Famed for its legendary king crab al ajillo (cooked in garlic), Gio’s (tel. 504/455-5214, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–10 p.m. Mon.–Sat.), set out over the water, also serves fish, shrimp, several kinds of pasta, and a decent cut of beef at US$8–26 an entrée.

Owned by Italian-Honduran Romeo Silvestri, Casa Romeo’s (tel. 504/455-5854, www.casaromeos.com, 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 5–10 p.m. Mon.–Sat.), just up the street, has plenty of pastas as well as superb seafood, such as conch chowder, king crab, and the “AKR Special” (squid, shrimp, lobster, and snapper), at US$7–23 per entrée, served in a classy dining room on the edge of the harbor. To reach the restaurant, enter French Harbour from the main road, pass the police station and take the right fork, go over a little bridge, and you will see Romeo’s a little farther on the right of the road (Gio’s is just a little bit farther down the road).

Eldon’s, at the French Harbour turnoff, is considered by some to be the best supermarket on the island and certainly has the best fresh vegetables (7 a.m.–7 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 7 a.m.–8 p.m. Sat., 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Sun.).

People come from all over the island to H2O (tel. 504/455-7552, open Thurs.–Sun.), a dance club outside of town.

East of French Harbour

A bit out of the way, but worth the trip for an unusual dining experience, is
Hole in the Wall Restaurant (tel. 504/3270-3577, www.roatanholeinthewall.com, open for lunch and dinner daily) in Jonesville. To get there, either drive or take a taxi to Jonesville, and get one of the boaters on the dock to take you across to the restaurant, built on a dock right over the water on the far side of the lagoon. The seafood is top-notch, and it’s a great place to while away a few hours sipping drinks and chatting with whoever happens to be around the popular restaurant (burgers and sandwiches US$3.70–9, entrées US$9–15).

On Sundays at 2:30 p.m. (and usually Fridays too, but call first to confirm), the restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat-until-it’s-gone dinner with lobster and/or shrimp, barbecued filet mignon, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, beans, bread, and dessert for US$25. Mangrove tours can be arranged too; Clyde is a local old-timer who gladly takes visitors around and regales them with stories, charging US$7.50 per person for a 40-minute tour.

If you’re coming in a rented car, take the gravel road from the highway down to Jonesville, then the paved road in Jonesville until you reach a fork in the road—take the left branch. The road ends about 100 meters ahead, where there is a large empty area with some houses bordering the sea. Park your car here, and if it’s still light out, knock on the turquoise house on the left, whose residents will radio the restaurant to pick you up. After sundown, you’ll need to call the restaurant for a pickup (if you don’t have a cell phone, ask your hotel to make this call before you hit the road).