Description: Our first night in St. John, we took a taxi into town and ate at The Lime Inn. Apparently, “liming” or “limin’” is the local term for relaxing. So where better to get our first meal than The Lime Inn?
Perched on a porch built around a large lemon tree, the open-air restaurant is found in the Lemon Tree Mall, between the Pink Papaya and Deborah Designs. The wait can get rather long due to the small size of the restaurant. Get there early and beat the crowds. Note that Wednesday night is the most crowded time to go because of the all-you-can-eat peel and eat shrimp night. We did not partake but we heard about the popular seafood fest.
When a restaurant tells you they have fresh fish, you won’t need much more proof than watching the chef stroll through the dining room with a still live fish squirming in his arms. So we ordered fresh fish which, for us, was familiar comfort food. But you don’t have to order fish. The Lime Inn features pasta, chicken and steaks as well.
One thing I noticed was the clientele consisted mainly of Americans. This may be due to the fact that after work hours, most of the locals head back to St. Thomas or St. Croix, leaving the tourists in St. John. Dress is casual but The Lime Inn is a little more upscale than just swimsuits and flip flops. Shorts, t-shirts and sandals work. Prices for dinner fall in the $15 to $20 range. For lunch, shoot for $10 to $15. For the two of us, we paid $33.40 for lunch.
To get to The Lime Inn, go into town, pass the fire station, turn left into the town. Basically, you’ll have to park your car wherever you can and just walk. If you get lost, just ask the locals, they’ll know where to go. St. John is such a small island that you can always ask for directions very easily if you even need them at all. Note that The Lime Inn is not featured on the free St. John map with hand drawn artwork.
Close