5 restaurants where locals actually go in Guadeloupe

Refreshing, spicy, flavourful… Creole cuisine knows to honour its traditional roots while embracing modernity. Whether you fancy a trendy spot or rather eat with your feet in the sand, here is my selection of exceptional restaurants where you can sample the best of French West Indies food. 

1. An Tol La. The most traditional

In the heart of Carénage, the Point-à-Pitre working-class neighborhood, An Tol La serves the locals on their lunch break. This little hut faces the wharf and has quite a bit of charm. A select choice of local dishes made with fresh ingredients and flavored rum for when the sun sets. My favorite ? Grilled fish with kidney beans. Delicious!

An Tol La, Fouillole, 97110 Pointe-à-Pitre - Tél. : +590 (0)690 71 49 72

2. Le Vieux-Port. The cosiest

The Vieux Port has been constantly delivering on its promises since 1980. On the old harbour in Saint-François, the colourful hut sets an intimate mood, ideal for a date or a family dinner. Bernard and Odile, the establishment’s charming cooks, offer a refined and modern Creole cuisine. I try the classic chicken Colombo and a grilled dorado, both fresh and perfectly balanced. For dessert, I fell in love with their traditional coconut flan served with homemade caramel. This place is my go-to for a truly home cooked happy meal! 

Le Vieux Port, Rue Margagnan, (face au port de pêche), 97118 Saint-François - Tèl. : 05 90 88 46 60

3. Chez Henri. The most unfamiliar

Near the wharf on Saint Louis beach, the Marie-Galante born Henri offers modern French West Indies food in his namesake restaurant. My feet in the sand, I enjoy a feast of dorado fillo with local vegetables. At night, I come back for the “takeoff”, an aperitif of legendary iced rum accompanied by the sounds of live music. Definitely my favorite address of the island. 

Chez Henri, 8, Avenue des Caraïbes Saint-Louis, Marie Galante - Tèl. : 0590 97 04 57

4. Le Colombo. The most classic

The Colombo has been delivering the fleshiest and best-grilled lobsters of Grande-Terre since the seventies. Go to the Pointe-des-Châteaux, which faces the family-friendly Anse du Mancenillier beach to enjoy the most well-liked shellfish of the island. The Colombo is steeped in my childhood, and has no equivalent. A true legend !

Section la Coulée D 118, 97118, Saint François, Guadeloupe - Tèl. : +590 590 88-5738

5. Les dents de la mer. The most international food truck

Tuna tataki, gluten-free tacos, dorado fillets, fresh fish tartar…. These aren’t on the menu of some organic bistro, but are served in Les Dents de la Mer, a local food truck started by a pair of local thirty-somethings, . They definitely deliver, and also serve, with a winning smile, delicious fresh juices. Everything that I love.

Les Dents de la Mer, Rue Henri Becquerel, Baie Mahault, Guadeloupe - Tèl. : +590 (0)690 12-6689

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My go-to places in Marie-Galante

Marie-Galante continuously celebrates its traditional roots in the French West Indies, with its turquoise waters, legendary rums and endless sugar cane oasis. Zoom-in on an outstanding island off the Guadeloupe coast.

Twenty miles south-east of Guadeloupe is Marie-Galante, an island otherwise known as the “grande galette” (“big pancake”) or “the island with a hundred windmills”. I didn’t remember much of my first trip there, so, 20 years later, here I am rediscovering this gem for a weekend. Follow the guide !

1. Discover the island’s most beautiful beaches

My two favorite beaches are Feuillère beach and Petite Anse, both at the edge of a palm grove and boarded by waters boasting thousands of different blue hues. There is rarely anyone there, safe for the leatherback turtles and surgeonfish. What a luxury to share the golden sand with them!

Feuillère beach (Capesterre) - Petite Anse beach (Saint Louis)

2. Tour around Marie-Galante

The Gueule Grand-Gouffre site impresses with its sea-formed arch and the sound of the surf through it. The numerous distilleries (my favorite one is Bielle) take you through time, and offer the best rum in Guadeloupe. Impossible to leave Marie-Galante without stopping by one of its historical windmills, such as the Habitation Roussel Trianon.

Places to visit : Gueule Grand Gouffre (Saint Louis) - Distillerie Bielle (Grand Bourg) - Habitation Roussel Trianon - Ecomusée (Grand Bourg)

3. Village-hopping: Capesterre, Saint Louis and Grand Bourg

You will feel the true Marie-Galante charm in the narrow and colourful streets of Grand Bourg, Capesterre and Saint Louis, the three districts of the island. I love markets, and I can never resist visiting them on any of my travels: From the Grand Bourg market, I come with two bottles of “sirop de batterie”, a local sugar cane syrup.

4. Enjoy local food

Chez Henri

Near the wharf on Saint Louis beach, the Marie-Galante born Henri offers modern French West Indies food in his namesake restaurant. My feet in the sand, I enjoy a feast of dorado fillo with local vegetables. At night, I come back for the “takeoff”, an aperitif of legendary iced rum accompanied by the sounds of live music. Definitely my favorite address of the island. 

Chez Henri, 8, Avenue des Caraïbes Saint-Louis ) Tèl. : 0590 97 04 57

Au plaisir des Marins

Big fan of creole court-bouillon fish (similar to a blaff, the court bouillon is a stock containing tomatoes and fresh spices in which fish is cooked), I choose to enjoy it at Au plaisir des Marins (the Pleasure of Sailors), a table by the sea in Saint Louis. On the menu, Ti punch syrup drums, cod stuffed, short broth broth and flamed banana. As much to say that the nap of the afternoon was long .. Go for it !

Au plaisir des Marins, Section Chalet 97134 Saint Louis - Tél. : 05 90 97 08 11

Agoulou and bokit

The agoulou and the bokit are the best food to eat while appreciating a sunset by the ocean. I find a food truck hidden behind the Sainte-Anne Church in Capesterre, where I wait among a long line of people… But it was well worth the wait!

Agoulou et bokit à emporter au food truck derrière l'église Saint-Anne de Capesterre

Bébélé at Pomme Cannelle

In the heights of Capesterre, Marie-Christine puts love in the preparation of Marie-Galante’s most typical dish, the bébélé at her restaurant the Pomme Cannelle. Made with tripe, ripe stonefruit, flour balls, and green figs, the dish will put you in a delicious slumber...

Pomme Cannelle, Pichery, Capesterre 97140, Guadeloupe, Tèl. : +590 590 97-1708

Where is Marie-Galante ?

 

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