And just a touch of other really cool stuff here in Bermuda.

Yep, we’re back in good ‘ol Bermuda, now having sailed here again, for the fourth time in six years. We’ve proven that with each drop of the hook, awe will continue to increase. Tranquility, beautiful people and scenery abound. And this time we’ve strived for foodie nirvana in paradise.

But before we delve into a larger handful of sandwich heaven, let’s touch first on just a few other notable happenstances.

Our latest Bermudian odyssey begins shortly after dropping anchor, just before the start of Bermuda Day. Quite a treat! Folks everywhere, often in shaded tents, cooking food, waving wildly, joyfully shouting “Happy Bermuda Day!” Later we met two more St. George’s Town Criers (Gus and E. Michael Jones – retired).

We met E.Michael (as he prefers to be called) at the birthplace of our favorite sandwich, Art Mel’s (more on this later). One cannot sit and eat at Art Mel’s, so we asked for a recommendation from a man standing in line. We had no idea who he was, but as he says, “we just do this here.” We walked to his recommended seaside vista to unwrap our foodie bounty. Sure enough, E.Michael checked up on us later to see how we made out. Whilst continuing our walk later, like a genuinely friendly stalker, he drove up and offered a ride in his little Kia coupe. We kindly accepted, and were dropped off at a well known ancient fortress where cliff divers are known to frequent. Again, thanking him for all his advice and the ride, we went separate ways. But we were to meet again.

Kelly loves to tease me about forgetting and my phone inadvertently. Well, I happened to leave it behind again, this time in E.Michael’s car.

Sure enough, about an hour later, he came by our bus stop waving my phone out the window. “Hop in”, he said, “You are heading back to St. George’s, and I live there.” So, that’s how we spent another 90 minutes or so touring the lesser-known favorite places of the honorable E.Michael Jones! Look him up on Google or Facebook.

It’s difficult in Bermuda to not keep adding to our list of countless new friends (sailors, visitors, bus drivers, shopkeepers and life-long residents). So many tried and true characters populate the benches in front of the old town hall and bus stops. Too many to name with appropriate grandeur!We’re extremely grateful to gracious Trunk Island owners: Paddy and Hannah, for giving us transportation, lunch and a lovely tour of her island home in paradise.

We marveled at two (and a half) performances of the Gombay Dancers.

From community and culture.bm: The Gombey is an iconic symbol of Bermuda, a cultural expression full of colorful and intricate masquerade, dance, and drumming. This folk tradition reflects the island's blend of African, Caribbean and British cultures with Indigenous influeces.

Historically, the Gombeys were not viewed as a respectable art form by the island's ruling class and were banned by the slave masters. Enslaved people were allowed to dance only once a year and did so in masks in order to protest, without fear of retribution, the injustices done them by their slave masters.

By avoiding the inevitable cruise ship traffic, often taking the road less traveled, we are sure to interact with seemingly countless friendly people, some just hopping off their porch, venturing to greet us as we walked along the shoreline, perhaps only curious to learn more of us outsiders with pleasant conversation.

One day another small group of us ventured up a steep path to Fort George (seems a very common name!), to meet very well known celebrities at Bermuda Maritime Services. Steve gave an informal talk of his small but crucial operation of what most folks know as Bermuda Radio. If you’ve ever sailed here, you’ve spoken to these good guys (or gals) on the VHF. They monitor and provide extremely valuable guidance to all marine traffic in and out of the reefs, ensuring safety.

Now onto the really important stuff…

One recipe we can look forward to, found only here, is the ubiquitous Bermuda Fish Sandwich. Sure, we’ve sampled one or two of these sandwiches in the past, but never endeavored to deeply dive, as we’re doing now. From what started as a superficial sampling, we found that the more residents we asked, the more varied their sandwich preferences, and perhaps personal opinions of the restaurant owners intertwined with their answers. I have asked the same question dozens of times.

For example, while getting coffee one morning at a local kiosk, I asked the resident coffee girl, “Where do you think offers the best fish sandwiches in Bermuda?” She replied with favorites, somewhat adding endorsement to a couple. Since Munchies is right around the corner, I inquired of her thoughts. “No way, you’ll get sick!”.

Based on our brief 16 days, we’d sampled 8 restaurants offering 10 different sandwich recipes. We rode the public bus many miles and walked for hours to find some of the best our friends in Bermuda had recommended.

Here’s a brief breakdown of our Project Fish Sandwich 2025

Wahoo‘s –

On the very first day in St. George, we begin our initial attempt toward raisin-bread-crowned pescatarian glory. Memories pour back, as we take that first bite. But this one seems just ok. We see the essence of delicate raisin toast, the essence of fish, but nothing too special here to write home about. Takeaways: lightly toasted, commercially-made bread, deep-fried crispy batter, on the bland side, decent house-made tartar sauce (must be added yourself, to-taste). Oops maybe it was better than just ok? (Forgot to take the picture before eating!)

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Devil’s Isle –

After our failed attempt to find targeted Art Mel’s closed, we walked the parade route back to downtown Hamilton, simply looking for a place to satisfy hunger. I inquired to two roaming coppers to help find us someplace open on the holiday, and one pointed across the street to Devil’s Isle. What a pleasant gem we found! This delightful rendition jumps to the top of the first three sampled.

A sizable portion of (seems fresh) wahoo, house-made fresh and fragrant yeasty and “plumper raisin” bread. Thin slices of avocado, tomato, dark leafy greens, and a delicious house sauce (reddish of who-knows-what ingredients – possibly something spicy). Texture, taste and handling far outperform so far. Just the right combination of ingredients for moisture and hand-hold-ability. Top it off with green beacon of deliciousness: comes with a kale-based, lightly-dressed caesar salad. We’re going back here again! (And we did!)

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The White Horse –

A convenient and consistent St. George’s favorite. Meets expectations of a pretty decent sandwich. Contains essential ingredients, but nothing to rave about. (On ordering at a second visit, we opted for less grease by requesting the fish to be grilled in lieu of standard deep-frying. Much better, IMHO.) Wait staff claims that the fish is always wahoo. Confused by our question, as though the answer should be obvious. “No need to ask”. We’ve learned that most places consider wahoo a standard, folks have said that wahoo “is not local fish” and recommend ordering “whatever is locally caught.”

From Wikipedia:

The wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) is a scombridfish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. In Hawaii, the wahoo is known as ono.^[4] The species is sometimes called hoo in the United States.^[5] It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high quality makes it a prized and valued game fish.

The Wharf –

By this time I’ve learned to ask, if not specifically written on the menu, for grilled fish. But seemingly inconsistent that grilled is the preferred Bermudian method of this particular cooked piece of fish. At The Wharf I found the sandwich somewhat dry, with typical commercially made bread (with just a few raisins).

Mama Angie’s –

Tarpon, delicious , delicate, no raisin bread (!) lettuce tomato, tartar sauce, good hot sauce. No cole slaw, extra fries to make up for the lack of raisins. No big thrill here. Maybe they ran out, but not having raisins in the bread sorta puts this place on the disappointment list.

First Place🥇: Art Mel’s Spicy Dicy –

A true fish story. Yet another bus ride to Hamilton, and 25 minute walk heading north via Black Watch Pass allowed us to arrive at about 11:50, just before the sandwich nirvana seeking masses arrived. “Cash-only” signs adorned the sparse waiting area. No frills, no need to impress with this facade. No tables or chairs – as if saying. “Take your food and get out!” It’s all about the sandwich here. We arrived just after opening, first initially to order. “Fish sandwich” is the first menu item listed, with an upgrade for wahoo. We ordered three sandwiches. She asked, ” What do you want on it?”. I answered with a question, ” What is the best to have on it?”. Cole slaw and sauce. While waiting we met a man who ordered like a pro: “I’ll have one plain with hot sauce.” E.Michael Jones. E Michael (prefers to be called, and see earlier in this post ) likes the sandwich plain “…because the cole slaw and sauce gets too messy, and drops all over your lap. And there’s so much good spicy flavors without the sauce.”

We asked E Michael if he could recommend a good place to sit while we eat (no tables or chairs in the shop). He recommended a little park about a half mile walk away. So we followed his advice.

OMG! Thickly sliced spongy raisin bread, plump raisins and a mild fresh yeast undertone. Carefully assembled with exquisitely spicy, while thinly battered fried fish, coleslaw and a mayonnaise-based sauce. While roughly more than three inches thick, the diagonally-cut sandwich sections can be held with two hands as you stretch open your drooling mouth around fish sandwich Nirvana.

(Honorable Mention) Mama Mia’s –

After listening and taking recommendations from more local patrons, we decided to try this highly recommended shop’s top product with only cheese and hot sauce (Thank you again E.Michael). Extremely delicious in its own way. This combination, said to allow improved handling, and limited sloppiness, certainly alters the overall impression. A bit drier but definitely neater and safer for your light colored clothing. Just enough sauce and gluey orange (cheddar?) cheese delicately blends with the slightly spicy thin fish batter.

Huge bonus points given to Mama Mia’s for the fresh and delicious mango-ginger-cucumber juice, sold in bottles. We noticed only later that other shops also sold “homemade juice”. Perhaps a standard Bermudian request? More research needed!

Munchies –

Coincidentally, this little shack sits about fifty feet from the St. George’s Dinghy Dock. But we’ve held off visiting due to broad variation in opinions. Their menu offers two standard variations, a special “Hollis” and “St. George” adorned the Munchies menu. Since these somewhat varied from two condiment combinations we’ve enjoyed at other locations, we opted to try both!

A mild disappointment after drinking the fantastic juice made by Mama Mia’s, my choice of green “Lizard Juice” to accompany my fishy delicacy at Munchies was essentially undrinkable. Tasted like over sweet sugar water, with little discernible flavor. Bleck! Don’t bother!

So, now it’s time to go, we’ll meet our friends at the Customs and Immigration Office tomorrow morning, perhaps receiving a warm goodbye from Officer Simons and his colleagues, haul and lash Korykory onto the foredeck, weigh anchor, and head out through the Town Cut while waiving goodbye once again.