Provisioning in the Bahamas is expensive. Most of the food you will buy here is imported, and prices vary depending on where you are and what you’re looking for. For example, check out the price of the potatoes in store this receipt:

You need to provision well for the Bahamas. Expect to fill all the free space on your boat with everything you might need for the duration of your stay. But it’s simply not possible to take it all with you. One major challenge will be managing fresh produce.

In this guide we have compiled a list of shops on the noforeignland map. The remaining sections will cover the types of stores you can find in the different cruising areas of the Bahamas:

• Supermarkets – for stocking up
• Small independend shops – for finding essential items further afield
• Farm shops and markets – often the best for fresh fruit and vegetables
• Bakeries – for fresh bread and pastries
• Liquor shops – well we might all run out right?

Top tip: internet connections can be flakey in the Bahamas. To make life easier, download the noforeignland app and create an offline map for the Bahamas. This will allow you to access all the shop information even when you are offline.

Top tip: to locate shops, apply map filters to show only the shop markers then add the ones you want to visit to one of your favorites lists.

Supermarkets in the Bahamas

It is especially helpful to know where the large, well-stocked stores are. The stores listed in this section carry a wide selection of products and are suitable for stocking up.

The Abacos

• Maxwells supermarket in Marsh Harbour is a large western style well-stocked supermarket that has a great selection of items, but it’s a bit far from the dinghy dock.
• In Great Guana Cay there is a new small supermarket that is easily accessible from the anchorage and the mooring field.
• Sawyer’s Fresh Market Lucaya is a popular modern supermarket in Grand Bahama with fresh produce and reasonable prices, located within easy reach of the marinas in Bell Channel.

Nassau & New Providence

• Solomons Fresh Food Market is a well-stocked supermarket near Nassau Harbour Club with a great selection, but it can be pricey. It’s part of the Harbour Bay shopping plaza, but access by dinghy is limited.
• Bayside Food Store is a small supermarket close to the CruiseShip Village dinghy dock.
• Super Value offers fresh produce at reasonable prices and is popular among locals. There are two stores,
  1. Mackey Street – 15 mins walk from William´s Street dinghy dock
  2. Nassau Street – 20 mins walk from Junkanoo Beach, where you can park your dinghy for free.
• A short drive to the west of the island will take you to Solomons Fresh Market which offers the same quality and prices as you can find in Nassau, but with easier access if you have rented a car.

Eleuthera

• Spanish Wells has two supermarkets:
  1. Food Fair is the best one with fresh produce. Nearest dinghy dock is 10mins away at Spanish Wells Yacht Haven.
  2. Pinder’s is smaller with fewer options, but the dinghy dock is just across the road.
• The North Eleuthera Shopping Center is a one-stop-shop that offers a wide range of products including food, toys, electronics, kitchenware, local and imported goods, and clothes. It’s a 30-minute walk from the Bluff Settlement dock.
• Piggly Wiggly is a small supermarket located 5 minutes away from the dinghy dock in Dunmore Town and has a great selection of items.
• Rock Sound’s Market Place Store has a good selection of fresh produce, including organic and gluten-free items. It’s a great place to provision before heading to the Exumas.

The Exumas

• George Town has two supermarkets near the dinghy dock:
  1. Exuma Market offers a wide range of products.
  2. ShopRite is popular with locals, smaller, well-stocked, and less expensive.

Long Island

• Hillside Food Supply is a very well stocked little supermarket with a decent supply of fresh produce.

Andros

• Andros Distributors has a great selection of fresh produce, meat, frozen fruit, and reasonable prices. Their large refrigerators and freezers are always well-stocked.
• Jollies Supermarket is well stocked grocery with a range of fresh produce.

Small grocery stores in the Bahamas

Almost every inhabited island has a store. The map below displays the ones that the cruising community prefers, as they are situated near a dinghy dock or a marina.

Stores on more populated islands are usually larger and carry a wider range of products than those on islands with smaller populations. Small stores may have limited product choices, but they are worth checking out as they often have hidden gems.

Farm shops and markets in the Bahamas

You can purchase the freshest produce at local markets and farm shops, often at reasonable prices.

Abacos

• Island Greens in Green Turtle Cay is a hydroponic organic farm providing seasonal fresh vegetables. Check their noforegnland page for opening times and available produce.

Eleuthera

• On Saturdays from 9:00 AM, you can purchase fresh vegetables from the Spanish Wells Farmers Market.
• Hearty MOW Farmlands sells locally grown fruits and vegetables and homemade pastries and breads on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They deliver to Hatchet Bay and Rainbow Cay. Contact them via their WhatsApp number (see noforegnland page) to order.
• Eleuthera Island Farm offers some of the best produce on the island, including organic vegetables, fruit, jams, hot sauce, honey, dressings, pesto, and fresh bread.
• Sharon from Rock Sound sells her fresh farm produce and catch of the day at the public dock.

The Exumas

• Check out the George Town Farmers Market for its daily offerings and hot sauces. It’s well worth a visit before heading to ShopRite across the street.

Long Island

• There is a farmers’ market every Saturday in Salt Pond where local produce and crafts are available for purchase.
• Clarence Harbour’s Packing House offers islanders a place to sell their produce at reasonable prices. They sell bananas, paw paw, pineapples, pumpkin, and sometimes tomatoes. The shop is open only from Monday to Wednesday.

Bakeries in the Bahamas

Many of the bakeries in the Bahamas are run from home kitchens so you get to meet locals when shopping for freshly baked breads and mouth-watering sweet breads. You can choose from a range of flavours like coconut, banana, and cinnamon rolls, which are sure to satisfy your sweet cravings.

Bimini

• Stop by Nate’s Variety Of Bimini Breads and try their cinnamon rolls or any of their delicious breads. You won’t regret it!

Eleuthera

• Kathy’s Bakery in Spanish Wells is famous for Hot Johnny cakes.
• You don’t have to walk too far to find Romana Neilly’s home, where she sells Homemade Empanadas.
• Rose makes Haitian peanut cakes from her home. Knock on her door to buy as many as you want. The cakes are spiced with tamarind and other spices.
• Governor’s Harbour Bakery offers a variety of delicious pastries and breads.

Cat Island

• Olive’s Bakery is family owned and famous for its cat island cakes but also selling other delicious treats: wheat bread, cinnamon swirl bread, banana bread, rolls, etc.

The Exumas

• Lorraine’s Mama coconut, cinnamon or coconut-cinnamon-raisin bread is famous in Black Point. Knock on her door for the next batch.
• Mama’s Bakery has freshly baked homemade coconut bread, rum cake, carrot cake, and bread.

Long Island

• Erica’s Bakery and Shop has fresh baked bread and cakes that sell out quickly. Out of the oven at noon and 5 pm.

Inagua

• Anyee Bakery has the best bread on the island and so many choices it is hard to decide!

Liquor stores in the Bahamas

Drinks and alcoholic beverages come with a hefty price tag in the Bahamas, often double what you would pay in the USA. But there’s a silver lining for rum enthusiasts! Rum is cheap when compared to other spirits. Here’s a roundup of liquor stores frequented by cruisers:

Abacos

• Plymouth Rock Liquor in Green Turtle Cay has a good selection of wine and rum. Additionally, they’re known for serving up a delicious breakfast to start your day right.
• Sampsons Liquor is within walking distance of Treasure Cay Marina they sell all beverages plus mixed drinks.
• Sandy Point Bottle Store is expensive, but if you are in Sandy Point, this is your only option.

The Berries

• 700 wines and spirits, a chain with shops across islands, offers a wide selection. This branch delivers to Great Harbour Cay Marina for added convenience.
• Pinders Liquor although smaller offers a good selection.

New Providence

• The Restaurant Supply Co is a warehouse for hotel and restaurant needs, offering unbeatable prices, perhaps the best in the Bahamas. You can buy in bulk or individual items. Go upstairs for international and cold/frozen foods and you may stumble upon hidden gems like Sicilian beer or imported chocolate…
• Island Wines and Spirits has a large range of beers, spirits and wines and are located next to Super Value in Mackey Street.
• The Bottle shop in Harbour Bay Shopping Plaza is close to the Solomon’s.

Eleuthera

• Budda’s Snack Shack is one of the coolest restaurants in Spanish Wells. They also operate a liquor store.
• In Hatchet Bay The liquor store can help you top up your drinks cabinet.
• Bristol Wine and Spirits is the biggest liquor shop in Eleuthera. They have an excellent selection of liquor and wine at competitive prices.

The Exumas

• There are a couple of liquor stores in George Town. John Marshall Liquor Store has a good selection and is popular with cruisers.

Long Island

• KC’s Wine & Spirits is a small store with a bar. Happy hour is on Friday at 5pm.

Groceries for special dietary needs

To help those with dietary restrictions, I have started a Google spreadsheet listing the shops that sell organic and gluten free produce. But I need your help to fill the blanks. Please open the spreadsheet and add any shops in the Bahamas where you have found organic and or dietary produce.

Happy shopping …

This guide has been composed from information added to noforeingland by the cruising community. If you are sailing in this area, then please help keep this data up-to-date by editing place details pages, and adding photos and reviews to the places you visit.