Hard Rock Cafe St. Maarten: Good Times with Friends

Tonight, some friends and I went out for dinner to celebrate the end of another great semester. For many of my friends, it is their last days on the island, and a good reason for us all to spend one last evening together, to have some drinks and dinner at a fun dining place… and the Hard Rock Cafe in Philipsburg was perfect for this.

Although we have a Hard Rock Cafe in Georgia, and I’ve traveled to cities with Hard Rock Cafes, tonight was my first time actually experiencing it. The Hard Rock Cafe in St. Maarten is especially a cool place to dine because of its location. We ate on the balcony overlooking the Boardwalk, beach, and Great Bay, with its sailboats and yachts.

If you come during the day, the Boardwalk would usually be crowded with shoppers, tourists, and of course, the cruise-ship crowd. But usually during the evening, like tonight, downtown Philipsburg becomes a calm little beach town under the stars, with hardly anyone on the boardwalk except for a few cute local families who take their kids to play and ride their bikes on the boardwalk. Tonight was especially beautiful with the stars and the moon out.

As I didn’t eat much earlier today, I was starving by the time we got to Hard Rock Cafe. I ordered the biggest plate there was on the menu… the Trio Hickory BBQ Combo… w/ pulled pork, half rack of ribs, chicken, garlic bread, baked beans, cole slaw, and French fries… and yes, I finished it all! For drinks, I ordered some fruity drink with alcohol in it… can’t remember the name but it was good too, and I got to keep the glass! Like all Hard Rock Cafes around the world, there were lots of cool museum-worthy collection pieces from rock-n-roll legends of all ages… Jackson 5, Madonna, and Garbage, among others. Overall, I stuffed myself full with a good meal, enjoyed the rockin’ environment, and I had a great time with my friends.

Atmosphere:
Like all Hard Rock Cafes around the world, Hard Rock Cafe St. Maarten is trendy, fun, and a great place to go with groups. The location of this Hard Rock Cafe is especially cool, being by the beach, on the boardwalk of one of the most popular travel destinations in the Caribbean.

Service:
I have nothing bad to say about the service.

Food:
While the focus of the restaurant may not be the food, but the rock theme, Hard Rock Cafe does have pretty good food: BBQ, steak, pasta, fajitas.. pretty typical American, but enjoyable nonetheless.

To get to Hard Rock Cafe St. Maarten, drive to Philipsburg. During the day, your best bet would be to park at the big parking lot by the Great Salt Pond and walk over to the boardwalk. At night, you can park in front of the old courthouse. The Hard Rock Cafe is right on the boardwalk, just around the right corner from the Old Courthouse, right next to Bvlgari, and across from the pier.

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