Brian Nagele
Bahama Breeze is a Caribbean restaurant best known for its island-inspired decor and extensive fresh menu. It includes some of the best fresh menu items that you can’t find at other casual dining spots, such as pineapple mango salsa and Cuban Black Bean Soup.
Other menu items include appetizers, salads, sides, seafood specialties, and desserts. These dishes are best paired with sangrias or other drinks from the restaurant’s extensive beverage menu. They even offer cocktails that are designed to pair perfectly with their signature dishes.
The best part about Bahama Breeze, aside from the food, is the atmosphere and experience it provides. The restaurant is best known for its themed rooms and island-inspired decor, giving guests the feel of being in a tropical wonderland.
With that, let’s cover some of the best food at Bahama Breeze (including some of my personal favorites!).
Key West Fish Tacos
The Key West Fish Tacos are a great way to combine your love for tacos with Caribbean cuisine.
I loved that the tacos were filled with big meaty chunks of whitefish, guacamole, and shredded cheddar cheese. Each taco had to be eaten with a fork because of all the toppings oozing out.
The whitefish is cooked to perfection. It comes with chips & Caribbean Salsa on the side.
The cilantro adds a perfect flavor to the tacos, making them one of the most unforgettable items on the Bahama Breeze menu.
Jerk Chicken Pasta
The Jerk Chicken Pasta is served with thinly sliced jerk chicken breast.
It comes with fresh asparagus and mushrooms. I loved how all the vegetables tasted fresh, were steamed just right, and still had a crisp texture. I also loved the sauce!
The Parmesan cream sauce has the perfect balance of creaminess and cheesiness to complement the bowtie pasta in the dish.
The best thing about this Bahama Breeze menu item is that it’s not too spicy – but just spicy enough to leave you craving more. It’s best paired with a Sangria to cut the heat in each bite.
Ahi Tuna Stack
The Ahi Tuna Stack can be easily designated as one of the best Bahama Breeze menu items, even if you aren’t a tuna lover.
The best part about the dish, other than the taste, is the presentation. The tuna stack is a mixture of vegetables with tuna stacked on top, with salsa stacked on top of that.
At first, it was a bit awkward to eat it, but there’s no right or wrong way to eat it. It’s one of those adventures that you figure out as you go.
It was delicious and different from anything I had ever tasted. You get to eat it with tortilla chips, and it’s best paired with an ice-cold margarita.
Seafood Paella
The Seafood Paella, in my personal opinion, is the best Bahama Breeze menu item.
The dish is served with a bed of saffron rice, sauteed scallops, mussels, shrimp, chorizo, and chicken. Combining all kinds of seafood with chicken and chorizo is an incredible combination.
It comes with saffron sauce, which adds a unique flavor to the dish that is truly unlike anything I’ve had at other casual restaurants.
Even if I were eating rice alone, the saffron sauce would complement it. The rice also had peas which added a sweet taste to the savory dish.
The Seafood Paella is the dish to choose if you are exceptionally hungry. It’s hearty and filling but won’t make you feel weighed down or heavy. It is best paired with another of the best Bahama Breeze menu items – their Sangria.
Crab & Avocado Stack
The Crab & Avocado Stack comes with a mixture of lump crabmeat, chilled shrimp, and a whole slice of avocado topped with shredded lettuce and tomato.
It’s also topped with their mango-pineapple salsa. The mango-pineapple salsa is what takes this dish over the top in texture and flavor.
I enjoyed the crab because it was very chunky and fresh. You’ll love seeing the real chunks of crab in there, not just small shreds! All of the best ingredients for a good appetizer are in this dish.
If you are a shrimp or crab lover, this is the dish for you. It is best paired with a Bahama Mama.
Beef Empanadas
Beef Empanadas are essentially fried dumplings filled with beef and potatoes.
Some will argue that the empanadas are pastries, but they feel more like a dumpling since they are filled with meat and potatoes, not sweets. They are a great starter to any meal.
The best part about the Beef Empanadas is that they come with a spicy mayo sauce, which adds an extra kick to the already great-tasting empanadas.
If this sauce is too spicy, you can choose their seasoned sour cream and pineapple chutney.
We ended up getting both sauces and found that the pineapple chutney paired best with them because of its sweet and savory taste.
Blackened Mahi Tacos
The Blackened Mahi Tacos come with blackened Mahi Mahi, shredded cabbage, and tomato salsa.
They are topped with cilantro and zesty lime aioli and served with a side of guacamole.
The best part about this dish is that it comes with your choice of two or three tacos based on your appetite. The side of fries was a nice touch as well.
I’ve never had Blackened Mahi Mahi before but found it best to eat it with shredded cabbage and guacamole.
I’m not a fan of the fishy taste, but I found an outstanding balance in how it’s served at Bahama Breeze.
Coconut Shrimp
Coconut shrimp is always a hit at most restaurants.
They always combine the crunchy texture with a sweet taste. The best part about the Coconut Shrimp at Bahama Breeze is that it comes with your choice of dipping sauce, which is usually what makes the dish more delicious.
In this case, the best part about the appetizer is the citrus-mustard sauce. I’ve had sweet mustard, spicy mustard, and even dijon mustard, but never citrus mustard. It was delicious.
I am pretty sure I’m going to get it again when I go back to the restaurant!
Cuban Black Bean Soup
The Black Bean Soup is a Caribbean-inspired stew on the Bahama Breeze menu.
It comes with bacon, black beans, onions, green peppers, and garlic. It is a savory soup best paired with their tortillas.
I’m not much of a soup eater, but this is another of the best food items at Bahama Breeze.
This dish perfectly blends saltiness from bacon with spice from peppers, and the best part is that they are not afraid to put a lot in a serving. It’s a great dish to warm you up for the wintertime.
Whether you are in the mood to eat seafood or beef, there is something at Bahama Breeze for everyone. I enjoyed eating at Bahama Breeze because I’m a huge fan of Caribbean cuisine and seafood, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Bahama Breeze was founded in 1996 by Darden Restaurants Inc. – the same company that runs Olive Garden and Red Lobster, among other restaurant chains.
Since then, it has grown to about 40 restaurants across the United States, mainly in the eastern half of the nation. However, most diners can find one close to them, so they’re not hard to get to when hunger strikes.
The menu items are also very affordable, so it’s easy to go back again and again without breaking the bank! If you’re looking for a different dining experience full of fresh Caribbean flavors, don’t pass up the chance to enjoy the fresh selections listed here.
