Author: Benji Ho

Atmosphere: Right on the famous Maho Beach, the Sunset Bar and Grill is the best place to have a drink, eat some food, and enjoy watching the planes come in and take off right over the beach. They have a surfboard where they list all the flights and their arrival times for that day. Service: Despite being a busy restaurant, service was good when we were there. Food: Sunset has a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu. I had the Sate Chicken, which was very good. Coconut shrimp was also very good. The food and drinks are a little pricier than normal, but you pay for the awesome location and good times. Continue reading

Atmosphere: Small, simple, and cozy indoor seating, with nice outdoor covered seating. Service: The service was good when we were there. Food: Bavaria serves authentic German food (confirmed by Gundi!), from schnitzels to rolled-beef to sauerkraut. I'm not normally a beer drinker, but I found their Erdinger Dunkel beer (German beer) delicious. Continue reading

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. Continue reading

Atmosphere: L'Oizeau Rare is a super-cute little restaurant, set in a colorfully restored creole house, overlooking Marigot harbor. The restaurant is outdoors and there is a little waterfall fountain that trickles by the restaurant. Service: The waitstaff and owner were all very personable. The waiter that served us had a great sense of humor and was more than happy in giving recommendations. They even gave us complimentary after-dinner wine on the house! Food: L'Oizeau Rare serves steaks, duck, kangaroo, lobster, grouper, and more. I ordered the Kangaroo steak with black-peppercorn sauce. I was quite surprised how tender and good it was. The main entrees are served elegantly, in the French style, with ratatouille, scalloped potatoes, and other small side dishes. Continue reading

Atmosphere: Hidden Forest Cafe is all about being eco-friendly. Expect outdoor seating (under a roof), but also expect flying bugs and an outhouse to wash your hands. Other than this, the forest surroundings are beautiful and the food is presented nicely. Service: Service was good when we were there. Food: The food was delicious, and garnished beautifully with vegetables, herbs, and flowers grown on the farm. The taste is eclectic and represent a fusion of culinary traditions from around the world. Continue reading

Atmosphere: The family-owned restaurant is small and simple, but nevertheless they keep the place nice and tidy. They have a cute little koi pool outside. Service: The waitstaff is nice in giving recommendations, and bring food promptly. Food: The food is good, and some of the best Chinese I've had on the island. I love the beef Ho-fen and the Peking duck, and the dim sum is pretty good too. The prices at White Swan are a little higher than some of the other Chinese restaurants around St. Maarten I've been to, but the food is enjoyable nevertheless. Expect dishes to be around $10-$12, and dim sum items to be $3-$4 per dish. Continue reading

Atmosphere: Le Cool Heure has a casual, laid-back atmosphere. Their menu is written on a chalkboard and you dine on picnic tables. Despite being outside, the owners keep the place tidy and beautiful. Service: The owners, a cute French couple, are really nice and try to use the little English they know and hand gestures to give their best recommendations. Food: For an atmosphere as casual and laid back as it is, Le Cool Heure's food is actually quite fancy. The plates are all aesthetically prepared in the typical French manner and the food is high quality. Continue reading

Atmosphere: Deep Bleu is a small place, hidden within the Summit Resort, but has a magnificent view of the Lagoon from above. The restaurant is clean and comfortable. Service: As a small restaurant, there's usually 2 or at most 3 people working at Deep Bleu. The waiters or waitresses are usually spouses of AUC students, and they are always friendly and personable. Food: The tuna fillet burgers are really good and seared however way you want it. My personal favorite is the Southwestern Bacon Cheeseburger, with their fried onion ring and barbecue sauce on the burger. When given a choice between regular, curly, and sweet potato fries, I always go for the sweet potato fries. Continue reading