12 Best Restaurants in Trinidad and Tobago

The Sardinha family has been serving the best local lunches at their home since the 1980s. The ebullient Alison entertains and hugs diners while her husband, Ken, does the cooking. The only bad news is that the restaurant is primarily a lunch spot; the good news is that you may not have room for dinner afterward.

This chic spot is tucked away on a side street in the Newtown area of uptown Port of Spain, but every taxi driver knows where it is. Chef Cristian Grini always serves classic Italian favorites—the authentic, surprisingly affordable pizza is probably the island's best—and the bar attracts young professionals and hipsters who come for the excellent cocktails and late-night desserts. This restaurant is associated with the even more upscale Prime Restaurant, so the service is impeccable.

Lebanese-born chef Joseph Habr has been serving fine cuisine at his Maraval location for over a decade and has more than 25 years of experience. There's an Arabic element in even seemingly conventional dishes, and the restaurant is a lovely open affair, with a dining room that looks out on a lush garden, complete with the sound of flowing water and chirping crickets. Joseph visits every table and is always happy to offer recommendations. If in doubt, it's impossible to go wrong with any of the lamb offerings. The truly adventurous may special order Joseph's renowned kibbeh nayeh—a generous portion of Lebanese lamb tartare.

Milanese owner Gabriele de Gaetano has created the island's most prominent Italian eatery, serving everything from basic but tasty pizzas to elaborate northern Italian pasta dishes to carpaccio with a delicious Tuscan sauce. Sitting on the large patio surrounded by lush foliage with Gabriele rushing from table to table chatting in Italian-laced English is all the entertainment you'll need.

Beautifully presented dishes made with the freshest of fish is the big draw at this cozy eatery. The surf and turf, featuring Caribbean spiny lobster, is excellent, and the bar is usually lively and populated with regulars who consider this an essential Tobago dining experience.

Set in a traditional West Indian house filled to the brim with Caribbean art, this restaurant is the creation of Rosemary (Roses) Hezekiah and her late sister, Allyson Hennessy, a Cordon Bleu–trained chef who was a local television celebrity. The creative creole menu changes regularly, but there's always an unusual vegetarian entrée; the callaloo is considered one of the island’s best; and the chip chip cocktail, a restaurant rarity, is deliciously piquant. If it's available, be sure to try the signature stewed oxtail with dumplings.

This eatery seats 200, but it's divided into multiple levels, so there's still a sense of intimacy. Statuary is strewn about with carefree abandon, and the sound of flowing water permeates the room.

This popular after-work drinking and dining spot serves consistently excellent sushi; indeed, it was the first sushi establishment on the Ariapita Avenue dining strip. Eat on the outdoor deck amid the sights (and traffic sounds) of "the avenue," or sit indoors for a cooler, quieter, and more intimate experience with a view of sushi masters preparing the "Maracas" roll (tuna, cucumber, tobiko, onion, and a dynamite sauce) and other crowd pleasers.

One the few restaurants in Trinidad serving Thai (and Japanese) cuisine, including tasty and economical vegetarian dishes, is in a beautifully renovated colonial house on Queen's Park Savannah. On the patio, you're surrounded by flowing water and lush foliage (insect repellent is a must, as the mosquitoes seem more ravenous than the diners); the elegant dining room is a cooler and more intimate experience. Service can be erratic at times.

Port of Spainers in the know flock to this teak-lined dining room on the eighth floor of the Kapok Hotel, where the solid menu features fantastic Polynesian and Asian fare. The Sunday dim sum—with tasting-size portions of dishes such as pepper squid and tofu-stuffed fish—is very popular.

Though the menu is skewed toward Chinese cuisine, this extremely popular eatery offers everything from ravioli to lobster thermidor. Young professionals flock here in the evening to enjoy the cocktails, lively atmosphere, attentive but laid-back service, and consistently good (and reasonably priced) food. Parking is always an issue in the area; don't be fooled by the men on the roadside offering to find you a parking spot and "look after your car" for a price.

Although Trinidad has several American sports-bar chains, this local version easily beats them at their own game, with more than 20 giant screens showing the latest in international sports and lively crowds gathered at the huge, central bar; although some dining areas are more isolated than others, it's virtually impossible to escape the cheers. The food includes excellent burgers, hearty salads, Italian favorites, and steaks; the servers, bedecked in pins and safari hats, are efficient and attentive.