One of the island's best-known local bars — a dive cantina in Gustavia that has been the island's unofficial living room since 1949, serving cold Carib beers and simple plates to a mix of fishermen, superyacht crews, and celebrities who all look the same once they're sitting at the same plastic table.
Why It Belongs on the List
Le Select is the antidote to St. Barths' glamour — a wood-panelled dive bar and cantina that has occupied a corner in Gustavia since 1949, serving cold beers, rum punches, and simple food from a kitchen that makes no claim to refinement. It is the island's most democratic institution: the same plastic chairs and Carib beer for superyacht owners, local fishermen, and first-time visitors. Jimmy Buffett is said to have been inspired to write 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' after a visit (there is historical debate about this, but the bar embraces the claim). The outdoor garden fills every evening. Go for a drink before dinner at Bonito, or for a nightcap after. The one place on St. Barths where nobody is performing.
What Stands Out
- Most beloved local institution on St. Barths — open since 1949
- The island's most democratic bar: fishermen, celebrities, sailors, tourists all equal
- Inspired Jimmy Buffett's 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' (debated but embraced)
- Cold Carib beer and rum punch — no pretension, no theater
- Pre-dinner drinks or late-night refuge from the island's glamour