When planning your visit to this exclusive Bahamian destination, understanding the realities of Grocery shopping in Harbour Island will help you set appropriate expectations and prepare accordingly for what is genuinely a unique island experience that differs dramatically from mainland shopping conveniences.

You do have a few options for grocery shopping on Harbour Island, but visitors should absolutely not expect to see a large supermarket with endless aisles, multiple checkout lanes, or the comprehensive selection of products available at suburban American grocery chains because there are none of these big box stores on this intimate 500-acre island.

The stores available are more like specialized establishments such as a bakery offering fresh-baked bread and pastries, a gourmet deli carrying imported cheeses and specialty items, or small neighborhood-style grocery stores stocking essential provisions rather than an overwhelming variety.

Food is shipped from the United States mainland and Nassau on a weekly basis, arriving by boat or plane depending on the supplier, which means that product availability can fluctuate based on shipping schedules, weather delays affecting deliveries, and how quickly popular items sell out between shipments.

The largest grocery stores on the island are Captain Bob’s Marketplace and Piggly Wiggly, both located on King Street in Dunmore Town and within easy golf cart distance of most hotels and vacation rentals, making them convenient stops during your daily explorations.

Food is very expensive on Harbour Island, typically running 30% to 50% higher than comparable products in the United States due to import duties imposed by Bahamian customs, substantial shipping costs for transporting goods across water to a remote island, and comfortable profit margins that reflect the limited competition and captive market of an exclusive destination where visitors expect to pay premium prices for everything.

There are no fresh meats available in the conventional sense you might expect from a mainland butcher counter, and similarly there are no fresh fish sections in the grocery stores where you can browse pre-cut fillets displayed on ice like you would find in a typical American supermarket.

Visitors who want truly fresh fish caught that very morning can buy directly at the fishermen’s docks when the boats return from their early expeditions, though they will need to be ready to bargain hard because this waterfront transaction is romantic and exotic for tourists but very profitable for local fishermen who understand that visitors are willing to pay significant premiums for the authentic experience of buying their dinner straight from the ocean, and your job as a savvy shopper will be to make it less profitable through good-natured but firm negotiation.

Grocery shopping is genuinely an experience in Harbour Island rather than just an errand to check off your list, offering opportunities to live the island life authentically, meet fellow visitors who are navigating the same provisioning challenges, and interact with locals who shop at the same small stores and are very nice and friendly about sharing recommendations, explaining unfamiliar products, and welcoming newcomers into the rhythms of island living.

Can you find everything you might want in these grocery stores the way you could at a massive mainland supermarket? No, there is definitely a limited choice compared to what you’re accustomed to at home, but there is enough variety and quantity to get by comfortably for a week or two without feeling deprived as long as you’re flexible about brands, willing to substitute ingredients in your cooking, and approach the experience with an adventurous spirit rather than rigid expectations.

The two most well-known and heavily trafficked stores are Piggly Wiggly, which measures around 2,000 square feet and offers general groceries covering basic needs across all categories, and Captain Bob’s Marketplace, where you will find mostly everything you need plus a more curated selection of specialty items, imported delicacies, and gourmet products.

Captain Bob’s offers more refined foods including specialty cheeses, truffle honey, quince paste, gourmet crackers, and artisanal items you won’t find elsewhere on the island, but this elevated selection comes at a price point that is also way more expensive than Piggly Wiggly’s more straightforward offerings, so budget-conscious shoppers often split their purchases between both stores to balance quality aspirations with financial realities.

There are no traditional butcher shops where you could order custom cuts of meat, and similarly there are no dedicated fish stores with professional fishmongers who could clean and fillet your seafood purchases, meaning that any fresh fish or lobster bought from docks or through informal channels will require either your own knife skills or arrangements with your vacation rental property to have staff prepare it for cooking.

If you are hiring a concierge service during your stay to handle provisioning, restaurant reservations, and activity bookings, always ask for specific prices before committing to purchase anything, specifically when dealing with fresh fish, lobster, or other seafood that doesn’t have clearly posted pricing, because concierge services naturally add markup percentages to everything they arrange on your behalf, and this can transform a $30 lobster into a $60 lobster by the time it reaches your kitchen.

Arthur’s Bakery deserves special mention as an essential Food Harbour Island destination where visitors should plan to stop at least once during their stay, ideally early in the morning when the display cases are still full of fresh-baked coconut bread, jalapeño cheddar loaves, cinnamon buns, and other specialties that sell out quickly and won’t be replenished until the following day.

Owner Robert Arthur and his wife Anna have been serving the island community for years, arriving at 3 AM to begin baking so that everything is fresh and warm when doors open at 8 AM sharp, and their friendly service, outdoor patio seating, free Wi-Fi, and genuinely delicious breakfast sandwiches make this bakery a gathering place where locals and visitors mingle over coffee and conversation.

Dunmore Deli represents another specialized Food Harbour Island option for visitors seeking European-style provisions including sliced meats, imported cheeses, fresh-baked breads, wine selections, and specialty pantry items that elevate simple vacation rental meals into something more sophisticated and memorable.

The reality of grocery shopping on Harbour Island is that you’ll invest more time, pay higher prices, and exercise more creativity than you would provisioning a vacation rental in Florida or California, but this process of figuring out local alternatives, discovering unexpected products, and adapting your meal plans around what’s actually available becomes part of the authentic island experience that connects you to the rhythms and realities of remote island living in ways that staying at an all-inclusive resort with prepared meals never could.

Smart provisioning strategies include bringing a cooler with frozen meats, specialty dietary items, favorite snacks, and anything else you absolutely cannot live without for a week, then supplementing with fresh produce, dairy products, beverages, and pantry staples purchased on the island from the various small stores scattered around Dunmore Town.

This hybrid approach balances the practical reality that some things are prohibitively expensive or unavailable on Harbour Island with the authentic pleasure of shopping locally, supporting island businesses, and experiencing the charming inefficiency of small-scale provisioning where you might need to visit three different stores to assemble ingredients for a single meal but emerge with great stories and new friendships that enrich your vacation in unexpected ways.

Complete List of Food Stores on Harbour Island, Bahamas

Grocery Stores & Markets

1. Piggly Wiggly (Pigly Wigly)

• Location: King & Crown Street, Dunmore Town
• Phone: 242-333-2120
• Description: Small grocery store offering general groceries and household items
• Note: Described as “only a small room” but a staple on the island

2. Captain Bob’s Marketplace (Captain Bob’s Seafood & Meat Market)

• Location: Bay Street (near King Street), Dunmore Town
• Phone: 242-333-3628 / Cell: 242-359-7725
• Page: Captain Bob’s Marketplace
• Email: captainbobsmarketplace@gmail.com
• Hours: 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM daily (until 1:00 PM on Sundays)
• Description: Operating for over 20 years, offering fresh seafood (lobster, conch, fish), meats (beef, chicken, pork, lamb, game meats), and now groceries including specialty deli items (truffle honey, quince paste, fig spread, cheeses, gourmet crackers)
• Special: Fresh produce delivered weekly, frozen treats

3. Park View

• Location: Opposite Harbour Island’s Park, King Street
• Description: Specializes in snacks, fruits, produce, meats, toiletries, hair supplies, school supplies at affordable prices
• Large and popular store with motto: “if we do not have, you do not need it”

4. Kay Market

• Location: Dunmore Town, Harbour Island
• Phone: +1 242-333-3844
• Hours: 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM daily (until 11:00 AM on Sundays)
• Description: Small grocery store offering food and household essentials

5. Johnson’s (Store)

• Location: King Street area, Dunmore Town
• Hours: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM daily (until 12:00 PM on Sundays)
• Description: Another small store for food and daily essentials

Bakery & Deli

6. Arthur’s Bakery

• Location: Crown Street and Dunmore Street, Dunmore Town
• Phone: 242-333-2285
• Email: info@arthursbakery.com
• Page: Arthur’s Bakery
• Hours: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM daily, CLOSED SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS
• Owners: Robert & Anna Arthur
• Specialties: Fresh-baked breads (coconut bread, jalapeño cheddar bread, cinnamon raisin, banana bread), pastries, danishes, donuts, sticky buns, cinnamon buns, cookies
• Food: Breakfast (banana pancakes, lobster scrambled eggs, omelets), Lunch (lobster Caesar salad, Cuban sandwich, tuna melts)
• Features: Free Wi-Fi, outdoor patio seating
• Note: Arrive early – popular items sell out quickly!

7. Dunmore Deli

• Location: King Street, Dunmore Town (next to Bristol Wine, near Piggly Wiggly)
• Hours: 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM daily
• Description: Gourmet deli and grocery offering specialty foods, cheeses, meats, fresh baked goods, vegetables, jams, wines, beers, and spirits

Additional Food-Related Stores

8. JC Snack Shop

• Description: Convenience store for snacks

9. Dilly Dally

• Description: Food store

10. Food Store Water & Ice

• Description: Provides food, water, and ice

11. Manna’s Retail & Wholesale Store

• Description: Retail and wholesale food

12. Briland Water Depot

• Description: Water and supplies

13. Tip Top

• Description: Convenience store

14. C&A Store

• Description: General store

15. Guerline Simplice

• Description: Food store

16. The Pineapple Store

• Description: General store

17. Big Red’s Convenience & Water Depot

• Description: Convenience store with water