The Cracked Conch/Macabuca Oceanside Tiki Bar & Grill

Nestled into the jagged rocks of West Bay, on the seacoast near the northern terminus of Seven Mile Beach, across the road from the Turtle Farm, this eatery serves some of the island's freshest seafood. It's also a dining and drinking destination in its own right, a magnet for young, attractive residents of Grand Cayman, who frequent the place when they're not otherwise hard at work on other parts of the island.

The best way to appreciate this setting involves drinks and perhaps a focus on the big-screen TVs at the Macabuca Tiki Bar, and then a migration to a table on the open-sided veranda at the Cracked Conch. The whole experience includes views of flickering torches and the sound of surf crashing against the jagged rocks nearby, hallucinatory rum punches and martinis, and very good food.

Management works hard to define the Macabuca Bar (whose name translates as "No Problem" in Taíno) as informal, relaxed, and irreverent, and the Cracked Conch as a venue for fine dining. Informal menu items available throughout the day and evening at Macabuca and at lunch at the Cracked Conch include salads; fried calamari; breaded and fried conch steaks; and beef, chicken, or conch burgers. More formal and elaborate dishes, available for dinner at the Cracked Conch, feature some of the most creative and upscale combinations of conch and turtle steak we've ever seen. Examples include a steamed-conch-and-snapper-coconut casserole; a skillfully prepared roulade of conch; and turtle steak braised with Parma ham, fresh tomatoes, and basil. Also available is a platter with fresh local tuna prepared three different ways: as marinated sashimi, as fried tuna rice rolls with pickled papaya, and as a tartare with fresh cilantro. Sunday brunches are festive, with buffet stations set up within the gleaming stainless-steel kitchen.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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