7 Great Local Restaurants to Try

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — It’s widely thought that one of the best ways to experience a country is through its cuisine. Local food in the Turks and Caicos centers largely around the bounty of the sea, leaning heavily on fresh fish, Caribbean spiny lobster, and Queen conch caught close offshore.

Some of the best-known Turks and Caicos dishes are cracked conch, grilled lobster, and conch fritters, which tend to come with sides like coleslaw, plantain, mac and cheese, and the classic peas and rice. There’s a range of other interesting dishes and flavors, however, that are worth trying on your vacation, from whole creole fish to grits, chicken souse, boil fish, and refreshing conch salad (ceviche).

Turks and Caicos cuisine has evolved over the years through trade and immigration—while they aren’t Turks and Caicos creations, Caribbean BBQ, jerk, escovitch, and curry meat are commonly associated with local food.

Hungry for a great local lunch or dinner? Here are some of the best places on Providenciales to try Turks and Caicos food.

1. Omar’s Beach Hut

Undoubtedly one of the most popular local restaurants on the island, Omar’s Beach Hut combines good food with a great ambiance. This seafood and Caribbean cuisine restaurant is located right on the beach in Five Cays, one of the island’s original fishing settlements.

Conch is plucked straight from the water offshore, and their fish (sourced from the neighboring Provo Seafood market) is as fresh as it gets. Live music from local musicians a few days per week sets the mood, as do the picnic tables in shallow water where you can enjoy your meal. Lobster, conch, and their jerk dishes are the top menu items.

2. Mary’s Kitchen

Set right on Blue Hills Beach, Mary’s Kitchen offers no-frills and great local lunches off the beaten path. The menu changes every day, but typically has several meat and fish options to choose from (like cracked lobster, Caribbean BBQ ribs, and steamed whole fish).

This restaurant is more laid-back than its popular neighbor, Da Conch Shack, and tends to be more popular with locals. Order a local cocktail, like gully wash or a classic rum punch, and strike up a conversation with your fellow diners.

Mary’s Kitchen is typically only open for lunch.

3. Mangrove Bay

Like Mary’s Kitchen, Mangrove Bay Restaurant isn’t on the radar of most visitors. This establishment has a more local crowd, and it’s not uncommon to see Turks and Caicos Islanders gathering here to play dominoes over fried fish and peas and rice.

The catch at this restaurant is always fresh, whether it’s red snapper, crab, grouper, or Caribbean spiny lobster. Mangrove Bay is also one of the few places where you can bring your own fish for their chef to prepare (perfect if you’ve just returned from a fishing charter). Adding to the ambiance is a quiet mangrove pond where you can occasionally spot flamingos.

Popular dishes are the steamed whole fish and fried fish. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

4. Chinson’s Grill Shack

One of the best places on the island for BBQ and jerk chicken is Chinson's Grill Shack. The menu isn’t exactly Turks and Caicos cuisine—it’s a blend of Jamaican, Chinese, and local cuisine—but there’s a nice selection of Caribbean dishes to try nonetheless.

Chinson’s has its own in-house bakery, and a popular order with locals is a Jamaican patty wrapped in coco bread. If you’re in the mood for more local cuisine, the steamed fish, conch fritters, and the restaurant's original take on fish and chips—which uses local Turk’s Head beer for the batter—are all safe bets.

Chinson’s is located in central Providenciales off Leeward Highway near Cheshire Hall Plantation and the Turk's Head Brewery.

5. Crackpot Kitchen

This restaurant is fairly easy to get to for those staying in Grace Bay without a rental car. Headed by Chef Nik, Crackpot Kitchen has a large variety of seafood on the menu: local snapper, yellow-fin tuna, mahi-mahi, and of course, conch, among other types.

Popular dishes are the cracked lobster, grilled snapper, and the Krusty Krab burger made with soft-shell crab. Their Saturday brunch is an interesting place to try more niche local dishes, like pork or chicken souse (a briny soup), peas and grits (grits cooked with pigeon peas), and johnny cake (a traditional cornmeal bread).

Crackpot Kitchen is located at the Gateway to Grace Bay roundabout that connects Leeward Highway to Allegro Road. Parking at this restaurant is limited.

6. Mr. Grouper’s

This restaurant in the Bight neighborhood serves a large menu of seafood and Caribbean dishes made from fresh local ingredients, and the portions tend to be pretty generous. Standouts at Mr. Grouper's Restaurant, open for lunch and dinner, include coconut-crusted grouper with mango chutney sauce, the conch burger, and, for dessert, local rum cake.

As one of the more popular local restaurants, Mr. Grouper’s can get very busy at peak meal times. Reservations are recommended.

Mr. Grouper's is located beside the field where the weekly Thursday night Fish Fry takes place.

7. The Fish Fry

While it’s not a restaurant in the traditional sense, the Thursday night Fish Fry is an interesting place to sample a large variety of local cuisine in one area. This weekly street food event features multiple cooks and vendors who serve popular Turks and Caicos dishes at food stalls.

Cracked lobster and conch, conch salad, BBQ ribs and fried plantain, and the quintessential conch fritters are found throughout.

Prices for takeout here tend to be rather high, and comparable to those at the typical sit-down restaurant. However, the evening entertainment and performances of junkanoo—a costumed parade and music show—make it a popular weekday activity.