Anguilla Travel Guide - Going Out

Restaurants offer a mixture of Continental, US and Anguillan dishes. Seafood includes lobster, conch and a variety of fish. Unusually for a Caribbean island, Anguilla boasts an exciting array of gourmet, gastronomic dining experiences.

National specialities:

• Salt fish, usually served shredded and tossed with finely chopped onions, sweet peppers, some oil and a bit of hot pepper, is a traditional breakfast.

• Spiny lobster bisque is often served on special occasions.

• Johnny cakes, which taste somewhere between bread and cake, are served instead of dinner rolls.
• Tamarind balls are a sweet and sour treat.
• Pigeon peas and rice is a popular side dish. 

National drinks:

• Mawby (a soft drink made from tree bark) is popular in bars.

Legal drinking age: 16.

Anguilla's nightlife is centred around hotels and small local bars offering live music. Sandy Ground is the 'hotspot' on Fridays and Saturdays, with several restaurants and dance bars. The crowds move to the more touristy Shoal Bay East on Wednesdays and Sundays. Tourists and locals alike dance barefoot.

There is a good Arts and Crafts Centre, and the island-built racing boats are world-famous. Souvenirs also include shells and small models of the islands archipelago. There are small boutiques offering resort clothing and accessories, swimwear and a gift shop offering international name brands in bone china, crystal and jewellery. For more extensive shopping, nip across to St Maarten.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700. A few shops open on Sunday.