Finding great restaurants in the Bahamas can be tricky. On Harbour Island and Eleuthera, fine dining is relegated to the resorts. But beyond the excellent hotel eateries, we discovered several noteworthy options: a stylish farm-to-table establishment at an interesting inland hotel, a wacky beach bar more about the atmosphere than the cuisine, and the top spot on Harbour Island to try the national dish of the Bahamas. The best meals in the archipelago make use of the local bounty, like fresh conch pulled from shallow banks, lobster grilled hours after it’s caught and produce grown just steps from the table.

The Farm
» Garden-to-table produce and fresh seafood at an inland hotel

On our tour of Eleuthera’s natural wonders, we stopped at The Farm, a hotel and restaurant that’s the sister property of the Other Side. The rustic-chic restaurant stands beside more than 200 raised beds that make up the property’s extensive garden, which supplies many of the kitchen’s ingredients.

Our meal began well with homemade sourdough bread and a zesty ceviche made with wahoo and star fruit. Next came a delicious — and unusual for the tropics — salad of mustard greens topped with string beans. The main course was a perfectly tender grilled lobster with cilantro-lime butter, accompanied by decadent buttery potatoes roasted with pink peppercorns. We skipped the expensive wines on offer and opted for mocktails instead; the Nojito, made with mint, lime, lemongrass syrup and nonalcoholic beer, was a treat. Next time, I’ll try the Shooting Stars, made with star fruit, ginger, chile, pineapple, cardamom and mezcal.

After lunch, we wandered through the garden and greeted the resident chickens, marveling at the variety of fruits, herbs and trees. The Farm is an ambitious project and one of the most unique dining experiences in the Bahamas. I highly recommend it.

The Farm
Bottom Harbor, Upper Bogue, Eleuthera. Tel. (1) 242-808-2336

Tippy’s Beachside Bar
» Legendary seaside shack with live music

A local friend once described Tippy’s to me as the best beach bar on the island — then quickly corrected himself to say that it’s really the only beach bar on the island. It has nearly legendary status on Eleuthera, and since it was just steps from The Potlatch Club, how could we resist? We went for a late lunch at the wooden shack perched on a sand dune, where a sign above the bar reads, “The best stories come from bad decisions.”

The menu leans more gourmet than your average beach bar — with haphazard results. My lobster roll was nearly inedible, but my companion’s Cuban sandwich was exemplary. When in doubt, stick to the fried-seafood dishes; I especially loved the shrimp-and-conch spring rolls. Despite the uneven food, we stayed until sunset, sipping rum punch with the amusing bartenders and a motley crew of beach bums and barefoot billionaires, one of whom mentioned he had flown in on a private jet from his castle in Scotland. Everyone seemed to know one another from some previous escapade, and the whole scene felt like something out of a Thomas Pynchon novel. If we hadn’t been checking out the next day, we would have returned for the live music on Wednesday and Saturday nights.

Tippy’s Beachside Bar
Banks Road, North Palmetto Point, Eleuthera. Tel. (1) 242-332-3331

Queen Conch
» A casual conch feast in Harbour Island’s Dunmore Town

Conch is a staple of Bahamian cuisine, and islanders have mastered the art of cooking this emblematic mollusk. On Harbour Island, this casual waterfront eatery on Bay Street is one of the best places to try its many preparations: raw, fried and stewed. At a table on the back deck, we enjoyed a spicy conch salad made with tenderized raw conch, chopped and marinated with tomato, sweet pepper, hot pepper and onion. (The kitchen also offers an “exotic” variation with pineapple, mango and apple.)

We ordered fried conch as part of a seafood trio that included battered grouper and shrimp. I highly recommend cracked conch — tenderized, battered and fried — instead of conch fritters, which are just glorified hush puppies. And even if you don’t ordinarily indulge in frozen piña coladas, this is the place to go for one. Visit at sunset for spectacular views over the bay.

Queen Conch
Bay Street, Dunmore Town, Harbour Island. Tel. (1) 242-333-3811