It takes a lot to earn the moniker “culinary capital of the Caribbean.” After all, Caribbean food combines the best of so many cuisines, and there are some real heavy hitters in the region. Yet, Anguilla has earned the title of the undisputable culinary capital.
An Island of Food
At just 16 miles long and three miles wide at its widest point, the small Eastern Caribbean island in the Lesser Antilles doesn’t waste any space packing in the high-quality restaurant after high-quality restaurant. Anguilla’s resorts are staffed with world-class cooking teams, and some of the best chefs in the world are available for private service.
Anguilla also claims to have some of the best beach shacks in the world – shoreside restaurants where you’re kissed by the sea and fed the freshest catch, expertly prepared. Popular dishes include snapper cooked to perfection, and lobster dripping in herby butter.
Fine Dining
In Anguilla, if you’re looking for a fine dining experience, the next world-class restaurant is just a stone’s throw away. Veya Restaurant is a dinner-only service offering dishes that combine Caribbean, Indian, North African, and Southeast Asian cuisine. The treehouse decor means that the culinary experience begins as you walk in and are greeted by delectable aromas from the kitchen owner/head chef Carrie Bogar and her talented team.
World-class restaurants like Veya are the norm in Anguilla, not the exception. That’s not to say that these restaurants are interchangeable, far from it. Le Bon Pain serves up French baked goods that you’d have a hard time beating with fare from Paris itself. The Straw Hat restaurant offers all-day service with a view that’s only bettered by the food itself.
The Anguilla Culinary Experience
The diverse selection has led to the creation of the Anguilla Culinary Experience (ACE), the island’s annual epicurean festival. The 2023 ACE festival will begin on May 3rd and last over four days. In 2022, the Italian Tourist Press named the festival the Best Food and Wine Event of the year. Chefs, locally and from all over the world, representing themselves and their kitchens, came together to showcase their work and sometimes compete.
This year’s festival will welcome: Chef Jennifer Carroll from the hit reality cooking show Top Chef; Chef Daniele Lippi of Italy’s Michelin-starred Acquiolina restaurant; Chef Carrie Bogar; Chef Michele Greggio; and many more. The festival is an island-wide event with multiple restaurants participating. There will be exclusive dinners, rum tastings, and even a BBQ/mystery basket battle.
