Best Beach Restaurants

Hi everyone, coming back in December and staying on the beach. Just looking for everyone's thoughts on the best beach restaurants for food & ambiance. Most of my favorite restaurants are on the cliffs, not really up on the best of the beach.

High End:.. Kuyaba, Norma's, Le Vendome(Charela), Shereta's(Seawind)

Mid, more casual: Best In the West, Cosmo's, Pilot's Cafe, Sun Beach

Just walk around...there are plenty to choose from depending on what you're looking for $-$$$....................Enjoy!!

Kuyaba has for years been one of my favorites for both food and ambiance. Not an inexpensive meal but usually well worth it. I say usually because last time we were a bit disappointed, but one time in 12 years is not enough to change my recommendation.

Coconut International (next to BarBBarn) for local fare at reasonable prices. Original Negril - family owned.
BarBBarn has good food too, a little more $ than Coconut Int.

I vote for Alfreds'. They have really great food, big portions, at a very inexpensive price.... around $10 for full meal. On our last reach, we also discovered that they also make a yummy breakfast.
A bit higher end, I'd recommend Rondel village restaurant (keeps changing names). Food, ambiance, service are all great.
For a deluxe breakfast, I'd go with Country Country... they make the best banana pancakes and french toast!
Every year, we experiment... this year's find was Italian Cafe. Its across the road, just down a bit from Rooms. They have pasta and pizza to die for, at a reasonable price.
We dont stay at All inclusives anymore, there are too many places to try on the beach!!

Thanks, Kimbobwe, Ras, Goldilocks and Jody. I have been to Kubaya years ago for lunch, very nice. I'll have to give the others a try while there.

Breakfast - Alfreds (they make a great Jamaican breakfast); Negril Treehouse (buffet style with made to order eggs); and BarBBarn.
Lunch - Alfreds (great fish & chips): Cosmo's (conch usually on menu)
Dinner - Ossie's Shack (small quaint restaurant on beach side on road) - Miss Madge (Ossie's wife) is one of the best cooks in Negril and the ambience is great); Coconuts International; Charela Inn for high end international/jamaican cuisine

All of the above are Jamaican owned/operated and all have been serving great food for over 25 years

Hey Tim I'll b there in Dec. too!!!
My fave beach places for DINNER are:
Cosmos-casual and inexpensive good JA food, local/authentic ambiance
Normas-expensive but good food, kinds inconsistant over the years though (sometimes good, sometimes not so good) ambiance is ok as is the service
Country Country-a little on the expensive side but good gourmet JA cuisine, intimate and right on the beach.
Kuyaba-expensive but worth it, really nice ambiance especially if you reserve the treehouse table.
Margaritaville-good if you want to catch a sports event.
LUNCH:
Treehouse (Allan's Jerk Chicken)
Cheap Thrill Corner-patties and cheap beer.

Hi Tim, Everyone has given you great choices but if you want a "cheaper" quick take out, try SWEET SPOT which is almost directly across from Alfred's (love their food BTW). The place is always busy with Jamaicans so you know their food is good. You get a large portion of a variety of foods and they have expanded to include an eat in area.

I am heading down next week, if it ever gets here...the only plans I have made (in my head anyway) are the restaurants I want to be sure to visit. Country Country for breakfast(banana pancakes), Best in the West for lunch (jerk chicken), and Kuyaba for dinner (anything on the menu sitting at the treehouse table!). I will also probably visit Sunbeach for their fish fingers and fries.

What is special about this Treehouse Table?? I'm going down in September and staying on the beach I've thought about Kuyaba for my last night and if there is a best table in the place I want it! lol

Coconut International is mi favourite beach front place to eat :)
Good food
excellant prices
Angie (da owner) makes you feel like you're one of the family :o:o

I am big fan of Cosmo's. The conch soup is really good... (:

Treehouse table, crows nest....there is a nice table up a set of stairs that are to the right side of the restaurant if you approach from the beach. Nice private spot with a great view. The staff see me coming a I can almost see the moaning....oh no, she is going to make us work the stairs again...lolo

Thanks everyone, you're the best. I am going to have a great time figuring out which places to hit up with all of the advice. Keep it coming.

Michelle, fellow tri-stater December soon come. I am going early in Dec., how about you?

Our regular dinner places are Rainbow Arch (on the beach, 2.5 km from the roundabout), Miss Sonia's (on the road, east side, a few doors north of Grand Pineapple, <2 km from the roundabout) and Mama Flo's (on the beach immediately south of Merril's 1, 3 places south of Grand Pineapple, 1.2 km from the roundabout). All modest and inexpensive but with good cooking.

For lunch, it's usually Bourbon Beach for chicken and chips.

Breakfast is always at Alfred's. French toast and a side of bacon for me, callaloo omelet for my wife. Fresh juice from the booth on the beach about 100 yards north of Alfred's (Julia? something like that).

Dessert is nearly always cake from Marcia who sets up at Yellow Bird on the beach.

Maybe once each reach we'll go to someplace fancier.

wrtiii-Love Marcia's cakes! We stay at the Yellow Bird so of course we gorge ourselves every night.

if you are looking for sumthin cheap and good...Fatties on the beach road is a can't miss.....

regular dining experience on the beach would have to be Coconut International on the beach......

a nice romantic experience would have to be Kubaya on the beach.....place is fun and food is excellent

for lunch or breakfast I'd have to go with Alfreds.........their fish and chips are the best in Negril.......

for Jerk it is tuff to beat at Bourbon Beach right on the beach......beach road you have Ossies too.......

if you don't mind taking a taxi.......you should go down to Sweet Spice at the Roundabout.......excellent
and have desert at Devon Ice cream across the way at Tait's plaza.........

Shamrock Grocery store for best fresh squeezed OJ and best price on Red Stripes on the beach road.....

SunBeach to hangout and drink their $150J Red Stripes is a lot of fun too..........

Cool Runnings, Marko

One place I'd like to add to those suggested already is Chill Awhile. Really good food and nice beach locaiton.

Angela's at Bar B Barn is especially high-quality food, and considering the size of the portions a good deal .... Best in the West has good jerk, too, as do a bunch of the barrel guys .....

Last week we had great meals on the beach at Charlea and also at Chill Awhile. On the cliffs, Seastar is always good. We went to the
Saturday night buffett and party two saturdays in a row.

Respect,

Not on the beach...but if you like indian food, try the Indian Restaurant above Hammond's Bakery (can't remember the name of it?) Excellent food and service :)

if you want to do something really cool, and have a traditional old time style cooking dinner with everything and hard food plus more, check in with miss sonia.

she's been cooking out of her granny's recipes for decades, used to carry her son and fruit into negril every day from years gone by all the way from grange hill, then took to starting a fire on the beach and cooking up a few pots and then everything from there.

work out a menu, a price, with her and set her up with a deposit, set the date and come back and eat like kings. i don't normally eat sea bugs, but I'll put down a plate of her curried lobster no second thoughts.

lots of worthy mentions to hit up, negril is a chowhound's wet dream.

local food sweetspot i see was mentioned- also a nod must go to the king of box food one mile.

bourbon beach has one of negril's only and true jerk chicken pits. sadly, they ditched the potato press for frozen. used to be you could ask, but I haven't seen the press around at all.

barrel chicken is step-a-side, pretty much hands down- and you can tell that because he's always out first.

be on the lookout for vision, a street cart with amazing soups and other foods. another food vendor on the street worth checking into is priest ellis, ital, and there is another negril standby out a lot also doing ital, fix up a nice full plate for you on the serious cheap.

kuyaba has been mentioned, another romantic spot with real pizza (and real furniture) is sunrise club, also the best espresso in negril.

italian cafe is another good pizza joint, although I make them double up the dough.

i'll second and third ossie's,and sweet spice, and if you want an undiscovered sweet spice stroll into juicy j- don't be bashful try the juices for which the place is named for. ask for the ones made in house.

miss sonia also makes patties, hand made, and taught niah, who also has a devoted following.

i had a few nice dinners at the Palms, especially on Sunday for the live Jazz.

you'd need a three week stay to hit every place worth it.

oh yeah, boardwalk village is a new spot, well worth checking out, every now and then they have a sushi chef.

My favorite beach restaurant is Chill Awhile @ Idle Awhile. Besides Chicken Lavish, that is the one place I stop at every time I'm in Negril. Love the breakfasts at CocoLaPalm. Like Best in the West for chicken. Have also had some great meals at Cosmos. Definitely will be trying the fish and chips the next time I'm at Alfred's.

For Breakfast on the beach we love Alfreds, One Mile Cook shop by Momma Flo's is also another great place for breakfast, and also Pilot Cafe by the Palms Hotel but back off of the beach towards the road is good for breakfast. Alfreds breakfast sandwich called "the negril" is awesome.
Last trip (June) I must say that Alfreds got most of our beach business in the way of food, I would definitely agree with everyone about the fish and chips there, it's very good. Also we enjoy having a few meals a Sun Beach.
Dinners for us on the beach are usually Momma Flo's / Sun Beach / and Alfreds.
If you venture up to the cliffs please give De Bar a try for dinner and Sips and Bites a try for breakfast,lunch or dinner.
Jamb

I agree with the above. Although the ambiance is outdoor, Niah's Resutaurant has arguably the best patties in Negril. Give him a days notice for excellant vital stews or special order lobster patties. Don't overlook the vegetaian pattie (kalaloo)...yum yum yum. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uOqPHbNnCM

Don't forget about the banana pancakes at the Goa Cafe. Inland side of NMB.

So many places I am looking forward to checking out on for myself when I go. And also when I go in November, definitely plan on going back to Montana's Cafe, Tekla's cooking was amazing. :)

I agree........I am thankful for all the tips on where to eat. The only question is which one to try out first!!!!!