Chat ‘N’ Chill on Stocking Island in the Exumas is the epitome of a chill island hangout and a great Bahamas experience. The laid-back restaurant and bar serves up non-fried food — a rarity when it comes to Caribbean beach shack dining — like smoked baby back ribs, conch salad and conch burgers with coleslaw, perfectly paired with creamy Pina Coladas and Bahama Mamas. Their clientele is a mix of A-list celebrities and yacht owners as well as laid-back boaters and friendly tourists. Above: Chat ‘N’ Chill Bar via maxintosh
Along with having the type of atmosphere that makes patrons want to stay all day, Chat ‘N’ Chill is also offers an array of experiences. Watch AJ prepare fresh conch salad on the beach, as he takes the conch straight from the water, cracks it, and breaks it out of its shell. He’ll even eat the pistol, better known as the penis, to make the experience more interesting. You’ll also get the chance to remove the conch from the shell — and dine on raw pistol — if you’d like. After you enjoy your fresh conch salad go into the water to handfeed conch to the many stingrays that swim around Chat ‘N’ Chills beach. Simply hold the conch under their mouths and they’ll suck it right up. which feels almost like you’re getting a hickey on your palm. On Sundays at noon, their succulent pig roasts served with delicious sides like native peas ‘n’ rice, glazed carrots, Bahamian macaroni and cheese and garlic cabbage slaw are reason to visit alone. You can get to Chat ‘N’ Chill via water taxi for about $10 each way. Call water taxi driver Elvis Ferguson at 1-242-464-1558 to organize a pickup time.
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
