This three-story open-air eatery, co-owned by restaurateur Boubou and tennis-star/pop-singer Yannick Noah, sits on Gustavia's Shell Beach  and makes for great people watching (take your pick of the people inside the restaurant or lounging in the sand). Boubou is a local personality who is often found sitting down at his guests' tables, sharing the island gossip. The fresh fruit drinks are a treat, and the nominally Brazilian cuisine, which includes moquequa, a fish stew, is decent, if a bit of an afterthought. Come for the sunset to really catch Do Brazil at its best.

Closed September and October.

Maya's to Go is the favorite of takeout connoisseurs (after all, it's across from the airport), selling the same impeccably fresh lobster, sushi, and flaky croissants as its big-sister restaurant (Les Galleries du Commerce, St. Jean; 590-590-29-83-70; www.st-barths.com/mayas-to-go). Stock up on Orangina, stuffed baguettes, pâté, mustards, and caviar at La Rôtisserie, a premier gourmet patisserie/deli with a second shop in St. Jean (Rue du Roi Oscar II, Gustavia; 590-590-27-63-13). Two markets, Match (across from the airport in St. Jean; 590-590-27-68-16) and AMC (Quai du République, Gustavia; 590-590-27-60-09), offer large selections of meats, cheese, pâté, and bread.

For serious dining—and prices to match—there are three choices (all French, bien sûr): the chic Le Gaïac, where you can get a taste of the Le Toiny hotel without breaking the bank (Anse de Toiny; 590-590-27-88-88; www.hotelletoiny.com); Eden Rock Hotel's On the Rocks, where the views are as fabulous as the food (Baie de St. Jean; 590-590-29-79-99; www.edenrockhotel.com); and Le Sapotillier, serving scrumptious fois gras, roasted Bresse chicken, and dark chocolate cake with orange sorbet (Rue de Centenaire; 590-590-27-60-28; www.le-sapotillier.com). Ask for a table in the romantic garden.

For a satisfying French meal without the heavyweight jus, try La Case de l'Isle, at the Isle de France hotel in Flamands. The Parmesan risotto with sautéed mushrooms is a standout.

Buddha Bar wannabe Jao opened in November 2006 and serves Thai curries, dim sum, and stir fries, courtesy of a Cambodian chef. The waterside location is fantastic, with tables up front and a bar area near the back, and the pseudo-Asian trendy vibe is accomplished with atmospheric lighting, a hip, younger crowd, and a soundtrack that tends towards late-'90s dance music.

Dinner daily; closed end of April through beginning of November.

Another of the island's themed restaurants, this time invoking the deep reds of the African plains with tribal sculptures, a low-lit safari lodge–style interior, and a small terrace and garden sufficiently steeped in foliage to mask the fact that the restaurant is actually in the middle of a car park by the Oasis shopping center. The old-world feel is only skin-deep: The fixed-price menu, supplemented by a board of daily specials, is French-international, and the food is actually rather good. The foie gras special comes highly recommended.

Open daily for dinner.

Chef Jean-Charles Guy, formerly of Maya, wows diners with large portions of his signature dishes—Vietnamese-style crispy snapper, caramel sautéed chicken, vegetable tempura, and fish of the day—at this hot, hot, hot beachside Mediterranean. Ask for a terrace table overlooking the water.

Closed June through late October. Closed Tuesdays otherwise.

The setting is casual, but it's tough to land a table at this popular Hotel Baie des Anges eatery. Owner Anne Ange is renowned for her fresh spiny lobsters, plucked from the tanks and served up simply.

Closed September. Closed Tuesdays from May through August.

Perched on a slope that's a steep climb from the Gustavia harbor, Mandala has a fantastic view of the town, a French—Thai fusion menu and sushi bar (with a good selection of local tuna, wahoo, and mahi mahi), and enough Buddha statues and other Eastern artifacts to warrant the status of a small shrine. It opens at five, in time for sunset, for drinks and tapas. Ask for a table closest to the edge of the terrace for maximum panorama value.

Open daily 5 pm to 1 am.

A relative newbie to the cluster of restaurants at Gustavia harbor, La Marine shares its premises, and owners, with the adjacent Yacht Club. Decked out like an old ship's galley, the restaurant's breezy interior is a fine place to while away the sleepy midday hours in Gustavia. The menu is predominantly seafood, and best stick to what they make best—fish. Mussel enthusiasts should aim for a Thursday or Friday outing in time for the weekly special, moules de bouchot de Bretagne.

Closed September through mid-October, as well as Sunday lunch and all day Monday.

If creative French cuisine is your thing, Le Gaïac will be one of your best meals on St. Barths. Former sous-chef Stéphane Mazières has stepped up to the plate at this classic Relais & Châteaux restaurant and reinvented Le Gaïac's menu. Of course there are classical French ingredients like lobster, foie gras, and truffles throughout, but the island touches—a Caribbean lobster here, some passion fruit and mango there—are our favorites. Sunday brunch offers the best spread $65 can buy on the island, and diners can enjoy the fabulous sweep of the Anse de Toiny that sadly disappears into darkness after nightfall. As part of the Hòtel Le Toiny, the decor is staunchly tasteful, as is the staff's classic composure.

Open daily for breakfast 7:30 to 10:30 am, for lunch noon to 2:30 pm, and for dinner 7 to 10 pm. Closed September and October.

Follow the locals (and in-the-know regulars) for fabulous food at a quarter of the typical price. Make sure to stop at Eddy's in Gustavia for tuna sushi, green papaya salad, and rum punches (590-590-27-54-17). Andy's Hideaway in St. Jean is a must for thin-crust pizzas, fish cooked over hot stones, and a bottomless carafe of vanilla rum passed around at the end of every meal (590-590-27-63-62; www.hideaway.tv). Le Piment in St. Jean is a sweet lunch spot for tuna tartare salad; it recently added a bar and an outside deck (Route de Salane; 590-590-27-53-88). And when you crave an all-beef patty, Jojo Burger in Lorient is the place to get it (Lorient; 590-590-27-50-33). The Coffee Shop in St. Jean is where to score a better-than-Starbucks fix (Les Jardins de St. Jean; 590-590-29-89-44).

This St. Barths must showcases the eclectic cooking of owner Randy Gurley's Caribbean-born wife, Maya. The ever-changing menu relies on ultrafresh ingredients and includes such specialties as Creole cucumber salad and traditional West Indian orange cake.

Closed Sundays and September through mid-October.

You can't do much better in terms of overall experience than the restaurant at Le Sereno. It's set on the beach in the quiet bay of Grand Cul de Sac, and a few tables are in the sand. There's an extensive fish menu, but the recommended course is the catch of the day, prepared exactly as you like it. An authentic French bouillabaisse, made with fish imported from the Mediterranean, is served up on Fridays, although for the outrageous €60 price tag, you might prefer to stick to the local stuff.

Closed September and most of October.