This is one of the most common sides you’ll be served in The Bahamas. It’s is a classic dish most commonly made from pork, pigeon peas (a staple bean of the Caribbean and Latin America), celery, rice, tomatoes, and thyme.

Also known as spiny lobsters, these world-famous lobsters are a major export of the Caribbean (because everyone wants to eat them)! You can order rock lobster steamed or boiled, in salads, as patties, or in Creole-style sauces. I recommend trying rock lobster in as many ways as possible during your trip!

This local dessert should come with a warning that says, “once you start eating this, you’ll never want to stop.” Guava is folded into pastry dough, boiled, then served with a rum custard sauce.

You probably never had baked crab the way they do it in The Bahamas. Crab is combined with bread crumbs, seasoning, and egg, and then it’s baked in the crab’s original shell.

You’ll love this ceviche-style dish. The uncooked conch is doused in a spicy pepper and citrus sauce. Then it’s mixed with tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, and celery. The acid of the citrus causes a process called denaturation, which in essence cooks the meat, so you’re not really eating raw conch.

Johnnycakes are similar to cornbread. They’re pan-cooked with milk, butter, flour, and sugar, and they’re usually eaten with stews and curries. Johnnycakes are the unofficial bread of The Bahamas, and many dishes are served with a side of johnnycakes.

Pronounced “sowse,” this savory and beloved dish is a stew made of onions, lime juice, celery, peppers, potatoes, carrots, bay leaves, and meat. The meat could be anything from chicken or pork to pig’s feet or oxtail.

This is my favorite drink in The Bahamas, and it’s one of my favorite drinks in the entire world! The Yellow Bird is a cocktail made of rum (obviously!), orange juice, pineapple juice, Galliano, apricot brandy, and banana liqueur. A Yellow Bird is best enjoyed on a sunny beach!