Nassau restaurants open and close often. Even if reservations aren't required, it's a good idea to call first just to see that a place is still functioning. European and American cuisine are relatively easy to find in Nassau. Surprisingly, it used to be difficult to find Bahamian cuisine, but in recent years, more places have begun to offer authentic island fare.
Ingredients for the Island's Best Picnics
If you're keen on organizing a picnic and want to assemble your provisions in a style that befits owners of some of the island's biggest yachts, consider schlepping about 3km (1 3/4 miles) west of Cable Beach. Within an ochre-sided office and shopping complex known as the Caves Village Shopping Centre, you'll find The Gourmet Market (tel. 242/327-1067), the most upscale and most impressive deli/grocery on New Providence. Functioning like a magnet for the villa owners within the nearby exclusive gated community of Lyford Cay, it offers fruits, fish, upscale cheeses and wines, gourmet breads and pastries, and some other culinary accessories of the good life, all assembled into a spanking clean, deli-style format. And yes, they'll make sandwiches and even assemble, with or without strong guidance from you, picnic meals to go. If you opt for a visit to this place, you won't be alone: Sean Connery (007 and more) and pop icon Jessica Alba have already preceded you. It's open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6:30pm, Sunday from 7am to 1:30pm.
Goin' Local -- Coconut Gin & a Fish Fry
The most raffish-looking and densest concentration of low-end bars and eateries on New Providence rises in boxy, brightly colored rectangles from the sand and rock of Arawak Cay. Known as "Fish Fry" to many locals, it lies in the heart of Nassau, across West Bay Street (from the Botanical Gardens, walk back along Chippingham Rd.). Early in the day, you'll be able to buy fresh conch; vendors will crack the mollusk before your eyes (this cracking and cleaning process isn't everybody's favorite attraction). They'll give you some hot sauce and tell you to chow down. Beginning around noon, you'll find at least a half-dozen simple bars and kiosks dispensing cracked conch, fried fish, and grits garnished with either spicy corned beef or tuna salad. With it, you can sample a favorite drink of the islands, coconut milk laced with gin (an acquired taste, to say the least, but you'll feel like a real Bahamian). It's at its most crowded and popular every Sunday night, beginning around 5pm until around midnight, when hundreds of Bahamians gather together next to bonfires to gossip, flirt, raise hell, and hang out.
