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75°F / 24°C
(Clear. Mild.)
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Dining out in Freeport is a fairly low-key event. The city—in fact, the entire island—is rather sleepy, and has yet to hit any kind of cultural boom as far as cuisine and entertainment are concerned. There are a few expensive restaurants, and quite a few inexpensive ones, but most of them land squarely in the middle in terms of price, choice and quality. Nearly every restaurant in Freeport devotes at least a section of the menu to Bahamian fare; it seems like you can get crack’ conch or grouper fingers at just about any eatery, from a roadside stand to a hotel grill.
Which brings up another question: just what exactly is crack’ conch? Or grouper fingers? The answer is simple: two dishes which you will certainly eat while in Freeport. These, and a few other staple items such as peas-n-rice and conch salad, are ubiquitous in any Bahamian restaurant or home. The fare is simple, greasy and hearty, but for visitors from landlocked areas, it may seem a little strange. For the purposes of familiarity, a brief guide to Bahamian comfort food follows:
Conch:
A sea snail. It tastes like clam. Bahamians prepare it in a variety of ways, most popular being “crack’ conch, which is conch in strips, breaded and fried, and conch salad, which is raw conch with peppers and onions.
Grouper:
A very popular, inexpensive fish. Grouper fingers are prepared just like chicken fingers.
Souse:
A thick soup or stew, often eaten in the morning. Any kind of meat can be added to souse; use caution when ordering.
Bahamian Lobster:
A small, spiny crustacean with no claws. It appears to be hybrid of a regular lobster and a European langostino. The meat is not as sweet as a regular lobster, but it’s still good.
Peas-n-rice:
Exactly what it sounds like. It’s the Bahamian equivalent to veggies and potatoes. With every Bahamian meal, you’ll get a side of peas-n-rice. It’s very heavy though, so try to substitute something if you’ve got a sensitive stomach.
Duff:
A dessert similar to custard. It comes in different flavors, most popular being guava.
It’s advisable that any visitors to the Bahamas become familiar with the terms listed above; the dishes appear everywhere from local take-out places to touristy Chinese restaurants. While journeying around Freeport, it’s easy to mistakenly order a dish which you know nothing about and don’t find entirely appealing, simply because the locals are so enthusiastic about it. On the other hand, once you’re familiar with Bahamian cuisine, ordering in Freeport becomes easy, no matter where you are. Finding a place with ambience is fairly easy too: almost all the island’s restaurants have unique local color and gorgeous ocean views. A few of the Continental eateries strive for a more European or elegant atmosphere, only to find limited success.
Port Lucaya
A number of restaurants are located at Port Lucaya Marketplace, and even more are spread out around the Marketplace. Each of the hotels has at least one restaurant, and each hotel encourages guests from neighboring hotels to stop by for a bite. The Marketplace’s most popular eatery is Zorba’s Greek, a busy, casual restaurant with a large outdoor patio. Zorba's serves an extensive menu of Greek favorites and an equally extensive selection of Bahamian standards. Callie’s is right across the way, and serves a menu almost identical to Zorba’s, although prices are a bit lower and the patio isn’t as crowded. Collies is also one of the few restaurants in Freeport that serves breakfast all the time. La Dolce Vita serves mid-priced Italian cuisine, while Luciano's takes quality, ambience and price to the next tier. If you’re looking for inexpensive snacks there are a number of options, including Allie’s (serving a dozen kinds of conch) and the Turkish Big Boat Deli.
There are four restaurants at the Lucayan Reef Village, and many more are slated to open within the next few months. The Arawak Dining Room, with a view of the golf course, is one of the finest restaurants in Freeport, serving Continental cuisine with a focus on local seafood. For a quick bite, check out Barracuda’s, which is a casual, fun ‘50s style diner. Just across from the Lucayan, the Port Lucaya Resort has its own restaurant, the sunny Tradewinds Café. The Ferry House, located at Pelican Bay Resort, is literally almost in the bay; guests can drive, walk or boat in.
Port Lucaya is the only place in Freeport that offers anything approximating a nightlife scene. There are six or eight bars in the Marketplace; locals and visitors can easily spend an entire night wandering from one place to another. Most of the bars are exactly the same, but the meandering journey around the Marketplace is half the fun. Favorite meeting spots include Shenanigan’s Irish Pub and Bahama Mama’s, a seedy little bar popular with the resort workers. The Marketplace offers free live music in the Square, and during Spring Break, hundreds of lively, drunk college students fill up the place till the wee hours of the morning.
International Bazaar
Between the Bazaar and the Resort at Bahamia, a goodly number of the island’s best restaurants can be found here. The Bazaar boasts China Palace, the island’s most expensive Chinese restaurant, and Club Rock & Roll, a very popular restaurant and after-hours hangout. Le Rendezvous, located near the front of the Bazaar, has a menu that is split into approximately six sections, one for each corner of the globe. You can choose from Indian, South American, French, Italian, American or of course Bahamian dishes. Zanzibar serves up some of the most delicious, most greasy fried chicken one could ever hope to find.
Nearly a dozen restaurants can be found in the Resort at Bahamia. Guanahani’s at the Country Club offers elegant al fresco dining, while the Crown Room is a traditional steakhouse, located in the Casino. The Garden Café offers buffet dining at its finest. The Towers is the home of several restaurants, including the Trattoria (casual Italian) and Morgan’s Bluff (mid-range seafood.) While nightlife is limited, the John B. pool bar is pleasant and lively.
One of the most charming restaurants on the entire island is tucked away behind the Resort at Bahamia. It’s called Ruby Swiss, and it’s unique among Freeport restaurants. The menu is extensive and authentically European, serving everything from steaks and seafood to chicken caeser salad and smoked salmon. Ruby Swiss serves food till 5a, making it an institution on the after-hours circuit.
Downtown
Downtown Freeport is more of a business center than a commercial metropolis. Nevertheless, a few restaurants are scattered throughout the area, most of them catering to locals. The Pub on the Mall is home to three separate restaurants, among them the Prince of Wales Lounge, which serves traditional English fare. Becky’s offers down-home dishes in a laid-back atmosphere. The Silk Café is one of the few places that serves espresso drinks, the trendy staple of urban existence.
Beaches
Many of Grand Bahama's most unique restaurants are scattered around its beaches. While it’s hard to find out about them and even harder to get to them, it’s often worth the trip. They offer ten times the ambience of the Port Lucaya or International Bazaar eateries. At Pier One, diners can watch the sharks being fed twice nightly—squeamish stomachs may want to avoid this event. At Banana Bay, located in Mather Town, visitors can walk for hundreds of yards out into the shallow turquoise water. It’s a photo op like no other. The Stoned Crab on Taino Beach serves some of the best seafood on the island. Club Caribe is a great drinks spot, located about a mile down the beach from Banana Bay. Local ‘fish fries,’ which are held at various points on the island, are a study in island culture and a one-of-a-kind dining experience. At open-air grills, local women pan-fry the catch of the day. Select the fish by pointing at it. The cost is usually between USD 2-USD 7. Fish Fry isn’t listed in the guidebooks; the best way to find one is to ask a bartender.
While Freeport is trying to broaden the scope of its cuisine scene, it hasn’t quite accomplished the feat. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however. It’s true that one can’t easily find good sashimi or burritos on the Grand Bahamas restaurant circuit. But when fresh local fish, delectable conch fritters and melt-in-your mouth fried chicken can be had for only a few dollars, who’s going to complain?
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