Some visitors have a love and hate reaction to island restaurants.
"Sometimes. I just refuse to cook on vacation," said ACB in a posting on a TripAdvisor forum. Agreeing with another commenter, Bluewater that food and service is inconsistent (at island eateries), ACB said, "I'm willing to eat mediocre food in a beautiful location and, after a few drinks, it tastes sublime."
Bluewater does have some favorites. "We love Uncle Joe's BBQ and Skinny Legs and the Deli in Mongoose Junction. Our last experience at Lime Inn was not very good. The Fish Trap is good but pricey for what you get."
Stanflyfisher was generally negative, save for his likes (Joe's and the Deli). He really didn’t like the Lime Inn or Morgan's Mango, but liked the Tamarind Inn enough to go twice.
RGC1600 defended the restaurants, saying he has his own database of 28 restaurants. "My experience, and that of many others, is that there are lots of fine dining experiences at most budget levels on St. John," he wrote. "Morgan's Mango and Lime Inn are consistently praised -- if you had a bad experience, I'm sorry, but they are by no means 'horrible.' They serve excellent food and have many devoted fans."
ACB says he, too, has had a few bad meals on island and makes his decisions about where to eat based on price and value. "This is why I am boycotting higher end white table restaurants. They have not consistently delivered a product worthy of the price."
Celobeach wrote that she had a great time at LaTapa. "The waitress knew the menu and wine list. She answered our questions and gave recommendations for each course. Her manner was informed, not snotty. We feasted that evening and it was worth every penny."
(Chefs on island know they have challenges maintaining consistent quality. Listen to Paradiso's Paul Trujillo talk about how hard he works to develop a menu despite changing and unreliable food supplies and availability.)