Barbados is expensive if you are broke, but you can still dine out and have a good meal.
As a rule of thumb, all the restaurants in Barbados price their meals base on your choice of protein, starch, side order and vegetable. For example, a piece of chicken wing could cost $5.70 (US$2.85) whilst a thigh could cost about $6.50 (US$3.25). The vegetable is usually about $2 to 2.50 (US$1.25) and the starch could be anywhere between $5 to $7 (US$2.50-3.50).
Restaurant #1 – Café Sol
– Fries and Barbeque wings from Café Sol. This lunch cost about $24 (US$12) and does not come with a juice. They do serve tap water for free though. The food is great and the restaurant is probably one of my favourite for fries. In fact, they actually serve the best fries I’ve ever had.
– For a night out, Café Sol is also a great place to hang out and have drinks. These probably cost about $12-14 (US$6-8) each and is in the regular price range for drinks in Barbados.
Restaurant #2 – Chefette
– If you are a KFC lover, Barbados is not the island to fulfill your cravings. KFC in Barbados is horrible. Luckily, Barbados has their own fried chicken fast food franchise restaurant – Chefette. Barbados is a small island and Chefette is everywhere! The food is great and the staff are friendly and super courteous. A two-piece chicken meal, without soda cost about $13.50 (US6.75) and customers have the option of purchasing one piece of chicken only, if they choose to.
Restaurant #3 – De Office
– This is actually great tasting rice and peas with fried chicken, pasta and raw vegetable from De Office. The price for this particular order is about $18 (US$9).
Barbadians tend to drink a lot of wine while having dinner, preparing dinner, evening out with friends or just casually entertaining their house guests. Becoming familiar with wines from various regions or just getting familiar with a few different types would be a great idea for anyone who plans to indulge in their culture over an extended period of time. A cheap bottle of wine starts at about $26 (US$13).
Restaurant #4 – The View
– It doesn’t look very appetizing but this is seriously very delicious! The restaurant itself was very inviting with very charming appeal. The View also have one of the best staff ever. Now back to the food – the box contained boiled potatoes, fried green plantains, vegetable and the most delicious barbeque baked chicken ever! The total price for a box of food like this is about $15.50 (US$7.75).
Barbadian Beer – Banks
– Barbados’ famous beer! There really isn’t anything to write home about to be honest. The beer is not good. The cost of this beer is about $4 (US$2.00). If you are a beer lover, most restaurants will have other brands such as Red Stripe available.
P.S. There are a few other great restaurants with reasonable prices (by Barbadian standards). These include: Wendy’s, Lucky Horse Shoe, Tiki Bar and Mojo’s. In addition, you cannot visit Barbados and not try the best burgers ever from the Gap on a late night after hanging out with friends or your spouse. These burgers are sold by ladies on the roadside usually after 11pm (They are typically out selling late at nights to cater to the patrons attending and or leaving parties) and they cost about $8 (US$4) each. The Gap is a very popular hangout area for Barbadians and tourists, especially on Friday nights.
Update: KFC from the Blackrock and Warrens locations is okay, if you are hungry. Cheffette is still better though.