Swinging Doors
Windwardside's saloon-style pub where the barbecue is legendary and the stories come free
Why Go
Push through the namesake swinging doors and you land in a smoky Old-West saloon that somehow washed ashore in the Dutch Caribbean — a pre-WWII grill out back, license plates on the walls, and Eddie behind the bar with a story that could fill a paperback.
The Experience
Perched on the corner opposite Big Rock Market in the heart of Windwardside, Swinging Doors is the closest thing Saba has to a proper neighborhood pub — a hybrid of English tavern and Wild West saloon that hasn't changed in twenty years, and doesn't intend to. Proprietor Eddie Hassell, a naturalized American who spent 13 years in the US merchant marines, presides over the bar; his partner Pat runs the kitchen. The room is snug and wood-paneled, walls papered in license plates, ball caps and mementos left by two decades of divers, hikers and expats. On barbecue nights the whole place fills with smoke and the smell of charring meat from the massive vintage grill they roll out; on other evenings it's a watering hole where strangers become drinking companions inside of one round. Come for the food, stay for the yarn-spinning — this is the bar locals actually drink at.
What to Try
The barbecue is the reason to book: pork ribs and chicken on Tuesdays and Fridays, steaks on Sundays, all cooked over Eddie and Pat's pre-World War II grill and widely regarded as the best BBQ on the island. On non-BBQ nights the pub menu and the cold beer do the job — pair a rack of ribs with a rum punch and whatever Eddie decides to pour you next.
Insider Tip
Reservations are essential on BBQ nights (Tues, Fri, Sun) — the grill sells out and walk-ins get turned away. Arrive a little early, grab a stool at the bar, and ask Eddie about his merchant-marine years; the pre-dinner conversation is half the experience. Cash is king on Saba, so bring some.
The Practical Stuff
Location: on the main road through Windwardside, opposite Big Rock Market — easy walk from anywhere in the village. Barbecue nights are Tuesday, Friday (ribs & chicken) and Sunday (steaks); other nights it operates as a bar with a lighter menu. Bookings strongly recommended for BBQ; smoke-filled dining room is part of the charm, so dress accordingly. Casual dress, cash preferred.
What's On Here
All events nearby →Pair It With
- Dimple's Bar & Lounge Guide — Continue the night a few steps away with cocktails and a livelier late crowd once the BBQ smoke settles.
- Barney's Ground Guide — Work up an appetite with a Windwardside-area hike before rolling in for ribs at sunset.
- Easternmost point of Saba Guide — A dramatic afternoon walk to the island's edge that pairs perfectly with an early booking at the grill.
