The Longboard

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#5 of 35 Restaurants in Cruz Bay$$ - $$$, American, Caribbean, Vegetarian friendly

+1 340-715-2210+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

2:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Mon

2:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Tue

2:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Wed

2:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Thu

2:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Fri

2:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Sat

2:00 PM - 9:00 PM

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What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,430 reviews

#5 of 35 Restaurants in Cruz Bay

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, Bar, Seafood, American, Caribbean, Healthy

“My favorite were the fish tacos, and the tropical poke bowl!!”

“Awesome STT sushi rolls & tropical poke bowl with tuna.”

“Food: The group had the ceviche, the barbacoa tacos, the kalua pork egg rolls...”

Location and contact

1 Prince Street, Cruz Bay 00830 St. John

+1 340-715-2210

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Does this restaurant serve Romagna food?

Yes

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Details

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About

The Longboard is a Caribbean-inspired Coastal Cantina, focusing on fresh, local ingredients, offering light and healthy fares and creative cocktails inspired from coastal regions around the globe. Our menu is comprised with the intention for guests to share bar snacks or small plates before moving on to the rest of the menu. Our bar menu offers a wide selection of house-crafted cocktails, beers, wines, and specialty drinks, including our world-famous Frozen Painkiller. Daily Happy Hour is from 3 PM - 6 PM.

CUISINES

American, Caribbean, Bar, Seafood, Healthy

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Drinks

FEATURES

Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Television, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

1,430 reviews

Excellent

1,037

Very good

282

Average

Poor

Terrible

Amy K

5 contributions

Awesome Menu, Fantastic Food, Festive Vibe

Dec 2019 • family

We dined at the longboard twice between Christmas and New Years and LOVE this place. The tuna tower, the sushi wraps, the calamari, the tacos and the seafood stew were all fantastic. Every dish had something special about it so even though this seems like a fairly normal list of dishes, each one was unique and inventive. For instance, the calamari comes with a wonderful lime dipping sauce that is refreshing and sublime. The seafood stew is in a coconut milk broth and is EXCELLENT! Also, the frozen painkiller is second only to the soggy dollar itself. We came back to the Longboard a second time because there were so many interesting things on the menu we wanted to try. They don’t take reservations and in high season, they will be full with a long wait but don’t be deterred. First of all, you can call ahead. If you call ahead around 5 PM, you can then head downtown and be seated around 6. One night we called around 5:45 and were told there was a 2+ hour wait but when we got there at 6:15, we sat at the bar with only a five minute wait and had a blast! If you choose to be on the waiting list, it is an electronic one and you can see exactly where you are in line and know exactly when to show up. Food is awesome. Do not miss the Longboard!

Written January 1, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lam012289

65 contributions

Be prepared to wait but worth it

Jan 2020 • none

All seating is open to the outside, as tables are set up around the perimeter of the restaurant which is basically a giant patio with a bar in the middle. It’s pretty small. Surf videos play at the bar on a loop adding to longboard’s beachy coastal vibe. They open at 3 and it’s first come first serve - no reservations. Wait to get seated including the bar (which you just have to snag if you can) can be upwards of an hour when they’re busy. You can go in person or call and be added to the “wait list” but if you’re not there when it’s your turn you get bumped to the end and could potentially wait hours again. Food is sent out as it’s ready and is delicious. Asian/Mexican/seafood inspired tacos, bowls, and sharing style appetizers. Brussels, street corn, wings were fantastic. You have your choice of number of tacos and two was more than enough. Speciality cocktails were amazing, but just like waiting for a table be prepared to wait for those too, along with the food. Well worth it though! To note: when we went it was one of the few busiest weeks of the year for the island.

Written January 5, 2020

rduf12

Boston55 contributions

Not Worth the Wait

May 2021 • none

We ate at The Easterly in St. Thomas and were recommended Longboard as they are sister restaurants. We LOVED Easterly, but felt underwhelmed with Longboard. We walked by at 4:30pm (they opened at 3pm) and were told 2.5 hour wait. We weren't in a rush and walked around prior to dinner. Overall, we felt the wait was not worth the food. Positive notes= ambiance, friendly staff, great cocktails. Negatives- overpriced and underwhelming. Perhaps we chose the wrong food options? The ceviche trio was $26 and not very good (and too salty for my husband who LOVES salt). I understand seafood in St. John is expensive but in my opinion the cost should match the taste and serving sizes. Also, after waiting 2.5 hours we sat down to a sign saying suggesting a 1 hour limit to eat. Now, they weren't kicking us out when the 60 minutes were up, however you couldn't help but feel rushed. We left after an hour anyways because we felt the food was too expensive to just taste okay. Would I eat there again?- Sure, but I think there are better options.

Written May 19, 2021

Steven T

Hudson River Valley219 contributions

Clever Name But Nothing Special

Jan 2020 • friends

There is no draft beer. The St. John mango ale and IPA ale are okay ($6 for a 12 ounce can). The mahi mahi ceviche is tasty but small pieces. Nice tables and atmosphere. The young, attractive wait staff is prompt and efficient, but with the volume of customers and table turns, it feels like a Cosi at lunch. And souvenir prices ($32 for a cap) make the US Tennis Open feel like a bargain. NYC professionals with summer shares and houses in the Hamptons will feel right at home.

Written January 16, 2020

SnappitySnap

Wellesley30 contributions

May be my favorite restaurant of all time; don’t be afraid of the waitlist

Dec 2020 • none

We spent 11 days on St John over the holidays and got takeout from here 3 times and ate in person on New Years Eve. The food was excellent every time—-fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented. The service was quick, attentive and very friendly. Both the traditional and craft cocktails were fantastic, and the decor and energy were fun. The waitlist was confusing and difficult to navigate, but I stopped by at 3:00 when they opened and got great advice from the manager: the waitlist on their website opens at 3:00 pm. Log on to it right at 3:00 and keep refreshing it. If you want to eat around 7:30, wait until there are about 10-12 groups on the waitlist, then jump in and add your name. You will get a text message giving you an approximate wait time. We followed these directions on New Year’s Eve. The waitlist got to 12 groups at about 3:35 pm, I added my name, and I then got a text saying my wait would be 225 minutes. Our table was ready after 235 minutes, so the estimate was super accurate. Once you’re on the waitlist, you will be able to see the groups ahead of you and how close you are to getting to the top, so you don’t have to stick around Cruz Bay while you’re waiting. You will know when your time is about to come up and you can get back in to town to be seated. It’s totally worth it for a fun,casual, delicious meal in Cruz Bay.

Written December 31, 2020

SugarLakeA

Maple Grove5 contributions

Delicious and fun!

Jul 2020 • none

We ate two meals here during our trip to St John- great variety and flavor and fun atmosphere despite this difficult time. We arrived close to their opening time to ensure a table and it was never a problem. Food came out super fast and was so delicious- loved the Sushi wraps and tacos as well as the calamari. And the drinks can’t be beat, especially at happy hour prices!

Written July 5, 2020

Curt L

3 contributions

Never Got A Text

Oct 2021 • none

Stopped by tonight, put our name on the list at 7:35PM and were told that it would be a 1.25 - 1.5 hour wait. Immediately received a confirmation text indicating a 90 minute wait but it’s now after 10PM, they are closed, and we never got another text. Fortunately, we had heard about their issues and went elsewhere for dinner without waiting around. Unless you are prepared to start lining up for dinner well before 5PM, and are also willing to wait for hours, you might as well plan on going elsewhere.

Written October 3, 2021

Sarah B

Richmond35 contributions

great food and drinks!!

Oct 2020 • none

Go for happy hour and get the frozen painkiller! but, really any of the drinks we had were very good! Utilize their online waitlist option espeically into the dinner time we joined it while we were getting ready for dinner and by time we were done the table was ready and we walked down to Longboard. We both got the sushi wraps and we are both still talking about how good they were and we wish we could have them again! They were great. The service was also 5 star

Written October 12, 2020

CuriousTravelerMN

Falcon Heights110 contributions

Worth the wait

Mar 2021 • couples

We came off the ferry at 4:30 on a Sunday and immediately walked to The Longboard to make a reservation. It was an hour and a half wait, perfect amount of time to grab drinks at some beachside bars and build up an appetite. We received a text when our table was ready and had great service from start to finish. Predinner cocktail and queso with chips, yummy. Followed by the fresh catch of the day sliders, good, not out of this world though and pork belly bowl, which WAS out of this world. I only wish we had saved room for dessert.

Written March 17, 2021

Karen123649

Ardrossan6 contributions

Went to Longboard for dinner

Jan 2020 • none

Went to Longboard for dinner 12/28. Called at 4:00 and although they do not take reservations, the young lady quickly asked if I wanted to be added to the wait list, so we did that. Arrived 1/2 hr later and told we were 3rd in line and we could get a cocktail at the bar. Yummy crushed painkillers ordered and we were seated before we finished the first one. Crispy Brussels along with a local grown tempura beans that were both out of this world delicious! Never had anything like the beans before!! Entrees were bowls - shrimp, strip steak, chicken and shrimp bowls were super fresh all included goat cheese and was a surprising addition to the other fresh veggies and beans, avocado and pico de gio. Taylor was a wonderful smiley server, informative and awesomely quick. Longboard and their people are A gem in St. John, USVI 😊

Written January 1, 2020

Melanie M

Dublin454 contributions

Never disappoints

Jan 2021 • family

Longboard has amazing food and drinks and is very popular on the island. With that being said, it’s very difficult to get in for a reservation right now with Covid restrictions, which is completely understandable. They open at three and I believe only have five tables at a time that can be seated. They do have a waitlist online that you can get onto, but it often fills up for the entire night by 4 o’clock in the afternoon. We tried numerous times to get on the waitlist by going online at five or six at night which was a mistake. We finally got it right by the end of the trip and put our name on the online waitlist for our party of 4 at 4 o’clock in the afternoon and were seated at 7:30 at night. Just a suggestion and tip for anyone looking to eat here. The food and drinks were amazing as usually and the wait staff was terrific. I always love supporting this restaurant because of their support efforts for the island during hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Written January 16, 2021

MichiganMandy

Ann Arbor172 contributions

Great vibe, overpriced

Apr 2022 • none

It has been a while since we visited the Longboard, and we had a different experience this time around. I realize we are coming off a pandemic and are experiencing labor shortages, but I was disappointed with our experience. The process of the waitlist is great. They don't allow anyone in the restaurant unless your table is ready and I greatly appreciate that. I also enjoyed the cool vibe of the restaurant. I do think the quality of food was good, I was just put off by the high prices. The "sliders" my daughter ordered were literally the size of a silver dollar. My other daughter's quesadilla was $30. Our cocktails we ordered were tasty but tiny. At the end of the meal, $150 later for what I'd normally consider appetizers and one cocktail, we left hungry. We experienced better meals for better value. I'd skip this one and keep looking.

Written April 8, 2022

Heidi_G503

5 contributions

Refreshing twist on island fare!

Apr 2021 • none

If you visit only one restaurant on St. John, choose The Longboard! The food is absolutely amazing. There were six in our party and each of us had something different. We all shared bites and everything was delicious: Tacos, bowls, sushi, quesadillas, sliders -- all made from the freshest ingredients. The presentation was equally awesome. Our server, Monica, was delightful and very knowledgable. They do not take reservations, but rather, put your name on a wait list, which must be done in person. They'll text you when your table is ready. I stopped by at 3:30 and our table was available at 6:45. Though this may seem a tad inconvenient, it is well worth it.

Written April 5, 2021

TaDaTravels

Pittsford344 contributions

Twice in one Week

Dec 2020 • family

We love this place! They don’t accept reservations, but they’ll guide you through their wait list - call and ask what time to call back for your dining time ( be flexible). Poke, tacos, tempura, ceviche are all great. House cocktails are excellent concoctions.

Written January 3, 2021

Jen H

Raleigh15 contributions

cocktails and food are presented like art

Feb 2022 • none

The bar menu has excellent hand crafted cocktails which are a good break from the sugary drinks you can get everywhere. Prepared and presented like art! We loved the variety of bowls, the brussel sprouts (not too hot), and the ceviche served with plantain chips. The bartenders, hosts, and waitstaff are all very friendly and do a great job. Get on the wait list or do what we did and show up around 4 for happy hour cocktails and then a light meal which gives you time to head out and enjoy a beautiful sunset from anywhere on the island! We liked it so much we cancelled our reservation at Morgans Mango to eat here a 2nd time.

Written February 13, 2022

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