La Bussola- Nothing But Excellent Tucked away on Runaway Bay is La Bussola. This spot prides itself on fine Italian dining, extreme service, and a beautiful location.

It is actually right on the beach, so all the wonderful salt-air smells immerse you.

If that was not enough, the restaurant itself is remarkable, and everything appears to be bathed in gold candlelight. This restaurant is for all goers - families looking for a fancy dinner, couples looking for a romantic evening, friends looking for a more high-class eatery, and businessmen looking to deal their trade.

The menu itself is divided into several sections, including starters, pastas, salads, two pages’ worth of main courses, and desserts. The wine and drink selection is also exquisite, with several superior wines.

Arriving at La Bussola, I was welcomed and seated by a most friendly host. When I saw “Fine Dining” on every sign, I knew this restaurant was something, but not like this! I was given this most monstrous menu, and I read on, each dish looked more tempting and delicious than the last.

I must say, the La Bussola staff certainly pay attention to detail. Even the cutlery and different plates were arranged in gourmet manner. La Bussola- Nothing But Excellent

After feeling very indecisive for a few minutes, I finally decided on the broccoli soup ($35) and baby octopus in caper-olive tomato sauce ($55) for starters, along with squid rings with shrimp and vegetables deep fried and served with marinara sauce ($55), along with the seafood pasta ($95) and Mahi Mahi fillet with olives capers, and fresh tomatoes ($81) for the main course. The desserts were oh-so-tempting, so I ordered a latte ($11) with some hot dark chocolate cake ($32). Overall, I was very pleased with my selection, for it tested every one of the skills of the chefs working on my meal.

La Bussola- Nothing But Excellent Note to readers: there were these delicious dipping breads and garlic butter around the whole time. The meals come quickly, but while you wait those little breads are very good! When both starters arrived, I was ecstatic. The broccoli soup was just excellent, and the plating of both was so beautiful, I didn’t want to dig in. As for the baby octopus, after I was done eating them, I wiped my plate clean. The sauce they were served with was finger-licking good. So I did it anyway, and my oh my, both those starters could be main courses! La Bussola was off to an excellent start, and I was very expectant of the main course.

Come the main courses, my hunger heightened. I had to make more room for this! The deep-fried shrimp, vegetables, and squid were so great; it was just dip after dip after dunk into the marinara sauce. The seafood pasta, a dish I certainly would eat again, was very creamy and cheesy, and the pasta was piled high with shrimp, calamari, squid, and other scrumptious seafood crustaceans. And thus, I headed over to the Mahi Mahi. The capers and tomatoes really gave an excellent taste to the fish, which was tender and delicious. The dish really came together nicely.

To wrap up this excellent dinner was a sweet little treat, the dark chocolate cake. The heat of the cake was warm in my mouth, and the icing was delectable. Chocolate lovers will crave this dish. Pleased and full, I paid the bill and drove right home, content that I had eaten at one of the best restaurants in Antigua.

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Excellent
written by Alina, March 03, 2010

The headline say it all: Nothing But Excellent
and I definitely agree, La Bussola is one of the best restaurant in the region.

reply avid reader
written by barbarosa, February 14, 2010

so avid reader, are you suggesting that it is ok for restaurants in antigua to have poor service and worse food than such restaurants because it is the local standard? The very fact that all the restaurants run by foreigners (la bussola, peter's bbq steakhouse, cloggy's) are better than local ones should ring a bell, shouldn't it? Now i'm not accusing anyone, and i'm not saying antiguans can't run a restaurant, i'm just saying they need to step up their game.

What happened to the stars
written by Avid Reader, February 13, 2010

I for one still take offense to this guys reviews, not that Antigua may not need a reviewer but, I was waiting on his review of this Italian restaurant. So i am bemused at this review since he slaugters the local ones, maybe he needs to watch Globe Trekker or something where good reviewers take the time to understand the culture of country they are in.

-1

...
written by Daria, February 10, 2010

caribarena, these reviews you're doing is a great idea,
Let's hope it will improve quality and service in some restaurants.
As to La Bussola, it's always a pleasure dining there, expensive though.

delicious
written by Diana, February 09, 2010

One of the best places to dine in Antigua, whatever you'll order believe me it will be delicious.

Great restaurant
written by Nadine, February 08, 2010

La Bussola is a great restaurant, the service is exceptionally good, maybe the owner should do a course to local businesses how to improve their customer service.
The food is great, I dinned there 3 times and every time was a celebration.
They are expensive but worth it.

noble attempt...
written by reasonable, February 08, 2010

I would have to agree with quietle amused... Granted that the author of these reviews is doing something new in antigua; offering reviews of establishments... I do have to admit that his reviews leave alot to be desired. I have been following them and usually the author describes the food as "good" , "great" or "terrible", without giving any explanation of why it is one or the other. A good critic wuld say "it was good... because etc etc etc". So while its a very noble attempt, there is room for improvement... Perhaps someone with a more educated palalte..

Bowser
written by ahhh, February 07, 2010

ah boy antiguan chefs! whats gotten into you! can't you people take a little bit of critisim? this man, obviously a foreigner, comes here to help us out and do something that no one in antigua does, and ya'll try shut him up? show a little respect, be a little grateful when someone is actually proffesional. smilies/angry.gif

is it the critics who don't understand or is it YOU

stay quietly amused
written by david, February 07, 2010

quietly amused, you should have been a bit more quiet. i have also kept up with these reviews, and i notice that everytime he says something bad against a restaurant, everyone attacks (as you did.) whereas, when he writes something good, everyone is happy. Everyone in antigua knows la bussola is a gourmet restaurant, and if you really are such a great chef as you say you are, you probably worked there and you were probably fired, which would explain why you got so agitated by such a review.

your palate
written by quietly amused, February 07, 2010

i have been reading your review,s and watching the comments you get from them.as a chef myself i have watched quietly amused as you give your opinion.but someone needs to tell you to find another hobby as it is evident you could not make a career from this attempt at self bloatedness..
being a chef for 25 years in the caribbean,europe and america i have met many a food critic and i find that most of the time they really do not know what they are talking about.this seems the case with you as you have asasinated some good restaurants and given cudo,s to some terrible ones.it seems that apart from chocolate you really have no palate at all and most of the people in the biz in antigua agree that you should just shut up.so please,shut up,eat some barricuda and write a story on the effects it give,s you.it would be the same content as your regular dribble,oh,my prices would give u a heart attack.so stay away.