Sunshine Grill Restaurant

Enjoy scrumptious dishes with a Caribbean flair in Georgetown's famous open-air Sunshine Bar & Grill. Decorated in tropical Grand Cayman style, this colorful poolside restaurant offers a wide and varied menu, which includes a daily fresh fish and other local favorites. From Shrimp Gazpacho to our special Asian Chicken Salad to Burgers and Island Fish Tacos, our menu has something for everyone. And, it is not just ordinary fare, meticulous attention to every culinary detail and most importantly taste, sets our restaurant's menu apart from the rest.

Relax and unwind with one of our delightful Caribbean Cocktails. We are the proud and exclusive home of the "Painkiller" made with Pusser's Rum, the official rum of the British Royal Navy. Never sold or offered to the public, Pusser's Rum, was issued daily to the crews of the Royal Navy ships from 1655 to 1970. British Navy Pusser's Rum is the same superb blend of five West Indian rums as served onboard Their Majesties' ships for three centuries. Today, it is still blended in accordance with the Admiralty's exact specifications of 1810. Indeed, notable rum steeped in rich naval history and now available at the Sunshine Bar & Grill, open daily from 11am to 10pm.

AWARD WINNER

Sunshine Grill – hard to beat
By Cliodhna McGowan, Cayman Free Press

Best of Cayman It may be somewhat off the beaten path, and small–scale, but that does not stop the Sunshine Grill from being a highly popular eatery both inside and outside of the competition ring. In fact, The Sunshine Grill, the restaurant at Sunshine Suites off West Bay Road, won first place two years in a row for their fish tacos, in the Taster’s Choice Award for Best Cuisine at the Taste of Cayman.

In the past couple of years, the restaurant has remained consistent in the prize winners, coming in second place last year for its Jamaican chophouse tacos and this year for its Appleton smoked ribs. It also won Best Burger in this year’s Best of Cayman awards. Somehow the little Sunshine Grill that no–one knew about a few years ago continues to bring in the awards and the diners, simply because the food and service is good. Restaurant Manager Mike Dill puts the success in the competition down to doing a familiar item, but with a twist, and, of course, doing it well. “We do the food and service and all the things a successful restaurant does well,” he said, pointing out that the restaurant does not even have a prime location. It is somewhat hidden in behind Cayman Falls plaza. Mr. Dill also noted that the restaurant is known as being good value, or as he puts it, “giving a good bang for thebuck” and at Taste of Cayman the portions presented were also very generous.

Lunch main courses hover around the $10 mark and dinner entrée specials are at $16.95. The restaurant opened back in 2002 but was closed for nine months from September 2004 following damage sustained in Hurricane Ivan. Mr. Dill, who has been at the helm for the past three years, and came up with nearly all the dishes on the menu, described how to make each of the delicious award–winning offerings. The Jamaican Chophouse tacos, he explained, are made using a big flank steak, infused with Criolla with vinegar and herbs. Having been boiled up in this mix the meat is then shredded and served with onions, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, a little jerk seasoning, blue cheese dressing and served with warm tortillas. The fish tacos consist of fresh mahi cooked on the griddle with olive oil, basting sauce and spices. After the mahi is cooked down, then it is served in tortillas with shredded cabbage, red chili sauce, guacamole, green onions and Havarti (Danish) cheese. The Appleton smoked ribs are prepared in Criolla mix and covered and cooked until really tender. They are finished on the grill with a rum–based barbecue sauce. The juicy, tender ribs are featured at the Thursday night Caribbean poolside barbecue, where, for $19.95 it is all you can eat with pool music from a different local band each week. This special night has been ongoing year–round for the past five years or so. From 6 to 9pm, there is a wide range of mouth watering meats, fish, salads, vegetables and desserts in the tranquil tropical setting. “We really are a local bar and restaurant,” said Mr. Dill, who added that it is strange to say that as the bar and restaurant is part of a hotel. But 75 per cent of their dinner business is local, he said, and about 95 per cent is local at lunchtime. And next year their entry in the Taste of Cayman will be Havana Chicken. Sunshine Grill chef previously worked at Il Ajibe restaurant in Havana where the famous recipe for the dish comes from. Featured on the dinner menu at Sunshine Grill, it consists of a half chicken marinated in sour orange, garlic, lime and rich olive oil, roasted crisp.

“Cheeseburger in Paradise”

Our owner, one of the original founders of “Chili's Restaurants” brought together a team of food gurus whose goal was to provide simple, delicious and reasonably priced selections for our guests and island visitors.
His search for the perfect burger led to a specialty butcher in Chicago that cuts steak for fine restaurants. Our buns originate in Philadelphia where he found “the special bread” for sandwiches. The unusual French Fry mix replicates the best fries in Dallas Texas. He truly searched far and wide to bring you, as Jimmy Buffet sings it “A Cheeseburger in Paradise”. You shouldn't go home without trying one!

“Pusser's Painkiller”
Sunshine Bar and Grill's signature drink had its beginnings at the six-seat Soggy Dollar Bar on a stretch of beach on the tiny island of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. There's no dock, so the only way in was to swim. Of course, your money got wet - hence the name . . . Soggy Dollar Bar. The dripping dollars were hung on clothes lines above the bar to dry.

Soggy Dollar owner Daphne Henderson originated the drink. Boaters came from all 'round to sample her Pusser's Painkillers for which she'd become locally famous. Pusser's was the official rum of the British Royal Navy, and up till 1970 each sailor was given a rum allowance of a “tot” a day (something less than a pint). On board ship, the purser is responsible for dispensing the rum. “Purser” evolved into "Pusser" -- hence the name for Pusser's Rum!

Charles Tobias, a Vietnam fighter pilot, and seafarer was attracted to the Soggy Dollar Bar and vowed to beg, borrow or steal Daphne’s closely held secret “Painkiller” recipe. Tobias had previously gone to Great Britain's Royal Navy and received permission to commercialize Pusser’s Rum, which made him even more interested in what she was doing.

Daphne and Tobias became good friends, but no matter how hard he tried, she refused to divulge her recipe. One day Charles, somehow, managed to get one of her concoctions back through the surf and over the gunwale onto his boat, and into his kitchen on Tortola. There he went to work, trying to match her Painkiller flavor.

Tobias returned to the Soggy Dollar and announced to Daphne that he had finally broken her secret. He mixed one of his and started to taste it against hers. Even though he detected a slight difference, he thought his was better. They challenged each other to a $100 bet and decided to let the 10 patrons present make the final choice. They all preferred the Tobias version.

The fame of the Pusser's Painkiller has spread throughout the maritime communities, and is probably the most popular mixed rum drink among sailors in the West Indies. Sunshine Bar and Grill serves the “Painkiller” in the traditional Royal Navy

For reservations and information
from the U.S. Toll Free 877-786-1110
or call the hotel direct 345-949-3000