Caribbean Dining Guide
Jerk pits, conch shacks and cliffside tables, island by island.
Each island in this guide has its own food. Jamaica is the home of jerk, meat rubbed with Scotch bonnet peppers and allspice and cooked slowly over pimento wood. Puerto Rico cooks with sofrito and plantains, and mofongo, mashed fried plantain with garlic, is its signature dish. Barbados has flying fish and cou-cou, St. Lucia has green fig and saltfish, and conch is everywhere in the Turks and Caicos.
Resort restaurants are reliable but rarely the most memorable meals; ask where locals eat, and try at least one beach shack and one fish fry. Book ahead for well-known restaurants in high season.
Jamaica
Jerk pork, chicken and festival dumplings cooked in open pits under pimento wood.
Casual food and drinks on the cliffs, best known for sunset and cliff jumping.
Restaurants, a bakery and a famous ice cream shop in the grounds of a historic mansion.
Puerto Rico
Chef Jose Enrique's modern Puerto Rican cooking near the Placita market.
A warren of connected bars, each with its own drinks and music.
Aruba
Fresh-caught fish and shrimp fried and served by the dock in a working fishing village.
Tables set in the shallow water at the shoreline, especially popular at sunset.
Barbados
A seaside restaurant on the south coast with views over the water.
St. Lucia
A hilltop dining room at the Jade Mountain resort facing the Pitons.
Turks and Caicos
Conch salad, fritters and rum punch on the sand at Blue Hills.
Restaurants change hours, menus and ownership often — check with the restaurant before you go. Listings are editorial picks, not paid placements.
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Get free trip quotes »the Caribbean Dining — FAQ
What is the national dish of Jamaica?
Ackee and saltfish, usually eaten for breakfast. Jerk chicken and pork are the island's best-known food abroad.
What should I eat in Puerto Rico?
Mofongo, lechon (roast pork), arroz con gandules, alcapurrias and other fritters from the beach kiosks, and a pina colada, which San Juan claims as its invention.
Is the food spicy in the Caribbean?
Some is. Scotch bonnet peppers give heat to jerk and many sauces, but most dishes are mild and hot sauce is served on the side.