Our Story

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip. It started from a tropic port aboard a tiny ship. Wait, that is the story of Gilligan's Island.

After spending six years together and working on the concept for the past year, Bryan and Bonny Tyrell moved to St. Maarten to open Bonita's Cantina. With fresh new ideas, Bonita's Cantina will deliver a simple idea for its guests:

Unpretentious food, hearty portions, stunning environment & value for money.

Bonita's Cantina, located in the former site of Ric's Place on Airport Road near the bridge at Simpson Bay, features a combination of Tex-Mex and BBQ. With its patio facing the Simpson Bay lagoon, guests will be able to dine while watching some of the largest yachts in the world anchored nearby.

Both Bryan and Bonny have a tremendous amount of experience in the restaurant business. Bryan is originally from the states and was a member of a two-time World Championship BBQ team. He then became Smokehouse Manager for Oklahoma Joe's in Kansas City, the second highest rated BBQ restaurant in the world, according to Zagat's Guide to Restaurants. From there he travelled to London, UK where he opened five BBQ restaurants in five and half years. His ribs were named "Best Ribs This Side of the Atlantic" by Time Out Publications and Bodean's was ranked one of the top 65 restaurants in the highly competitive restaurant field in London. Bonny worked her way from waitress to General Manager of Gaucho Grill, a high end Argentine Steakhouse, which generated £4.5 million in sales annually. She was the Lead Waitress on the Wait Staff of the Year and later was named Manager of the Year for the Group and later her branch was named Restaurant of the Year.

Our Philosophy - Bryan and Bonny want to give their guests the best value for their money. They will work hard to make it a place where people can enjoy themselves when they venture for a meal. There are hundreds of restaurants on the island and their goal is to be one of the best restaurants in the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean.

Our cooking process - It is described as "Cook it Low, Smoke it Slow." What this means is that we cook all of our meats at a low temperature for a long, slow amount of time. What this does is preserve the natural juices and flavor of the meat while adding the smoke flavour of the wood.

We will strive to be the Best Restaurant on the Island!