We had a gorgeous day with clear skies and no rain until around 5 PM—and even then, it was just a quick shower. The surf at Simpson Bay Beach was rough, with big waves that weren’t ideal for swimming (at least not for me). David, on the other hand, had a blast riding the waves on his boogie board.
We spent a good part of the day at D’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. I was happily stretched out on a lounge chair with my book until we paused for a light lunch.
Later in the evening, I made online reservations at Tortuga Café, not realizing I had accidentally booked seats at the bar instead of the main restaurant. Luckily, the hostess was accommodating and found us a table about 30 minutes after we arrived. It turned out to be a beautiful night—just the right breeze, and even though it was dark, dining outdoors by the ocean was still really special. As a bonus, they had live music starting at 6 PM. A singer named Shantillia performed that night—she’s there every Friday—and she had a lovely voice, singing a fun mix of songs while walking around the restaurant with a mic. Super entertaining and brought a nice vibe to the evening.
David ordered the blackened duck breast, cooked perfectly medium rare, with a side of gratin potatoes and some mixed vegetables. The duck breast was seasoned well and was an ample portion. I chose the cilantro mango shrimp, and while it was tasty, the portion was disappointingly small. To be honest, I couldn’t really detect any cilantro at all, which was a letdown given the name of the dish. The dish had cooked mango cubes with 4 shrimp. The sides—gratin potatoes and mixed vegetables—were the same as David’s which helped round out the plate. I ordered a garden side salad which was quite large - $5.
For dessert, I went with the carrot cake. It wasn’t the big, cream cheese-frosted slice I’m used to back home—this was a very small square (about 2.5” and very thin) with a overpowering nutmeg flavor, served with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream. For me, I didn’t enjoy it .
The service was a little slow, which we’ve noticed on two previous breakfast visits and one lunch as well. It’s something we’ve come to expect a bit at Tortuga, but the overall experience still makes it worth coming back. The setting and live music made for an enjoyable evening overall.
A 15% service charge was included, but we left a little extra for our server.
That duck looked good. Now I'm going to have to go to my freezer to thaw out a couple wild mallard breasts to BBQ for lunch. Atmosphere will be different being in the PNW but I'll make do.
Agree with your Review ofTortuga. Had breakfast with a beachside table. Food was good. Service was extremely slow. Enjoyed the view and ambience so we went back for dinner 3/28/25. Obviously we parked in the garage. Safe Travels
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