For a great breakfast, try the Donkey Diner. Other restaurants include Miss Lucy's, Shipwreck Landing, Sweet Plantains, Island Blues, Skinny Legs. There is a food market, but I've never been in it, & right now can't remember the name. I'm sure someone else will be able to help with that.

Sweet Plaintains is excellent - in Coral Bay (not inexpensive) and Miss Lucy's is good too. For a good burger - check out skinny Legs.

There is a market - Lilly's - that seemed fairly well stocked. their wine prices were better than the Cruz Bay larger markets.

Have fun!

Lilly's is a pretty good market, actually. They have a deli, so you can get meat and cheese for sandwiches, etc. Good wine selection -- and you can get some Cruzan rum there, too. They take credit cards, and there's an ATM there if you need cash. Same place as Crabby's and Aqua Bistro restaurant -- on the right as you head toward Salt Pond Bay.

I thought Aqua Bistro served an excellent dinner -- haven't seen anybody else mention it on this forum, but my lovely wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our meal there. I can also recommend Sweet Plantains and Skinny Legs -- very good burger! I was NOT impressed with Shipwreck Landing, but I think they had a new cook who maybe needs to find another line of work. My wife ordered a pasta dish, and it came out with chunks of raw garlic sprinkled over it! We went into Cruz Bay one night for dinner to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary -- Zozo's is definitely worth the drive! Our villa was so high up the hill, though, that we tended to eat dinner in more than we usually do on our jaunts to the islands.

Have a great trip!

As mentioned, several restaurants in Coral Bay. Sweet Plantains, Aqua Bistro and Miss Lucy's feel most like restaurants. i always think of the other places---Island Blues, Shipwreck and Skinny's---as bars that also serve food. As mentioned, the Donkey Diner has good breakfasts and Miss Lucy's has a Sunday brunch. There's also Chateau Bordeaux up on Bordeaux mountain that has excellent food and a magnificent view.

In the East End, you'll be near Vie's---no dinner, but good local food for lunch. Open most days, but not all days.

Speaking of local food, there are a few small truck/stand operations around the triangle in Coral Bay that serve up good food---lunches and some breakfast. Fire Foods is a favorite. Also in Coral Bay (next to the Donkey Diner) the Sputnik bar sometimes has food. it's a good place to stop for a drink and a local experience. They have music some nights---a good local reggae band (Inner Visions) plays some weekend nights. Other places in Coral Bay also have music some nights.

There are a few small markets----Love City Mini Mart, Lily's, and another small one across from Island Blues. We stay on that side of the island and really have very little to do with Cruz Bay.

thanks everyone. this was very helpful!

You can manage easily without having to go to Cruz Bay.

Our favorites were Sweet Plaintains (be sure to book a reservation) and Island Blues (great, decently priced salads, nice view by the bay, friendly crowd, live music at night).

We didn't care much for Aqua Bistro.

I second breakfasts at the Donkey Diner.

I also heard that a new bakery (near Aqua Bistro) with homemade goodies has opened up called Mosquito Bites.

Enjoy!

We've stayed in Coral Bay for the last two years and only ventured over to Cruz Bay a few times for a few things.

Aqua Bistro has an excellent dinner and great ambiance. There was a steel pan player there when we went this past December. The pork loin was so tender!

Island Blues is a great place for lunch! The daily specials are even better than the menu selections. You can sit at the bar or right on the water's edge.

Miss Lucy's is great for lunch and dinner but you get the views at lunch. You can sit inside or out on the patio under the trees. There's always a fantastic breeze. I could sit under the sea grape trees at Miss Lucy's all day.

The Donkey Diner serves a hearty breakfast and good cheap pizza. Check their scedule though cuz they are not always open.

Skinny's is a good all-around island experience. It's a casual beach bar that is not on the beach and there are a bunch of small shops attached to it. Good place to grab a beer and a burger and see the locals.

There are two markets: Lily's and Love City. Neither of them has everything you need but between the two, you should be all set.

There's also a new breakfast place where Aqua Bistro and Lily's is. It's small but the kid, Casper, makes a mean breakfast as well as bagged lunches for bringing to the beach. Check him out!

We stayed in Coral Bay in January and did our shopping at Love City Grocery. We walked through Lilly's market but was not impressed-produce was not fresh. If you haven't heard about the grocery prices, BEWARE! It's quite shocking your first visit. We didn't buy wine, so I don't know about that. We brought some staples from home, breakfast food, sodas, bottled water, and used the suitcase for souveniers going back home.

We did not enjoy Sweet Plaintains although it gets excellent reviews here. We liked Skinny Legs and enjoyed going to Island Blues. We also ate at Shipwreck Landing, which had live music some nights. We just loved Coral Bay, you will not be disappointed!

Thanks for the input. I'm so excited I can't stand it.

Can anyone tell me whether or not the markets in Coral Bay have fresh meat and seafood?

We shopped at the Dolhpin Market in Cruz Bay and then headed to the villa. Once in Coral Bay we shopped mostly at Love City.

You can check my pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/92507702@N00/