Jamaica Food Tour: The Best Places to Eat in Negril

[Marblehead]

I'm glad Hungry Lion is getting some respect in this thread. If I don't eat there on any of my reaches, it's only because it's low season and they're closed. For thirty years that I've been going to Negril, they have always had a gentle vibe, cool scene, wonderful music and outstanding food. I love that place!

[brihinds]

Seastar has a great variety of excellent quality meals on their menu and the Saturday night buffet can't be beat.

[Mike_D]

Mike D, Niah worked for Ms Sonia for years and she taught him to cook.....Ms Sonia is so much more than patties....Locally she is one of the most respected ladies and cooks in Negril...

Thanks for the info, BR mon. I didn't know that. No disrespect to Ms Sonia - I should have said that I'm surprised the author didn't call out the more popular Niah. It seems Niah get's all the props when it comes to patties.

[TAH]

Candyman; what's this "outside MX"? I like to think I know Negril pretty well, but that one isn't registering for me...

Any soup pot outside of the MX. Conch Chowder's are excellent.

[Shaggy]

put well

[TAH]

I'll play. In no particular order, my five favorites...

Pee Wee's, Elvis's steam fish in incredible.
3 Dives, love their jerk, also their festival.
Ossies pork. Somehow, I've never eaten at Ragabones. I can't explain why.
Jus Natural. Miss Teresa is great, try her coconut drops if she has them.
Canoe Bar.

[Hussyband]

Right on, Chris B! With the endless pool of knowledge available on this board we can come up with a better list of places to eat, then any magazine article.

I'm a cliff dweller, so I might be a little be biased. Here are a few of my favorites:

-Chicken Lavish: A nice variety of chicken dishes (and more!). Consistant high quality. One of the first restaurants in Negril; a landmark.
-Jenny's Famous Cakes/C&D: Traditional Jamaican fare and comfort foods with a country western vibe.
-Ciao Jamaica: Good Pasta and pizza with a Jamaican twist
-3 Dives Jerk Centre: Everything here is very good. good vibes, great view.
-Eddies de Bar: Better Jerk Chicken and better vibes. No ocean view, but who cares when you're hanging out with Eddie and Pam.
-Hungry Lion: A MUST visit if you are into the local/organic thing. A bit fancier than most Negril spots, but a cool place to chill. Closed during part of slow season, so check it out when you can.
-Jamaican Style Restaurant: I love this little roadside shack, across the street from Le Mirage. Rohan is a great chef and very friendly to his guests. His daughter handles the bar. Menu consists of Chicken, Shrimp, Conch and Goat any style. Rohan makes a nice platter with rice and peas, a side veggies and a side of pasta. Solid food, great vibes.
-Ras Rody's: what else can I say about this West End favorite? The gold standard of Ital food in Negril.
-Shark's: Greet the spliff toking host, then have a seat at one of the 3 tables at this chill spot across from Tensing Pen. Shark's has a huge menu of Jamaican fare. His specialties include banana pancakes for breakfast and pan-fried snapper for lunch/dinner.
-AhhhBee's: This ain't no burger king hamburger. They are huge; the housekeeper at the Mirage told me that everybody that visits AhhhBee's has a half-eaten burger in their fridge. Try the jerk chicken burger.
-Ivan's: Always great food in an amazing cliff-side atmosphere. This place does it right. A little more expensive than most Negril restaurants, but you get what you pay for.
-Kuyaba: The only beach-side restaurant on my list, this another one of the "fancier" spots in Negril. Prices here are somewhat high, but I like the food and the tables over looking the beach.
-Push Cart: I was pleasantly surprised at how well Push Cart did Jamaican style food. There prices were not that high, either.
-LTU: Great food, great view and great mix of people. Bypass Rick's and stop at this place.


By no means is this an exhaustive list - just a few of the places that I feel are worthy of mention. Please feel free to add your own favorites.

A couple of add on commentaries to Mikes list --

Chicken Lavish... Go when the owner is there. The man will give you such an education in Jamaican politics as you have never had. All the while going on about Jamaican athletes, and the economy. He is like an audible version of the Gleaner. Love that guy.

Ahhbees burgers... I finished mine twice... And later wished I hadn't. There is a reason the smart people save half for later. Damn things are big enough to feed a small family (or me).

Ivan's. If you get a hankering for a frozen dessert, my wife swears by their frozen cheesecake. Not really Jamaican fare IMO, but she loves it. Best bananas flambé on the cliffs in my mind.

Sharks. Great host and hostess. Another place where the owners make the meal more interesting. Say hi to Mike when you go. Not sure how he is related, but if it's after 12, he is almost always there.

Ras Rody. Sometimes they will have a ginger drink, kinda like a punch? Not sure what to call it. Really, really strong. If the daughters are working (the huts namesake lives in the states now to my understanding), they are amazing ladies to talk to. There is a fellow that walks the road down that way hustling ... Not the crazy bracelet guy, but an almost Caucasian looking rasta fellow... One of the daughters tore into him about harassing her customers last year as I waited on the callaloo to be finished. Such a stream of patois... which was obviously extremely denigrating... Was enough to make my ears turn red, and I did not even understand half of it.

Push cart. First place I ever got roasted plantains with my dinner. Fabulous. Full service place, live music sometimes, decent pricing. They'll pick you up as well.

I think one thing I really like about the Jamaican places is people that go along with it. It seems that so many of my fonder memories of places to eat are tied somehow to the people that own or work in the establishments.

[phineasfreakears]

Candyman, I had my very first bowl of conch soup outside the MX3 about 25 years ago, while waiting for the gates to open for a concert. A memory my taste buds will never forget!

[booger]

Have the late night munchies? Hit one of the numerous barrels along the beach or the few on the West End. Better than Doritos and cheese puffs........

[Mike_D]

Candyman, I'm a relative newbie compared to a veteran such as yourself. I'm glad to see we have a lot of the same places on our lists. That just proves that the really great eateries have staying power, while many other places come and go.