Tavern on the Waterfront

I must start this review off my saying it was quite expensive for lunch; however, it was completely worth it! We arrived on the Norwegian Escape. It was a Tuesday and since we didn’t have any excursions planned we stumbled across Tavern on the Waterfront. My boyfriend was specifically looking for Conch Fritters which they didn’t have but they did have Conch Chowder which he wasn’t interested in. Instead we ordered the plantains, flaming, shrimp, and wings. The plantains were awesome! We both agreed that they were the best we’d ever had. The plantains were covered in brown sugar and served with a chili dipping sauce. The shrimp was also delicious. It was cool to see them set the flame table side. The wings were good. I don’t like my food super spicy but I thought these wings could have used a little more spice.
We also ordered a few rounds of drinks. I had a banana margarita which I want to learn to make. We both also tried what we were told was a local drink «The Painkiller». Ironically I don’t think it will kill any pain but you might be in pain the next morning if you have too many.
The restaurant was clean with a nice casual vibe. Beautiful views of the water hence the name «on the waterfront». They promote Free Wifi; we didn’t inquire too much since we were trying to have a «screen free» vacation. They also have live music on Friday nights. In the end one of the best parts of our experience was the owner stopped to talk to us for about 15 minutes. She was super down to earth and personable. She talked to us about being in the business and life on the island. Our final damage was $ 91 plus tip; however I definitely recommend this place to others in search of quality eats. We’d definitely return for dinner if ever in St. Thomas again!

1 Appetizer, 2 entrees (jerk chicken was bomb), and 2 painkillers (all the alcohol youll need) for $ 100 including tip btw sit outside.

Delicious meal and great service! Slawek was very friendly and fun to talk to. We enjoyed talking to Ed as well. Very nice people, a great menu selection, and delicious food in a nice setting. If you are in the area, eat here. We will definitely be back on our next trip!

My son and I enjoyed a late lunch in this lovely place. Surprisingly not crowded while other restaurants had long lines. I highly recommend this restaurant for delicious local food and a nice friendly atmosphere. We enjoyed plantains, pierogies and snapper followed by homemade dessert. The bill was very reasonable and our server, Stephanie was exceptional!

The food is fantastic, especially the appetizers. Perogies, stuffed cabbage, cheesy feta puff pastries… yum! Ive never had anything bad here. My boyfriend and I love chatting with Slawek and Marta when we come here. Our waitresses and bartenders have always been attentive and friendly. We come on Fridays for open mic jazz and reggae which is usually some great entertainment. I definitely recommend this place for tourists and locals alike!

Bad food Bad Staff, food is overpriced for low quality. If you don’t like something forget about exchanging it because the staff are snobs. One last thing, bugs.

Went to St Thomas for the day today. Had a great lunch here. Excellent food, breathtaking view and air conditioned. Best place to eat on St Thomas

Excellent meal. Nice atmosphere
Went on Tuesday when all seafood dishes are 24 dollars
Had delicious local lobster tail
Fried calamari appetizer also very good

Where to begin? How about at AVOID. Or perhaps at hour two, in which we still no food.
Or at the end. When a hand written bill with auto gratuity at 20 percent arrived, even though an 18 percent gratuity was written on the menu.
They did let us know that they had comped the soup that never came. How very kind!
And the restaurant was empty, so god only knows what took so long. I just don’t get it. Good luck.

While browsing the menu book at the Miller Manor B&B, I spotted something unusual, pierogies. I could not resist. We had to go there. Having grown up eating my grandmas scratch pierogies and Mom’s homemade stuffed cabbage, I am quite the critic when it comes to these heritage foods. Much to my surprise, both were fantastic and every bit as good as my family’s versions. It almost pains me to say that but it is true. Along with that we tried the almond and hazelnut crusted snapper in frangelica sauce and the 100 hour ribs. Both were very good and came out hot and seasoned well. It was Friday and they had live jazz and open mic. The first jazz group was very good. The second group the singer was fair and a bit too loud compared to the band. The atmosphere was welcoming and we liked the high beamed ceilings and central bar. They had linens and cloth napkins and candlelight making for a nice setting. Service was great. They were short a staff that night but still managed to keep our drinks filled at all times and did it with a smile and positive attitude. We highly recommend this restaurant. In fact we may have to go back before we leave for some more pierogies and cabbages.

Friday night is live music, soft jazz and blues. The music starts at 7 but don’t make reservations before 8 unless you want to eat alone. The wait staff is super friendly (Thanks Ed) and of course, it sits on the waterfront so the view is nice. I didn’t appreciate an automatic 18% gratuity for a party of 2. I usually do 20% or more but if they want 18%, ok by me (sorry Ed). The puff pastry spinach-​feta-​shrimp appetizers were very good. The salads were «ok» (nothing bad, noting good) but the grilled mahi-​mahi was very tasty, albeit a bit small on the serving side. The coconut crème brûlée stole the show. The golden margaritas were ok but for some reason, I expected it to taste better in St Thomas. (JC Gold Tequila is the same everywhere you idiot). I will definitely go back because the prices were very reasonable. That said, there are many other places that I’ll try before returning to TOTW.

A great find. There were 7 of us for dinner and the food and service was great! They weren’t very busy because it was a Wednesday night but even if they would have been, they could have easily handled it.
Our waitress’s name was Heather. She was very attentive. One in our party was a child and she catered to her by making sure she had her food first which kept her occupied while the rest of us caught up on old times.
Next was the food, outstanding. My husband and I each ordered the ribs because we are from St. Louis where barbecue is a staple item from a lot of restaurants and almost everyone’s back yard on a Sunday. These ribs were advertised as taking 100 hours to prepare so we thought, great, let’s put them to the test. Needless to say, they did not disappoint. They were fall off the bone good and I can’t wait to go and get more. We didn’t leave any on our plate.
We also had cabbage rolls as an appetizer. Now, my husband does not particularly care for the cabbage rolls I make but he woofed these down and said he wished they would give me their recipe. That says a lot.
The drinks were great, food was great and service was awesome… I don’t think you can get any better than that. We will definitely be going back.

Just a bad restaurant. Nice owner, nice waitresses, but they just don’t belong owning a restaurant. They are way too incompetent.
The service is just horrible, and it’s not worth going into details. If you’re a tourist, forget it. Everyone here knows everyone else, and they just talk to each other, including the waitresses who are supposed to be serving you a $ 30 entrée. The truth is, the food is mediocre and the owner, nice as he may be, is ripping folks off. I don’t think he means to, but he is. It’s that bad. The $ 10 glass of wine burned our throats and the Caesar salad dressing seemed past its expiration date.
Please skip this and go to any of the following:
— pie whole (must visit)
— thirteen
— banana tree grill
— fish tails
— oceana

Now this place has a lot of character. We only went in for some cool air, a drink, and use the wifi. What we found was one of the coolest places on the waterfront. Unilocal map is wrong, it actually is right on the water front. Owner is very cool, someone who really enjoys what he does and you can tell. Takes great pride in his business and he should. Apparently Friday night is the night to go, it is open mic Jazz night and you never know who may end up playing. We missed out on that but we did stumble on the best ribs I have ever had. You get a knife, but go ahead and give it back you won’t need it. The ribs take 100 hours to prepare, sauce has 27 spices need I say more. Fall off the bone tender with the flavor that needs nothing else. I usually need BBQ sauce but these were perfect on their own. Little pricey but you have to try it.

I can’t even begin to express what a great dining experience this was for my wife and I. Had to be the best meal, bar none, that I have ever had the pleasure of eating. In addition to that we happened to go on a Friday night when they had a band playing (Blues) and it was fantastic. I couldn’t decide if I would rather return to eat the food or listen to the band and to have both in the same place at the same time, pure heaven! not to be missed!

Soooo disappointed. After a rough travel day my friends and I decided to treat ourselves to the most expensive meal of our Virgin Islands trip. The Frommer’s Guide highly recommends it as a star-​studded place but after our visit I’m not sure the hell why. We had trouble finding it which was our fault I guess but the way a waitress (?) spoke to me on the phone was insulting. We were really frustrated and needed help, not a snotty ‘tude. Then we got in and they asked us if we had a reservation although there were only two filled tables in the whole place! I was blown away by that. In low season no less. We got seated and enjoyed a bowl of conch chowder as an appetizer. It was great. Then we each ordered an entry. I ordered the NY Strip — medium. My friends each ordered the vegetable pot pie and a jerk scallop stir fry. The stir fry was deemed really good and the pot pie had excellent crust but could have benefitted from more stuff inside like chicken. My friend was trying to be healthy. She was really disappointed that they used frozen veggies. My steak came very well done and I had to work to cut it. For the price I was expecting something buttery and memorable. I had to get up and go to the waitress to tell her that I couldn’t eat my entrée and she didn’t even apologize. She was far too busy hanging out with locals and regulars to notice THE ONE TABLE she had to take care of. Jesus. Anyway I asked could I please just have a bowl of the conch chowder as I had lost my appetite for steak and that took 15 minutes to bring out. My friends were finished with their entrees before I got to mine. Meanwhile at a much happier table than ours a family was getting all the attention. An owner or manager? spent all his time there and never came over to greet us once. It was as if we crawled out of the sewers to eat there and they were doing us a favor. We had even gone to the trouble of wearing nice summer dresses and slacks so we would look more presentable. After I finally got the conch chowder then we asked for the dessert menu. This took another ten to fifteen minutes. And still the manager didn’t come over. He visited the other table of the three tables that were filled. Finally some shady individual in beach shorts wearing a gold chain and a wife beater came over to chat us up and maybe he was the owner? I don’t know. We were so disappointed we decided against dessert and I visited the lady’s room to find one of the sinks not working. I am guessing this place has seen better days. I really agree with Christina C’s review. «Worth $ 100 meal I’ve ever had.»

During my trip to the Island I was recommended the place and we have ended up going there 3 times, great seafood, try the almond crusted grouper in hazelnut sauce, to die for! Marta and Slawek are very personable owners, pleasure to talk to and the service is very hospitable, Heather and Ken are fantastic. Everyone should make a point and stop by. I can’t wait to come back!

Not worth the money. Maybe it’s because we were there late, who knows. My husband said it best, «Worst $ 100 meal I’ve ever had!»

Tavern on the Waterfront is a beautiful place to visit on a Friday night during their live jazz sets. We always get a table with a few friends and it’s a really beautiful atmosphere to have wine and catch up. This last Friday night we opted to have a few appetizers with our drinks prompting this review. Spectacular! We had the mussels, and since I’m allergic to mustard, they prepared them without the dill broth, but they were really really good and flavorful. The spanikopita with spinach and feta were a bit heavy but truly tasty none the less and really melted in my mouth. We will definitely be returning.
Make sure to let the server know if you’re splitting the checks, but otherwise pretty good service.

While visiting St. Thomas on a recent vacation my mother and I met a friendly bartender at a nearby outdoor bar who pointed us in the direction of this restaurant as it is Polish owned and we might enjoy chatting with the owner. We took his advice and walked over for a lovely lunch and conversation.
The restaurant is on the second story of a building, overlooking the gorgeous harbor in downtown St. Thomas, it is a spectacular view.
The menu is a twist of Polish, French, and Island inspired cuisine. We ordered the Conch Chowder (an island style clam chowder which was quite tasty) and Polish Perogies (pan-​fried triangles filled with typical perogie stuffing and topped with grilled onion, mmm). Prices fair well for other like establishments on the island. FYI– Gratuity is already included in your final bill, but please do look it over to ensure it is calculated properly.
Service was friendly.
And the owner Slawek spent quite some time chatting us up.
Not only does this place deliver delicious dining options for lunch and dinner, there are also evenings when live musicians perform which make this a great place for grabbing drinks and a night on the town!