Jamaica Food Tour: The Best Places to Eat in Negril

[Mike_D]

"The vogue right now is to eat local, 'farm-to-table' fare, but in Jamaica, there is no other way."

http://www.caribbeantravelmag.com/ar...od-tour-negril

I first read the above article about a year ago, or so, and wanted to share it with those of you that haven't seen it. I think the writer did a decent job here.

This pretty much sums it up, for me. I have been to other Caribbean islands and have gotten frustrated at the expensive, imported food that is often served. Nothing compares to sitting at an open-air, roadside stand eating freshly prepared curry goat or brown-stew chicken. The food is one of the primary things that draws me back to Jamaica and Negril. Organic, locally sourced food is now becoming trendy in North America, but this is nothing new in Jamaica.

[Chris B]

Thanks for posting that, Mike_D... it came up on my Google feed a few days back... I thought he did a great job, also, but white space kind of handcuffed him. I would have liked to have seen more... a lot more. I appreciate that that would be tough to do, unless he were to take up temporary residence in Negril and make weekly postings.... but hey... that's what THIS place is for!

By the way, your comments about organic, fresh, local, garden to table foods are spot on. We have much to learn from our Jamaican friends!

In that spirit, I'm really interested in the thoughts of other boardies. What are your favorite foods, where 'pon d'beach and 'pon d'cliffs do you get them; what's the atmosphere like at your favorite foodie haunts? Give us an approximate location relative to other establishments or landmarks... I'm really stoked to learn more!

[Mike_D]

In that spirit, I'm really interested in the thoughts of other boardies. What are your favorite foods, where 'pon d'beach and 'pon d'cliffs do you get them; what's the atmosphere like at your favorite foodie haunts? Give us an approximate location relative to other establishments or landmarks... I'm really stoked to learn more!

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.

[Candyman]

I bring experience since 1979 and I've eaten the best food in my life in Negril. Since I've always been a Cliff Dweller most of my top meals have been from the Cliffs. Here's my short List.
I'll start with my Gold Medalalist !
Peewee's: If I ever go to the electric chair I want Chef Elvis to prepare his amazing Jamaican Eggs Benedict. I ate this dish since the first morning I woke up at LaMar at 18 years old, and wondered where the **** I was after a very Red Stripe filled ride on the Cheech and Chong bus from the airport. I love that you can just ask Elvis to make something and it's always outstanding. A place where us regulars congregate with the vibration Peewee instilled in alot of us.
Chicken Lavish: A regular stop for the 4 piece.
Canoe: An excellent menu and being a Carbonnara lover, I'm still shocked at how great that dish is, along with my wife's favorite the Tuna Melt. Great vibe.
De Bar: Outstanding Jerk Chicken. Took 3 of my nephews there a few years ago and we ate 6 chickens in 1 sitting. Asked Eddy if he could prepare a variety of fish for us to try the next night and it too, was outstanding. I think we had 5 or 6 different fish prepared a few different ways.
3Dives: Outstanding Jerk Chicken and Grilled Lobster.
Rockhouse: All glitz and glamour, and the foods OK. Had some good and some weak.
LTU : I think this is one of the most beautiful places to eat in Negril and the food is excellent. Hunter Scnitzel is outstanding, as is the Lobster Thermador.
Yacht Club : Had many a good feasts of Chinese Food on the big deck... Too bad it closed. They used to deliver food out to people waiting in line to use the payphone.
Kuyaba on the beach: Pretty place with pretty good food.
Jenny's: Great homecooked meals. Jenny made me a birthday cake years ago and after I had a piece I developed the munchies pretty bad and ate 10 pounds of the only munchy Negril used to have... Banana Chips.
Sweet Spice: Another place for great home cooked meals up Police road..
Any soup pot outside of the MX. Conch Chowder's are excellent.
Concert nites bring a whack of portable food vendors outside the gates no matter who is hosting the music. Hang out there and try a few things, you'll be surprised how good they are.
Hungry Lion: Great food in a unique place. Vegan's love this place.

Hard to hit new places when you have all these classics to hit too.

[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.

[Seveen]

he didn't scratch the surface

[Mike_D]

he didn't scratch the surface

Yeah, not even close. Even if the author had limited space (as Chris B suggested), I wonder why he chose to call out Miss Sonia's and Best in the West, instead of the (arguably) better Niah's and 3 Dives.

However, even though the article is titled "The Best Places to Eat in Negril", that is not what I took away from the story. I thought of it as more of a dialog on the food culture in Negril. In the body of article, he doesn't really discuss specific eateries, but rather talks about the food that is unique to Jamaica, where the food comes from and how it is prepared. He also talks about the vibe at the roadside eateries, comparing the scene on streets to performance art. (Reminds me of something Kahuna3 said in one of his trip reports).

Rather than a list of the best places to eat, I see this article as the perfect explanation for my family and friends who don't understand why we won't stay at an AI resort where there is unlimited food and drink available.

[Shaggy]

put well

[takinitslow]

Ever had the fried egg sandwich at Alfreds? I dream about it all year long till I can get the next one. Hot fresh coco bread, fried egg, cheese, tomato, greens!!!! Damn im drooling!

[BR Mon]

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...