Top 10 Barbados Rum Shops

Top 10 Barbados Rum Shops

With so many rum shops to choose from Totally Barbados has selected a few that are worth the drive to find and some of the livelier ones located on the South Coast of Barbados.

This list is not conclusive nor are they in any order to suggest one is better than another, especially if some didn’t make our top 10

1. Chicken Rita
2. London Bar
3. Hercules
4. Lexies
5. Watering Hole
6. Cool Castaways
7. Braddies
8. Crystal Waters
9. Lemon Arbor
10. Nigel Benn Auntie Bar

1. Chicken Rita
If you are staying on the south coast then we recommend a trip to Chicken Rita’s rum shop. It is a great place to go for the evening especially if you are in a group, as her chicken is wonderful and she does great home made chips.

Rita has run this rum shop for most of her life and you always receive a warm welcome, a good selection of rum and beers and the total bill for food and drink is usually $30BDS making it a very cost effective night out as well.

Directions
Head along the south coast main road towards the airport until you get to Oistins. At the fork in the road, turn right heading towards Silver Sands, continue up this road until you come to an oval shaped roundabout. Turn right and follow the road until you come to St. Christopher’s Church. Turn right and follow the road for about half a mile then take the next turn on your left. At the end of this road you will see Chicken Rita’s right in front of you. We advise you to call in advance and order how many pieces of chicken you wish as everything is cooked fresh to order. The telephone number is (246) 428-6873.

2. London Bar
This rum shop is located opposite Silver Rock beach and is popular with wind surfers, surfers and kite surfers as it is the only bar in the area.

Again this is a no frills experience and really only sells drinks, but it is full of local characters and well worth stopping for a couple of rums and you can watch some excellent kite surfing from here.

Directions
Head along the south coast main road towards the airport until you get to Oistins. At the fork in the road, turn right heading towards Silver Sands, continue up this road until you come to an oval shaped roundabout. Go straight over and follow the road until you come to Roy Smiths – another rum shop. Turn right here and follow the road all the way down until you reach Silver Sands recreational park at the bottom, you will see a skeleton of a large boat on your right, London Bar is on your left.

3. Hercules
Hercules Bar is located in the fishing town of Oistins on the south coast and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It is always lively and never empty. You will find locals there at the weekend to sing their hearts out to Karaoke; as well as tourists there at all hours of the day or night en route to a party or on their way back; and always a token fisherman discussing his catch of the day.

Directions
Heading away from Bridgetown towards the airport you will see Hercules Bar on your left on Oistins Main Rd.

4. Lexies
Lexies Bar is located in Oistins Fish Market where during the week you will find local fisherman in there discussing the current fishing climate and is a great rum shop to visit if you like fishing.

This place really comes to life on a Friday or Saturday night when the whole fish market becomes one big party.

Lexies is known for attracting an older crowd who like to transform this rum shop by removing the table and chairs and practise their ballroom dancing and to play some classic tracks from the 50’s and 60’s.

5. Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is located at the entrance to St. Lawrence Gap on Highway 7, the south coast main road.

It is a great place to start an evening out, or even a great place to spend the entire evening.

It is always lively and again they have Karaoke on most nights of the week. Here there is a good mix of locals and tourists mingling and chatting together over a bottle of rum.

6. Cool Castaways
Cool Castaways is located right in the heart of St. Lawrence Gap and provides a refreshing change from the hustle and bustle of the livelier tourist bars in the area.

Set back from the street you can relax here with a bottle of rum and talk to the locals while watching the world go by.

7. Braddies
Braddies is also located in the St. Lawrence Gap area; if you turn left after you pass Escape Hotel and go past Dover Playing Fields you will find Braddies on your left on the corner.

This is quite a busy rum shop and again attracts a lot of tourists due to its location in the heart of a busy accommodation area.

Here you will find lots of domino playing and again Karaoke on certain nights of the week.

8. Crystal Waters
Crystal Waters is located on Worthing Beach on Highway 7, the south coast main road.

The best time to go here is on a Sunday lunchtime as they do a great beach BBQ, have a steel pan playing and the rum is flowing.

This attracts locals and tourists who all enjoy sitting outside on the terrace watching people dancing, eating and drinking.

9. Lemon Arbor
Lemon Arbor is located in St. John so not likely to be near where you are staying, but this out of the way rum shop is well worth the drive.

They do fantastic roast pork and pudding and souse on a Saturday and Sunday for lunch time.

This rum shop is so popular it is only open on weekends. For $6 US you get practically a whole pig on your plate cooked to perfection – very succulent and juicy.

Directions
Head to the parish of St. John and look for Four Cross Roads. The turning for Lemon Arbor is on your left before the Texaco station and then you will see a turning on your right. Here you will see lots of parked cars; park wherever you can and follow your nose for the smell of home cooking and you will find the rum shop.

This place isn’t too easy to find but once in the parish of St. John ask a local and they will point you in the right direction. You will know you are in the right place as you see parked cars with registration plates from every part of the island.

10. Nigel Benn Auntie Bar
Nigel Benn Auntie Bar is located in the parish of St. Andrew, just along Highway 2 from Bellaplaine and again not likely to be near to where you are staying. However if you are driving around the island then this rum shop is well worth visiting.

Nigel Benn is a famous boxer from the UK and his aunt has maximised her marketing potential by naming her bar after him. The walls are lined with family photographs of the boxer with his Barbadian family.

Auntie Lucile is always pleased to see visitors and insists on you signing her visitor’s book.

There is a juke box left over from some time in the 60’s with the original tracks and the fun is always to see if it is working.

You will pass this bar as you have driven up the east coast and head towards the roundabout at St. Lucy’s Parish Church. The rum shop is on your right just before the bend.