by Anne Evans
If you missed Part I of Grand Cayman restaurants, check out our fast food and other casual options. Here are some additional favorites . . .
Paradise Pizza at Palm Heights
Would you believe that the best and least expensive Pizza Margarita on Grand Cayman is found for only KY$12 at the most expensive and exclusive resort on Grand Cayman? A shocker for us! Terrific outdoor patio dining in a relaxed atmosphere with several resident cats as your dining companions. Casual dress. However, if you prefer to dress upscale, i.e., pretend-casual with serious $$ behind it plus “bling,” it will work as this is Palm Heights on the 7 Mile Beach Corridor. They also specialize in (my favorite) Shawarma. Exceptional wine list, including those offered by the glass. Family friendly. There is no charge for takeout – however I suggest adding KY$2 to your tab.
This was where we dined on both our birthdays this first year on Grand Cayman – mine for dinner and Rick’s for lunch. The patio is a delightful place to dine, even if it is not waterfront on Camana Bay. I enjoyed their veal chop for my birthday dinner. Rick enjoyed a marvelous Pizza Margarita for his birthday lunch. The owners are absolutely dedicated to their patrons and to the quality of their offerings.
Sunshine Grill at Sunshine Suites
Rick & I adore this restaurant. When we first landed on this Island and before we moved into our condo, Rick, Smudge-the-cat, and I spent 3 nights at The Sunshine Suites. Our first dinner was poolside at The Sunshine Grill, as was every breakfast during our stay there. Even after moving into our Condo, we have returned many times for breakfast (Rick’s favorite, The George Town Omelet); lunch (my favorite is a mixed green salad topped with grilled chicken; and dinner (Rick prefers a version of their Tacos or the Grilled Wahoo; I prefer their Roasted Half Chicken]. This is the Westin’s “little sister.” If you are staying at The Westin, you have access to The Sunshine Grille and pool. And if you are staying at the Sunshine Suites, you have access to all the amenities at the Westin. As a traveler who looks for bargains, I suggest the latter. And if you are a local, you have learned that the Sunshine Grill is worthy of regular visits.
Tillies is the most upscale of the Palm Heights Restaurants and certainly the place to be seen if you are a tourist. However, it’s also a delightful place to dine if you’re a local or come off-season when you can enjoy an uncrowded oceanside view while you dine. There are some interesting weekly specials in season (e.g., Rick & I enjoyed “Burgers, Lobster & Bubbles” one evening), and I like going there for an excuse to bump up my style of dress.
Tukka has 2 locations – at the far east end of the Island adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, and the north part of West End of the Island overlooking the North Sound to the east. We have visited both locations. Our first experience was at Tukka East when I was still under the care of Health City Hospital East End. A month or two later after my release from the Hospital, we went to Tukka West. Both were lovely patio dining experiences. One of their unique spins on a local Island specialty (i.e., Tacos) is a Lionfish Taco (when available). Lionfish are an invasive species in The Cayman Islands and are only caught by spear fishing (not by net or by line), so it’s not often available – except during culling expeditions.
Veranda at the Marriott (Lunch & T0-G0 Quiche)
This Marriot, located at the south end of Seven Mile Beach, has become the unfortunate victim of beach erosion, and it has lost its beach. However, it has (now) a seaside (rather than beachside) restaurant with outdoor dining (The Veranda) offering right-next-to-the-water views of the Caribbean Sea that is indeed quite pleasant. Rick and I have enjoyed lunch on multiple occasions at the Veranda – often looking south toward the (in our opinion, unpleasantly) massive cruise ships in port. The hotel also offers take-out in its lobby, and Rick and I “speed walk” 30 minutes each way from our home to the Marriott and back on Sunday mornings, so he can pick up a slice of their quiche to reheat for dinner that night.
As mentioned previously, when we first landed on this Island and before we moved into our condo, Rick, Smudge, and I spent 3 nights at The Sunshine Suites. Yoshi Sushi is a brief walk from the Sunshine Suites and given how much I love sashimi, it was where we enjoyed our second dinner on the Island. It doesn’t hurt that it offers a Happy Hour discount on wine. It was a delightful dinner – even though there is no opportunity for outdoor dining which is always Rick’s and my preference. Yoshi also provided our 2022-2023 New Year’s Eve Dinner — as take-out plated on our fine dining china, enjoyed with a bottle of champagne that we received via import from our lingering stash in the US just prior to New Year’s Eve.
Haute Cuisine
There is no lack of Haute Cuisine on Grand Cayman. If you have the $$, you can enjoy Fine Dining on this Island. Rick’s and my experience with it, however, is limited. Again, certainly initially, and to some extent still currently, it’s a cash flow thing.
October is an excellent opportunity to dabble in “Haute Cuisine.” October on Grand Cayman is “Restaurant Month” during which one can explore Grand Cayman’s upper echelon of restaurants offering discounted prix fixed dinners: https://www.restaurantmonth.ky
Here are the Haute Cuisine experiences we’ve had thus far:
This was our first big splurge – our first anniversary spent on Grand Cayman, our 26th. It was clear we were not going to be big spenders. However, we were treated like royalty and enjoyed a magical dinner by the side of the Caribbean Sea.
Future Haute Cuisine experiences:
Bacaro https://www.bacaro.ky
The Ritz & Seven https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/gcmrz-the-ritz-carlton-grand-cayman/DINING
Morgan’s https://www.morganscayman.com
Blue Cilantro https://bluecilantrocayman.com
Woto at The Westin https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/gcmmi-the-westin-grand-cayman-seven-mile-beach-resort-and-spa/dining
Ristorante Pappagallo https://www.pappagallo.ky
Kaibo at Rum Point https://www.kaibo.ky
In conclusion, you will not go hungry on Grand Cayman, whatever your budget or dining preferences. You can reliably expect that whatever your choices, you will be treated kindly and graciously. Your obligation as a visitor or expat is to return those gestures in kind.
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