Hello everyone, and happy Monday! I have great news to share with you today. De’ Coal Pot has reopened!
De’ Coal Pot is a great local restaurant that opened in Cruz Bay back in 2014, but, sadly, was forced to closed during Covid. Well, I’m excited to tell you that it recently reopened, and it’s now in a brand new location right in the heart of Cruz Bay.
De’ Coal Pot is now located in the former St. John Bracelet spot, which is located beside The Longboard and Cafe Roma, and across the street from Pelican post (formerly Connections). Its owner, Norma Herman, described the new location as “small and intimate” just like the previous spot, but it now has outdoor seating.
Norma told me Monday morning that she has a temporary menu for Carnival and that her regular menu will begin next week. She has brought back several of her popular dishes like braised oxtail, curried goat, garlic herb conch, roti, fried or steamed whole snapper, mahi mahi creole, conch in butter causes, and many more. She will also serve a nightly special.
I asked Norma back in 2014 what the coal pot symbolizes, and this is what she told me at the time: “The coal pot is what we grew up cooking on,” Norma said. “Conch, oxtail – it took a lot gas to cook them and get them soft, and gas was too expensive, so we had to use the coal pot.”
And while Norma is no longer using an actual coal pot to cook up her delicious local fare, it is an important symbol of the past.
De’ Coal Pot is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Please call 340-690-1127 for reservations of five or more. You can follow De’ Coal Pot on Facebook to keep up with daily specials and other menu offerings. Check her out at www.facebook.com/decoalpot.