If you are staying at the Hyatt Baha Mar in Nassau and you feel like casual Asian dining, Stix should solve that craving. The resort also features formal Asian dining (Shuang Ba) as well as sushi at Katsuya. Stix is more of a noodle house, with an open restaurant and a laid back atmosphere. I only ate at Stix once during my ten-day visit to the Baha Mar. The food was okay, but seemed a bit expensive for what you get (noodles just aren't that expensive). The service was good and the food had a good flavor. I just couldn't get past the fact that I paid more than twenty dollars for noodles that didn't have any protein in them.
This is what I ordered. I visited during lunch, but was a bit early having skipped breakfast. I was the only diner, so I sort of expected the service to be efficient. It was. My server was very pleasant and helpful. I noticed that about most of the people in the service industry in the Bahamas. They all seemed exceptionally pleasant and friendly. After looking over the menu for a few minutes, I ordered the black pepper lo mein. The menu lists the item at eighteen dollars, but you have to tack on a few more dollars for VAT and service charge. I thought the dish had protein in it when I ordered, but realized you have to order protein separate. Seven dollars for beef, which would push the cost of this dish over thirty dollars. Lobster is an extra twelve dollars, pork seven dollars, shrimp six dollars and chicken five dollars. The noodles were filling and had good flavor. The price, for noodles, made it difficult for me to return to this restaurant.
A friend of mine showed up while I was dining and joined me. She ordered several items, to include the beef skewers. I was invited to try the beef skewers, which were tasty and tender. In fact, the beef was one of the better items I sampled while I was at Baha Mar. So it may be that I ordered the wrong thing. The skewers didn't come with anything additional, but the portion was decent. Cheaper than the noodles and all protein. For fourteen dollars, all things considered, the price seemed fair. Particularly because they were so tasty and fork tender. For "small bites" the portion was decent. I didn't try any of the other small bites, but I would imagine they would suffice as a light meal, but more likely as an appetizer for two to three people.
I am not a big fan of Dim Sum, other than soup dumplings, so I did not venture into that territory at Stix. The restaurant had a healthy list of items to choose from. My local dim sum restaurant features most items for five dollars or less. These are resort prices, so I wouldn't expect the portions to be much larger than you would expect back home while the prices might indicate otherwise. I didn't order the dim sum, nor did I see anyone else ordering it. I would imagine it is a popular item based on the number of options on the menu.
The noodles at Stix are made in-house. That is a plus in my book. I like fresh noodles. Based on my noodle dish, they did not disappoint. While the price seemed high for noodles, the fresh ingredients and good flavors made my dish enjoyable even in the absence of protein. If I had it to do over again, I would probably make a return visit to Stix and try the Chungking Spicy Noodle. It is a little bit cheaper than the lo mein and includes protein. There are quite a few other familiar noodle and rice dishes on the main menu to choose from. The Ramen also looked appealing to me. I think my initial impressions of this restaurant may have prevented me from exploring the menu more and potentially finding a "winner."
Stix has a few a la carte sides that also look appealing. I would have opted for the Brussel sprouts and Chinese pork sausage if I were going to get a side item. That appealed to me. But with a large noodle dish, I didn't have enough room for extras. In fact, the portion was large enough that I was not able to eat it all in one sitting.
Stix is located in the East Tower near Starbuck's. The restaurant is open 12:00 PM-10:00 PM Daily.
All things considered, I realize too late that my initial impressions of Stix were a bit harsh. It was one of the first restaurants I dined at. The price for noodles seemed a bit excessive. Having eaten at several other restaurants at Baha Mar, I realize that the prices at Stix are relatively not as bad as I first thought. I should have given this restaurant a second chance. If you are looking for casual Asian dining while visiting the Baha Mar, definitely give Stix a try. I feel like maybe I missed an opportunity by not going back for a second visit.
The first photo is my own. The other photos and menu clips are taken from the Stix website in accordance with Fair Use to review the restaurant.
