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Food and Drink
There is a wide choice of restaurants and bars. Fresh fruit is available from the Out Islands, including sweet pineapple, mango, breadfruit and papaya. Local drinks are based on rum.
Things to know: Table service is usual in restaurants.
National specialities:
• Conch is everywhere, and is popular in chowder, fritters, salad, scorched (raw and washed with seawater and lime juice, then rubbed with hot pepper, topped with fresh tomato and onion slices, served on a knife or skewer) and stew.
• Rock lobster.
• Peas are used a lot, in the token peas & rice, and also in pea soup.
• Souse (a soup consisting purely of onions, water, lime juice, celery, peppers and meat).
• Guava duff (a dessert made with sieved guava pulp and served with hard sauce – a blend of butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and rum).
National drinks:
• The local liqueur is Nassau Royal, served alone or in coffee.
• A refreshing alcoholic drink is coconut water, sweet milk and gin.
• Kalik is the beer of The Bahamas.
• Rum punch.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: 15% is usual for most services including taxis. Some hotels and restaurants, however, include service charge on the bill. Bellboys and porters usually receive B$1 per bag.
Things to know: Table service is usual in restaurants.
National specialities:
• Conch is everywhere, and is popular in chowder, fritters, salad, scorched (raw and washed with seawater and lime juice, then rubbed with hot pepper, topped with fresh tomato and onion slices, served on a knife or skewer) and stew.
• Rock lobster.
• Peas are used a lot, in the token peas & rice, and also in pea soup.
• Souse (a soup consisting purely of onions, water, lime juice, celery, peppers and meat).
• Guava duff (a dessert made with sieved guava pulp and served with hard sauce – a blend of butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and rum).
National drinks:
• The local liqueur is Nassau Royal, served alone or in coffee.
• A refreshing alcoholic drink is coconut water, sweet milk and gin.
• Kalik is the beer of The Bahamas.
• Rum punch.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: 15% is usual for most services including taxis. Some hotels and restaurants, however, include service charge on the bill. Bellboys and porters usually receive B$1 per bag.
Nightlife
Hotels have bars and nightclubs. Beach parties and discos are organised regularly. Live entertainment includes calypso, goombay music (traditional Bahamian sound) and limbo dancing. Nightclubs are found in Nassau and Freeport. There are four casinos: one on Cable Beach, another on Paradise Island; on Grand Bahama, there is a casino in Freeport and one in Lucaya. All casinos feature restaurants and live entertainment.
Shopping
The Bahamas abolished all import duties in 1992 and savings can be made on perfumes, crystal, leather, jewellery, linens, watches, cameras and china. Local products include all types of straw artefacts, ceramics, clothing, seashell jewellery and woodcarvings. Look out for products marked 'Authentically Bahamian' for a guarantee of good quality. These can be bought at Festival Place, Prince George Dock, as well as at various other outlets throughout the islands.
Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0830/0900-1730. Some shops open until 1900 and some open Sun 1000/1100-1600/1700.
Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0830/0900-1730. Some shops open until 1900 and some open Sun 1000/1100-1600/1700.
