Hello, hello!!! I present to you all, the much anticipated, fully comprehensive, St. John Seasonal Restaurant Closings List! 🙂 But, before we dive into the nitty gritty of who is staying open and who will be closing their doors during the 2022 off-season, I have a few things that I would like to point out for those of you who will be traveling to St. John this summer and fall….
First, if you are planning to be here in August or September, you should book any fine dining reservations at establishments that will be open during your travel window now. It’s interesting…Last year, this list was published on exactly the same date. And there were a TON of places that, at this point in time, didn’t have a grasp on whether or not they should close…or when for that matter. I was updating the post from July 27, 2021 for a month afterwards! This year however, it seems that St. John is taking her off-season back.
As I have submitted my calls, texts and internet inquiries to this extensive list of St. John dining establishments, most places were definitive on their closing dates and many announced them early. Some will be closed by the end of July. And for a longer period of time. Why? My guess is to give their overworked staffers (and the owners themselves!) a MUCH needed and elongated break. The past year and a half have been incredibly busy and heavy burden to bear for restaurant owners and the small staff holding each place together. As I have mentioned a multitude of times over the past year or so, the housing shortage on St. John has created a parallel staffing crisis. Many restaurants continued to keep their doors open for only 5-6 days a week throughout this past year so that their staff could have at least one day off on a weekly basis. Although they generally SEEM like superheroes, they ARE only human…And working eight days a week in any location doesn’t feed the soul.
Everybody needs a vacation!
Now, there are still plenty of options for grabbing a bite for those of you visiting during these slower months. You might just need to get outside of your regular haunts and try something new! Many of the local restaurants will be up and running throughout the off season. As will many of the more casual dining and drinking options that we all know and love. And some of the spots on the list who are choosing to close, you will notice, are only shutting down for a brief time to take care of regular upkeep and maintenance.
Unfortunately though, by the first week in September, most of the fine dining options on St. John will not be open. However, another way to venture out of your comfort zone is a St. Thomas field trip if you are in desperate need of a fancy dinner! I mentioned three lovely options in Monday’s article. Additionally, there are a ton of great eateries within steps of the ferry dock. Sushi at RAW, Italian at Pesce, Longboard’s sister restaurant The Easterly and delicious bites and cocktails on the water at Hook’d are a few of our favorites when we venture to STT for an evening away.
Oh, and you might be a bit short on dining options during the fall, but you know what you won’t be short on? Parking spaces, full shelves and low crowds at the grocery, empty beaches and trails and a million moments of peace and quiet to soak up the beauty that is St. John without the regular hustle and bustle that seems to be so normal lately. So, check out the list, get your dining plans sorted now and get down here to enjoy a relaxing and quiet beach vacation in your favorite place on earth 🙂
- 18/64 the Restaurant: Closed August 27-October 5
- 420 to Center: Staying open through off-season
- Amore Arowako Vegan Club (Leng’s): Staying open through off-season
- Aqua Bistro: May be closing for a few weeks in August- TBD – Otherwise open noon-8 Sunday-Thursday (closed Fridays & Saturdays)
- Banana Deck: Closed September 11-November 1
- Beach Bar: Closed September 4-12 for repairs and maintenance
- Bikinis on the Beach at Honeymoon: Closed
- Columbo’s Smoothies: Closed September 11-September 25
- Café Roma: Closing September 16-October 1
- Cinnamon Bay Restaurant (Rain Tree Cafe): Closed September & October
- Cruz Bay Landing: Open throughout off-season
- CoCo Jim’s Cafe: To be decided- As of now planning to stay open.
- Dave and Jerry’s Island Steakhouse: Closed September 7-October 9
- Dr!nk St. John: Closing August 18-? (TBD)
- Delyvonne Breakfast Bistro- Open throughout off-season 6:30AM-Noon Sunday-Friday (Update on new location and hours coming tomorrow!)
- Extra Virgin Bistro: Closing July 31-October 19
- Greengo’s Caribbean Cantina St. John: Open seven days a week
- Heading East: Open throughout off-season
- High Tide Bar and Grill: Closed August 22-28 for maintenance: “We plan on remaining open as long as Mother Nature behaves :)” – Kelli
- Homemade Meals To Go: Closed until October while merging with the new Coral Bay Fresh Market- Stay tuned for the update!
- Irie Pops: Closed September 4-October 9
- Island Breeze: Closed for renovations
- Joe’s Rum Hut: Closed September 3- mid-October
- Kati Lago -Island Cork: Pending response from new owners
- La Tapa: Closing August 23-October 1 (tentatively)
- Lime Inn: Closed August 13-October 3
- Lime Out: Closed August 15-October 3
- Little Olive Food Truck: TBD – Will likely stay open through the fall. Hours: Weds, Thurs & Fri 11AM-3PM
- Longboard: Closed for several weeks in November- Exact dates TBD
- Love City Bites: Dates TBD
- Love City Barbeque: Staying open
- Love City Café: Closed August 24-October 4
- Lovango Resort +Beach Club: Closed July 19-December 20
- Lovango Rum Bar & Distillery: Closed for a few weeks in September (Dates TBD)
- Maho Crossroads: Staying open through off season.
- Margarita Phil’s: Closed September 1-October 28
- Miss Lucy’s: Closed September 4-December – Exact re-opening date TBD
- Morgan’s Mango: Closed September 7-October 7
- North Shore Deli: Closed September 20-September 30
- Ocean 362: Closing September 2-second week of October
- Our Market Smoothies: Open Monday-Saturday 8AM-7PM
- Parrot Club: Not closing
- P and P’s by the Sea: Hours vary- Call ahead
- Pizza Pi- Closed August 13-November 1 (tentatively)
- Pizzabar in Paradise: Closed mid-September-TBD
- Quiet Mon Pub: Closing August 20-September 30
- Rhumb Lines: Closed mid-September-mid-October (exact dates TBD)
- Ronnie’s Pizza: Closed July 16-September
- Roti King: Closed for the month of September
- Salty Mongoose: Closing for a few weeks in September- Dates TBD
- Sam & Jack’s: Closing August 28-First week in October
- Shaibu’s Gourmet Grab & Go: Closed August 26-October 1
- Shambles: Open noon-9PM through off-season- Closed on Wednesdays
- Skinny Legs: Closed August 14-Halloween
- St. John Scoops: Staying open through the off-season with Coffee Bar soon to be open as well!
- Sun Dog Café: Closed September 12-25
- Tap & Still St. John: Staying open throughout off-season
- The Tap Room, St. John Brewers: Closed on Tuesdays- Otherwise open for business!
- The Terrace: Closed July 30-October 1
- Trunk Bay Restaurant, Bar & Retail: Open year round- 9AM-4ish 🙂
- Uncle Joe’s BBQ: Pending response- Will update as soon as I know!
- Chef Vincent Altiero & Friends: Open through off-season for catering
- Wok on the Beach: Staying open
- Woody’s: Closing September 22-October 4
- Windmill Bar: Open seven days a week from 11AM-8PM
- ZoZo’s at Caneel Bay: Closed July 1-December 15
To all of you who are visiting during the coming months, I hope that you take the upcoming opportunity to enjoy a quiet and peaceful St. John and to try some new things while you are here. I, personally, am so looking forward to being here through the summer this year…Quiet beaches and empty trails, delicious local food and homecooked meals are what I am wishing for myself…And for all of you!
And, to all of our hard working service industry friends out there, I hope that each and every one of you gets a chance to rest and reset during this upcoming off season…you deserve it! Thank you for all of the food, drinks, laughter and good times this year. See ya in November!
Oh, and if you think of a place that I missed, please let me know! All of the above information has been confirmed by the restaurant owners but that doesn’t mean things might change. Check back for updates as I will likely be doing just that for the next few weeks 🙂
good morning
hope all is well.
do you know what is going on at honeymoon beach.
why is it closed?
thank you and enjoy the island.
Quenton
Is there any update on ferry service to Jost Van Dyke since they lifted Covid requirements. We are coming Aug 28th for a week. Thanks
Philip – https://www.interislandboatservices.com/ offers it 3 days per week but they need at least 15 reservations for the day to run the boat so it’s not always guaranteed. We did this in March and it was pretty smooth. Cost was a total of $150pp and at the time we had to have a COVID test but I think that requirement has changed now.
Thanks for all the leg work in getting this together! We are on island now for a few more days, but will be back in about 3 weeks. While we will miss a few of our favorites (Drink, are you reading??), it will be nice to have the beaches to ourselves. 🙂
Hilary, thank you for pulling this together. Lots of work! I love having this link ready to answer friends’ questions about closings.
Cheers, RickG
Always appreciate this yearly post! Thank you very much!
Hillary, thank you so much for compiling this important list. For those of us that love coming in August, your work is invaluable. We really appreciate all that you do.
Shout out to our son who works at La Tapa! 6 days a week, 10-12hrs a day is tough. Looking forward to our visit at the end of August! Some of our favorite restaurants will be closed but that’s ok, because you’ll be off too.
Any news of ‘anything’ happening with Island Cork?
Hi there! This list is great – will you be doing the same for 2023? I know this must be a ton of work!