| About Antigua | Accommodations | Beaches | Dining |
| Shopping | Exploring the Island | Sports | Essential Facts |
Admiral’s Inn, American Creole
| Enjoy lobster, seafood, and steaks in this historic hotel, and savor tasty pumpkin soup. Using quality ingredients, the chefs create four or five main courses daily. Though the restaurant’s ambiance is sometimes more exciting than the food, the service is quite pleasant.
Location: Nelson’s Dockyard, English Harbour |
Chez Pascal, French
Pascal and Florence Milliat built this beautiful place with their own hands, and this Gallic-inspired bistro is like a small corner of France in Antigua-except here its gardens bloom with tropical plants. On the west coast of the island atop a hilly plateau, near the Royal Antiguan and Galley Bay Hotels, it features well-prepared cuisine, served on an open-air terrace around an illuminated swimming pool.
French colonial trappings include copper pots, rough-textured ceramics, dark-stained wicker and rattan, and tropically inspired fabric designs. Pascal's classic Lyonnaise cuisine exhibits his astonishingly skillful hand with subtle, silken sauces and seasonings. Fine cookery showcases a chicken-liver mousse with basil-flavored butter sauce, lobster bisque en croûte, sea scallops on a bed of leeks, roasted rack of lamb with herbes de Provence (prepared for only two person at a time), and steamed grouper in beurre blanc sauce. Finish the meal with a divine flourless chocolate cake with strawberry coulis or a perfect tarte tatin.
On the premises are four very large bedrooms. Each unit has a whirlpool tub, air-conditioning, fridge, rattan furniture, sea views, and color schemes influenced by the sand and sky. With breakfast included, singles or doubles range from US$140 in low season and from US$210 in winter.
Location: Galley Bay Hill, Five Islands
Tel: 268/462-3232 (reservation recommended)
Per person cost: US$20 – US$30
Opening Hours: Daily from 11:30am-3pm and 6pm-11pm. Closed in September.
Alberto’s, International
Close to the edge of the sea, near the St. James's Club, in an open-sided pavilion lavishly draped with bougainvillea, stands one of the most stylish and cosmopolitan restaurants on Antigua, The Alberto's. It is the creation of Venice-born Alberto Ravanello and his English wife, Vanessa, who prepares much of the food herself. The owners' frequent travels have inspired the menu's satisfying fusion of Italian, French, and Continental dishes. The best dishes include ravioli stuffed either with pulverized asparagus and shrimp, or with mascarpone cheese and sage-flavored butter; a zesty pasta with fresh local clams; savory stuffed crabs; and fresh wahoo steak with a sautéed onion, garlic, and rosemary sauce. Lobster, a favorite here, is boiled in seawater, then grilled and served simply, usually with garlic-flavored butter. It's lip-smacking good, but pricey.
Location: Willoughby Bay
Tel: 268/460-3007 (reservation recommended)
Per person cost: US$20 – US$35
Opening Hours: Opens on Tuesday to Sunday from 7-10. Closed on Monday and May to November.
Le Bistro, French
Less than a kilometer (1/2 mile) inland from the coast of Hodges Bay, this restaurant occupies a stone-sided structure built as a clubhouse for a now-defunct golf course. Sporting informal charm, it's Antigua's oldest continuously operated restaurant (since 1981). The owners are English-born Philippa Esposito and her husband, Raffaele, from Capri. Chef Patrick Gaducheau delights in blending regional fare with local ingredients, but the kitchen is surprisingly inconsistent, and the service can be stuffy. Opt for daily specials, such as fresh snapper with spinach and grapefruit in thyme-perfumed lime-butter sauce, lobster medallions in basil-accented old-rum sauce with roasted red peppers, and almost anything swaddled in puff pastry. Phillippa Esposito doubles as hostess and pastry chef; her passion-fruit mousse and chocolate confections are sublime.
Location: Hodges Bay
Tel: 268/462-3881 (reservation recommended)
Per person cost: US$24 – US$37
Opening Hours: Opens on Tuesday to Sunday from 6:30pm-10:30pm. Closed on Monday.
Harmony Hall, Italian
| Its remote location is a problem, but Harmony Hall's flawless blend of historic ambience, panoramic ocean views, excellent cuisine, and outstanding service is a feast for the senses. Owner Riccardo and Marilisa Parisi's meticulous attention to detail extends from the custom-made ceramic-ware to the savvy, reasonably priced wine list. The superbly fresh Italian fare sings with sun-drenched Mediterranean colors and flavors, from tender salmon in a crunchy sesame-poppy seed crust to wahoo-herb ravioloni with cherry tomatoes. The amazing multi-tier antipasto is a meal in itself. |
There's also a renowned art gallery, pool, boat to Green Island, and beach five-minutes' walk down the hill. You can also spend the night in one of the stylish, spacious cottages (just $165, including breakfast).
Location: Brown's Bay Mill, Brown's Bay
Tel: 268/460-4120 (reservation recommended)
Per person cost: US$24 – US$37
Opening Hours: Opens daily from 10:00am-10:00pm.