Our Story

For years, Shalico Christian had a big idea for a small bar.

After helping to successfully establish WINESCHOOL3 as the preeminent educator for wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverages in the Cayman Islands and throughout the Caribbean region, and then later Aroma Academy, which teaches people sensory skills with regard to the aromas and flavours in wine and spirits, Shalico saw a gap in the hospitality offerings on Grand Cayman.
Despite the large variety of wines from around the world available on Grand Cayman, most licensed establishments offered only a few – and often unimaginative – wine selections by the glass.

With more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality sector in the Cayman Islands and Canada, Shalico thought Grand Cayman needed a true wine bar where someone could come and have a glass or two of any number of wines – or maybe a craft cocktail –  and pair them with some nibbles. Rather than opening a large restaurant where the focus was on food first, the idea behind such a bar was of a fun, friendly and cosy place that people could come to before or after dinner, or on a night when they wanted to eat lightly. Eventually, Shalico’s idea became a reality when Le Petit Bar opened in November, 2022 at the Jacques Scott Marketplace in West Bay, Grand Cayman.

With a changing list of more than 30 wines curated by sommelier – and WINESCHOOL3 lead educator – Christian Esser available by the glass, Le Petit Bar offers an unpretentious way of enjoying delicious wines from around the world available in 3-ounce or 5-ounce pours, as well as more than 150 labels available by the bottle. You’ll also find a selection of beer and more than a dozen creative cocktails featuring various spirits and liqueurs, all crafted on the spot by talented bartenders.

Since wine is designed to be enjoyed with food, Le Petit Bar offers build-your-own cheese and charcuterie boards as well a tasty terrines and other canapes like Welsh rarebit fritters, beef short rib croquettes and chicken liver parfait beignets.
Like the WINESCHOOL3, which now makes its home in Le Petit Bar on Mondays and Tuesdays, Le Petit Bar’s slogan is “Liquid Lively Fun” and it delivers on all counts. Intimate and decorated with paintings by rising-star Caymanian artist John Reno Jackson – whose artistry appears on the labels for Christian Esser’s private selections of wines – Le Petit Bar presents an inviting ambiance in which to enjoy a quick glass of wine after work or an after-dinner nightcap –

Just like Shalico envisioned.