These "best" questions are always difficult as tastes vary and the restaurants change, sometimes season to season. The places we frequented this year included Palm Beach, the new Bikini, the new Kon Tiki, Perch and Papagayo (both Club Orient). I would call the first 3 "fancy" for the beach and relatively expensive. Perch is the most casual, by far but then again it is Club O. Palm Beach, Bikini and Kon Tiki are all "French" and fairly similar in my view. Others swear but the old guard (La Playa, Kakao, Coco) but they tend to be kind of dark for my taste (as were Bikini and Kon Tiki before renovations). Many of our friends love the shacks (Aloha and Chez Leander's as mentioned are examples) near Pedro's and I will admit there are good values there but that is also, by far, the worse section of the beach so there is no "atmosphere", at least the kind I am looking for.

Take a morning and walk the beach and you will find places that appeal to you and that's what matters. After all, it is really hard to find bad food in French St. Martin.