What’s the culinary capital of the Caribbean? Well, Barbados claims it is, and for good reason.
@nowtoronto What’s the culinary capital of the Caribbean? Well, Barbados claims it is, and for good reason. Now Toronto was invited to the island to check out the Food and Rum Festival, and it did not disappoint! 🇧🇧 For more details, head to nowtoronto.com — link in bio. 🔗 #visitbarbados #travel ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
The island is known for its gorgeous beaches, historic rum and the excitement of Crop Over, but don’t underestimate the food. We’re talking flying fish, pork belly, seafood, and even snow cones the list of quality food goes on and on.
Local Chef Damian Leach says what makes Barbados’ food scene stand apart from other islands in the Caribbean is its emphasis on local talent.
“I’ve travelled across the Caribbean, and I find that Barbados focuses on using their local chefs more…and we really started to embrace our culture and our cuisine and I think a lot of the other Caribbean islands were not embracing that as much,” local Chef Damian Leach told Now Toronto.
So, if you’re a foodie who needs to have their bellies full with good food while on vacation, Barbados needs to be your next stop. Now Toronto was invited to the island during the best time to check out the diverse food scene: The Food and Rum Festival, and it did not disappoint.
The Barbados Food & Rum Festival
Created in 2009, the annual multi-day festival is an invitation to enjoy Barbados’ top chefs and the rich flavours that the island has to offer. This year, the festival featured over 30 local chefs and mixologists, including Leach, who’s a local award-winning chef.
“It’s a special festival because we really embrace these local chefs and put them on a stage and people come and experience that…This year’s “international chefs” were all homegrown, they were born in Barbados, doing amazing things overseas and we brought them in,” Leach said.
We were in for culinary bliss with four days and eight signature events of food, food and more mouth-watering food. And of course, there was lots of rum to go around too!
Out of all the events on deck, we attended two signature events: The Rise and Rum Breakfast Beach Party and Liquid Gold Feast 2025. Both very different vibes but both with amazing bites and entertainment to match.
Rise and Rum was the ultimate outdoor day party, with a beautiful yellow theme, and featured chefs offering bites of their renowned dishes, along with a DJ, live performances, stilt walkers and other activations to keep the crowd entertained. But this party is not for the weak, we got there at 5 a.m. to see the beautiful sunrise, and we were in for a long morning of eating, drinking and dancing. It was definitely worth it.
Featuring local produce and ingredients, these chefs did their thing! From duck and pork belly sandwiches to cornbread and ceviche, the food gave a glimpse of the flavourful offerings Barbados has to offer. And the rum-based drinks to match kept our energy going all day long.
The next signature event we attended was an absolute showstopper. The Liquid Gold Feast was an elegant evening party with loads of Bajan dishes and incredible live entertainment. The party oozed excellence from the moment we stepped in with its decadent gold decor and the chefs stationed at booths throughout the covered grounds offering bite-sized treats to guests, who were also dressed to the nines.
The food options were endless, from hot honey barracuda skewers to Guava BBQ pig tails and cassava dumplings, there was something for everyone. The chefs all provided their own flair on classic island dishes, and that’s what made this night so spectacular. The line-up of live singers and musicians also made it a night to remember.
Restaurant spotlights
Of course, if you’re going to Barbados you’ll want to know which food spots around the island are good, and we’ve picked out some gems you need to know. From casual takeout to elevated dining, Barbados offers a myriad of choices for all tastebuds.
If you’re looking for a quick bite, you have to hit up Chefette. The local chicken joint is a must-try for its fried chicken. It’s juicy, tender and flavourful. We also recommend the spicy wavy fries as a good side to complete the meal. With at least 15 restaurants located across the island, Chefette is affordable and a local favourite.
Now, if you’re looking to dine with a view, Zemi East Coast Cafe needs to be top of your list. Located in the picturesque village of Bathsheba, Barbados on the island’s east coast, Zemi, which means a sacred object to Barbados’ first inhabitants, Amerindian peoples, provides a zen escape with stunning views and a menu complete with island classics like a flying fish cutter to unique Bajan inspired dishes like the oxtail mac pie. Zemi also prides itself on its fish cakes.
“These Zemi fish cakes are becoming pretty famous. I would say one of the things about our fish cakes, they have fish. A lot of people talk about fish cakes as a lot of flour,” Co-owner Kenny Hewitt told Now Toronto.
If you’re looking for a good date night spot, Chef Damian Leach’s Cocktail Kitchen is your spot. Located in St. Lawrence Gap, a lively area in Christ Church, the aesthetically pleasing restaurant offers Leach’s take on classic Bajan meals along with vegan options, including Caribbean seafood curry, and Thai Split Pea Croquettes. Every bite was like an explosion of flavours, paired with exquisite cocktails, including the Mango chow and Rumspresso Tini.
Chef Leach didn’t just stop there. He also owns Uva, a beautifully-designed Caribbean and Mediterranean fusion restaurant also in Christ Church.
“At this particular restaurant, it’s more of a Mediterranean concept but we want to use Bajan flavours,” Leach told Now Toronto.
With the tagline “art of sobremesa,” which translates to over the table in Spanish, the focus is just that – sharing a delicious meal with loved ones while making memories. Also offering vegan dishes, Uva has options galore and everything was memorable, from the Pumpkin Fritters and Charred Octopus to the Tomato & Garlic Mussels and the vegan Crab Cakes.
For a top-tier luxurious fine dining moment, The Cliff in St. James offers elegance “on the water’s edge.” Known as Barbados’ premier dining destination, its food and ambience are unparalleled with gorgeous views of the Caribbean sea and a gourmet meal.
“Expect to get dressed up, expect to have a great meal, great service, the best,” Chef Jordan Bayes told Now Toronto.
Bayes offers a wide array of dishes from various sushi rolls, Beef Wellington and Snake River Gold Wagyu, which Head Chef Jordan Boyles says is the restaurant’s proudest dish.
“All of our steaks are cooked on an indoor BBQ, we have charcoal, to get a really smoky flavour,” he told Now Toronto.
“We try to use local ingredients, and obviously get techniques from the local chefs we got here and that rubs off into the menu as well,” he added.
Food tour on the Island
Now, we already established that Barbados has amazing festivals and restaurants to taste the various flavours of the island, but we also wanted to hit the town to have our own mini food tour of local eats and treats.
We went to downtown Bridgetown to explore the shops and food offerings for breakfast and our first stop was Hot Legendary Fish Cakes. Open for at least 10 years, it prides itself on having “the best fish cakes in Barbados.” Fish cakes are made with saltfish, onion, flour, seasoning, salt and butter – simple ingredients but packed with flavour. For $5 USD ($10 BBD) a bag of six cakes is a regular favourite for locals, that can be eaten with bakes and eggs or in a salt bread sandwich with cheese, delicious!
After a morning of walking and shopping in the heat we were feeling thirsty and wanted to grab a refreshing drink and headed to a local rumshop. With these shops sprinkled all across the island, they’re a convenient way to grab a quick beverage, while catching up with friends or connecting with locals. We drove to John Moore Bar in Weston, St. James, a beachside rumshop offering local fish, and, of course, lots of rum! We got the rum punch and sipped on it while enjoying the views and sounds of the sea.
For lunch, we headed to Cuz’s Fish Stand for the best fish sandwiches (aka cutter) in Barbados. This sandwich is a must try, period. Delicious, tender flying fish with cheese, lettuce and tomato. It’s so good, we ate it up in seconds and wanted more.
Next, we went to Bridgetown Fisheries Complex to see all the local fish caught and prepared to be sold. There were a bunch of workers clearing, cutting and preparing the different types of fish from Tuna, Snapper, Marlin and Pot fish. It was smelly, and eye-opening to how this crucial industry is trying to survive and thrive amid climate change and dealing with the impact of natural disasters, like 2024’s Hurricane Beryl.
Jmma Howards has been a local fisherwoman since 2018 and is seeing the impacts first-hand, calling the market “dead” with a drop in locals and visitors coming by to purchase fish. And she doesn’t understand why, as she boldly claims that Barbados has the best fish in the Caribbean. For anyone visiting the complex for fresh fish, she recommends getting barracuda and frying it up for a delicious meal.
To try some of the local fish, we hit up the beach to get seafood boil at The Seafood Shack, and it did not disappoint. The bag is full of crab legs, corn, broccoli, potato, shrimp, and delicious spicy garlic butter. Prepare to get messy but the explosion of flavours is worth it. Perfect for sharing, we definitely recommend this spot for the experience while enjoying the beach.
After having all that fish, we decided to get some local catch for lunch at the popular Fisherman’s Pub in Speightstown that first opened in 1936. Ironically though, there was no fish available when we got there for our afternoon delight. So, we opted for fried chicken, macaroni pie and salad – a hearty and well-rounded meal to sustain us until dinner. It was flavourful and what we needed. However, Manager Cheryl Broomes says if you come visit you have to try their Steam Pudding on Saturdays – a savory, spiced sweet potato pudding – along with Cou-cou, pickled pig tail and pickled pork. When they do have fish in stock, Broomes says there are options galore to choose from.
“We normally have mahi mahi which is our local dolphin fish, tuna, Amberjack, and King fish,” she said.
To cap off our meal, we walked over to PRC Bakery for a sweet treat. The bakery has been operating for the past 20 years. Painted in pink, it has a warm and inviting atmosphere with a long display case of all the pastries on hand. There were so many options to choose from, and supervisor Deandra Worrell recommends visitors have to try the Coconut and Current Slices, Raspberry Jam Puffs or the Meatrolls. She says customers return to the bakery time and time again because of the service and quality of pastries.
“We live like a family at PRC. We treat our customers like our family so that’s why [people] come here,” she said.
“Our pastries are made by hand, we don’t actually have a machine to [make] our pastries…all in house,” she added.
For a night cap, we ventured to 6mix Bar to pay homage to our city! The bar is decked out in Toronto-related memorabilia, like Raptors, Leafs and Drake posters – the perfect way to make Torontonians feel at home. The bar has a mixture of Bajan and western dishes and prides itself on having 40 different flavours of wings.
We stuck to the theme of the day with our drink choice, rum punches, and sat at the bar to watch Barbados’ national sport, cricket. The drinks were delicious, a good buzz to keep the night going.
Manager Tiffany Scott explained that the owner is from Toronto and opened the bar six years ago with a goal to bring Canadian pride to Barbados.
“He wanted to bring a bit of Canada back here. So, even in our wifi password… it’s a mixture between Barbados and Toronto,” she told Now.
Scott adds that the bar plays Canadian sports on their TV to make Canadians feel welcome and at home.
One thing is for sure, when you go to Barbados you will eat well. The island’s cuisine ties together history and creativity in every delicious bite, which is sure to make your vacation one to remember.
To check out more of Barbados’ food scene, head to Visit Barbados’ website.
