Dinner at The Longboard, Cruz Bay, St John


The Longboard, a Caribbean-inspired coastal cantina located in Cruz Bay opened its doors in May of 2015, but we had yet to experience it – that is, until our trip to St. John last month.

The Longboard, St. John - copyright Rum TherapyPassion Pitted
The Longboard is easy to find – from the ferry dock, walk straight past Strand Street in Cruz Bay to the next intersection (King Street), turn left and The Longboard is on the right.

The Longboard, St. John - copyright Rum Therapy
Focusing on fresh, local and flown-in ingredients, The Longboard continues to innovate their food concept and bring a new approach to dining on St. John with a healthy menu inspired by coastal flavors around the world. We loved the extensive fish and seafood offerings on their new menu including local fresh catches such as rainbow runner, wahoo, conch and octopus as well as Pacific fish such as Hawaiian Opah (Moon Fish) and Hawaiian Ahi.  Non-seafood entrees include Island Wings (spicy mango glazed wings) and Grilled Portabella, Chimichuri Marinated and Grilled Skirt Steak or Spicy Jerk Braised Pork Tacos & Bowls. Delicious new bar offerings and house-shaped cocktails include a Passion Fruit Frosé.

 After being seated on the patio, we ordered a couple of rum drinks – a Rum Julep,

The Longboard, St. John - copyright Rum TherapyRum Julep
and a new offering called Stoked, a tropical concoction of aged rhum, Plantation Overproof Rum, housemade orgeat, blackstrap bitters, housemade pineapple shrub and lime juice – impressively lit afire at our table!

The Longboard, St John - copyright Rum TherapyStoked
Our appetizer consisted of a trio of ceviche’s served with yucca chips and tostones. We then sat back in our chairs enjoying the food, drink, view and the warm St. John air from The Longboards open aired patio.

Dinner at The Longboard, Cruz Bay, St JohnMixto (trio of ceviche’s)
After polishing off our appetizer, we moved on to our entrées, ordering the Longboard Sliders made with a coconut crusted fresh catch-of-the-day,

The Longboard Sliders

and an Ahi Tuna Bowl.


Each dish had its own special Caribbean flair and incorporated local spices, locally-caught seafood and locally-sourced herbs, greens and fruits. Mmmm – delicious!

Our only regret? After our satisfying dinner, we had no room to sample one of their famous Frozen Painkillers. Can you imagine how that would taste after spending a day on one of St. John’ beautiful beaches?


Find out more about The Longboard by visiting their website, and following them on Facebook and Instagram.

Have you enjoyed dinner (or at least a Frozen Painkiller) at The Longboard yet? If so, tell us about it!

A special thanks to The Longboard and Rebecca for arranging our delicious dinner!

Find The  Longboard on our St. John Map

To see more island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Frank Robinson and BES Craft Cocktail Lounge, St. Croix


His business card reads “Frank Robinson, a bartender who cooks” and should, in our opinion, include, “award winning mixologist and one of the nicest guys around”. Frank recently opened his own cocktail lounge called BES Craft Cocktail Lounge in the heart of Christiansted, St. Croix.

BES Craft Cocktail Lounge - copyright Rum Therapy
We wanted to visit BES during our recent adventure on St. Croix and wandered into Frank’s establishment at about 9pm on a Thursday to an intimate and well designed space with lighting and music that created a welcoming vibe and a perfect place to meet, mingle and chill. We introduced ourselves to Frank, who behind the large bar, was busy creating some beautiful craft cocktails – cocktails where many of the elements are handmade, include interesting and creative flavor combinations, and are tailored specifically to the drink. If you’ve never experienced a true craft cocktail, well, the results of the hard work can be quite…satisfying.

BES Craft Cocktail Lounge - copyright Rum Therapy
While assembling our cocktail choices using fresh and local ingredients and liquors infused with fruits, vegetables, roots and herbs (you can see the array of infusions in bottles and jars behind the bar), Frank alternated between moments of intense concentration and bouts of joviality – his infectious, booming laugh filling the bar.

BES Craft Cocktail Lounge - copyright Rum Therapy
We ordered a drink called “The Darker The Berry”,


featuring Plantation Rum and a caramelized spiced orange,


and a “Crucian Queen” that included Cruzan Single Barrel and a Tamarind-Habanero Syrup.


Both unlike anything we’d tried before and both quite delicious.


Did we enjoy our visit with Frank at BES? So much so that we returned the following night, where we enjoyed a private rum tasting with Frank, who so very kindly brought in some of his private and vintage Cruzan Rum stock to share and compare with us.


During our rum tasting, we picked up a mouthwatering aroma coming from the kitchen and ended up ordering some Beef Meatballs Smothered in Curry Sauce, created by none other than Frank (remember – the bartender who cooks?) which tasted even better than they smelled, if that’s even possible. Excellent night, excellent experience at BES.

Have you enjoyed some time at BES Craft Cocktail Lounge? We’d recommend putting it on the list of places to visit while in Christiansted!

To find out more about BES, follow them on Facebook and Instagram or give them a call at 340.773.2985.

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC