UPDATE: permit issue about the boardwalk The Longboard is resolved and it is open again as of 3pm today.

Here is some first information about a new restaurant that just opened in the heart of Cruz Bay: The restaurant is a “Coastal Cantina”. Here is some information we got from the owners before the opening.

What is a Coastal Cantina?

A  cantina is a small bar that serves quality drinks and food.  As for coastal, the owners  are celebrating the adventurous yet laid back ocean lifestyle, which is where the surf vibe comes in…

What is a longboard?

“A longboard is primarily a single-finned surfboard with large rounded nose and length of 8 to 12 feet”

What will the food & drink be like?

The owners goal is to offer fresh, quality food and drinks at affordable prices: $5-$20 range.  There are many limitations but they hope to source as much as they can locally: fish, greens, herbs, fruit, spices, etc.

The best way to describe the food program is Southern California meets the Caribbean.  SoCal has really captured a fresh, healthier style of coastal cuisine, and the longboard wants to bring some of those elements to St. John: gourmet tacos, baja bowls, avocado dishes, ceviches, etc.  It then wants to blend these items with creative Caribbean foods using:  plantains, yuca, breadfruit, carib style rice and beans, spices, etc.  There will definitely be a focus on local seafood, but the longboard will offer other proteins as well.

Since this entity is a bar first, restaurant second, the bar program will be far more extensive.  Like the food program, it will embody a fresh, healthier coastal lifestyle:  fresh squeezed fruit, muddled herbs and spices, housemade sodas, liqueurs, and syrups using real cane sugars.  The longboard will incorporate popular Caribbean style cocktails with its own creative twists, and also have its own signature house crafted libations.  There will be a heavy focus on the plethora of rums at disposal, and they will strive to have an option for any palate that ventures through our doors.

What will make the longboard special?

The longboard will definitely have unique, innovative concepts that will be new for the St. John bar scene, but the owners want to keep these ideas under wraps for now to make the opening a truly exciting moment.

As for who they want to attract, the broad answer would be tourists and local residents alike. They hope to bring in anyone looking to enjoy high quality craft drinks and food at affordable prices.  They will not be fine dining or a dive bar, but fall somewhere in the middle.  The only thing they might have in common with a dive bar is our price range, so they hope this will attract a wide range of patrons.  Since we are more of a bar, they might not be promoting kid friendly, but they will have no problem taking care of families.

Some final words from Clint and Tyler:

We are excited to be down here, and we are happy to remodel an old institution, which is a completely new project for us.  This “Longboard” is its own unique brand, and there has been plenty of detailed focus on the interior, logos, and overall designs.  We hope to be a part of the St. John community for years to come (public willing), and after the few setbacks that we have already endured, we are definitely adapting to “island time”.

And in case you were wondering, this project in St. John is its own independent entity. There is another bar in Huntington Beach, California,  called the “Longboard”, but they is no relations whatsoever to this company.

the-longboard-stjohn-restaurant

More information on The Longboard St. John

http://thelongboardstjohn.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Longboard/1497063363893691