Ginger on the Go

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Where to Eat Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands

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Despite having a rather short time on the island of Providenciales, a main tourist destination of Turks & Caicos Islands, I tried to eat at as many different restaurants as possible. I went to one of the island’s nicer restaurants for a lobster dish, and tried a local joint as well. Hopefully my Guide Where to Eat Providenciales will help you find a few spots to explore during your own visit to the islands.

The one thing I’ve learned about the food on TCI is that it is just not consistent. As my sailing group and I exchanged restaurant tips one person’s yum was another person’s yuck. It was amazing how different the experiences were just days apart. I picked all of my restaurant choices based on the dish I wanted to try at eat restaurant and proximity to my AirBNB!

Local Foods

A few items to note are the conch and lobster dishes. Conch (pronounced conk) has become one of the islands most common foods and is served in a variety of ways from raw salads, to fritters, to chowders. You can find conch on almost all menus on the island. The texture can be compared to squid. I tried the local cuisine in the form of fritters and wontons. Local lobster is another item to order if you happen to be on there during lobster season, August 1 to March 31. Like conch, you can get the lobster prepared in a variety of ways. I opted for a rather interesting lobster dish (keep reading to see more!).

 

Pearl Bar @ Pavillion Somerset Hotel

I spent my first afternoon on the beach browsing guide books, especially fixated on the dining guide. I discovered a hotel near me had a Monday $5 tapas and tacos special and 1/2 price wines & beers. Two shrimp tacos made a perfect dinner for me that evening. If you are in Provo on a Monday, this is definitely the place to be for dinner and drinks. The other tapas included spare ribs, fish & chips, sliders, and a few other items. The bartender notified other people when they ordered something that wasn’t part of the happy hour special (available from 5-7pm), however I was charged full price for both of my drinks, so this courtesy was not extended to me. Be careful and confirm what you ordered falls with in the special pricing if you are on a budget.

 

Grace’s Cottage, Point Grace Hotel

 

Located at the beautiful Point Grace you can access this restaurant and all of the others mentioned (except Mr. Grouper) from the beach. I took a sunset stroll to this restaurant and requested a table just after 6pm when the restaurant was due to open. Encountering island time, I had to wait about 15 minutes for them to finally open, but then I was seated outdoors near the live music. I ordered the Lobster Thermidor and a chocolate soufflé. I had a lovely dining experience and excellent service. Unfortunately, my sailing compadres reported having a different experience. It is on the pricier side, but I was eager to try to highly recommended lobster thermidor, which I also discovered in the dining guide. For dinner and dessert, I spent nearly $100 for one person, but there was a palate cleanser! Definitely a fine dining experience.   $$$$

Three delicious dips for my personal basket of bread.

Steamed lobster tossed in a mushroom and Dijon sauce, served in the shell and topped with gratiné parmesan cheese and béarnaise sauce.

Warm Chocolate Souffle

Bay Bistro, Sibonne Hotel

This spot was also quite close to where I stayed and right on the beach. My taxi driver highly recommended this restaurant. The prices are reasonable, but the service was unfortunately disappointing every time I visited. The last few times were just for takeout items to bring to the beach. The food I tried here was pretty basic. I tried their award winning conch wontons, and while good the wontons on other menus looked a little more flavorful and enticing. It’s a good stop to grab an ice cream or a bagel, but don’t have high hopes for good service or food despite it coming highly recommended. Breakfast was $5, lunch $15.  $$-$$$

 

Mr Grouper

My new friends suggested Mr. grouper as a great local joint. They said it was one of their best meals and had a great vibe and truly a place where the locals would eat. In an effort to stray away from my preferred fried food I ordered a grilled grouper sandwich. The fish didn’t seem all the grilled and was left rather plain. I also found the health standards of the restaurant unacceptable. Hopefully they will rectify this situation and it will once again be a great dining option for those seeking quality local food at a reasonable price. A sandwich and fried (of which I ate half) was only $13. $$

 

Hemingway’s Restaurant, The Sands at Grace Bay

Another beachfront dining option, Hemingways was my choice for lunch one afternoon. I’m not a fan of raw seafood but if you are you can get a conch platter and try it raw, fried, and as a fritter. I opted just for the fritters. The service here was great, the food was tasty, and the presentation was fun. The conch fritters came out in a real conch shell! Of all of the places I ate during my time on Providenciales, this was by far the best overall experience. A small lunch was about $15. $$$

 

For the Next Time

Mango Reef was discussed and recommended by several people I encountered on the island.
Las Brisas a reasonably priced restaurant located near Chalk Sound. It is not accessible without a car or taxi, so I didn’t make it this trip.

Asu at The Palms had an interesting menu and a nice write up about the chef. It was my second choice for a “splurge” meal given its proximity to my accommodations.

 

Service Fees & Taxes

At publication there was an 11% tax on all food (except at some local joints on the island). Many restaurant also add a 10% service fee to be divided among the workers. The general consensus was to give an additional 5-10% of the food & drink total as a tip. But keep an eye on your bill to be fully aware of what you’re paying for.

Enjoy exploring the island, eat local, and let me know if you find any amazing spots for my next trip to the island!

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I love trying the local fare! Since I really enjoy squid and lobster, conch will surely be something I’ll love to try! We always travel with the kids and sometimes they’ll try the new food! They tend to stay closer to the type of food they might find at home…but I bet we can talk them into trying fritters that are served in a conch shell. What a great prevention! Love it!

    Apparently the beaches are not the only reasons to visit Turks and Caicos!

  7. Wow all this food looks so good! I’m glad you told me how conch is pronounced because if I went there, I’d be all like CONCH (with the CH sound at the end). That’s also a good tip to keep an eye out on the bill. Thank you!

  8. Thanks God that I’ve just eaten before reading you post. But I haven’t had dessert though. I am also passionate about doing photos at everything I eat, sometimes the food looks better in your photos than in reality. That Warm Chocolate Souffle looks nice, but I wonder how big it was in reality.

  10. I have been wanting to go to Turks & Caicos for awhile! All of the food you featured looks amazing but those tacos are screaming my name from the Pearl Bar!

  11. Oh my god, all the food in here looks mouthwatering! Especially those tacos YUM! I hope I get to make to this paradise someday!

  12. I had no idea this island served so much conch. I’ve had conch before in Japan, and let’s just say I have to have it fried 🙂 Your lobster meal and dessert looked amazing. At almost $100 per person, that is definitely a nice treat to yourself.

  15. Wow! I had no idea that the Turks and Caicos food scene was so fantastic! I definitely need to take a trip! The island looks gorgeous and so do these food photos.

  18. Okay, this is the 3rd post in a row I’ve seen about food. Am I missing something here? Man that food looks amazing. Glad you enjoyed yourself 🙂

  19. Lovely restaurants with exotic locations and right ambience to enjoy some fine food. The desserts look tempting. But for me the options are likely to be limited, given my vegetarian preferences. The Tacos, look good to though I would look for veg variants.

  20. Great to see you really tried out some local foods! I love any type of seafood I can get my hands on so I would be all over that lobster dish. I have never tried conch though so I’d love to give that a go. It must be quite unique to that region.

  21. Its a shame that the dining spots seem to be hit & miss! I usually try to sample at least some local spots but if the hygiene isn’t great sometimes its worth paying more at a fancier place. I think the presentation in that conch shell is definitely my favourite!!

  22. Those $5 shrimp tacos sound too good to be true – did they have other flavors as well? I am very fussy with seafood but heck for $5, you found such a cool deal. I am totally digging the conch fritters too.

  23. I like your post. You are a culinary explorer just like me every time I visit a new country. I signed up for your future posts since they are worth it. Great find.

  24. My husband and I were married on this island nearly two years ago. We have been talking about going back for some time now. I think this came just in time so I can show him the delicious food <3

  25. I think most Caribbean islands have really inconsistent food, but I am glad you were able to find some places that look really good. I also like that you are able to eat outside and have a nice view of the ocean.