ExploreSTJ.com

Today we’re talking food, folks. I’d like to let you all in on a lesser-known spot that serves some pretty darn good food – the Inn at Tamarind Court.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Inn at Tamarind Court, it’s located in Cruz Bay on the one-way stretch of Southside Road, or Route 104 on the map. The Tamarind is a simple and affordable place to stay on St. John with rates that start under $200 a night. Rates are less than $100 for those of you who don’t mind sharing a bathroom.

In addition to affordable rooms, the Tamarind has a quaint little restaurant and bar that serves breakfast seven days a week. But today, it’s all about Mexican night.

The Tamarind serves Mexican food Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. You can eat in-house in the courtyard or at the bar, or you can call ahead and order it to go. I finally was able to try it last week, and I have to say, it was very good. The flavors were great, the portions were huge, and the price was affordable. It was a win-win on all fronts!

As you can see below, the majority of the entrees are priced under $20. It’s honestly a great value for the money. Check out the menu:

The kitchen is headed up by longtime resident Paulie Humble. And I have to say, he’s doing a great job. Check out a few pics from last week’s dinner…

We finished it off with an order a Mexican doughnuts, which were covered in cinnamon and sugar, and drizzled in chocolate. We ate them so quickly that I forgot to take a picture. Sorry!

If you’re looking for some good Mexican food with a casual atmosphere that’s affordable, please do yourself a favor and swing by the Inn at Tamarind Court for Mexican night. I promise you’ll enjoy it.

Update: Ronnie’s Pizza reopened in its new location on December 1st. 

For those of you who’ve been on island the past few months, you may be wondering what happened to Ronnie’s Pizza. Well I’m happy to tell you that he didn’t hang up his rolling pin for good. He simply moved his popular pizza shop down the street. 🙂

Did you know that Ronnie Klingsberg has made more than one million pizzas on St. John over the past 32 years? That’s a lot of pepperoni! In fact, he and his buddy Joe Morris, owner of Dr. Cool, calculated that Ronnie has served so many pepperoni pizzas over the years, that the amount of pepperoni used could actually make a complete ring around the world. Now that’s impressive!

Ronnie served up his last pie at the Boulon Center in Cruz Bay back in July and has been preparing to reopen in a new location ever since. Ronnie’s Pizza an mo’ is now located in Palm Plaza, which is across the street from the Racetrack gas station, and next door to the Westin Resort.

I stopped by to check out his new digs recently, and I have to say, the place looks great. His new spot is located in the former VI Body Spa space, which is the last storefront on Palm Plaza’s lower level. Ronnie’s new location has indoor seating for 12, and he hopes to have some outdoor seating down the road. The new location boasts a decent amount of parking too, making it easier for all of us to grab a pie. Staying over at the Westin Resort? You’re all super lucky, because you can literally walk next door to pick up a to-go order.

Looking for delivery? That’s continuing too! For a flat fee of $10, Ronnie will deliver from Cruz Bay to Fish Bay, and everywhere in between, including the Westin Resort. He said he’d delivery beyond that too “if it’s a big enough order.” Can’t blame him for that! Oh, and his delicious brownies are coming back too.

“We’ll have brownies and cookies and other surprise desserts,” Ronnie told me. “We’re working on some cool sh!t.”

The VI government just gave Ronnie the final sign-off on his new space last Friday, and he plans to officially open after Thanksgiving. We will let you know the exact date when that happens. And when it does, Ronnie will be open Monday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to 8:30-ish.

Share this post: [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

Let’s get straight to it today, shall we? I am super excited to tell you all that, together, we raised more than $40,000 for the Animal Care Center of St. John through the first, but certainly not the last, Island Tidbits raffle. How exciting is that??!!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Now you may be wondering who the lucky winner is… I brought the tickets over to the Animal Care Center yesterday afternoon, and Ryan Moore, the ACC’s manager, pulled the winning ticket. Check it out!

Congratulations Janet Shaheen!!!

Janet has received the following prize:

• A six-night stay at Livin’ the Dream at Grande Bay
• A half-day island tour with Explore STJ
• A sunset sail with Palm Tree Charters
• $100 Beach Bar gift certificate
• $50 Tap Room gift certificate plus a St. John Brewers swag bag valued at $75
• $50 Cruz Bay Landing gift certificate
• $50 High Tide gift certificate
• $50 Windmill Bar gift certificate
• A champagne brunch for up to six people at Garden By the Sea bed & breakfast
• A Sam & Jack’s welcome basket courtesy of Crandall on St. John

I would like to thank all of the businesses who donated and helped make this raffle happen. You’re all amazing.

Again, thank you so much for supporting such an amazing organization here on St. John. The ACC makes sure that all of St. John’s dogs and cats are well taken care of, healthy, fed and happy. It’s such an important job here, and we’re lucky to have them.

They’re planning their annual gala for January, and you’re all invited! I’ll post more information on that soon. In the meantime, have a wonderful day everyone!