Jamaican restaurants in Northern Jamaica
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A
Ocho Rios Jerk Centre
Good for sizzling jerk chicken and pork. Fish is also available.
reviewed
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roadside stalls
Cheap eats can also be had at the roadside stalls lining Main St, selling jerk chicken, bammy and more.
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Ultimate Jerk Centre
Ultimate Jerk Centre, opposite Green Grotto Caves, is an old favorite. The curried goat and conch stew are particularly good.
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Mackie’s Jerk Centre & Bar
Mackie’s Jerk Centre & Bar serves particularly good pork and chicken and stages an entertaining dominoes tournament on Tuesday nights.
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B
Bibibips Bar & Grill
This popular, touristy oceanfront bar and restaurant with a porch overlooking Mahogany Beach serves up a range of seafood, burgers, jerk and barbecue dishes that don’t quite live up to their pricing.
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C
Ruins at the Falls
Set amid a tropical garden with a lovely bridal-veil waterfall and pools, this Jamaican-Chinese restaurant has one-of-a-kind ambience. The all-inclusive lunchtime buffet features beverages, live entertainment and a garden tour.
reviewed
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Glistening Waters Marina Restaurant & Lounge
A clean, modern place that offers Jamaican and continental fare, from onion rings and steamed fish to lobster and pepper steak. It has killer cocktails in a tall sundae glass. Diners on a budget should consider the jerk center next door.
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D
Almond Tree Restaurant
Providing a splendid perch for a sunset dinner, this clifftop spot features a dining pavilion stairstepping down the cliffside. Candlelit dinners are served alfresco. The menu ranges from seafood and continental fare to steadfast Jamaican dishes.
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Sugar Mill Restaurant
Beautifully situated overlooking the green expanses of a golf course and adjacent to a 200-year-old working watermill, this is a fine restaurant serving seafood, steak and Jamaican specialties that are as superb as the setting. Reservations are required.
reviewed
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Live Bait
When it opened in 2003, this bright-yellow jazz bar was an instant favorite among local hipsters. Classic jazz posters inform the proceedings, and there’s a not-bad selection of wine on offer. Outside, a breezy terrace overlooks the bay. Open late.
reviewed
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Your Place
This roadside newcomer has a small indoor dining area and an outdoor patio, both of which are great for enjoying its chicken (barbecue or stewed) or fish dishes. Be sure to order a side of festival (a fried biscuit shaped like a sausage), which is particularly good here.
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E
Centre Spot
This unassuming hole-in-the-wall place whips up local favorites such as curried goat; specials include the ever-popular cow head (no explanation supplied). For breakfast, if you’re hungry consider the porridge – a cup of the cornmeal or peanut variety really sticks to your ribs.
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Woody’s Place
This pleasant spot – with an outdoor patio and an indoor counter that doubles as a local meeting place – prepares tremendous hotdogs and burgers, grilled cheese and Jamaican dinners to order. Vegetarians are catered for by a veggie burger heaped with stewed callaloo.
reviewed
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Scotchies
Widely regarded as the best jerk shack in Jamaica (hence the world), this roadside yard with thatched-covered tables doles out impeccable portions of chicken, pork and fish accompanied by sides of yams, festival or breadfruit. Cool your tongue off with a Red Stripe…and then go back for more.
reviewed
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F
Blue Runnings
On the periphery of Island Village is this pleasant place with a shady, peaceful patio. Jamaican fare such as jerk pork or chicken, steamed fish and a wholesome vegetarian platter (US$6) is served by day; in the evening the darkened, candlelit tables make for a romantic place to imbibe the local poison.
reviewed
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G
Survival Beach Restaurant
In addition to the usual local fare, natural juices and the best jelly coconut in town, this choice shack serves a tasty dish made with coconut milk, pumpkin, Irish potato, garlic, scallion, thyme, okra, string beans and three kinds of peas, served with sides of cabbage and callaloo. Just ask for the vital I-tal stew (US$5). Tip from Oliver the owner: call in advance.
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H
Evita’s
This charmer sits high above Ochi in a romantically decorated 1860s house. It is an airy setting with exquisite views. The Italian-Jamaican menu includes jerk spaghetti and the trademark ‘Lasagna Rastafari.’ Recommended are the smoked marlin carpaccio and wickedly good herb-crusted lamb chops. If you’re lucky the gregarious proprietor Eva will stop by your table and give your shoulder a squeeze.
reviewed
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Lion’s Den
West of town between Dolphin Cove and Dunn’s River Falls, this place looks like a tourist trap but it is worth a stop for the excellent, well-priced Jamaican fare and unique, artistic decor. The dining room resembles a Rastafarian chapel with hand-carved columns and wicker ‘tree limbs’ reaching to the ceiling. Outside on the patio, under a shady canopy of trees, you can spy on the goings-on at Dolphin Cove (bring binoculars). The menu boasts local specialties such as roast fish (US$6).
reviewed
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Country Style Bar
This brand-new place looks like it’s been around for eons. Owner/curator, Ansel Barrett, has filled every available nook and cranny with his delightful collection of bric-a-brac ranging from portraits of Robert Kennedy to preserved insects. The building itself is a casual masterpiece, extensively embellished with tile fragments and an offbeat assemblage of found objects. The main lounge is stylishly comfortable with a collection of vintage easy chairs and tables. A small beach looks out on an island to which you can kayak. The menu includes hearty breakfasts and a typical roster of Jamaican fare. You’ll find it just east of Coyaba Beach Resort.
reviewed
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Dickie’s Best Kept Secret
Almost too well kept a secret for its own good, Dickie’s is an unsigned hut on the A4, less than 2km west of Port Antonio that offers enormous five-course meals in two small rooms perched over the sea. Dickie and his wife Joy promise to cook anything you want (provided they can get the ingredients). Invariably, the meal begins with a palate-cleansing fruit plate followed by soup and a callaloo omelette. Just when you think you can’t eat another bite, the main course – typically garlic lobster or fresh fish – arrives. Dickie’s has only a few tables, so reservations are essential. The owners serve no alcohol, but you may bring your own.
reviewed
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Scotchie’s
This roadside offshoot of the superlative jerk center in Montego Bay lies adjacent to an Epping Gas station just west of Dunn’s River Falls, where its pork, chicken and sausage water the mouths of locals and visitors alike.
reviewed