribs, etc. If you're coming to Grand Cayman to "go native" -- or to keep costs down -- Rankin's Jerk Centre is a must! Closed on Sunday.

Located at the rear of the Grand Harbour Shopping Centre, near the Hurley's supermarket. The main restaurant is flanked by a sports bar (The Dog House), and a coffee shop (the Brew House). Smokers can indulge at the sports bar, and in the bar area of the Brick House itself -- as well as on it's outdoor terrace.  Good bloody caesars, and an extensive menu with something for everyone -- from appetizers to sandwiches, pizza and main courses of seafood, lamb, etc.  The pizza is pretty good, as are the spinach salad, the BBQ ribs, and the chicken caesar wrap. Conveniently located from Bodden Town -- well before George Town and most traffic. Breakfast served daily at the Brew House.

Good food and service at a superb, oceanfront location in South Sound. Although the Grand Old House seems to present itself as a restaurant for "special occasions", it's not really any more expensive than other upscale dining spots -- and more worthy of its pretensions than many. It's a big operation, with various dining areas inside and out. The size of the restaurant and some of its marketing may give it somewhat of a "tourist trap" image, but a number of recent visits certainly disproved the idea. The food -- continental and Caribbean fare -- was consistently delicious and fresh, the service attentive and efficient, the choice of wine extensive, and the ambience most romantic.

The Reef Grill at the Royal Palms boasts original, expertly-prepared cuisine, both for appetizers and main courses, as well as top-notch service and an extensive wine list. Excellent fish dishes (like their renowned sea bass), lamb and steak, and a couple of delicious pasta dishes --and the daily specials are always worth a try. A delicious and intriguing appetizer is the roasted garlic with black olive tapenade and flavored oils. Try for a table on the casual, outdoor garden terrace, or right above the beach bar -- directly on Seven Mile Beach -- and a good spot for live music and dancing.

Excellent Indian cusine, across from Seven Mile Beach (next to The Strand shopping centre) and open for lunch and dinner, with an inexpensive lunchtime buffet. The food here compares well with Indian fare we've tried in several countries. There are delicious vegetable samosas and "aloo dosa" for appetizers, superb tandoori lamb chops (not to be missed) and chicken tikka kebab for main dishes, and very tasty vegetable sides like "aloo giobi" (sauteed cauliflower and potatos), "masala dal fry" (lentil stew), and the mixed vegetable "korma". Main dishes are all served with safran rice, raita, pappadum and Indian "pickles", and are quite reasonably priced.

Located on the waterfront in North Side, this lively and informal beachfront restaurant and bar serves good and reasonably priced Caribbean and Cayman fare. Known for delicious fresh fish dishes, Over the Edge is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offers take-out meals and a seaside terrace. The menu and staff are the same as The Edge, which regrettably closed its doors in Bodden Town at the end of September 2003. Service is very informal -- and quite slow at times -- but this is a fun spot for when you're not in a rush. A good "pit-stop" on your way to or from Rum Point and Cayman kai.

Top-notch, Northern Italian cuisine with a Caribbean flair, and an extensive wine selection, expertly served in your choice of two large rooms (one with superb macaws and parrots, the other overlooking the lagoon) or on their screened, outdoor terrace. Pappagallo is situated in Barkers (West Bay), at the extreme northern tip of Grand Cayman, so count on about a 45-minute drive from Turtle Nest Inn. But the restaurant's location, in a bird sanctuary beside a natural lake, like its thatched roof, is what makes dining here an exotic experience.

Ristorante Ragazzi Pizzeria is located in Buckingham Square Centre, along West Bay Road.  Although the menu features a wide variety of fish, seafood and pasta -- and there's a selection of daily specials (presented on a portable blackboard) -- Ragazzi's claim to fame are the many varieties of gourmet pizza baked in a wood-burning brick oven, one of the best pizzas on the island. There's also an excellent wine list, including a number of choices sold by the glass. Just across the parking lot, the owners of Ragazzi have opened Azzurro, a caffe pasticceria offering homemade pastries, Italian coffee, sandwiches and salads.

Located just a mile east of the Inn, and open for lunch and dinner, with music and dancing many evenings. This local dining spot, located right along the main road in Bodden Town, offers pretty decent local dishes, including conch fritters, curried chicken, stewed beef and curried goat, American snacks (hamburgers, fries, etc.), and even a few Chinese dishes. Very reasonably priced, laid-back ambience and ideal for a drink at the bar, a quick snack or complete meal.

Eats, in the Falls Shopping Centre (opposite the Westin Hotel), consists of a more family-oriented room and a "bar"-type room, and offers take-out, good and substantial American breakfast,  lunch, as well as reasonably priced dinners. Very popular for snacks, sandwiches, burgers and a range of full meals. No cole slaw but, if you're into avoiding meat, try the tasty, oriental-style, vegetarian stirfry, served in small or large portions.

Very good and affordable chicken, roasted fresh in a tropical wood rotisserie, right in the front window. Chicken!Chicken!, in the West Shore Center, across from Seven Mile Beach, also offers a large selection of vegetables and salads as side dishes. Apparently, much better for your health than southern-fried chicken, with substantially less fat. Eat in or take out, you can buy just the chicken (quarter, half or whole), or a full meal, with corn bread and choice of two sides. A tempting, fast-food option -- healthier than most!

This gem located in Seven Mile Shops, along West Bay Road, is primarily a deli and bakery for snacks and take-out, with the best bread and croissants on the island. But, it also boasts a dining room and a couple of outdoor tables for delicious breakfasts and lunches, including the very best Eggs Benedict we've ever tasted.  A delightful spot for Sunday breakfast, but get there before noon. Excellent pastries, chocolates and good salads, as well as homemade juices and a number of healthy dishes.

The best Thai cuisine on Grand Cayman is located in Elizabethan Square, in downtown George Town. Superb dishes that compare favourably with the best Thai food we've eaten anywhere. A limited but decent wine selection. To start, there are very good chicken satay skewers, a small cucumber salad, egg rolls and cold spring rolls. Among main courses, try the spicy basil chicken, the crispy garlic beef, the ginger fish, as well as the vegetarian Phad Thai noodles. A combination of clear rice noodles, tofu, bean sprouts, cabbage, scallions and a dash of peanuts.

Luca, recently opened by the owners of Ragazzi on the ground-floor of the Caribbean Club, an upscale condo complex along West Bay Road, offers an impressive selection of Italian/Continental dishes in a very sleek interior. There's a snazzy bar section and several outdoor tables overlooking a pool and Seven Mile Beach. Very good service and a superb wine list compliment the cuisine that already ranks among the island's best. Recently tried dishes were the prosciutto e melone appetizer, the spinach salad, and as main courses, beef stroganoff pappardelle and the yellowfin tuna -- all excellent.

Located just a couple of hundred feet east of the Inn, a short walk down the beach, Sea Side Paradise offers local dishes, simply served but expertly prepared. Laid-back dining on their beachfront terrace, a varying menu, and very affordable prices. Bring your own wine or beer, and enjoy fried chicken, jerk dishes, fresh fish, and a number of local and oriental specials among the chef's daily selection.  You're dressed just fine the way you are, but bring cash.  No credit cards accepted.

Located about a quarter mile east of the Inn (easy walking distance), and open for lunch and dinner between 11:00am and 8:00pm. This local dining spot is run by a very good chef from India. She offers local and Indian food -- from jerk chicken and pork, hot wings, to samosas, dhal, butter chicken and bhendi masala (okra). She also offers a few American snacks (hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, etc.) and some dishes for the kids. Very reasonably priced, with a couple of tables, and you can bring your own wine, although your best bet is to come by and take out.

This delightful and affordable restaurant, just off West Bay Road, is located next door to the old cinema (now closed), and pretty close to Grand Cayman's new one in Camana Bay. Ideal for an after-movie snack or meal, seven days a week. Good caesar salad and bruschetta among starters, and very good pizza, pasta and some imaginative sandwiches including an excellent (and filling) Caribbean roti, or rolled sandwich, with jerk chicken and curried veggies in a fire-roasted flat bread. Dine inside or on the oudoor terrace -- or order "to go".

Tel: (345) 947-2782-4550
Fax: (345) 946-7112
E-mail: reservations@cimboco.com
Website: www.cimboco.com/

Tel: (345) 947-7333
Fax: (345) 949-7660
E-mail: none
Website: www.pizzahut.com/
Price:

If you're from the USA or Canada, no introduction to this fast-food outlet is needed.  Decent pizza, wings, etc., deliverd right to your apartment or condo door here at the Inn, typically in less than 45 minutes.  Located in Savannah, pick-up on your way back from town is also convenient. If you're in the mood to stay put for an evening of watching a movie or TV, here's a cheap and easy dinner option, probably leaving you with leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. Delivery seven days a week.

If you're from the USA or Canada, no introduction to this fast-food outlet is needed.  Decent pizza, wings, etc., deliverd right to your apartment or condo door here at the Inn, typically in less than 45 minutes.  Located in Savannah, pick-up on your way back from town is also convenient. If you're in the mood to stay put for an evening of watching a movie or TV, here's a cheap and easy dinner option, probably leaving you with leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. Delivery seven days a week.

Tel: (345) 947-1188
Fax: (345) 949-1911
E-mail: none
Website: www.dominos.com/
Price: