These are the best foods to try when visiting St. Thomas. They are local and any “true” St. Thomian will have an almost identical list that includes everyone of these dishes.
What is crazy about these foods as they are not always easy to find on island. Your best bet for some of these items is to get invited over for dinner by a local. But I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction for each one.
I’ve listed the items in order of the easiest to the hardest to find on island.
1. Johnny Cake
(In the photos above, you can see the various stages of a family recipe we call Sweet Johnnys.)
Every civilization known to man at some point took some flour, turned it into a dough and then fried it. And for some reason, I think this fact is strong evidence that God exists. Mainly because He does. But also because fried dough is awesome.
Islanders like their Johnny Cake either plain or with some cheese. It can be eaten as a stand-a-lone snack or as a side to a larger meal.
During Carnival, my kids eat more Johnny Cake than cotton candy. This is their favorite snack.
Now I am not from St. Thomas originally. But I’ve been here long enough to not be considered a “tourist” anymore. And my favorite way to eat it is as a “Sweet Johnny” (I admit this is not a local thing – it is an Island Mike thing). As soon as you pull the golden dough out of the oil and drop it on a plate you cover it in powdered sugar. Perfection. Screw you Cafe Du Monde!
Where to find Johnny Cake: gas stations, convenient stores, food trucks, Glady’s, and Johnny’s. Honestly, if you stop at any food truck there is a 81% chance they’ll have Johnny Cake.
In case you want to try it at home: Johnny Cake Recipe.
2. Pate
When I moved here I was irritated when I learned the name of this food. It is nothing like any pate I’ve ever had. Where I come from, Pate is served at parties with crackers or a crispy bread.
Not in the islands. An island pate is just like the hundreds of other cultural traditions that take dough, fill it with goodies and then deep fry it.
It has many similarities with a Johnny Cake in the breading but the filling is part of this magical food. Here in the islands the most common fillings are: beef, chicken, lobster, conch, veggies or saltfish.
If you want something decidedly Caribbean, try the saltfish. It’s not at the top of my list of fillings but I can still eat my weight in saltfish if challenged.
If you like spicy like me, cover each bite with a generous coating of hot sauce.
Where to find Pate: gas stations, food trucks, Glady’s, The New Ashley’s (next to the airport). Slightly harder to find but most gas stations and food trucks have them. When I’m headed to the airport I always stop for a pate at Ashley’s. It’s on your left hand side before you turn into the parking area at the airport.
In case you want to try it at home: Pate Recipe.
3. Roti
Southeast Asians were once a hot commodity here in the islands. Folks from India immigrated to the Caribbean over the past couple hundred years and brought their cooking traditions. Curry is catnip for us island folk.
The wrap is made from ground chickpea. The classic filling is a curry sauce with potatoes and whichever filling you prefer – chicken, conch, shrimp (my favorite) or vegetables.
Where to find Roti: The only place I recommend is Ideal Roti. It’s a small shop right off of Main Street in downtown Charlotte Amalie. Park at Fort Christian and walk to Main Street. Ask any local person and they can point you to the shop.
In case you want to try it at home: Roti Recipe.
4. Conch in Butter Sauce (I also like my conch in a pate or fritter)
Conch is not as exotic as it once was thanks to the now famous conch fritter. My first foray into conch was on my first trip to the Bahamas back around 2002. Since then, the regal conch fritter are found at every Florida seafood joint and Margartiville resort.
Here in the Virgin Islands, we like a good fritter. But we prefer our conch in a pate or even better in a butter sauce with rice and fried plantains.
Where to find Conch in Butter Sauce: There is no question here, if you want the best conch in butter sauce you must go to Brooks Bar. Period. End of Story. Brooks is on the road heading down towards Magens.
5. Whelks and Rice
I used to be obsessed with whelks. But they are hard to find on island. I usually had to wait for Carnival to get my fill. They are delicious and their obscurity added to my obsession.
But then I learned how to hunt and harvest my own whelks. Life has never been better. So don’t expect to see them on any menus during your visit. But if you do see a food truck or stand and they offer whelks you must try them!
Any hot sauce (sriracha is my favorite) goes well with whelks and rice. If you are coming to the islands and want me to make you some just give me a heads up and I’ll go whelk hunting.
Oh, and what are whelks? Sea snails.
Where to find Whelks: I have no idea. Ask around. Maybe a food truck somewhere on island has it. But your best bet is at a local event where there are food vendors. Or I can take you foraging.
In case you want to try this at home: Whelks Recipe.
6. Fungi
Fungi is not my favorite thing in the world. When I see it at a Caribbean buffet I reserve the smallest section of my plate for fungi. Fungi is basically cornmeal and some butter. By itself it isn’t great but if you get some stewed chicken and cover the fungi with gravy it can be tasty.
This is a list about the best foods in St. Thomas and not about my personal favorite foods. And that’s all I have to say about that.
Where to find Fungi: Not a clue. Get invited by a local person for dinner and ask them to make it for you. It’s easy enough.
In case you want to try Fungi at home: Fungi Recipe.
Honorable Mention:
Sweet Potato Stuffing
When I moved to St. Thomas I learned quickly that pot luck lunches and dinners are an institution here. Trays and trays of food at every island gathering. And this is one of those ubiquitous foods that are required if you don’t want the natives to kick you off the island. I love this stuff.
Kallaloo
I made Kallaloo once. I wanted to impress my coworkers after moving to the islands. From what I could tell it turned out well. Although I hadn’t cooked the pigs feet enough so they weren’t tender. I’ll do better next time.
Kallaloo is a soup/stew type dish. Made with greens, okra, peppers and spices. Pig’s feet are optional.
Goat Water
Think deliciously fat stew with goat meat. The oils and fats in this stew are decadent. The tender meat is borderline orgasmic. I like to have a big, hearty slice of bread with my goat water.
Danish food
It has been over 100 years since the Danish sold St. Thomas to the USA. But there are some folks still around with memories of Danish cooking. They are not easily found outside of a few family recipe books but there is one spot on St. Thomas with a taste of the old Kingdom. Check out Johnny’s on Back Street. Foods include Frikadeller (a Danish meatball), Rumtopf (rum soaked fruit over ice cream) and aebleskiver (a special Danish pancake).
It kinda makes me happy that eating from this menu is going to be a challenge. Like a delicious and adventurous scavenger hunt. But that makes the reward hard-earned and meaningful.
So get out there and enjoy hunting for these wonderful St. Thomas foods. And let me know if you find a local food that you think should be added to this list of the best foods in St. Thomas.
On our tours you’ll be downtown and your tour guide will have the inside scoop on which restaurants and food trucks have what. Check out our Tours and get eating!
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