Eating, drinking and nightlife

Eating

Antigua’s national dish is fungi and pepper pot – a beef and vegetable stew with a cornmeal mixture on the side. Unfortunately, despite an array of delicious local dishes (such as the worryingly named, but richly flavoured ‘goat water’) it can be quite difficult to find authentic Antiguan cuisine served in restaurants. It seems most would rather dish up international favourites. Nevertheless, if you look hard enough you can find some very good restaurants that will serve tasty Antiguan dishes at excellent prices. Some of the best restaurants can be found in the hotels – many are open to you even if you’re not a guest.

Drinking

Like much of the Caribbean, Antigua has a taste for rum. There are a few locally brewed varieties, such as Cavalier Rum and English Harbour Rum, that are extremely good. Wadadli is the local beer and it’s very popular. For a refreshing drink, Antigua has a great selection of fruit juices and it will typically be very easy to find the soft drink brands that you know from home.

Nightlife

There are fun nights out to be had in the more built up areas and around English Harbour, where tourists and locals looking for a good time tend to congregate. There are plenty of bars, discos and nightclubs around.  But truly the highlight of the Antigua nightlife happens every Sunday at Shirley Heights. Here the Lookout hosts an evening party with an enthusiastic crowd and plenty of Caribbean-influenced music. It’s one of the most famous events of the island, and is something you should definitely experience at least once.

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