Rackam's — Restaurant in George Town

Can we agree that great food, service, views, and music, are something we would all want in a restaurant? If so, Rackham's is a must on every trip to Grand Cayman.

But wait...there's more. Much more!

How about ordering your drink, getting up off your couch, and heading down the ladder into the beautiful and clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Then, how about snorkeling with 5-foot-long fish, on every visit, right off of the ladder. Yes, beautiful and a bit eerie looking Tarpon patrol the waters just off of Rackham's, named for the alleged designed of the Jolly Roger flag himself: Pirate Calico Jack Rackham.

Then, how about heading to a shipwreck, the Wreck of the Cali, just a few fin kicks away from Rackham's. If you want to keep going, the reef is just on the opposite side of the wreck.

When you've had enough of the beautiful wreck, reef, tarpon and so many beautiful reef fish, often including squid, then head back up and enjoy a great meal.

Typically, we return to the water after eating for another visit with the Tarpon, as night falls for an extra spooky bit of fun.

I've been to Rackham's more than 30 times, probably close to 50, over the past decades. Every trip includes at least one, but usually two meals at Rackham's. It is great for lunch or dinner. My parents and kids love it too.

In fact, everyone loves it!

Last summer, I introduced 35 people in my family to Rackham's. We had to go back for our final night, by popular demand. Everyone was blown away, even the folks that preferred to stay dry. My 92 year old grandmother, Nonnie, loved it as well.

It was a very magical part of our magical trip.

This year, we brought my children’s' friends, as well as 75 people from my incredible team at Callagy Law.

Rackham's made everyone's opening night on Grand Cayman, so magical and special. Folks could not believe that a place like this existed. People were jumping off the ladder, free diving down on the wreck, screaming and laughing as Tarpon swam past (the new folks to the undersea world), and a mind-blowing night of fun was had by all.

While I'm not a drinker, folks were also very high on not only the quality of our food, but also the amazing Island beverages.

And, hey, who doesn't enjoy being close to a "pirate vibe" every now and then.

My only hope is that Rackham's brings back their T-shirts. I lost mine from years ago, and I would love it if they started selling them again.

By the way, we were also joined at our party at Rackham's by our friends from Deep Blue Divers, the only folks to dive with on the Island and that comes from a person with 35 years of diving experience who likes kind and fun people very much.

Also, one other outstanding dining option is the amazing people from Casanova. They also have incredible people, food and water views.

Rackham's, for my children, now teens, feels like home, and they were thrilled to introduce their friends to it this year.

Thank you Rackham's for bringing magic to our summers each and...

Rackam's is a mid-size operation, maybe half a mile away from the cruise terminal. There are 4 things to recommend it: The food is great, the beer is cheap, the service is excellent. And there's a shipwreck nearby. While a shipwreck isn't normally a rousing endorsement, it's easily reached from Rackam's dive ladder, and the restaurant staff is more than happy to serve you after you get out of the water.

So, let's dive into specifics! First, the beer. A beer on 7-mile will run you anywhere from 6-9USD. A bucket o' beer (five beers, alas), will run you about a straight 20 US at Rackam's. That includes some pretty good local brews, though I'd advise you start drinking after you get out of the water.

Second, food. There's some discussion here of Cayman cuisine that's probably merited. Namely, a great deal of Cayman seafood (like lobster) is probably imported. Conch, some fish, generally is sourced locally. The best things on the menu are going to be the conch fritters, the curry fries, and the locally sourced fish. I've had escevitch red snapper and tuna there and was never disappointed.

Third, proximity to the wreck of the Cali. While there are places that will take you out there on a boat, it's not a demanding swim from the docks. One of the staff can probably point out the buoy that marks it if you ask. While I was snorkeling on it, I saw several different groups of people snorkeling, SCUBA'ing, and surface-supplied air diving on the wreck. Bring a waterproof camera and you'll get some great photos. Rackam's feeds a bunch of tarpon every night, so you'll be swimming through a moderate-sized school of tarpon to get there.

Lastly, the service. Our server on our most recent visit was Nichole W, a bubbly Canadian (and I mean that in a good way - if I wanted taciturn aloofness, I'd go to one of the former French colonies) who was knowledgeable about the menu and was solicitous without being overbearing. Rackam's cultivates an atmosphere of unobtrusive relaxation; get out of the water, grab a seat on a wicker chair, and have some good beer and fish. Prices are in-line with what you'll pay in Georgetown and significantly cheaper than 7-Mile.

Would I recommend Rackam's? Without qualification and without hesitation. If you're only in Grand Cayman for the day, you could spend $70 for a chair and umbrella and taxi service on 7-mile before you even shell out for beer or food - or you can walk to Rackam's, get in the water and see something cool, and enjoy a few (or quite a few) local brews as well as a decent meal for...

This place has gone completely downhill and has absolutely no management at the restaurant to take care of the patrons. My wife and I have come here for over 20 years.

For years we have enjoyed coming down in the morning swimming and feeding the tarpon, then having lunch and we have had many dinners here also. The last few years the food has not been very good, but it gave us more to feed the fish. We would even place several orders of Fry's just to feed the fish.

This morning following our tradition my wife went down to Rackums to swim and feed the fish, except that a waitress very rudely and in no uncertain terms told her that the restaurant did not open until 11 am and she would have to leave.

Being very upset, as the restaurant has always pandered to people coming to swim early because most groups always stay to eat, my wife left and called to let me know what had happened.

I called down to talk to the owner or manager and was told I would have to speak to the bartender as no one else was there in management. I tried to explain what had just happened and the bartender kept interrupting Me and kept making excuses.

When I asked him to let me finish explaining what had happened the bartender started yelling at me and stated that if I didn't like it then why didn't I come down there myself and he would "BUST MY FACE" !!!

Wow, what wonderful customer service. My family will "NEVER" patronize this run down, horrible service restraunt with horrible food again. I guess nothing lasts forever and this restaurant has run its course.

Time for the next hospitality venture to finally...