The large patio dining area combines architecture from the South Seas isle of Yap with bones, skulls, and bric-a-brac from Africa, South America, and the Pacific. Good-value seafood entrées include turtle steak and fresh snapper breaded with crushed almonds. For an after-dinner drink or a late dinner menu (served until 1 AM most nights) try the neighboring beachside bar and grill, the Tree House Beach Bar. AE, D, MC, V.

Breadfruit Tree Garden
Eastern Ave., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/945-2124
Under $20
Grand Cayman
Caribbean

This is another spot that's favored by locals - as much for the delicious food as for the reasonable prices. The jerk chicken rivals any on the island. Also on the menu are curry chicken and stewed pork, oxtail, rice and beans, and homemade soups. Drinks include breadfruit, mango, passion fruit, and carrot juices. The interior is kitschy, with silk roses, white porch swings, straw hats, empty birdcages, and fake ivy crawling along the ceiling. It's open until the wee hours, which makes it a good midnight munchie stop. No credit cards.

Captain Bryan's
N. Church St., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-6163
Under $30
Grand Cayman
Caribbean

Lots of socializing goes on in this casual café with an English-style pub on George Town's harbor. It's a classic island hangout, which draws a lively mix of zany residents and curious tourists. A simple menu of Caribbean dishes, sandwiches, and hamburgers will satisfy you for lunch or dinner. Many believe the conch fritters served here are the best in town. Come to watch the sun set from the seaside patio or to enjoy the weekday happy hour when the crowd tunes in to rugby games on the TV over the bar. AE, MC, V.

Casanova
Fort Bldg., S. Church St., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-7633
$20 to $30
Grand Cayman
Continental

This is the one great traditional-style Italian spot in George Town. Pasta dishes - such as seafood linguini and penne with Italian pancetta, sage, rosemary, grappa, and tomato sauce - are both filling and delicious. Another favorite is the filet mignon with sun-dried tomatoes, wild mushrooms, and a splash of cognac. AE, D, MC, V.

Cracked Conch by the Sea
West Bay Rd., near Turtle Bay Farm, Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/945-5217
Under $20 to over $30
Grand Cayman
Seafood

This island favorite provides patio diners with panoramic sea views. Specialties include cracked (tenderized and panfried) conch, conch fritters, conch chowder, spicy Cayman-style snapper, and turtle steak. The Sunday buffet is a divine array of island-style curries and jerk meats; don't miss the cassava cake, a thick, sweet, spongy dessert. MC, V.

Crow's Nest
S. Sound Rd., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-9366
Under $30
Grand Cayman
Seafood

A 15-minute drive south of George Town, this secluded restaurant is in a rustic West Indian Creole cottage set amid overgrown foliage and flowering shrubs right on the beach (diners often go snorkeling after lunch). For the best breezes sit on the terrace, which is draped in fishnets. The shark du jour, herb-crusted dolphinfish with lobster sauce, swordfish with jerk mayo, and shrimp and conch dishes are excellent, as is the chocolate fudge rum cake. AE, MC, V.

Grand Old House
S. Church St., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-9333
Over $30
Grand Cayman
Continental

The menu here consists of Continental entrées and a few local specialties. Among the spicier appetizers is fried coconut shrimp with mustard apricot sauce. On the milder side are entrées such as lobster served "the chef's way" (dipped in egg batter and sautéed with shallots, mushrooms, and white wine) and duck with fresh pear chutney. The ocean-side gazebos, surrounded by palms and cooled by ceiling fans, are refreshing and lively; stellar service makes a meal here all the more enjoyable. Dinner reservations essential. DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.

Hemingway's
West Bay Rd., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/945-5700
Over $30
Grand Cayman
Caribbean

Sea views and breezes attract diners to this elegant open-air restaurant on Seven Mile Beach that is part of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman complex. Nouvelle Caribbean and seafood dishes include lemongrass-crusted grouper with udon noodles and baby Portobello mushrooms in a coconut sauce, Boniato-wrapped prawns with grilled chayote slaw and red grapefruit reduction, and sugarcane-skewered tempura lobster with basil mashed potatoes and ponzu butter. Portions are large, and service is superb. For a tropical drink try the Banana Mud Slide (with dark rum, Bailey's Irish Cream, Kahlua, vodka, bananas, and chocolate sauce). AE, D, DC, MC, V.

Lantana's
West Bay Rd., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/945-5595
Over $20
Grand Cayman
Contemporary

This restaurant - on the edge of the Caribbean Club villa complex in the heart of Seven Mile Beach - creates excellent American-Caribbean dinners. Enjoy lobster quesadillas, homemade lamb sausage, or Cayman mahimahi with cardamom-scented tabbouleh and cassava fritters. If you come for nothing else, don't miss the incredible roasted garlic soup and the apple pie. The decor of the bilevel restaurant - potted plants, teak furniture, painted wooden fish - places you in the perfectly serene island state of mind. AE, D, MC, V.

Lillian's
Christian Plaza, near airport, on N. Sound Rd., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-2178
Under $20
Grand Cayman
Eclectic

Island and Spanish dishes are the specialties at this diner, which is always filled with locals during lunchtime. Daily specials include barbecued ribs, meat loaf, and fish rundown, a stew made with fish, plantain, cassava, sweet potato, and breadfruit in a white sauce (squirt a bit of lime on it for perfection). Lillian occasionally makes "Fish Tea," a soup reputed to be an aphrodisiac. No credit cards. Closed Sun. No dinner.

Lobster Pot
N. Church St., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-2736
Under $20 to over $30
Grand Cayman
Seafood

The second-floor terrace of this cozy restaurant overlooks the bay downtown, so the sunsets are an extra attraction. The menu includes both Continental dishes and such Caribbean specialties as conch chowder, seafood curry, shrimp Diane, and, of course, lobster. This place is popular, and the constant turnover creates a frenzied atmosphere. If you can't make it for dinner, drop by the pub and have a frozen banana daiquiri. AE, D, MC, V.

Ottmar's
West Bay Rd., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/945-5879 or 345/945-5882
Over $20
Grand Cayman
Continental

This quietly elegant restaurant in the Grand Pavillion Commercial Centre is styled after a West Indian great house. Jade carpeting, peach walls, mahogany furniture, glass chandeliers, and a trickling fountain create an attractive setting for the excellent service. Favorites on the international menu include bouillabaisse, the Indonesian rijsttafel, and French pepper steak (flamed in cognac and doused with green peppercorn sauce and crème fraîche). Reservations essential. AE, MC, V.

Rackam's Pub
N. Church St., Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/945-3860
Under $20
Grand Cayman
Eclectic

North of George Town, jutting out onto a jetty, this low-key bar and grill has terrific views. The surf-and-turf fare is delicious - and surprisingly affordable. The young, friendly staff serves excellent jerk burgers (basted with Jamaican jerk sauce), grouper fish-and-chips, and tasty chiles relleños. AE, MC, V.

Ristorante Papagallo
Conch Point Rd. (Box 184), Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-1119
Fax: 345/949-1114
Over $30
Grand Cayman
Italian

If you're not taking a cab, be sure to pack a map for the journey down twisted, unmarked roads to this oversize Polynesian hut at the northernmost tip of the island. Try the arugula salad with mango vinaigrette, followed by the blackened yellowtail or the snapper fillet with pineapple salsa. Caymanians and tourists alike say it's worth the trip for the island's best Italian-Caribbean fusion cuisine. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V. No lunch.

Smuggler's
George Town, Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-6003
Over $30
Grand Cayman
Seafood

One of the best restaurants on the island and certainly the most romantic, this small restaurant is right on the water near downtown George Town. The comfortable, candlelit dining room and lovely deck overlooking the ocean are perfect spots to bring someone for a special dinner. Excellent appetizers include tuna carpaccio marinated in basil and dill and jerk duck seasoned with pimiento and scotch bonnet peppers. The best entrées are those with Caribbean lobster - particularly the Smuggler's Fillet, a lobster-stuffed beef tenderloin seared in rosemary butter and glazed with port. Reservations essential. AE, D, MC, V. No lunch weekends.

Thai Orchid
Queens Court Shopping Plaza, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-7955
Under $30
Grand Cayman
Thai

It looks like a typical Thai restaurant, but the food more than makes up for the ordinary decor. Try the delicious pad thai, the ped phad khing (crispy duck stir-fried with ginger and vegetable), or the Thai spring rolls with marinated pork. Many vegetarian dishes are offered as well. The main difference between the lunch and dinner menus is the price. AE, MC, V. No lunch Sun.

The Wharf
West Bay Rd., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-2231
Over $20
Grand Cayman
Seafood

Owned and operated by a group of Austrians, this large, tidy blue-and-white restaurant spills out onto a multitiered veranda that overlooks the sea. On the surf-and-turf menu are conch fritters, home-smoked salmon, turtle steak, broiled lobster, and steak fillet béarnaise; anything on the fresh daily menu is also recommended. Live Paraguayan music entertains diners. The Ports of Call bar is a perfect spot from which to watch the sun set, and tarpon feeding off the deck is a nightly (9 PM) spectacle here. AE, MC, V.

Whitehall Bay
N. Church St., Cayman Islands
Phone: 345/949-8670
Under $20 to over $30
Grand Cayman
Caribbean

Locals love Whitehall Bay, which occupies a charming, traditional waterfront home that's decorated with gourds, straw bags, and black-and-white photos of old-timers. The food is equally traditional, from sultry turtle and pepper-pot stews (both seemingly bubbled for years) to luscious yam cake and coconut cream pie. AE, D, MC, V.