Grand Cayman offers a world-class culinary experience, thanks to both its deliciously fresh local produce and its multicultural community — both of which attract top chefs from around the world. You can read all about it in Forbes, Food & Wine, Tasting Table, or Vogue! But for a local guide to our produce and restaurants, read on for Red Sail Sports’ tantalizing suggestions, insights into local food cultures, and histories of our top ingredients.
As a water sports company, we have also created some perfect pairings of our own, advising you what is best to enjoy before and after your different water sports experiences! Please get in touch with us at Red Sail Sports if you have any questions about our range of Grand Cayman scuba diving trips and boat excursions.
History of Cayman Food
The most important set of cultural influences on Cayman cuisine came from the arrival of enslaved Africans in the 18th century. A cuisine developed from a combination of the rations offered to slaves (salted fish, sweet potatoes, maize), their adaptations of wild produce, such as callaloo, and their knowledge of cultivating cassava, yam, and taro. Due to the influence of British colonization, there are also British influences in the cuisine, and you are likely to find sticky toffee pudding as an option on many menus.
Influences from Honduras, Venezuela, and the Caribbean’s Southeast Asian cultures are also strong; look out for roti, curries, tamales, and arepas across the island. More recently, Japanese sushi and sashimi have proved a perfect companion to the island’s bountiful seafood supply.
Besides the influences of Cayman’s diverse inhabitants over the culture, the island has long been an attractive destination for world-class chefs, who have brought new fusions and specialties to the island. For example, Cayman’s Blue, by three-star chef Eric Ripert, has gained the AAA Diver Diamond Award, and the menu is deeply inspired by Caribbean cultures and local seafood produce.
Food Culture in Grand Cayman
Many local restaurants offer bespoke menus, where you simply say what you would like to eat and the chef will cook it up! Popular food events on Grand Cayman include weekly Sunday brunch, grills on the beach (head to Heritage Public Beach or Colliers Public Beach for local favourites), and the celebration of the full moon, where many places offer parties or discounts.
Note that many supermarkets will be closed on Sundays, so have a plan ready for your Sunday brunch. Our top Sunday destinations include Ms. Pipers, Nova, The Marriott, and Luca. Luca features a Sunday brunch buffet has so many different exciting stations that will keep you coming back!
Culinary events include the prestigious Cayman Cookout Festival, while October is Restaurant Month, where many places offer prix fixe menus at great value. Many local chefs also offer private services, if you want to plan a personalized meal on the beach! For an alternative spectacular dining location, try our own Grand Cayman Dinner Cruise.
Cayman Seafood
Seafood is a total staple and just about every good venue in Grand Cayman features locally caught fish on the menu. Classics include poke, mahi mahi, and grouper, and many unique dishes featuring conch, such as cracked conch and conch chowder. You can learn more about local dishes to sample with our blog covering The Best Food to Try When Visiting the Cayman Islands!
The Caribbean twist given to Cayman’s fish dishes may come as a surprise, for example, Cayman-style lobster tail is cooked with the fiery scotch bonnet peppers. Many fish dishes include coconut milk, and swordfish or turtle in coconut sauce are particular delicacies.
For truly excellent lobster dumplings, go to Beach House at the Westin, a AAA 4 Diamond and Wine Spectator’s 2016 award-winning restaurant. Our favourite fresh local catch lunch menu is at Morgan’s Seafood Restaurant, which excels at global fusion. For a very ethical seafood option, look out for lionfish; an invasive species and an increasingly popular delicacy!
Cayman Vegetables and Plant-based Options
Vegetarians and vegans will have no problem enjoying the range of tastes offered in Grand Cayman; if anything, it will allow you a greater scope of adventure! These options are also ideal for those preparing for a Grand Cayman scuba diving trip when it’s good to keep the stomach light and hydrated.
Many of Cayman’s classic dishes, such as fish stew, have long been made with a rich medley of local vegetables (yam, pumpkin, and cassava in this case), so they are easily adapted for vegans and you can ask at most places for a tailored vegan option.
Our vegetables have phenomenal nutritional properties; yams are high in potassium, copper, and vitamin B6, while cassava is a surprisingly good source of vitamin C. Make sure you try our local breadfruit and ackee; find both in savoury dish options for a truly local experience.
There are also lots of great vegan-friendly restaurants in Grand Cayman, including Vivo and Island Naturals. Nearly all restaurants on the island will accommodate vegans and many have developed full vegan menus.
Cayman Meat-based Dishes
Enjoy an exhilarating day of Cayman snorkelling and wakeboarding or a Grand Cayman kayaking adventure, and return to the shore for Cayman’s nourishing local meat specialties.
Jerk chicken or pork is the classic Cayman meat option, as well as a range of incredible Caribbean curries, the most famous being the curried goat. Our international guests, particularly from the US, have inspired a wide range of steak options. For some fantastic meat and wine pairings, go to Abacus, which is also our top location for steak (they do it New York-style with a green peppercorn cognac sauce).
Cayman Desserts
Treat yourself to our global fusions of dessert menus, where the West, East, and Caribbean combine in melt-in-the-mouth deliciousness. Don’t miss Luca’s tiramisu (linked above), or the cakes at Ave, and take advantage of the latter’s beautiful spa before your meal.
A breakfast before diving or beach adventures is not complete without sampling our spectacular range of fruits. You will have heard of our mangoes, but what about guinep, ju plums, naseberries, or star apples? We invite you on an adventure to find these treats (they aren’t in the supermarkets)!
Cayman Drinks
Cayman’s top wine bar is the Grand Old House, located in South Sound. Here you will get a fine dining experience with Caribbean flair and live music four nights a week. Cayman is also famous for its cocktails, especially the original Mudslide at Rum Point Club!
Cayman is at the forefront of science and taste when it comes to spirits and is home to the first-ever undersea rum maturation site. Look out for distillery and brewery tours to find the secrets behind our local Seven Fathoms Rum, Gun Bay Vodka, and Caybrew beer.
Grand Cayman also offers so many alcohol-free options that it deserves a blog of its own. You can easily find a great selection of juices and mocktails. Don’t miss our traditional Cayman Swanky: a refreshing beach staple made from limes, native sour oranges, and brown sugar.
Cayman’s Top Restaurants to Visit
While offering a huge range of locally inspired cuisine, Cayman’s culinary fame also comes from its wide range of dining options that span global cultures and inspirations. For Mediterranean cuisine, check out Aria Cayman. For classic Italian, go to Pappagallo, uniquely situated in a 14-acre bird sanctuary and a fantastically atmospheric place. Bacaro is another Italian option — Venetian, to be exact. It is the perfect place for a fine dining express lunch option near West Bay.
There are many Asian influences in Cayman cuisine, and a wonderful fusion restaurant is Blue Cilantro, which combines French Mediterranean and Asian for a truly unique dining experience. Their Sunday brunch is particularly good, with a menu that changes weekly.
Blue by Eric Ripert at The Ritz Carlton is perhaps the island’s most prestigious restaurant. And anyone who has dined here will attest that it more than deserves its reputation. The menu can change, but you can expect an especially rich array of seafood dishes that will make you want to start arranging your next visit to Grand Cayman! For even more suggestions, read our blog about The Best Local Caribbean Restaurants in Grand Cayman.
It’s better to stop here before we all get too hungry. But don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Red Sail Sports if you are looking for unforgettable watersports adventures and a vacation like no other!
