Produced by Virtuoso with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.
Local & Co.'s breezy patio. Island favorites at Local & Co. A Barbados staple.
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Chef Damian Leach’s insider tips for finding authentic Bajan flavor, sipping the island’s best rum, and spicing things up with Scotch bonnet.
Ask most Bajans what they love best about Barbados, and you’ll likely hear a common refrain: Their island nation in the eastern Caribbean is home to some of the world’s prettiest beaches, yes, but the bulk of Barbados’ treasures lie beyond its pink and white sands.
“The island has a rich history, distinct rum and culinary scenes, vibrant festivals, art galleries, botanical gardens, and so much more,” says Virtuoso agency executive Alana Gray, who’s based in Barbados. “Visitors also find the warm hospitality of people who love sharing their culture.”
Consider Damian Leach, one of the island’s most passionate culinary ambassadors, whose accolades includes a people’s choice award for Caribbean Chef of the Year and a gold medal for best seafood in Miami’s Taste of the Caribbean competition. Leach travels internationally to enlighten the uninitiated about the wonders of Bajan cuisine – at a recent NYC event, he turned a crowd into true believers with his ginger barbecued pig tails. At home, he champions local food and zero-waste cooking at his two restaurants, Cocktail Kitchen and White Belly Goat.
Barbados’ culinary scene bridges the island’s African, Creole, Indigenous, Portuguese, British, Irish, and Indian influences. And with some 1,500 bars and 500 restaurants spread across the 166-square-mile island, where should a traveler even start? “Make friends with the Bajans you meet – it’s easy, we’re very welcoming – and ask, ‘Where do locals go, and what would you recommend?’ ” Leach says.
Read on for more tips from Leach on what makes Barbadian cuisine special, which restaurants should top your list, and how to forge lasting friendships with Bajans (hint: it involves rum).
Chef Damian Leach.
Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.
What Defines Barbadian Cuisine
“In the past, most of our executive chefs came from overseas, but we have so much homegrown talent now and that’s finally being recognized,” Leach says. “Local chefs know what to do with our local ingredients – and we’re proud of those – so you’ll see them on our menus now. That’s why we’re seeing Bajan cuisine come alive.”
These chefs are putting fresh spins on classic Bajan dishes. Take Tapestry’s executive chef Javon Cummins’ modern take on pudding and souse (a traditional dish of pickled pork and sweet potatoes), which features a pickled gelée, mango, Scotch bonnet pepper, and parsley foam. Or there’s Leach’s own elevation of Bajan-favored breadfruit at Cocktail Kitchen, where the versatile staple stars in everything from breadfruit crisps to a signature fire-roasted breadfruit with lobster, salt fish, tobiko, and a Bajan pepper sauce aioli.
Local ingredients translate to fresh, sustainable ones, starting with seafood: Leach and like-minded chefs only serve locally caught fish, but Barbados is now also seeing a sea change around its produce and meat, including native blackbelly sheep. “New Zealand lamb is great,” Leach says. “But why would I fly that in when we have blackbelly sheep right here?”
“I want travelers to be able to tell stories back home about how they tried foods they probably hadn’t heard of,” Leach says. This increased cultivation also strengthens the island’s food security, Leach adds, and creates more-sustainable revenue streams for Bajans. “Being able to purchase my products directly from local producers – that’s a great feeling.”
Barbadian cuisine shines at Cocktail Kitchen in Saint Lawrence Gap.
Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.
The Best Places to Eat in Barbados
Leach recommends beginning with Barbados’ national dish: coucou (cornmeal and okra) and flying fish. “If you visit Barbados, you must try it. One hundred percent,” he says. His favorite spot for it is Fred’s Bar & Restaurant in Oistins, a fishing town on the island’s south coast. For traditional pudding and souse, head to the homestyle Sand Dunes Bar & Restaurant in Saint Andrew Parish on the east coast, which Leach says is “untouched, like Barbados in its natural form.”
Many of Barbados’ fine-dining restaurants – including The Cliff, where Leach honed his culinary skills – can be found on the island’s upscale west coast. He also recommends the seaside Local & Co. for its emphasis on Bajan ingredients. (Pro tip: Order the breadfruit gnocchi with blackbelly sheep ragù, basil oil, and organic cherry tomatoes.)
The island’s south is synonymous with lively, less-formal dining spots such as Leach’s Cocktail Kitchen in Saint Lawrence Gap. “Two of my favorite dishes here are our coconut-and-ginger-crusted catch and our smoked blackbelly lamb risotto,” he says. “But the roasted breadfruit and lobster is by far our most popular. People get angry if we don’t have it. Like, legit angry.”
For dinner and a view, head to another favorite of Leach’s, Animal Flower Cave on the island’s north coast. “It’s absolutely beautiful and set on a big cliff,” Leach says. He suggests the blackbelly lamb stew, made with home-raised, free-range lamb and grilled breadfruit.
Don’t leave without sampling some of the island’s authentic street food, which is where to find the most novel takes on staples such as breadfruit and pudding and souse. Leach’s top picks include Yelluh Meat in Bridgetown (the island’s capital) for pickled pig tails, and the many stands and fish shacks in Oistins, especially on Friday nights during the town’s famous fish fries.
The Saint Nicholas Abbey rum distillery, housed in an original 1658 building.
Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.
Don’t Forget the Rum
You can’t talk about the island’s culinary scene without mentioning Barbados rum. The world’s oldest distilled spirit was born here, and the island now pulses with a new wave of mixologists, including Trudiann Branker, the first woman master blender at the legendary Mount Gay.
“Rum makes friends,” Leach says. “When people visit from overseas, I tell them that to fully experience Barbados, we need to drink rum together. It creates a powerful bond.”
Leach recommends sipping in Oistins, where there are a lot of little rum shops that serve excellent food. Or for a “real chill rum bar” on the west coast, dip your toes in the sand at La Cabane, whose “retox” menu lists cocktails such as Bajan garden punch, made with Mount Gay Eclipse, ginger ale, elderflower, and cucumber. Distillery tours provide additional insight into the spirit’s history on the island: Along with the popular Mount Gay, travelers can visit the West Indies Rum Distillery, Saint Nicholas Abbey, and Leach’s favorite, Foursquare.
For full culinary immersion – and a great party – plan a trip to the island in October for the annual Food and Rum Festival. “You’ll get all our top chefs and mixologists in one place,” Leach says. The best part: Everyone’s welcome.
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