17 Best Restaurants in Tortola, British Virgin Islands

The sunset sea-and-mountain views are stunning at this poolside restaurant at the Heritage Inn, so arrive early for the predinner happy hour. Caribbean fusion best describes the fare, with an emphasis on steaks, seafood, and pasta, including shrimp swimming in ginger butter sauce and pork tenderloin marinated in rum. One of the better wine lists on the island and a selection of frozen drinks vie for attention at the bar.

At this Brandywine Bay restaurant, candlelit outdoor tables have sweeping views of nearby islands. The menu has a Mediterranean bistro flair but changes often; you might find grilled local king fish or a classic paella. Or, just graze on the extensive selection of tapas. 

Stop by this casual, authentic Italian outdoor café—look for the turquoise Vespa out front—for an espresso, gelato, a fresh pastry, a bowl of perfectly cooked pasta, or a crispy tomato-and-mozzarella pizza. Drink specialties include a mango Bellini, an adaptation of the famous cocktail served at Harry's Bar in Venice.

This beachside bar and restaurant is owned and operated by island native Quito Rymer, a multitalented recording star, which explains why there's live music nearly every night of the week. The menu is Caribbean, with an emphasis on fresh fish—try the conch fritters or the jerk chicken. For a more casual meal there's pizza, burgers, and fish tacos. Picnic tables with beach umbrellas are the popular dining spot during the day, while the action moves into the high-roofed dining room at night, where you'll be serenaded by the sound of crashing waves in between the bands' sets.

Candles gleam and the background music is peaceful in this romantic restaurant inside a 17th-century sugar mill. Well-prepared selections on the à la carte menu, which changes nightly, include pasta and vegetarian entrées, but the best deal is the three-course prix-fixe menu. Conch fritters with mango chutney for dredging is a good starter. Favorite entrées include scallops in Champagne sauce, smoked duck breast, and a "risottera" menu of rice dishes. Save room for dessert, which include a locally grown banana flambéed in rum. 

Located at the entrance to Nanny Cay, this sports bar attracts expats, locals, and sailors with its promise to have "the second-best burger on the island," underlining the eatery's irreverent tone (we never found out who has the best!). Hot wings, pizza, ribs, and burgers are on the menu, and most people come to watch the game on the big-screen TVs. A children's play area reflects a surprisingly family friendly atmosphere.

Partly because it's right on the beach, this bi-level restaurant and bar is hopping day and night for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Chowder made with fresh conch is the specialty here, and the menu includes vegetarian dishes as well as grilled shrimp, steak, and tuna. There's live entertainment every night in winter.

The best of Indian and West Indies cooking traditions mix to create innovative curry and masala dishes alongside steaks, burgers, pizza, and local fish and lobster dishes. The restaurant is located dockside at Soper's Hole with an open-air dining room cooled by ocean breezes.

Take in views of Sir Francis Drake Channel and sidle up to the outdoor beach bar to hear yachties swap sea stories at this mariner-friendly eatery. Menu offerings range from burgers and pizzas to daily fresh seafood. Nanny Cay is the home for the annual BVI Spring Regatta and things really get swinging at the event's after-parties, which are held here.

Yachties navigate their way to the Soper's Hole boardwalk location of this locally renowned restaurant chainlet, guided by the big red Pusser's sign facing the water. From late morning to well into the evening, you can belly up to the outdoor mahogany bar or sit downstairs for sandwiches, fish and chips, and wings. At dinnertime, head upstairs for a harbor view and a quiet alfresco meal. The outdoor deck is a nice option day or night.

This rustic beachside bar and restaurant is owned and operated by island native Quito Rymer, a multitalented recording star who plays and sings solo on Tuesday and Thursday and performs with his reggae band on Friday. The menu is Caribbean, with an emphasis on fresh fish, but you should try the conch fritters or the barbecue chicken.

The waves practically lap at your feet at this friendly beachfront restaurant on Tortola's North Shore, a perfect spot to stop for lunch on your around-the-island tour. The dinner menu emphasizes seafood—especially lobster and local fish—but you can also find pasta dishes, barbecued chicken, and New York strip steak. Finish off with a cup of Sebastian's coffee, spiked with home-brewed rum (a bottle, which you can only purchase here, makes a memorable take-home souvenir). Brunch is served on the weekends, and karaoke and bingo nights draw lively crowds.

Fish burgers and long-distance views are on the menu in the reggae-colored Stoutt’s Lookout, the domain of gregarious owner Prince Stoutt. Burgers and barbecue ribs round out the lunch menu, all best washed down with a punch made with local Callwood rum and pineapple, guava, and orange juice. Free Wi-Fi encourages you to linger in seats along a railing overlooking Cane Garden Bay.

Hamburgers, salads, and sandwiches are typical lunch offerings at this Road Town eatery, along with classic British fare such as shepherd's pie and fish and chips. In the evening you can get your Anegada lobster grilled or jerked. There's live entertainment Thursday and Friday, and locals gather here nightly for spirited games at the pool table.

Quietly tucked into a corner on Road Town's waterfront, the Watering Hole is an oasis amidst the jungle of concrete government buildings and banks in downtown Road Town. South African wine and local and imported beer—along with coffee, Wi-Fi, and light fare like pizza, sandwiches, wraps and tacos—make this a popular lunch spot for Road Town professionals and charter-yacht crews. The after-work crowd is also drawn in with weeknight specials.

Docked sailboats stretch nearly as far as the eye can see at this busy Road Town marina restaurant. The alfresco dining and convivial atmosphere make it popular with both locals and visitors. Menu offerings include burgers, pizza, ribs, and rib-eye steaks.