This busy, bright trattoria always has a party atmosphere. The courtyard is usually strung with lights; R&B and 1980s dance music play in the background; and the cheery rooms are daubed in sea-foam green and full of hand-painted tables and murals of jamming jazz musicians. The food, like the ambience, sings with flavor and color. Specialties include an amazing antipasto, eggplant parmigiana, bonito marinated in sweet onions and capers, and homemade crab ravioli in pesto. The wine list has some real finds from lesser-known areas of Italy. Beware the limoncello: it's really a grappa slammer infused with sugar and lime. AE, MC, V. Closed July-Sept.

Admiral's Inn
Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour, Antigua
Phone: 268/460-1027
$25 to $35
English Harbour
Eclectic

This historic English Harbour tavern in the Admiral's Inn hotel is a must for Anglophiles and mariners. At the bar inside, you can soak up the centuries under dark timbers (the bar top even has the names of sailors from Nelson's fleet carved into it), but most guests tend to sit on the terrace under shady Australian gums to enjoy the views of the harbor complex and Clarence House opposite. Specialties include curried conch, fresh snapper with equally fresh limes, and lobster thermidor. The pumpkin soup is not to be missed. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V.

Alberto's
Willoughby Bay, Antigua
Phone: 268/460-3007
$25 to $45
Willoughby Bay
Italian

Above Willoughby Bay on Antigua's southeast side, this superior Italian restaurant is a bit out of the way but popular nevertheless. The vivacious owner, Alberto, taught his culinary secrets to his English wife, Vanessa, and she now bests her mentor with her Italian and French inspirations. Try island lobster (grilled with basil and garlic); leek and Parmesan soufflé; veal medallions in mushroom crust; or more traditional dishes such as eggplant parmigiana or linguine with clams. For dessert, the homemade, lusciously textured sorbets are a must: tangy passion fruit, creamy coconut, lip-smacking lemon. via VHF 68. Reservations essential. AE, D, MC, V. Closed Mon. and May-Oct. No lunch.

Averill's
Catamaran Marina, Falmouth Harbour, Antigua
Phone: 268/463-8866
Under $25
Falmouth Harbour
Eclectic

This place has all the essential elements of a casual marina eatery: sleek yachts moored at the deck, fresh sea breezes, exuberant boating barflies, and simple yet scrumptious food. Fresh daily fish dishes include wahoo in caper, butter, and lemon sauce or dolphinfish in shrimp sauce. Excellent starters include cumin-crusted shrimp and sesame chicken. The ambience is particularly fun and raucous on Monday (roast pork barbecue night). AE, MC, V. Closed June-Sept.

Bay House
Dickenson Bay, Antigua
Phone: 268/462-1223
$25 to $35
Dickenson Bay
Contemporary

This romantic alfresco eatery is located on a hilltop above Dickenson Bay (request Table 10 for the best views), in the estimable Tradewinds Hotel. Italian-born chef Giorgio Rocchi runs the culinary gamut from Thailand to Tuscany, with a healthy dollop of West Indian spice. Excellent starters range from deep-fried pork and prawn gow gees (wontons) to seafood boudin set on a leek fondue edged with lobster sauce. Main dishes are just as eclectic: pan-fried snapper with passion fruit salsa or pork tenderloin marinated with honey, soy, ginger, and banana then wrapped in bacon and placed on sugarcane skewers. The happening bar is a local favorite. AE, MC, V.

Big Banana-Pizzas on the Quay
Redcliffe Quay, St. Johns, Antigua
Phone: 268/480-6985
Under $25
St. Johns
Italian

This tiny, often crowded spot is tucked into one side of a restored warehouse with broad plank floors, wood beams, and stone archways. Cool Benetton-style photos of locals and jamming musicians adorn the brick walls. Some of the island's best pizza (try the lobster or the seafood variety) and such tasty specials as conch salad are served. There's live entertainment some nights. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun.

Catherine's Café
English Harbour, Antigua
Phone: 268/460-5050
Under $25
English Harbour
French

Occupying a wooden deck that overlooks English Harbour marina, this charming little café brims with Gallic brio thanks to its energetic, ebullient hostess, Catherine Ricard. The food is simple: ham-and-leek quiche, a proper salade niçoise (Provençal tuna salad with olives, capers, and anchovies), steak à la moutarde (with mustard) sandwich, and crepes even airier than Catherine herself. Afternoon tapas - from charcuterie (smoked meats) to shrimp mousse - are also offered. In the evening you may find such specials as moules mariniéres (marinated mussels) or gratin de cèpes (wild mushrooms in a cheese sauce). MC, V. Closed Tues. and Sept.-Oct. No dinner Mon.

Chez Pascal
Galley Bay Hill, Five Islands, Antigua
Phone: 268/462-3232
$35 to $45
Five Islands
French

Pascal and Florence Milliat built this hilltop charmer themselves. The terrace overlooks a lighted pool (there are also four guest rooms on the property), and the dining room is tastefully decorated with dark rattan furnishings and tropical upholstery, jade tablecloths, ceramics, local paintings, and copper pots. Pascal's classic Lyonnaise cuisine with tropical touches will put you in an even more romantic mood. He has a remarkably deft hand with subtle sauces: witness the chicken-liver mousse in thyme sauce, the chicken breast in port and fresh cream with sweet-corn crepe, and a sublime steamed grouper in beurre blanc. Reservations essential. AE, D, MC, V. Closed Aug.

Coco's
Mt. Prospect, Jolly Harbour, Antigua
Phone: 268/462-9700
$25 to $35
Jolly Harbour
Eclectic

Overlooking the headlands of Five Islands Bay, Coco's could be recommended simply for the ravishing sunsets followed by the spectacular show of moonlight on the water. But it's also an uncommonly handsome place, whose cheerful aquamarine trim, bleached wood deck, gingerbread fretwork, and blue tile tables replicate the feeling of an old chattel house. Globetrotting chef Nigel Martin presents a virtual United Nations of influences: sweet-potato gnocchi and warm smoked salmon with crème fraîche and tomato-lime-basil salsa; Guyanese shrimp with lavender-perfumed barley risotto and sweet-chile hoisin sauce; or chicken stuffed with mango-and-pistachio mousse over plantains and black bean gumbo. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V.

Coconut Grove
Dickenson Bay, Antigua
Phone: 268/462-1538
$25 to $35
Dickenson Bay
Contemporary

Coconut palms grow up through the roof of this open-air thatched restaurant, part of the Siboney Beach Club. Candles illuminate colorful local artwork, waves lap the white-coral sand, and the waitstaff is warm and unpretentious. Although the signature dish has long been beer-battered shrimp with coconut cream and chili sauces, other imaginative dishes include honey-glazed duck in pepper beurre blanc, spiced red snapper layered with sweet potato gaufrette (wafer) in ginger and Chablis sauce, and lobster flambéed with pineapple. Cap a memorable meal with an old rum or Cuban cigar. AE, MC, V.

Commissioner's Grill
Commissioner Alley and Redcliffe St., St. Johns, Antigua
Phone: 268/462-1883
$25 to $35
St. Johns
Caribbean

The gaudy raspberry, mango, and blueberry exterior of this 19th-century tamarind warehouse seems edible itself. The interior is more restrained, with white tile floors, powder-blue chairs, floral tablecloths, and such local touches as wind chimes, Antiguan pottery, conch shells, and historic maps. Specials might include whelks in garlic butter, bacon-wrapped plantains in mustard sauce, snapper in lobster sauce, marinated conch, or shrimp creole. Local seafood is the obvious choice, although beef and poultry are also reliable. AE, DC, MC, V.

HQ
Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour, Antigua
Phone: 268/562-2563
$25 to $35
English Harbour
Contemporary

This casually elegant spot has hardwood floors, brickwork, beamed ceilings, local Creole artwork, and delightful water views. Chef Darryn Pitman utilizes Caribbean ingredients whenever possible, but many dishes inventively incorporate star anise, soy, Chinese red vinegar, brown sugar, tamarind, and lemongrass. Signature dishes include seared Cajun-rubbed wahoo with ginger-lime dressing, sugar-cured beef salad, and cumin-crusted pork tenderloin with spicy apple-orange chutney. Smashing desserts include white chocolate passion fruit crème brûlée, and chocolate and beetroot cake with vanilla mascarpone. The wine list features more than 150 selections (10 by the glass). AE, MC, V.

Le Bistro
Hodges Bay, Antigua
Phone: 268/462-3881
$35 to $45
Hodges Bay
French

This Antiguan institution is remarkably consistent in every aspect. Its casually elegant decor has accents of peach and pistachio, tile work, jade chairs, and painted lighting fixtures. Trellises cannily divide the large space into intimate sections, with tables staggered just the right distance apart. Chef Patrick Gaducheau delights in blending regional fare with indigenous ingredients. You might start with salmon and scallop carpaccio in raspberry vinaigrette, then drift into such sterling entrées as Cornish hen sautéed with fresh pineapples and rum or snapper in ginger cream. Classic bistro fare, from escargots à la bourguignonne to duck à l'orange, is also served. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V. Closed Mon. No lunch.

Redcliffe Tavern
Redcliffe Quay, St. Johns, Antigua
Phone: 268/461-4557
$25 to $35
St. Johns
Eclectic

Nigel Martin of Coco's also oversees this St. Johns charmer, which offers simpler but similar dishes. The dining room, on the second floor of a colonial warehouse set amid the courtyards of Redcliffe Quay, sports brick-and-stone walls decorated with antique water-pumping equipment salvaged from all over the island. Dinner appetizers include creole crab puffs with cucumber, onion, and sesame relish; for a main dish try prosciutto-wrapped roasted scallops and catfish, chicken with papaya and pistachios in mild curry cream, or entrecôte in rum and green peppercorn sauce. AE, MC, V.