By Orville Williams
As repeat visitors to Antigua will already know and new ones will come to find out, the beautiful island located at the top of the Eastern Caribbean chain is not only home to some of the most pristine waters, but one of the richest cultures in the world. A big part of that culture – a testimony from both locals and visitors alike – is the food.
Restaurants across the island are usually bustling with activity during peak tourism season, whether the high-end, fine dining places or the late-night, streetside vendors; one thing they have in common is great-tasting meals.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic though, many of the restaurants and food vendors on the lower end of the market have been struggling due to a lack of customers, expensive ingredients, rising fuel/rent costs, or a combination of all.
Sailing Week has traditionally been a big draw for many, due to the sheer number of visitors that descend on English Harbour each year, and now that the 54th edition is officially underway, they will be hoping to benefit from the [albeit temporary] increase in potential customers.
Here are some of English Harbour’s must-visit hole-in-the-wall food spots (in no particular order).
Caribbean Taste
If you’re looking for “authentic Caribbean meals”, Nicholas Quashie – who has been operating this restaurant for 22 years – says “look no further”.
Located just off Dockyard Drive, around the corner from Dockyard Pharmacy Plus, Caribbean Taste is open on Mondays through Saturdays and boasts a rather extensive menu filled with local and regional dishes.
For lunch, local meals like Ducana (grated sweet potatoes mixed with coconut, sugar, spices, flour and occasionally raisins) with Chop-Up (a vegetable stew made with eggplant, onion, pumpkin and spinach) and Fungee (made with cornmeal; almost identical to Polenta), as well as occasionally Pepperpot (a vegetable-based stew often including beef and/or ham) are available between 12pm and 4pm daily.
And for dinner, customers can choose from jerk chicken/pork/conch, coconut shrimp, grilled Mahi Mahi/Snapper and curried goat, among others.
Having felt the hard times of the Covid-19 pandemic over the past couple of years, Nicholas is hoping to benefit this year from the business that Sailing Week usually brings to the community.
“Sailing Week used to have a great impact [on my business], but in recent time we’ve seen a decline in dinner guests. Of course, we hadn’t had Sailing Week for two years, so we’re looking forward to this year.
“I can’t anticipate what’s going to happen, but of course I’m looking forward to making something out of it, however small it might be”, he says.
Mama’s Delight
Located just around the corner from the Cobbs Cross Primary School, this spot was opened up five years ago by a lovely older woman named Hazelyn Marsh, popularly called ‘Mama’.
It serves up a variety of dishes, including local favourites like Ducana and Fungee, and also specializes in grilled dishes, including seafood meals like salmon, tuna, freshly caught fish and lobster, as well as chicken and steak.
‘Mama’ has enjoyed good business since opening, but like many other local food service businesses, she was hit hard by the pandemic. “Covid cut things down a lot, [although] I was still open until the government shut things down. Afterwards – when they opened back up – things started to pick up a little slowly and it’s been largely the same even now”.
She says, while her restaurant doesn’t usually benefit from the influx of visitors into English Harbour for this time of year, she is hopeful that this year will be better.
“Sailing Week doesn’t do too much for me because of the area where I’m located – all of the activities take place back in the Dockyard area. Maybe that’s also because I don’t open at nights. I think if I opened at nights, it would be a little better for me, but I don’t really like to open in the nights [for safety reasons].
“Yes, I do get some customers, but mostly repeat customers who have become familiar with my restaurant. I’m looking forward to a good season now that things are kicking off, and I hope I will get some good business during Sailing Week.”
Mama’s Delight has a small, but welcoming seating area and provides free Wi-Fi for customers.
Roti Sue
As you probably guessed, this spot specializes in one of the most popular West Indian dishes – Roti.
The flatbread-like wrap which has Indian origins was made popular in countries with large Indian populations, like Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, and has since been adopted by the majority of islands in the Caribbean, including Antigua.
Suzanna Williams has been operating Roti Sue for nearly five years, serving up chicken, beef, pork, goat, lamb, shrimp, conch (when it’s in season) and veggies – all stuffed into a soft, flour-based roti wrap.
She too is hoping that Sailing Week will provide a much-needed reprieve from the fallout of the pandemic.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed [for increased business]. Some of the boats make orders to take out with them when they’re racing, so we’re hoping for more of that and also that more locals will come out to support”, she says.
Roti Sue is located on Dockyard Drive, across from the Falmouth Harbour Marina.
Seaview Ital
For the vegan/vegetarian crowd, this spot serves up a variety of local ‘ital’ meals including ‘scatta’ rice, pasta, ital soup, a variety of beans, tofu, cassava/spinach balls, vegetarian pizza, and many others. As owner and operator Lyle Athill put it, they have everything, “No meat, all ital”.
Athill – an English Harbour native – opened this spot approximately six years ago, after working as an informal food vendor for many years prior. He is looking forward to a spike in business during this year’s Sailing Week, after a tough couple of years due to the pandemic.
“It does get a bit busier during Sailing Week…I remember the early 2000s, it was usually really busy during Sailing Week [because] it was a big event. Things have dropped off a little, but it looks like it’s started to come back now.
“We get more [customers] including locals and mostly visitors who come in on the boats, so I’m looking forward to more of the same this year”, he says.
Seaview Ital is located on Dockyard Drive, just a stone’s throw away from the National Sailing Academy.
Simply PiQuant/Nigel’s/Katie’s
If you’re looking for a continental-style breakfast with Antiguan flavour, then look no further than Simply PiQuant. Located on Dockyard Drive, opposite supply store Budget Marine, this seaside food spot that overlooks a section of the harbour opens exclusively on Sundays.
The owner and head chef, Kimberly Thomas – who is a teacher by profession – whips up some amazing menu options such as apple pie pancakes, French toast muffins with berries & cream, and a breakfast quesadilla.
She also offers local options including Lingfish, Mackerel, Shad or Red Herring served with Fungee or (a crowd favourite) Pumpkin fritters and vegetables. ‘Bush tea’ (which could be either lemongrass, mint, soursop or moringa – depending on what’s available at the time) or coffee can be paired with any of those delicious meals.
“Cooking has been in the blood, everyone in our family is into cooking, so it’s just a given that it’s passed down from generation to generation. My great-grandmother, my grandmother, we just have this cooking itch, anywhere we go, everybody wants us to cook because [the talent] is just in the family”, she says.
This is evident in the family-style setup of their operations. While she only opens on Sundays, that doesn’t mean business is closed during the week. Kimberly’s aunt and cousin share the space with her – the cousin doing breakfast and the aunt handling lunch on weekdays. The daily lunch menu has everything from local cuisine to barbecued chicken and ribs, curried goat, lamb and oxtail.
“Business has been good, [even] surprisingly during Covid – I had no issues during [that time], thank God for that”, Kimberly says, adding that she has plans to scale up her operations and possibly take a break to go study cooking full time.
“I’m looking for an investor, so anyone out there who wants to invest I’m open for that. I’m also looking for a scholarship to go to Le Cordon Bleu (the largest and arguably the most prestigious culinary school in the world), so if there’s anyone out there who wants to sponsor me, we can have a chit-chat.”
One of the main attractions at Simply PiQuant is its proximity to the water, with a seating deck that looks out onto the harbour.
Notable mentions…
Kate’s – located in Nelson’s Dockyard
Momzy’s Burgers – located in the parking lot across from Lucky Eddi’s Bar & Restaurant
Geny’s – located on Dockyard Drive, inside the supermarket of the same name
One Stone Ital – located next to the Cobbs Cross Primary School
Sweet T’s – located on Matthew’s Road in Piccadilly
Colin’s Place – located on Dockyard Drive, across from Falmouth Harbour Marina
The 54th edition of Antigua Sailing Week officially gets underway on Saturday, April 29 and runs until Saturday, May 6.
