Testimonials
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Kaibo News
Hot Off The Press…
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Everything you ever wanted to know about Kaibo Beach Bar and Grill
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at Tuesday’s Caribbean Beach BBQ
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Now 40 Rare Rums in stock
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KAIBO recycling program
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Annual Events
Mardi Gras
Kaibo Mardi Gras is the biggest organised annual party on the island.
2010 celebrates the 11th Mardi Gras at Kaibo.
The Cayman Islands Mardi Gras takes place every year on Kaibo Beach...
Read more »
The Annual Kite Festival
Easter Monday 5th April. Annual Kaibo Kite Festival. Hosted with Z99. Read More →
The Kaibo Beach Bar & Grill offers superb food and a fun, gregarious atmosphere. The management’s lighthearted but intensely professional approach to the restaurant business has helped transform this compound into a Sunday-afternoon beachfront hangout that some Caymanians drive long distances to reach.
Some aspects of the club evoke a beach compound in the tropics, thanks to flaming torches, multilevel terraces, cabanas roofed in palm thatch, and a clientele that, especially on weekends, might remind you of South Beach in Miami during the Winter Music Conference. It’s easy to get hooked on the compound’s beach-level bar, operated by England-born Daniel Petts. A sense of whimsy has endeared the bar to several generations of boat-owners from around the Caribbean, who head here, often over water, for a day of sun, sand, food, and companionship with like-minded friends, mooring and servicing their craft at the marina. The simple daytime menu features burgers, salads, and sandwiches, while dinner focuses on freshly caught local fish.
While the marina facilities here are less comprehensive and formal than those available at more lavish marinas closer to George Town, the restaurants are superior to other Cayman Island yacht-club dining and drinking establishments.
But if you’re looking for cuisine that’s much more sophisticated than what’s available from the bar, we recommend you climb a flight of exterior steps for one of the best meals on Grand Cayman. Here, within Kaibo’s Upstairs Restaurant, you’ll find decor that evokes a martime interior with the “bones” of a clipper ship (mast, rudder, and part of the rigging) suspended from the ceiling. As you eat, some of the most lazily hypnotizing ceiling fans on Grand Cayman circulate the air beneath the soaring ceiling.
Rating: Excellent five stars
Kaibo Beach Bar and Grill. My son had us eat at this place after a day on a boat. I had always heard that this place was expensive. Well the food was cheap, the service was great and food was exceptionial. We went for lunch and I expected the same fare as Rum Point. Well it was not. I had a sandwich that was sooo good I will never forget it. I usually don’t eat fries but they have battered fries that are so good. My lunch was less then 10US.
cindy
Hi Daniel,
Well we’ve been back here in the UK for about 10 days now and guess what we brought the Cayman sunshine with us. It’s be great weather since we got back. However things are about to change and we can look forward to the usual rain!
We just wanted to e-mail you to say a big thank you to you and the gorgeous Kaibo Angels for looking after us so well during our stay, we feel very lucky to have you on our doorstep. Without fail, all our guest commented on the friendliness and professionalism of Kaibo, or was that the cocktails talking that we force fed them before?!!
Anyway hope you all have a great summer, we’re already looking forward to seeing you all in November.
If anyone is passing through Hertfordshire we’d love to see you.
A North Side gem tucked away in Cayman Kai, the Kaibo Beach Bar & Grill is worth the discovery. The drive is an opportunity to see some real island life en route, and at the point where you have left civilization behind, you find yourself at the perfect paradise beach bar straight out of one of those Corona ads. Coconut palms, fishermen, hammocks and thatched cabanas surround the restaurant and bar. The beers are ice cold (cooled by a mountain of ice), the cocktails are said to be some of the best on the Island, the grill offers relaxed lunches to the sound of Caribbean beats and the daily changing evening menu boasts elegant beachside dinners.
Once a month the ‘Luna Del Mar’ dinner is hosted on the Friday closest to the full moon allowing feet-in-the-sand moonlit dining at the water’s edge. Private cabanas and feature dinners in the upstairs restaurant are also a popular choice amongst Islanders. The restaurant upstairs is now open on Friday and Saturday nights from 6pm and reservations are recommended.
Wherever you are staying on Grand Cayman, you have to breeze into the Kaibo corner of the Island to sample the inventive caribbean cuisine.
This past Friday, my husband, Rommel, and I had dinner at Kaibo for Luna Del Mar.
I phoned the week before and booked a private tent for the evening with no clue as to what the place would look like or what to expect. Every month we set aside at least one night away from the kids and were hoping for something completely different than what we’re used to on SMB for our “date night”. The drive was long (we live in West Bay) but well worth it!
We were surprised by the privacy of the tent and the coziness that the bed and pillows added to our evening. Our tent was right in front of the water and the view was absolutely amazing. The service was friendly, the food was absolutely delicious, and the aura was just unbeatable. After dinner we laid around enjoying the cool ocean breeze and the relaxing music and there was no rush whatsoever to leave so that someone else could be seated.
Thank you for an amazing night!! We have already told all of our friends and are planning to return next month. Again, thank you for exceeding our expectations.
With Warm Regards,
Nasaria Coe, BSc (Hons)
Public Relations Assistant
Cayman Islands Department of Tourism
I’m writing on behalf of the executive committee of Gardens of the Kai strata to thank you for your partnership over the past year. We are so appreciative of your efforts in additional security and clean up during the holidays. It has made a real difference to all of us. I look forward to seeing you on our next visit to Cayman. Best regards Tanya Larson
On behalf of the Board of Directors, Residents and staff of the Pines, please accept our grateful thanks for your hospitality in providing several of our residents with lunch at Kaibo yesterday. The residents came back in great spirits and spoke highly of their visit. Thank you again for going out your way for our residents. Kind regards Sue Nicholson
Do try the burgers at Kaibo. I was skeptical at first, but after my wife had one I was hooked. The upstairs at Kaibo is open on weekends for a less casual dinning experience. Food is good and the wine list is reasonable.
‘Testudo’, New Jersey
The new management have done a great job since buying the place from the Fosters.
Kaibo is very popular with the folks who live in North Side as well as with the every increasing # of condo renters in the area. The food is reasonably priced and the staff is very friendly. There’s even a water taxi for you SMB types! Check it out next time you are on the island.
“Northside Sue”, Chicago
This is great. It looks fantastic and the testimonials are really impressive. Who are the band at mardi gras wearing the bikinis?
I am e-mailing about your Crispy Coconut Grouper. We were in the Caymans in November and someone recommended we come to your resturant and try the Crispy Coconut Grouper.
It was Wonderful………. I would like to try and make it myself for a small party we are having for Christmas but have not been able to find a recipe. Would you be willing to give me the recipe? I am not a great cook but I do like to try different things once in a while.
We were at your restaurant with another couple and that is all we talk about when we get together with them. We all loved it.
It was the best thing we had while in the Caymans.
Dianne
You can be absolutely certain that before next year, Kaibo will be 10 times
more popular than Rum Point, which has completely sold out to over
population and commercialism that can not even begin to comprehend. While
Rum Point is busing in dozens of drunken cruise ship passengers, we cater to
only the elite.
We will make our members and readers aware of what a more laid back
destination Kaibo is and how much more it represents the true Cayman culture
that is no sadly all but lost to overdevelopment.
We will be bringing you the kind of people that don’t mind spending a few
extra dollars to experience the very best, although, your prices are even
less expensive than Rum Point, which another point that I will be driving
home.
It is my pleasure, indeed my privilege to be working with such a dedicated
company that has resisted the exodus cruise ship market and mass sellout, by
maintaining the spirit of Cayman culture.
With Kind Regards,
Joe Stebbins
Cayman Activity Guide
Please!! will you share the recipe for the spinach and artichoke dip? I was visiting the island and we rented a car to drive the around .. we found your beautiful and restful resort. However, I made the “mistake” of ordering your spinach dip !! Now I am back home in the states dreaming about the wonderful taste treat I encountered when I tasted that awesome dip. Is the recipe available??? Or can you ship a bowl of that Spinach and Artichoke dip to the states? Andrea
I have been visiting the island for the past ten days and have to say that Kaibo has to be my favorite resturant! My friend and I were at Rum Point for the day and decided to stop at Kaibo for lunch. We both agreed that the food was delcious, the cocktails were perfect and the service was wonderful.
Dear Claire,
Thanks so much for a fabulous evening on Friday. Your servers were so great everyone has said what a great time they had and a great venue. Received a lot of compliments on the bbq too – all said the food was really good.
Thanks and hope you all recover quickly from us!
Best regards and see you out there soon.
Sue
We were delighted with the wedding we had at Kaibo. It was a beautiful setting, delicious food, great service and very efficiently organised in a pleasantly relaxed way. Thank you so much. We also thought we organised all the right people – Pastor McLaughlin was charming, the flowers were stunning, Aaron from ‘Picture This’ was fun to work with and has taken some amazing photos and Bona Fide were great. A good effort given that it was all arranged in less than two weeks. And the weather couldn’t have been better.
Best wishes
Anne
The Kitehouse opens at Kaibo
Kaibo Yacht Club on the funky beach bar in the tranquil north western tip of Grand Cayman se on the calm waters of the North Sound now offers kiteboarding lessons, paddleboats, kayaks, sailboats, wakeboards, volleyball instruction and much more. A day or watersports or an evening bioluminescence kayak, combined with lunch or dinner either at the Kaibo Beach Bar and Grill or its sophisticated Upstairs restaurant, ‘Upstairs at Kaibo’ will be a highlight of any Cayman holiday. http://www.kaibo.ky
Cayman Islands Tourist Department
Dear Claire
As you might know your restaurant and Kaibo itself is a warm favourite of our London office staff and especially our PR team, Susie and Laura who were instrumental in pulling together the various journalists for the Telegraph supplement. We do try to get a word in about the restaurant whenever we are out on the road giving trade and consumer presentations and also through our visiting journalist programme.
By copy of your e mail to Susie and our London team, we will appraise all of your vision and latest news.
With best wishes and thanks again.
Don McDougall
Regional Manager Europe
Cayman Islands Department of Tourism
Hi Claire
Just to echo Don’s comments, we are HUGE fans of Kaibo, both the region, the Yacht Club and all the events you put on. I am really pleased we were able to include you in the Telegraph supplement and you can be absolutely assured that, especially through my personal experience when David and I holidayed with the kids there last June, we encourage everyone to visit Kaibo and try to include it in as many journalist itineraries as we can. As I am sure you know it is a game of slowly, slowly catchy monkey in spreading the word and persuading people to explore beyond 7MB but it is very much part of our strategy. We very much rate what you offer and consider it a credit to the ‘real Cayman’, and just what many of our British visitors are looking for. There has been some great coverage, especially from the kids press trip I did last year – if you haven’t seen it all let me know and I will dig it out.
We often include Kaibo in our quarterly newsletters so make sure you send me news every time you come up with a new idea and we will put it in. You will see we included Kaibo in the last newsletter, which is attached.
Best wishes,
Susie
Upstairs sizzles as a destination restaurant, and puts Kaibo on the map.
Take the water taxi or drive to the ultimate evening getaway – ‘Upstairs’ Restaurant at Kaibo and gear up for a culinary adventure on the shores of North Side. Take a chiffon scarf and feel alluring and adult. Think James Bond with a culinary twist.
Upstairs Restaurant is where Old and New World cuisine meet. The elevated restaurant, with its wrap-around porch, offers far reaching views of the North Sound. Open three years ago on the site of Cecil’s Cajun-style restaurant, Upstairs is garnering a sizeable reputation for its exciting take on fusion Caribbean cuisine thanks to the artistry and talent of British chef Laurence Tham.
Michelin appeal
The gastronome may be young but he has already earned his stripes, firstly as part of a Michelin starred team, headed by Executive Chef Phil Thompson, at the Auberge du Lac in leafy Hertfordshire and more recently still by creating the Upstairs Restaurant’s Caribbean dishes with flair and creativity. He sources local produce and ingredients where possible to lovingly create an island taste experience.
And if this was not impressive enough, Chef Tham also brings the subtleties of Oriental cuisine and spices thanks to his multicultural heritage. All this he has distilled and is showcasing the restaurant’s revised menu, worthy of the destination restaurant that the eastern districts deserve.
A well-kept secret, Chef Laurence has only been on island a couple of months, and his arrival to North Side is the Islands gain.
Those with a penchant for nouveau Caribbean dining in a relaxed yet upscale island milieu and already in the know about this dynamic culinary wunderkind may be put out that Grand Cayman’s best kept culinary experience is now out – but who cares. Good food in this breathtaking waterfront locale should be shared – and liberally.
With a nor’wester spoiling our plans to whizz over to Kaibo on the restaurant’s water taxi; we drove up from George Town and viewed the Eastern districts at night, which was in itself a novel experience.
When the weather is good we will be leaving the behemoth at home and sharpening our appetite with a 15-minute ride across the North Sound in Kaibo’s water taxi service from SafeHaven.
Casual elegant ambience
Soaring ceilings, white muslin curtains fluttering on the trade winds and mammoth ceiling fans and trendy low-key lighting announced our arrival at our destination but I sensed that our real journey had only just begun.
That special element that restaurants often get wrong was oh so right at Upstairs. The mix of Buddah-bar-vibe-cum-Iberian-chill-out music was subtle, grown up and definitely set the scene that we were now far away from the ordinary 7 mile stretch.
We were greeted by co-owner Daniel Petts and escorted to our waterside table out on the expansive closed-in veranda. Overlooking the beach with its lofty palms trunks swathed in ribbon lights, we settled in for the evening at the best seats in the house.
A more tropical backdrop is hard to imagine. From our lofty vantage point the beach with its towering light fringed palm trees and Kaibo’s picturesque marina rested before us.
Five-course meal
We started with an amuse bouche courtesy of the chef. It was a light and creamy concoction of shredded conch atop sliced cucumbers. Suitably impressed, we moved on to the appetisers.
I had oxtail off the bone, beautifully prepared in an Appleton rum and black pepper reduction and coated with crispy breadcrumbs with a side of Caribbean coleslaw and crispy leaves. The melt-in-your-mouth quality of the dish and its unusual presentation was a novel departure from my previous experiences with the hearty Caribbean staple.
We chose a bottle of Trivento Reserve 2008, a beautifully smooth Argentinian Malbec from the restaurant’s extensive wine list. With its soft, fruity notes it was the ideal accompaniment to our meal.
My guest chose moist crab cakes served with baby neck clams, mussels served over wakame salad, beautifully arranged on slate with the appearance of a shoreline at low tide. I had sashimi grade seared tuna dressed in ginger, soy and sesame, which was piquant and zesty.
For intermezzo, we were served scallops in an orange and coconut water sauce with orange segments and pomegranate seeds. The savoury flavour of the shellfish was complemented by the citrus bursts of the fruit and made a intriguing and mouth-watering combination.
Our party ate oven roasted duck breast and confit duck leg served with sweet potato mash, sautéed greens and five spice jus, a generous dish of Imported Prince Edward Island mussels tossed in a light coconut curry served with aromatic vegetables and cilantro, and a tenderloin (centre cut black Angus,) with pot roasted shallots, garlic and sugar snap peas in a gorgonzola brulee with red wine port jus. It would be hard to choose a favourite from such a feast but I have to plump for the mussels which are the best I have sampled on Island, and apparently made by Tham’s dedicated kitchen team who he insists he could not be without.
Served alongside the gorgeous feast is the showstopping waterfront ambience. Tham is particularly proud of the grouper. Oven baked black grouper filets are served with cashew nut crust, sweet potato, creamed callaloo and a white wine and mushroom cream.
For desert we chose a lusciously light combo of crème brulee and vanilla panna cotta both served with a helping of seasonal fresh berries.
A restaurant of that calibre lives and dies not only on the quality of its food and ambience but on the temperament of its servers. Mervyn Laihow deserves recognition as a rare professional server, and was as entertaining as he was knowledgeable. Claire Pettinati, co-owner, poured drinks and communed with regulars at the granite bar inside, she manages the marketing and special events at this versatile beach location. What is her intention with Kaibo? To create a locale of island chic.
I certainly felt grown up and chic when I received my glass of Ron Zaccapa XO from Upstairs’ extensive rare rum menu, which boasts 30 rums from the Caribbean’s finest estates. A tour of the rum menu will warm from the inside out, and if that doesn’t keep the chill off your back then borrow one of the restaurant’s many soft pashminas: I did. A romantic stroll on the beach, sandals in hand with waves lapping on the shore, rounded out our culinary adventure. My only question is how soon can I return?
Upstairs Restaurant is open from 6pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Make the dining experience a real adventure: Take a water taxi. Leave the car in the lot and watch the moon under water, as you skim along the North Sound in Kaibo’s 28ft Formula water taxi. Book to reserve a trip on the craft, the round trip is $25 per person. A short walk up the wooden jetty, sans heels, and across the warm sand takes you up to the staircase for Upstair’s Restaurant. From there the continue on a journey that excites all the senses.
Experience Luna Del Mar!
Celebrate full moon magic away from the hustle and bustle of the Seven Mile Beach strip, up in North Side where the Kaibo Beach Bar and Grill hosts its monthly Luna Del Mar event.
Celebrating its third anniversary this Friday, 25th June, Luna Del Mar offers diners the chance to enjoy a unique atmosphere beneath the light of the full moon.
Held on the white sand beach outside the restaurant, guests sit with their toes in the sand on colourful pillows at a low table, or at a traditional table with chairs beside the lapping waves.
The á la carte menu changes monthly and is designed by Executive Chef Laurence Tham, who brings Michelin Star experience and knowledge to the shores of the North Sound.
In addition to appetisers, entrées and wines, guests can also sip on mojitos made with home-grown mint from the Havana Club Rum Mojito Bar.
A paper lantern display and chill-out music provided by a DJ, also help to set a mood that is worlds apart from any other full moon celebration on-island.
“The atmosphere is romantic and magical,” said Ms Pettinati. “Fairy lights, lit flower displays, naked flame torches… all add to the atmosphere.”
“The live DJ music is relaxing and uplifting,” she said. “It offers a sound not usually heard around Cayman, and a chance to dance barefoot after dinner is over. The event also gives boaters an incentive to get out on the moonlit water by offering free docking to diners.
To celebrate three years of success, Kaibo is offering guests a special opportunity this month: “As a gift… Luna del Mar will offer a complimentary yoga class starting at 6pm, followed by cocktails and dinner and then special guest passes to the after party upstairs, hosted by Minx,” Ms Pettinati explained.
Kaibo in North Side offers two menus and two different but complementary settings.
The Beach Bar and Grill offers a barefoot beach experience. Try its delicious island-style basics like BBQ chicken and Cayman mahi for lunch and coconut curry grouper or mussels for dinner.
Upstairs restaurant exudes a contemporary Caribbean chic menu and decor. The restaurant features high-end nouveau Caribbean dishes including rum and black pepper oxtail, conch croquettes, crab cakes and tenderloin.
Popular beverages at the Beach Bar mean cocktails of every kind or a choice of ice cold beer. Upstairs boasts a rare rum bar and a boutique wine collection.
Hi Tide plays every Tuesday at the Bar and Grill and DJ’s spin the decks at Luna Del Mar every month. Upstairs offers a chilled out playlist nightly and great selections by the occasional DJ.
The Beach Bar and Grill is open daily including bank holidays, 11am – midnight. Upstairs opens Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 6pm – midnight. Call 947-9975, email either.kaibo@thebeach.com or visit http://www.kaibo.ky for reservations.