B and D's BBQ
Anguilla's smokiest weekend ritual, served in a family backyard since 1990
Why Go
Follow your nose to a tented driveway in Long Bay Village, where oil-drum grills, self-serve coolers, and a stack of oversized Johnny cakes turn a family home into the island's most beloved BBQ joint.
The Experience
There's nothing polished about B and D's, and that's exactly why Anguillians have been lining up here for more than three decades. The grill smoke drifts across the road hours before the platters start moving, plastic chairs and picnic tables fill the yard next to the family house, and someone will point you toward the cooler when it's time for a Carib. Regulars arrive by 6 pm, order at the tent, then settle in for a slow, sociable wait while chicken, ribs, and lamb turn over open flame. Conversations spill between tables, kids weave through the crowd, and the whole place feels less like a restaurant than an island block party that just happens to feed you extraordinarily well.
What to Try
The combo platter (chicken and ribs) is the classic order, glazed in the house BBQ sauce and served with rice and peas, pasta salad, plantains, and your pick of fries. Splurge on the grilled Anguillian lobster brushed with garlic-olive oil, or the rack of lamb with rosemary sauce when it's on. Whatever you order, add a couple of the oversized Johnny cakes at $1 apiece; they're pillowy, faintly sweet, and made for mopping up sauce.
Insider Tip
Come early - by 6 or 6:30 pm on Friday night - both to beat the crowd and to snag the fried plantains, which sell out first. Bring cash, bring patience (grilling from scratch takes time), and if you're staying nearby, phone your order in to +1-264-235-6670 for takeout so you're not waiting under the tent.
The Practical Stuff
Location: Long Bay Village, on the road next to the owners' home (look for the tent and smoke). Hours: Thursday through Saturday, roughly midday to 9 pm, with dinner service the main event. Price: platters $9 (chicken) to $30 (lobster); Johnny cakes $1. Payment: cash preferred. Reservations: not needed, but call ahead for takeout at +1-264-235-6670. Setting is fully outdoor and casual - wear flip-flops.
Pair It With
- Shoal Bay East — Spend the day on Anguilla's most famous stretch of white sand, then drive 10 minutes inland to Long Bay for a smoky, low-key dinner that's the perfect antidote to a beach-bar lunch.
- The Fountain Cavern National Park — Explore the island's Amerindian petroglyphs in the late afternoon, then head to B and D's for an early Friday-night dinner just a short drive away.
- Sandy Ground sunset drinks — Catch sundowners on the sand at Sandy Ground before heading east to Long Bay - B and D's slow-cooked platters are the ideal follow-up to a rum punch on the beach.
- Meads Bay — After a swim at Meads, skip the resort restaurants one night and drive east for grilled lobster at a fraction of the price, eaten under a tent with locals.