5 Best Restaurants in The Southern Out Islands, Bahamas

High-beamed ceilings, tiled floors, blue-and-lime-green walls, and blue ceramic-topped tables create a cheerful vibe to go with the Bahamian comfort-food menu. If you have your heart set on a menu item, be sure to call your order in by 3 pm. Start your day with fresh juices and a full breakfast. For lunch there are burgers, salads, and sandwiches, and for dinner you can enjoy Bahamian specialties such as cracked conch, grilled lobster tail, and the catch of the day fresh off the dock. You can eat on the terrace by the pool or inside with ocean views. The bar runs on the honor system, and the 60-inch TV can catch you up on news, sports, and everything else you're happy to miss while lounging in paradise.

This island treasure—and possibly the area's most-recommended dining spot—is praised up and down by locals and visitors alike. Quintessentially Bahamian, it's where you can sit all day on a stool at the colorful roadside hexagonal gazebo or at a table in the garden patio amid chickens and a goat, enjoying beers and nibbling on excellent conch salad prepared right in front of you. Become a veritable expert on Long Island and its people with gregarious Max and the sweet, chatty Liz. Such is the charm of this laid-back watering hole, visitors come back again and again. Their recipes are old-time Bahamian, hard to find elsewhere. Be sure to try the conch fritters, steamed snapper, and breadfruit chips, or any of the daily specials such as pot roast and crawfish-stuffed potatoes. Max also offers complimentary Wi-Fi for those needing to stay connected.

The views surrounding Stella Maris Resort Club's new poolside bar are as beautiful as the frozen fresh-fruit daiquiris they serve. Once a week Rake 'n' Scrape musicians pluck your heartstrings with Bahamian and calypso songs. On the bar's west side is the sunbaked pool with lounges; to the south, a kids' playground and beachy cove; and to the north, a long boardwalk to a carved-out ocean pool and spectacular views of the coastal bluffs with the waves breaking over the coral reefs. Go for a snorkel when it's calm or enjoy the bar decks when the breeze is up. The menu offers Bahamian and American fare. The Moonshine panini—salami, pickles, and Swiss on marble rye is a favorite.

Outer Edge Grill is what local Long Islanders call a "poop deck," meaning a restaurant on the water. Open daily for lunch and dinner, Outer Edge serves up Bahamian favorites like conch fritters and fish fingers, along with sweet potato fries, mozzarella sticks, and homemade desserts. This is one of only a few restaurants open on Sunday.