Rosewood Bermuda’s Beach Club Restaurant. Credit: Rosewood Bermuda
A mix of British and African ancestry, Bermuda’s culinary landscape is as diverse as it is delicious. Although the fine-dining farm-to-table movement is in its infancy here, locals have long taken pride in their national food and drink.
From the classic Dark ’n’ Stormy (the unofficial national cocktail of ginger beer, dark rum and lime) to the unusual raisin bread fish sandwich, the island’s food scene is packed with flavorful opportunities to wine and dine that are usually paired with sweeping Atlantic Ocean views.
Here are some of our favorite restaurants across the island.
Beach Club Restaurant
Steps away from the pink sands of Bermuda’s largest private beach is Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Rosewood Bermuda’s waterfront restaurant. With its chic, nautical-themed décor, Beach Club is reminiscent of a glamorous St. Tropez or Hamptons café.
Take in your sublime surroundings while enjoying a generous platter of fresh raw seafood with a glass of Sancerre. Send the meal to euphoric heights by following those starters with the grilled catch of the day (rockfish or wahoo, maybe) that’s been drizzled in bearnaise sauce.
Marcus’. Credit: Hamilton Princess and Beach Club
Marcus’
The first celebrity-chef-run restaurant on the island, this waterfront venue from Harlem-based toque Marcus Samuelsson (of Food Network’s Chopped fame) occupies a prime marina-side locale within the Hamilton Princess and Beach Club hotel.
Known for eclectic menus that combine soul food, Ethiopian cuisine and American street eats, Samuelsson’s island outpost also reflects a few twists on Bermudian favorites. For example, you’ll find fish chowder bites served with a rum aioli and a fish sandwich topped with tomato chili on the lunch menu. The roster also include a selection of his signatures, such as the buttermilk-fried chicken and Asian-inspired beef ribs.
In between bites, make sure to spend time perusing the impressive modern art collection covering every free bit of wall space, including above the open kitchen.
Harry’s. Credit: Harry’s
Harry’s
Opened by Bermudian businessman Will Cox as a tribute to his late father, this Hamilton Harbour eatery is ideal for power lunching, a casual happy hour or a celebratory dinner. The must-have drink to start off your night is Harry’s Special Rum Blend, a collaboration between Harry and Gosling’s Rum, the island’s native spirit brand.
Sip a cocktail on the patio overlooking the water and then settle in for a fine steak and a bottle of wine from the impressive cellar. For a retro meal, order the Harry’s Classic — the Cox patriarch’s favorite — complete with shrimp cocktail, an iceberg wedge salad, a 14-ounce New York Strip steak and a slice of cheesecake.
Devil’s Isle. Credit: Devil’s Isle
Devil’s Isle
Looking for a casual bite? This part coffee roaster, part earthy bistro and part craft cocktail bar serves up organic, global comfort food favorites all day long. It’s the kind of boho, trendy spot you’d most likely find in Brooklyn or Silver Lake, California.
Swing by for lunch or dinner and dine on rockfish tacos, ramen bowls, grilled octopus and charcuterie boards, or make a reservation for brunch to try weekly specials, such as Mexican enchiladas with pulled chicken, scrambled eggs, avocado and tomatillo sauce.
Waterlot Inn
Housed in a 350-year-old dockside cottage, the signature steakhouse of Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Fairmont Southampton is a Bermudian gem. Reserve a table out on the patio around sunset for the most dramatic vistas while savoring land-meets-sea international favorites, like grilled local wahoo or New Zealand rack of lamb.
When the mood strikes for an epic bloody mary, there’s no better place to indulge your craving than at The Dock, the restaurant’s summertime alfresco lounge. For a cool $99, the Ridiculous Caesar and Bloody Mary Bar comes in a bowl-shaped glass “garnished” with a lobster claw and tail, an oyster and skewers of shrimp, wagyu sirloin, seared scallops, a wagyu burger, a chicken wing, a mini taco and Italian sausage.
Marée. Credit: Marée
Marée
This fine-dining restaurant within The Loren at Pink Beach (the island’s first new luxe boutique hotel in many years) not only provides delectable meals and spectacular views, it’s also one of the first high-end kitchens on the island making a real effort to procure locally sourced ingredients.
If your entrées weren’t grown or caught in Bermuda, you can be sure they were bought from a small farm or specialty producer in New York or New England — think cheeses from Old Chatham Dairy and duck from the Hudson Valley. You’ll even find the farmer, butcher or fisherman listed on Marée’s regularly changing menu.
Relish the delicious, seasonal flavors while admiring the dining room’s modern finishes and fawning over the turquoise-blue waters through floor-to-ceiling windows.
