Where to eat lionfish?
Hungry for lionfish or ready to try this delicious fish for the first time? Ever wondered what lionfish tastes like and want to satisfy your culinary curiosities? Contrary to what you may have been told, lionfish is not poisonous and is safe to eat where it is served!
Create a demand for lionfish by asking for it at your favorite seafood restaurant and always eat lionfish when it is on the menu!
Support the restaurants, stores and other businesses that sell wild-caught lionfish at these fine locations (when available, it’s getting harder for restaurants to keep lionfish in stock recently):
Caribbean and Latin America
Anguilla BWI
Antigua and Barbuda
- Club Sushi (Antigua)
Aruba
Bahamas
- Bimini Big Game Club
- Flying Fish (Freeport)
- Luciano’s of Port Lucaya (Freeport)
- ‘Fish’ and ‘Olives’ Restaurants in Atlantis (Nassau/Paradise Island)
Belize
- Asha’s Culture Kitchen (Punta Gorda)
- Backpacker’s Paradise (Sarteneja Village)
- Gomier’s (Punta Gorda)
- Hour Bar & Grill (Belize City)
- The Lionfish Grill (Hatchet Caye)
- Maya Beach Bistro (Maya Beach – Stan Creek)
- Pirates Treasure Restaurant and Bar (Ambergris Caye)
Bermuda
Bonaire
- Bistro de Paris
- Cactus Blue Food Truck
- Mona Lisa
- Osaka Sushibar
- Paradise Moon Bar & Restaurant
- Pasa Bon Pizza
- Plazita Limeña
- Rumba Cafe
Carriacou
Cayman Islands
- Cobalt Coast (Grand Cayman)
- Eagle Ray’s Dive Bar & Grill (Grand Cayman)
- Greenhouse Cafe (Grand Cayman)
- The Hungry Iguana (Little Cayman)
- Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink (Grand Cayman)
- Ristorante Pappagallo (Grand Cayman)
- Rum Point Club (Grand Cayman)
- Stingers Restaurant & Pool Bar (Grand Cayman)
- Tukka Restaurant and Bar (Grand Cayman)
Colombia
Curaçao
- Chopstix Sushi (Willemstad)
- Fishalicious (Willemstad)
- Iquana Cafe (Willemstad)
- Landhuis Misje (Sabana Westpunt)
- Sea Side Terrace (Willemstad)
- Seasons Restaurant (Willemstad)
Dominica
- Sea Surge Restaurant & Bar (Evergreen Hotel)
- Westport Tavern
- Riverside Cafe (La Plaine)
- Palisades Restaurant
Dominican Republic
- Saona Café (Bayahibe)
Grenada
- Bash Restaurant by Mark B (Saint George)
Honduras
- Barefoot Cay (Roatán)
- Cannibal Café (Roatán)
- Linga Longa Cafe (Roatán)
- Lionfish Louie’s (Roatán)
- Sundowner’s Beach Bar (Roatán)
- Utila Lodge (Utila)
Jamaica
- Little Ochie (Manchester)
- Feathers at Couples Swept Away Resort (Negril)
- Bluefields Bay
- Blue Angel Resort (Cozumel)
- Fishermen’s “Cooperativa” (Cozumel)
- Kondesa (Cozumel)
- La Perlita (Cozumel)
- New Especias (Cozumel)
- Las Brisas Restaurant @ Fairmont Mayakoba (Mayan Riviera)
Panama
- Cosmic Crab Cafe (Bocas Del Toro)
- Rausch Panamá (Panama City)
Puerto Rico
- El Fogon de la Curva (Anasco)
- Restaurante MenTa Cuisine (Arecibo)
- Chop House (Dorado)
Saba
- Brigadoon Restaurant (Windward side)
St. Kitts and Nevis
- Sprat Net Bar & Grill (St. Kitts)
- Nevis Oualie Beach Resort (Nevis)
United States
Alabama
- The Depot (Auburn)
- The A & P Social (Montgomery)
Connecticut
- Miya’s Sushi (New Haven)
Florida (Please note: Many seafood distributors have a hard time keeping lionfish in stock, so most of these restaurants serve lionfish when available, please contact in advance.)
- Jacksons Restaurant (Pensacola)
- CJ’s on the Bay (Marco Island)
- Lazy Days Restaurant (Islamorada)
- Food Shack (Jupiter)
- Key Largo Conch House (Key Largo)
- Hobo’s Cafe (Key Largo) Don’t often have lionfish but a great restaurant
- The Fish House Encore (Key Largo)
- Castaway Waterfront Restaurant & Sushi Bar (Marathon)
- The Bay (Santa Rosa Beach)
- JWB Steak and Seafood Restaurant at the Margaritaville Resort (Hollywood)
- Cod and Capers (North Palm Beach)
- Bodacious Olive (Pensacola)
Georgia
Louisiana
- GW Fins (New Orleans) when available
New York
- Norman’s Cay (recently closed) (New York City) Click here for news article from NY Daily News
North Carolina
- Bistro By The Sea (Morehead City)
- Mojo’s on the Harbor (Baldhead Island)
- Catch Restaurant in Wilmington,NC sometimes has lionfish
Texas
- The Downtowner (New Braunfels) news article
Have you seen lionfish on the menu in other locations? Please let us know and send us an email. We do our best to complete a bit of research on each restaurant before adding them to this page. If we cannot verify through their website, social media pages, review sites, photos, etc. that they serve lionfish when it is available then we usually will not include them here.
Updated October 9, 2022
I had Lionfish at the Las Brisas Restaurant at the Fairmont Mayakoba in the Mayan Riviera, if you would like to add that to your list.
Thanks, Greg. I will look into it!
-Scott
Loren Hotel Pink Beach Club in Bermuda. https://www.thelorenhotel.com/d/thelorenredesign/media/Winter_Dinner_Pink_2021.pdf
Scott, thank you for linking to my blog, Florida Nature Uncovered! I recently told my neighborhood sushi restaurant (Sushi Pop: http://sushipoprestaurant.com/) about serving lionfish, and they expressed an interest! Happy hunting. – Christine
The Cannibal Café in Roatan is serving the little @*&*(&!^.
It’s too bad it’s not on the menu on the West Coast of the USA. Portland, OR.
Sundowners in West End, Roatan now has a weekly lionfish menu.
Please add the Flying Fish restaurant which is in Port Lucaya, Freeport, Grand Bahama as having Lion Fish on the menu. Its awesome!!
Where can one order lionfish, that isn’t a restaurant? For example, wholesalers or retailers. Thanks.
Does anyone know of a grocery chain that is considering selling lionfish? I’d love to add my voice to support any such movement.
This list is really helpful! Thanks for compiling and posting.
I highly recommend the Lionfish Ceviche at Paradise Moon, Bonaire.
I would definitely draw more attention to the fact that they are a serious threat to our oceans, and by eating them, you’re doing a great service to the environment by eliminating a major invasive species. Nice work World Lionfish Hunters Association!!!
I had a divemaster catch us some lionfish in Jamaica a few years ago. We took them to the chef and he cooked them up for us. It was delicious. I’ve been trying to buy fillets to cook at home stateside ever since.
I really support the consumption of this fish, however the only reason why its an issue in the first place is because its taking its turn destroying reefs we’re destroying in the first place. Killing the Lionfish alone wont help the reef environment if people continue to over fish the waters. If that’s the case, we just want to be the big lionfish in town. The lionfish shouldn’t just be eradicated, it should serve as an example for us cognitive thinkers to realize we need to stop over fishing and destroying these habitats.
Straw Hat in Anguilla has served lion fish – see http://www.strawhat.com/strawhatblog/lionfish/
Straw Hat was recently named (2014) one of Fodor’s top 10 Caribbean Restaurant’s and one of the 50 Best Caribbean Restaurants (2013) by the Caribbean Journal.
look forward to coming down and try and the lion fish. need a good vacation. keep up the good work:-)
Two new places serving Lionfish 1) Crab E. Bills Snack Bar in Sebastian, FL and 2) District Table and Bar in Stuart, FL
Okay… so if a restaurant wanted to offer lionfish on the menu, how does one find a supplier in Florida, or anywhere for that matter?
As with any commodity, what is the going rate per fish? Is it cost effective for local divers to supply fish mongers with lionfish? How harsh is it to freeze or preserve and ship? Or, must it be served fresh / unfrozen?
It appears to be an untapped commodity. I am wondering why the prolific lionfish hasn’t found it’s way to the plates of more Americans?
Do you know of any place in the United States that will sell and ship lionfish for preparation at home? I’m looking up everywhere and can’t find it. I think there could be a real market for this in the US as people are learning more and more about this very sustainable and nuisance of a fish
There’s not enough supply for a viable Lionfish market as much of what is being said about them, particularly in relation to their reproduction rate, is loaded with hysteria, exaggerations, misinformation, outright lies, etc. They sure are delicious nonetheless. However, they don’t survive in enough numbers and size to warrant a feasible market.
I would enjoy info on how I can add loin fish on my menu in charleston sc
There’s a restaurant called Central in Montgomery, Alabama (129 Coosa Street) that serves AMAZING whole lionfish. It’s first seared then put in the big hickory brick ovens to finish it off. Topped with a super tasty, housemade chimichurri sauce and served with no-joke fresh (I’m talking…picked THAT morning just for YOU, fresh!) farm-to-table veggies from a local farmer who also tries to teach and engage H.S. students about urban farming and sustainability. REALLY cool company themselves!!! (They’re named Eat South, just in case anybody was wanting to look into them. 🙂 Sorry…I digress. 😛 🙂 )
Just go in and order it already!! EVERY person I’ve seen order it, nearly licks their plate clean (and Chef insists on giving you a MINIMUM of TWO POUNDS of fish!!!!! SERIOUSLY!!)
And, “NO” if anyone was wondering…I don’t own the restaurant or farm I just spoke so highly of. I’m a server there, but I TOTALLY SWEAR AND PROMISE I would definitely NOT have taken 35 minutes out of my life to write this if I didn’t truly believe it! I’ve seen/sold a lot of them so next time you’re in Montgomery, Alabama, come eat some insanely delicious, super fresh, and beautifully & expertly prepared Lionfish at Central with your new friend here, Laura C. 😉
See y’all soon!!!
Laura
Grills restaurant in Melbourne, Florida serves lionfish that the owner spear fishes himself. there are links and details on their website.
I would agree with Gavirio Vicuta if Andrew Zimmern, who quite knows his stuff, hadn’t supported the problem with Lion Fish on his show. The “hysteria” is not all bunk. However, I imagine the availability of Lion Fish is limited for the same reason you can’t just serve up Blow Fish (Fugu). If anyone could serve it up at home, there is the risk they will prepare it wrong and poison themselves by ingesting the toxins in the parts that must be safely removed. For that reason, you probably won’t ever see them commercially available. If someone were to injure themselves or worse, they wouldn’t hesitate to sue over their ignorance.
Like fugu??? There is no poison. Please read more of our website. There’s some education in these pages.
Wondering why this has not captured the imagination of Californians. I would love to try lion fish tacos and it appears the closest known establishment serving the invasive fish is Texas.
Are there distributors trying to get these to California? San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego County all have expensive restaurants that I think would create a buzz with the inclusion of lion fish on the menu.
I am hoping that I get to try it soon!
Please hit me with any information related to lion fish served in Southern California!
Great list of restaurants. I’m excited to share this in the January edition of a new freediving magazine, OneBreath Magazine. Keep up the good work!
Lionfish is on the menu at Swept Away in Negril Jamaica. Dinner menu at Feathers restaurant and the beach grill/ veggie bar at lunch if you spear it yourself.
I went to fleet landing in Charlestown to try the lion fish, but was disappointed to hear (once I got here) that they do not sell lion fish, nor have they ever sold it…
Thanks for the info, I’ve updated the list. That is unfortunate that they are telling people they never sold it, when they were one of the largest promoters of lionfish on the menu in the US just a few months ago…..
You were either at the wrong place or got bad information, Brendan. I don’t know if they have lionfish in at the moment, but Fleet Landing was one of the first American restaurants to really promote eating lionfish. I personally knew the head chef and his dishes were amazing.
Hello! I’ve been reading your web site for a long time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Houston Tx!
Just wanted to tell you keep up the good job!
VIVO in the Cayman Islands also serves lionfish: http://www.vivo.ky/
I haven’t eaten there myself yet.
Update to your excellent list –
Mango’s Seaside Grill in Anguilla serves the most delicious Lionfish. Mangos is one of the top restaurants on the island, the owner buys directly from the fishermen daily.
Monday is Lionfish night at the house restaurant at Buddys Dive Resort in Bonaire (Ingredients is the name of the restaurant). All the food was very well done with beautiful presentation. We had Lionfish fritters, Lionfish and crawfish soup, grilled lionfish with dill butter sauce. Lionfish tastes a bit like monkfish but not as chewy, has nice med firm texture and is white-very nice. Would love to get it in Boston!! Any ideas?!
El Fogón and Chop House are both out of business in Puerto Rico ? Just went and both gone. MenTa is there but closed on the day we went by.
Hi, does anybody know of a restaurant in Barbados that serves lionfish?
Hi Bara, we don’t know of a restaurant that is serving lionfish regularly in Barbados, I think it’s because there is not a regular supply coming in from divers. When we were there a year ago we went hunting for our own lionfish with Barbados Blue Diving and with Spearfishing Barbados, and were able to spear our own lionfish and the restaurants cooked them up for us.
Where is lionfish on the menu on Pensacola Beach Fl.?
I just saw a report that Jacksons Steakhouse in Pensacola has lionfish on the menu now, but not sure how long it will last.
Haven Houston
The above website list listed as the only location where there is a restaurant serving Lion Fish. It says it is in Houston. However, this website is no longer used for a restaurant. It appears to be a scam busting site.
Curt
Thanks Curt, I will update the page.
The Downtowner in New Braunfels, Texas sells lionfish.
http://www.ksat.com/news/new-braunfels-restaurant-serves-exotic-fish-in-effort-to-protect-coral-reefs
Come on Baltimore. Who’s got Lionfish??? Let’s go
Really hoping lionfish finds its way northeast. Willing to travel. Had lionfish at La Perlita in Cozumel in April 2016, deep fried whole and INCREDIBLE. Been seeking it ever since!
Have been to Grills at Port Canaveral twice and they do not have Lionfish. This last time 3/17/18 it was not even on the menu
Thanks for the update. Unfortunately we are having a supply problem with lionfish these days. Whole foods has been buying much of the lionfish that is being speared commercially and there aren’t enough hunters to keep the restaurants supplied. It’s a good problem to be having, demand exceeding supply, so hopefully someday we can start trapping them as well as spearing them to keep up with demand.
Had Lionfish pasta at the House Restaurant, Buddys Dive Resort on Bonaire. OMG I still crave that taste.
Are there any places in Louisana selling lionfish? We sell everything else. (But seriously, I want it)
Vivo Café in Grand Cayman no longer serves lionfish. And it was soooo good. Damn.
Where can I find the sticker “EAT THEM TO BEAT THEM”? I would like one for my truck. Thanks.
Grills in Port Canaveral in longer serves lion fish at all and should be removed from this list. So very disappointing as I really looked forward to getting this tasty fish there.
Sorry to hear that. It’s gotten really hard to find lionfish anywhere these days, the restaurants can’t seem to get enough of it.
FYI, Westport Tavern in Dominica has been closed since 2015 per their FB page.
Maya’s Sushi Connecticut is also closed.
No where in the NYC area (or northeast even) to eat this invasive. I’m with Andy L on this, it’s really hard to find lionfish.
Are there any places in New Jersey that serve lionfish?