Cedar Grove A  Rendezvous Bay Hotel tel 264/497-6549. Excellent hotel restaurant on the southwest coast, where you can eat on the terrace or in the garden overlooking the magnificent bay. Evenings sees the chef serving up a more formal menu of gumbo soup, interesting salads and fresh, tasty seafood. There's live music every Sunday from 7pm. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Covecastles Shoal Bay West tel 264/497-6801. Top-quality French- and Caribbean-style food, from starters such as sautA©ed snails with garlic butter, through mains of lobster laced with fresh truffle cream sauce to unforgettable black-and-white chocolate mousse cake with raspberry sauce. Expect to pay for the privilege, around US$60 for three courses. Dinner only, closed Tues.

Johnno's , Sandy Ground tel 264/497-2728. Easy-going open-plan bar and restaurant on the beach at Sandy Ground, dishing up tasty and inexpensive meals of pumpkin soup, grouper, snapper, curried goat and burgers for US$8-12 per person. Occasional live music on Saturday and Sunday. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Koal Keel The Valley tel 264/497-2930. Probably the place to go if you're feeling in the money, with a fine hand in the kitchen behind exquisite dishes like crayfish ravioli, seared foie gras with truffles and lightly curried lobster. Starters run US$10-20, main courses US$25-40, and there's a seven-course tasting menu for US$100. Open Friday to Monday, dinner only.

Le Beach Bar Shoal Bay Villas tel 264/497-5598. One of a series of beachfront bars along glorious Shoal Bay, all fairly similar in price and quality , Le Beach offers simple meals all day, ranging from sandwiches, burgers and pizza for lunch (US$5-10 per person) to fish and chicken meals in the evening at double those prices. There's also a West Indian buffet on Wednesday from 6.30pm for US$20 per person, with live music. A good place, too, to just chill out after exerting yourself in the sea (you can rent snorkels nearby). Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Old Cotton Gin Ice Cream Parlour The Valley tel 264/497-3328. Fantastic variety of delicious ice creams (coconut, mango, ginger and the like) as well as soft drinks, coffee and home-made cakes. Open daily except Tues, 10am-8pm.

Ripples Sandy Ground tel 264/497-3380. Delicious food dished up all day, specializing in local seafood dishes like creole snapper or coconut shrimp as well as pasta and burgers. There's a half-price happy hour every evening 5-7pm and you can expect to pay US$25-40 for three courses (drinks not included). Open daily noon-midnight.

Roy's Crocus Bay tel 264/497-2470. English-style pub on the beach, offering good and reasonably priced sandwiches and fish and chips at lunch, a more formal menu including seafood, sirloin steaks and prime rib in the evening, with starters from US$5 and main courses from US$20. Daily happy hour with half-price drinks and cheap food 5-7pm and live music on Saturday evening. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Scilly Cay opposite Island Harbour tel 264/497-5123. Flag down the boat that crosses between the harbour and the cay just offshore, and settle down for tasty food in a great beachside location. Grilled chicken and lobster are the main ingredients on the menu (expect to pay US$25-35 per person) and there's live music on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Worth phoning ahead to reserve a table. Open noon-4pm, closed Mon.

Smitty's Island Harbour tel 264/497-4300. Friendly little bar and restaurant on the beach, with fish and lobster fresh off the boats as well as barbecued chicken, ribs and burgers. Main courses start at around US$6. Open daily for lunch and dinner.