USVI-On-Line

Hi,

Week one with the work vacation is done. Ate at some amazing restaraunts including the Banana Deck, Paradiso, La Roma, La Tapa, High Tide, Chloe and Benards and the Beach Bar. St John's is an awesome island.

Now it's on to week 2 with family. We need to be a little more careful with out budget. Have any suggestions where we could eat where the food is budget friendly and/or the servings are large enough for a couple of people to eat off of each entree????

Your recommendations have been wonderful. Thanks

Uncle Joe's BBQ, Candies BBQ, Deli Grotto for huge sandwiches (both breakfast and lunch)--all mostly take out spots but plenty of food to share. Deli Grotto has tables and internet access. In Coral Bay, there is Big Belly Deli too. Their sandwiches are gargantuan!

Other (for St. John, anyway) cheaper places: Skinny Legs for burgers and grilled mahi sandwiches, Aqua Bistro (at lunch). Both are in Coral Bay. In Cruz Bay, I think the most budget friendly spots are Beach Bar, Woodys, Banana Deck, and IIRC the menu for the new place where Chilly Billy's used to be (I'm blanking on the name) looked very reasonable.

Glad to hear that you are having fun!

did you see that Big Belly Deli is for sale? I'm not sure if it is open for business or not.

Big Belly was open last month when we were there. Good breakfast sandwich!

You can always carry out pizza from Cruz Bay Pizza Shoppe by the Beach Bar or Ronnies. It's decent pizza, not my all time favorite, but plenty good for a cheaper night to fee a crowd.

and IIRC the menu for the new place where Chilly Billy's used to be (I'm blanking on the name) looked very reasonable.

I didn't know a new place opened up where Chilly Billy's used to be so I went hunting and found an article from June '08. The name is Jake's and they serve breakfast. It sounds very much like Chilly's right down to an omlette in a tortilla dish that sounds nearly identical to Chily's yummy Breakfast Burrito. I'm so glad! I nearly cried when Chilly's closed. We loved having breakfast on that porch.

Another reasonable way to eat well on a budget without having to cook is to visit the prepared food section of the market that was in the shopping area on the road to the to the Westin. They had wonderful meals as I remember but we didn't stop there last year so I am not certain it is still there.

99, that was the Simple Feast, and it is closed. I remember on our first trip we stopped there almost every day for sandwiches, or salad greens, etc. They had a turkey sandwich with salsa on it that John loved. Every year after that it seemed to have less stuff on the shelves, and then it was gone.

Compass Rose at Pastory Gardens is reasonable. has mini golf too if your kids are of the age

Big Belly Deli was open last week, I'm pretty sure.

JJ's Texas Coast is also a good value as is Island Blues in Coral Bay. I still miss Polli's.

Good tip, Pia. They have really good prepared food at Starfish. I've noticed that many of the locals buy their dishes and that's a really good recommendation IMHO. Their rotisserie baked chickens are very good. Their great for a meal or I like to cut them up and make chicken salad with them. Yum, I'm getting hungry just thinking about them.

The rotisserie chickens were no more than what they are here. I thought the deli salads were a little pricier, but they were delicious.

When we were at Uncle Joe's in early November we noticed the portions are gettiing smaller. A local warned us but told us Candie's still has the larger portions. We are going to try Candie's next time for comparison.

We appreciate the tips. The rotissiri chickens do look good at Star Fish. We must get a really good deal on them in Iowa ($6.99 TOPS) vs. 12.99 here. Still, compared to eating out they are a bargain. We ate at High Tide last night. Split a chicken pasta dish with my daughter, it was great. Not necessarily the cheapest place to eat, but nice to eat close to the water and they had a live guitarist.

We hope to try BBQ Joes one of these days . I see someone mentioned that Joes is serving smaller portions, perhaps we should try Candie's.

Susan [/img]