Eating Like Locals

When we checked in at Xanadu, we were given a great little map of the island with most of the restaurants and shops nicely labeled. The front desk staff went over the map with us, highlighting their recommended places. While they all looked nice, most were a little more on the touristy side and a little more on the expensive side.

Instead, we did the exact opposite of what the CDC recommends and hit up all the little local spots - most of which were run-down shacks or tiny carts wheeled into an alley at night. Any place where a dozen locals were gathered outside was where we decided to grab our next meal.

Our favorite was Robin’s - a little shack with some tables in the sand out front and some drum grills cooking away. They make a mean jerk chicken and a fabulous curried chicken as well. All was served with rice and beans and coleslaw (which I usually hate, but theirs, with fresh cilantro in it, was actually great!). They were working odd hours the week we were there, so they were only open for breakfast and lunch each day. We took full advantage and had lunch there four days of our trip!

For dinner, we tried different carts or stands each night - mostly Mexican food. Our first night was an awesome little cart that a woman wheeled into the alley next to our hotel. We had some fantastic tacos with homemade tortillas - though she seemed to be able to make whatever was requested. Sadly, she didn’t return for the rest of the week. Another taco stand with no name gave us tasty tacos and burritos with avocado sauce, but they were not quite as good as our first taco cart.

 

Neri’s Tacos is the most run-down looking hole-in-the-wall shack, tucked back in an area you feel like you probably shouldn't take kids into, but we like to live on the edge! We wanted to try everything, so we had 4 empanadas, 4 tacos, 1 burrito and a fry jack. It ended up being 4 GIANT plates of tastiness, and the whole shabang cost us $7 USD. (In comparison, we picked up just a few small grocery items to have in our kitchen on our first night - with supplies to cook ONE meal - and we spent $80 USD, so eating at the local stands was a MUCH better deal!).

Of course, we had to try the local ice cream, and Trip Advisor did not lead us astray. We found the spot that was the favorite of locals and tourists alike!

 

While we tried to stick to places within walking distance, we did take a taxi to the north end of town one evening to try an actual sit-down meal in a local place. The food was good, but the drinks were divine!

If you’re not quite as adventurous, or you prefer to avoid possible typhoid fever, there are plenty of restaurants that are more up to the health code you expect in a developed country, but you should definitely expect to pay more “tourist” prices.