23 Best Restaurants in Jamaica

The colorful decor, authentic Jamaican food, and rustic, country ambience at Miss T's Kitchen will give you the feel of a true Jamaican culinary experience with a few vegan and vegetarian options thrown in. Anna-Kay Tomlinson, the charming "Miss T," turned her love and passion for Jamaican food into one of the town's most popular Jamaican eateries. Guests can dine in the main dining area or in the wine bar.

The location of this casual restaurant makes it popular for those journeying along the south coast—luckily, the food is good, too. As the name suggests, they serve plenty of fish and jerk dishes with a variety of sides at this open-air spot. On weekends and holidays, it can get crowded, but the music and scenery provide a great vibe. There's also a great bar and a dessert shop offering famous Devon House ice cream.

Portland may be the birthplace of jerk cooking, but Scotchies is one of Jamaica’s premier jerk eateries. It serves genuine jerk—chicken, pork, fish, sausage, and more—with fiery sauce and delectable side dishes including festival (bread similar to a hush puppy) and rice and peas. This restaurant is a favorite with Montego Bay residents and tourists; you're likely to see a slap-the-table game of dominoes.

A favorite with Kingstonians for its elegant Sunday brunch, Strawberry Hill has a stunning location; the open-air terrace has spectacular views of the city and countryside. The restaurant serves an à la carte menu that features dishes with a Jamaican flare and ingredients grown on the Island Outpost Farm. The bar area, a good place for cocktails or after-dinner drinks, features a piano and a fireplace that's usually ablaze in the cool evenings of the Blue Mountains.

With a reservation, nonguests can savor authentic Jamaican cuisine with a twist at this gorgeous boutique resort on Negril's West End. The price ($150 per person) covers a private, romantic, candlelit five-course dinner in a sea-front cave. When the hotel bar, the Sands, is open (Wednesday and Saturday, 4–7), you can join in cliff-jumping, a popular West End pastime, and enjoy colorful cocktails and fare from the smoky jerk grill. Once a month, they have a "Jamaican Night" with a full Jamaican buffet and live musical performances ($120 per person). Much of the produce comes from the hotel's organic farm in the parish of Trelawny.

This very casual restaurant housed beneath a big roof (and not much more) is best known for its jerk—it hosts the Negril Jerk Festival every November—but also serves other traditional Jamaican dishes and seafood, like grilled lobsters (in season). Lunch is available, but dinner, thanks to the spectacular sunsets, is always the peak time. You can dine in the restaurant or near the cliffside, which provides an optimal view.

Actually a collection of about half a dozen open-air stands, this is a culinary landmark thanks to its popular jerk pits. Stroll up to the open pits, fired by pimento logs and topped with a piece of corrugated roofing metal, locally known as zinc, and order meat by the quarter-, half-, or full pound. You'll find all the traditional Jamaican meats sold here, along with side dishes, soups, and local beers.

One of the trendiest casual fine dining restaurants in the reimagined Downtown neighborhood, F & B Downtown is where delicious food meets local art. The menu serves classic Jamaica meals with Asian and Italian touches, while the bar has a range of wines and spirits. On the last Friday of each month, the restaurant hosts a "creative meet-up" for local and international artists. The restaurant's location was once a Swiss Store; today there's still a Swiss Stores outlet inside the restaurant, as well as other jewelry, eyewear, and souvenir brands.

With nearly 20 locations across the island, the Ocho Rios branch of this eat-in or take-out restaurant about a block from the main tourist area serves a Jamaican version of fast food. Jerk chicken, sandwiches, soups, and Jamaican dinner combo meals (called yabbas, an African-Jamaican term for bowl) are among the specialties. Many meals are served with festivals (sweet, fried dumpling) and are spiced for the local palate.

Open all day and right on the beach, this charming thatch-roof restaurant is one of the top spots for dinner on Negril's 7-mile (11-km) strip of sand. The menu specializes in Jamaican cuisine with an international twist, with meals covering sea, breeze, and land. All food is cooked to order, so come prepared for a long languorous meal. During the day you can lounge on beach chairs. The restaurant will bring you here for free if you're staying in Negril.

This casual beachside eatery, a favorite with locals and travelers, is known for genuine Jamaican dishes focused on seafood, most of it supplied by fishermen just yards away. For those staying in Treasure Beach, a popular way to reach Little Ochie is by boat. Each year in the second week of July, the place comes alive with the Little Ochie Seafood Fest, a veritable paradise for seafood lovers featuring several stalls serving fresh seafood with all the trimmings, plus music and all-day entertainment. There's also another Little Ochie restaurant in Mandeville.

Enjoy European, Jamaican, and Caribbean cuisine while watching the sunset on a terrace surrounded by tropical vegetation. Dishes made with local ingredients change daily, but Meatless Mondays are a weekly feature and there's a special vegetarian menu.

This canopied, open-air eatery is a great place for island fare like fiery jerk meals, wings, and burgers, or seafood such as fish and shrimp, which are perfectly complemented by frosty Red Stripe beers and signature cocktails. Milder barbecued meats are sold by weight (a quarter- or half-pound makes a good serving). It's busy at lunch, especially when passengers from cruise ships swamp the place.

This eatery set in a former slave quarters has a loyal following for authentic Jamaican meals, seafood dishes, and delicious jerk (marked with the restaurant's very own special jerk sauce). The restaurant is in the town's center and is just a short walk away from the Falmouth Port. Delivery and free Wi-Fi are available.

Diners can enjoy versions of traditional Jamaican street food in the comfort of a colorful, cliffside restaurant. The menu features traditional house-cooked Jamaican meals and seafood dishes. There's also a bar and great music (DJ or live band) to keep guests entertained. It's a great place to grab a drink (they offer a variety of Jamaican rums) and watch the sunset, too.

The Ocho Rios branch of the longtime Montego Bay favorite has been lauded by international chefs for its excellent jerk. The plates of jerk chicken and pork and a variety of other dishes like sausage, fish, and ribs at this open-air restaurant are all accompanied by classic Jamaican side dishes such as festival and bammy. Be sure to step over to the kitchen to watch the preparation of the jerk over the pits.

Located next to Emancipation Park, this jerk joint specializes in spicy jerk meats. It's the perfect spot to relax and dine after a busy day or to take food to go.

This poolside restaurant has an à la carte menu that serves Jamaican favorites as well as international dishes. The Sunday breakfast is a Mandeville tradition; a lavish buffet includes all the local favorites. This is the perfect spot for intimate meals.

A no-frills eatery favored by locals, Pork Pit is an authentic, open-air Jamaican restaurant that serves the best of Jamaican jerk meats and seafood dishes. The restaurant is close to Doctor's Cave Beach and is surrounded by all the attractions of MoBay's Hip Strip. You can get food to go or eat at the picnic tables on the patio.

A favorite with locals traveling the North Coast Highway, this open-air eatery across from the Green Grotto Caves serves a variety of jerk dishes well as fish and traditional Jamaican side dishes. A separate bar—housed in a colorful rondavel (a round hut with a thatch roof)—serves beverages.

A favorite with locals traveling the North Coast Highway, Ultimate Jerk Centre is an open-air eatery, across from the Green Grotto Caves. Jerk meals are on the menu as well as fish, and the traditional Jamaican side dishes. A separate bar, housed in a colorful rondavel (a round hut with a thatch roof), serves drinks and sodas.

Positive vibes and burgers are featured at this roadside eatery. Charles "Woody" Cousins and wife Cherry serve up simple fare from a whitewashed shack whose walls bear Cherry's handwritten affirmations. Besides quintessential American fare like fries and hot dogs, you can order smoked meats as well as a traditional Jamaican dinner made to order. There's also a full range of blended drinks to choose from.