I’ve been to Bermuda twice in the past couple of years and both times had the pleasure of dropping by Woody’s Sports Bar on Boaz Island in Sandys Parish. What a great place! They have a small outside bar and patio on the front of the building and a larger inside bar around back.
I first discovered Woody’s when I 
was in search of a sports bar while in Bermuda during the NBA Finals. Hoping maybe, just maybe, there were some local basketball fans who might be watching the game. As it turned out, I never actually took time to look for a TV in the bar because I was enjoying such a great “food find” at an outdoor table with my friends who had joined me from the cruise ship. It was pretty clear when we walked in that this is a hangout for local folks, so we asked their advice on what to order. The Fish Special came up as their first
choice, so my friends and I split a couple of orders of deep fried snapper with sides of mac and cheese and cole slaw. The fish was lightly breaded and deep fried perfectly. It was moist and tender and juicy. I’m not a big fish eater, but this tasted so good I will have to put it on my “Best Seafoods I Ever Ate” list! One of my friends also ordered the local Bermudian version of fish chowder which is considered to be the national dish. It basically consists of fresh fish, tomatoes, onions and is seasoned with black rum and sherry pepper sauce. There are several variations on the recipe.
On my way for a second visit to Woody’s a couple of years later, I stopped to ask one of the cruise ship terminal security guards (Leroy) if he would recommend Woody’s as still a great place for local food. He responded with an enthusiastic “Yes! Be sure to ask for
the the Fish Sandwich on Raisin Bread!” I thought, “Did he really say raisin bread? I guess raisin bread isn’t just for breakfast anymore.” Since I’m always looking for new and interesting food ideas, I knew we would have to try this sandwich. What a surprise. First of all, the breaded portions of fresh fish were thick, sweet and juicy. The combination of the fish with the lettuce, tomato, fried onions and tartar sauce on the savory raisin bread was absolutely amazing. The bread seemed to have a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg, which was a nice complement to the seasoned breading on the fish.
The other item we wanted to 
order was the jerk chicken but unfortunately they were already out of that for the day. I decided to try the Fresh Shrimp on the menu. That was another lucky choice. The extremely large very fresh shrimp were lightly seasoned with their own spice blend and deep fried perfectly. They were sweet and tender, and I thought I was eating miniature lobster tails.
We also learned from Leroy that the original owner recently passed away and the bar and restaurant are now under new management. Later we learned that the bar and restaurant are now separately owned. And there is no doubt that this is a very popular place with local Bermudians. While we were there for a couple of hours at midday, I think the drivers of every kind of work vehicle on the island stopped by to pick up
their carryout lunch. To me, that’s about the best recommendation a restaurant owner could hope for. I don’t know when I might get back to Bermuda, but you can be sure Woody’s will be on my itinerary when I do.
