The Place: Toes-in-the-Sand Grilling on Rendezvous Bay
Chef Smoke's beachfront kitchen where coconut shrimp meets barefoot Caribbean bliss
Why Go
Follow the smell of grill smoke down the powdery east end of Rendezvous Bay and you'll find The Place: a weathered white-wood shack on stilts where the Gumbs family has been quietly serving some of Anguilla's most beloved beach eats. There's no dress code, no reservation stress, and no rush ΓÇö just a covered deck spilling onto the sand, the bay stretching turquoise in every direction, and Chef Smoke working the grill like he's been doing it his whole life (because he has).
The Experience
The Place is the anti-fancy answer to Anguilla's white-tablecloth beach clubs. You arrive by walking down the beach barefoot or by pulling off the Rendezvous Bay road, kick off your shoes at the wooden steps, and pick your spot: a covered picnic table in the breeze, a stool at the small bar, or a lounger planted straight in the sand where a server will happily bring your rum punch and coconut shrimp. It's family-run, unhurried, and the kind of place where lunch quietly stretches into a three-hour afternoon. Locals, hotel guests from nearby Anguilla Great House, and repeat visitors mix easily ΓÇö everyone's here for the same reason: honest Caribbean grilling in one of the prettiest settings on the island.
What to Try
The coconut-crusted shrimp is the headliner — oversized, crisp, and served with a lemon-pineapple Amaretto sauce that regulars have been chasing for years (widely called the best on the island). The grilled fish sandwich on the house-baked bun with pickle-lemon aioli is the smart lunch order — ask for it blackened. The Smokey's Burger (bacon, sautéed onions, creole sauce, melted cheese) rewards the hungry, and the grilled tuna salad with pickled-ginger dressing keeps things light before an afternoon swim. Wash it down with a rum punch or a cold Carib.
Insider Tip
Ask for anything off the grill 'blackened' ΓÇö Chef Smoke's spice rub is where the magic lives, and it's the move locals order that tourists usually miss. Also: skip the covered deck if the sun's out and claim a beach lounger instead. Servers will walk your food and drinks right down to you, and you'll be twenty steps from a post-lunch swim in the calmest water on Rendezvous Bay.
The Practical Stuff
Located on the quiet eastern end of Rendezvous Bay, West End Village, Anguilla. Open roughly 10 AM to 5 PM for breakfast and lunch; closed Tuesdays and Saturdays (days can shift seasonally ΓÇö call ahead: +1-264-584-6501). Mid-range prices ΓÇö think casual beach-bar tabs, not Cap Juluca dinner tabs. Cash and cards accepted. No reservations needed for lunch; walk-ins are the norm. Note: the venue has recently been rebranded in some listings as 'Rendezvous @ Tasty's Beach Club' ΓÇö same spot, same beach, same Gumbs family energy.
Pair It With
- Rendezvous Bay swim — The bay right in front of The Place has some of the calmest, shallowest water on Anguilla ΓÇö perfect for a post-lunch float before the second round of rum punches.
- Sunset at Sandy Ground — After a long lunch, drive fifteen minutes north to Sandy Ground for sunset drinks at Elvis' Beach Bar ΓÇö a natural evening bookend to a Rendezvous Bay afternoon.
- Anguilla Great House stroll — The historic pastel cottages of Anguilla Great House are a short beach walk east ΓÇö an easy way to work off lunch without leaving the sand.
- Shoal Bay East day trip — If you fall for The Place's low-key vibe, save another day for Shoal Bay East, Anguilla's other legendary beach strip with a similar cluster of grill shacks and beach bars.