1. Capricciosa Tumon

Where do I start? Capricciosa was my favorite restaurant throughout my childhood. I worshipped the place. I still stan and I always have to visit whenever I’m on island. When we come here, we ALWAYS order the 1. Rice croquette 2. Garlic Toast 3. Seafood Spaghetti. The rice croquette is an appetizer to die for. Essentially, it is a giant arancini doused in bolognese sauce. The outside is a delightfully crispy fried rice ball with a molten center of ooey-gooey melted mozzarella. The sauce is magical in itself, and is a perfect complement to the rice. My only complaint is their stinginess with the sauce (they wouldn’t give us more sauce unless we paid extra smh). The garlic toast is crack. I could eat 3 orders of garlic toast on my own. Such soft steaming bread with a deliciously potent butter-garlic flavor. The seafood spaghetti is great, however it’s an item that can taste better or worse from time to time.

I recently tried the Italian Vegetable and Meat Soup and was pleasantly surprised. It’s a very creamy, tomato-based soup filled with ground beef (or maybe pork) and veggies. It’s VERY savory and super satisfying.

2. Jamaican Grill Tumon

Jamaican Grill is another cult fave. This tacky, Guam-Jamaican fusion restaurant is a regular spot for locals looking for good ole soul food. They serve amazing pork ribs and chicken dishes complete with flavorful rice and salad. Weirdly the star item of this restaurant (I think!) is the Jamaican rice. It’s freaking lit. EsPECIALLY with the vinegary, spicy Finadene sauce sprinkled all over. Just WOW.

I would also suggest trying the Splash juice, which is a really refreshing mango, guava, and pineapple juice. Or treat yourself with a Splash Ice Cream shake, which just takes splash juice to another amazing level.

3. Join Us Guam

If my family can’t decide on a place to eat out, we always chose Join Us. It’s a Teppanyaki restaurant in Tumon Sands Plaza and it’s a great go-to place for Japanese food on Guam. I haven’t gone for teppanyaki, but I’ve been there plenty of times for lunch and dinner. Go during lunch for their amazing lunch specials, which are elaborate bento sets with one feature entree and numerous sides such as Miso Soup, Tempura or Sashimi, salad, and pickled veggies. During dinner they have special set menus similar to the lunch sets, but with more elaborate options like Shabu Shabu, Sukiyaki, Sashimi and more.

4. Proa

Proa is super popular with locals for their Chamorran food. What’s also notable, though, are their spectacular cakes. My friend took me here just for some dessert and I was pleasantly surprised. Their chocolate cake is amazingly decadent and moist, and their ube cheesecake is fantastic. They’re both super creamy and rich, so you might want to split cake with a partner in crime. I’m seriously #stan the Ube Cheesecake, which seems to be a really popular dessert in Guam. They also bake cakes for events, if you ever want to share with family and friends.

5. Fuji Ichiban Ramen

Craving Japanese ramen? There’s only one place for that on Guam and that is Ichiban. The best part is it’s so affordable (everything is under $10). I highly HIGHLY recommend trying the karage and the gyoza (both $5.75). There’s nothing better than super savory, deep fried dark meat chicken with a hit of fresh lemon or deep fried potstickers with vinegar and soy sauce. They will satisfy your deep fried cravings. The ramen is the star of the show. Their Soy and Tonkotsu Ramen are their top items, and both are great. If you’re in the mood for porky, creamy broth, go for the Tonkotsu Ramen ($8.50) and if you want simple, clean taste, go for the Soy Ramen ($7.50).

6. Kings

Kings is Guam’s version of IHOP. A family restaurant with classic American breakfast with a Guam twist. You can always count on Guam to incorporate Portuguese sausage and SPAM into everything! I love the comfortable, homey vibes here and enjoy their breakfast foods as well. Nothing amazing, but everything is good.