Restaurants are very small with limited menu's and are often open at certain times only. They may have to be booked in advance or close out of the tourist season, so please call them (if they have updated their numbers) to see if they are open before you go.
Real Barbudan specialities like land turtle, deer meat, crabs and conchs are only available at certain times and harder to find. Some food can be ordered if you ask a local person to cook, and some people (such as Islyn, Charm, Jackson and Jacgui) cook and sell from their homes. You would have to ask where they live!
Fresh caught fish and lobster depend on good weather and is often sold on the street out of a cool box, or at the Fisheries wharf as the boats come in, at around 2 - 4pm most days. Most Barbudan food is sold early in the day and a cooked breakfast is very popular. Lunch is gone by the early afternoon, so don't miss out by looking too late; or buy it early and save it for later.
One of the oldest established bars in the village, Byron has re-opened the front part of the bar only, and is welcoming and friendly with lots of local old-time stories to tell you about Barbuda. He serves all his drinks to a reggae or soul soundtrack,.If he isn't there, his mother Miss Pearl will be.
Opposite Green Door, just off Madison, this is a friendly bar with tables and music, serving mixed drinks, beers and other spirits.
Pat serves the best burgers in Barbuda, with other local food to go from her tidy yard in the middle of the village. She also has a few seats and is open in the afternoon and evenings only.
Block Club volunteers cooked free meals for almost everyone on Barbuda when Hurricane Irma hit us. Now it's open for special events and is an occasional market place.
Timbuk has an almost daily menu with food and drinks and places to sit with friends, it is currently one of the busiest places in Barbuda. Must be because they have electricity.
Wanda was one of the first to open after the hurricane, providing lunches for aid workers and fast food for the rest of us. She is currently building a new restaurant at River, but is still open in the old one, so we are looking forward to eating by the sea in one of our favourite fast-food places.
The ArtCafe serves a selection of local home-made food and drink in our art gallery and cafe. We have local bush teas; fresh juices, Caribbean-roast coffee and we sometimes make a cake. We do a snack dish-of-the-day lunch, and delicious pop-up gourmet suppers (book in advance) with Barbudan produce. Look at our sample menu and then phone to see what we have on +1 (268) 726 9118 or message us through this site. We also have a Facebook page with more pictures. We do lively Caribbean rum tasting evenings for those who want to learn about the history and practice of rum making in the Caribbean, or you can come to one of our friendly happy hours - usually on Fridays from 7 - 9pm, where we serve cocktails with jazz, soca, reggae and good old pop music. Here you will meet local people and other travellers staying with us - but call first. We are ALWAYS closed on Sunday.
On the main road between the village and River, Extra Man or what was Evans Bar, is a popular drinking, dominoes, cards and music spot now based in his home and on the road. It is often busy and you can recognise it by the speakers in the fridge outside. Evans also sells cigarettes and ice is sold next door.
George has a lounge bar with pool table and loud music, run by Nutan, below Lynton's guest house that sells drinks, and next door you can buy fried chicken with johny cakes.
This bar has moved onto the street since the hurricane and serves a selection of wines, soft drinks, beers and spirits here in the centre of the village, just off Madison. You can also buy snacks during the day..
Probably the best known of Barbuda's restaurants and bars, this is being renovated, will look completely different and should be open very soon! Uncle Roddy's is located right on the beach at Coral Group bay on Barbuda, next to Barbuda Cottages.
Street food is very good on Barbuda. At school just before break-time you can buy delicious home-made snacks like bread pudding, roti, meatballs, fried chicken and meat or vegetable patties. There may be fried fish and johnny cakes outside Canutes old shop on a Friday or Saturday lunchtime, or at Charm Charles on the main road. If you are cooking; local meat (mainly pork or beef) is sometimes sold from a table in the village, is much cheaper and better quality than the imported frozen meat, and sells out fast. If you are looking for Barbudan goat, lamb or deer meat you can often only buy from people you know. Fresh fish is often sold out of a cool box or barrow carried around the village but DO NOT BUY undersize or prohibited fish, conchs or lobster, and conchs or lobster out of season. There is a council vegetable 'market' but this is only open when there is produce to sell, which is not every day.
We make our own fruit punches and other local drinks like ginger beer, soursop and passion fruit and there is sometimes fresh coconut water to buy. The bars serve local beers - Wadadali and Carib - as well as Heineken or whatever else is available.
Antigua produces its own rums - Cavalier and English Harbour, and you can buy wine and some mixed drinks or cocktails in the village at Timbuk, Green Door, Buzz, Black Swan Sports Bar, Extra Man and Lyntons Chill Spot for about a quarter of the price of one in a hotel. The ArtCafe does cocktail happy hours on some Friday evenings 7 - 9pm and Caribbean rum tasting evenings if you want to learn more about the making and blending of Caribbean rums.
Now, it's been too long.
Too long, too long in slavery.
Free the people and let them move in liberty
Now, it's been too long.
Too long, too long in slavery.
So the struggle continue.
But while the struggle continue, I'm going to tell you.
We rastaman will set the world free...
Joseph Hill - Culture
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