Travel / Jamaica

The Best Thing About Living in Jamaica, Part 6

Bars and Restaurants off the Beaten Path

Do you like eating? Do you like drinking?

I thought so. So do I.

There are days when it’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. Maybe you are the same way.

How about today we leave the cruise ship terminal and the all inclusive resorts behind and see what this looks like, off the beaten path, in Jamaica.

And maybe what it feels like, too.

It’s really one of the best parts of living on this island in the Caribbean.

Life for me in Kingston, Jamaica since I arrived in June of 2021 has often revolved around where to eat good food and drink good drinks. Prior to this, I had spent three years in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — a large, chaotic, hot city in a developing country on the coast of East Africa, which also had its hidden gems for places and things to eat.

Jamaican food, like Tanzanian food, is focused on what comes out of the sea and what can be grown on trees: Jerk chicken and pork, grilled lobster, ackee and saltfish, bammy, curried goat, oxtail soup, festival bread, pineapple and lime are just a few of everything I could happily eat every day.

And yet…the lineups in the drive through lane at the 40 KFC’s dotted around the island are epic, especially on a Friday evening. They say it’s the best KFC in the world and I had some last week and I have to say, I don’t get it.

Give me an oil drum cut in half, manned by a guy called Delroy, grilling chicken that has spent the day in a marinade that only he knows, over pimento tree charcoal. The smell in the air, the waiting and salivating for your piece and of course, a cold Red Stripe Beer.

Matter of fact, col’ like dog nose.

I consider myself incredibly lucky, as a foreigner, to be able to eat and drink my way around this place not as a tourist or a traveller, but as someone who gets to live here for an as yet undetermined length of time and soak it up as much of it as I can. I’m intrigued by this place because I have found that it won’t throw its arms around you right away and welcome you right in, as friendly as the Jamaican people are. There’s a waiting game first, a period of getting to know each other, a bit of a dance. It’ll wait a minute for you to get to know each other and only when you are ready will it show itself to you.

But even then you will have to be willing to go and find it yourself. The best parts are not in the cruise ship offload area and they are not at the package hotel. You have to ask a few questions, maybe get off the main roads, maybe be ok with getting lost occasionally..

The search for quality food made by hands with history and love is a big part of this. Here are 4 places that I can’t get enough of….

Chateau 7 Jerk Center (Stoney Hill, Kingston & St. Andrew Parish)

This one, I already wrote about 2 months ago and the link is here. Very sadly, this location has shut, but is reopening in a space New Kingston. In fact, it may already have. As it will be in the city, as opposed to in the hills, the vibe will be different — not necessarily better or worse — just different.

Floyd’s Pelican Bar (Treasure Beach — ish, St. Elizabeth Parish)

Not so secret anymore is this establishment, set on a sandbar a few kilometres off the south coast. Floyd is a fisherman who wanted a place where he and his colleagues could stop and have a cold beer or two before heading for shore with their catch.

At first it was just a few stilts and a deck. Then there were a few walls and a covered area. Then came a deck, a kitchen and a bar. Every time I go there, it seems like another piece has been added. Now there is a souvenir shop with tshirts and ball caps. There is also wifi, don’t worry.

It’s still a great way to spend an afternoon, getting a sunburn, with a plate of barbecued conch, a few cold Red Stripe beers and maybe a flask of Jamaican rum, but there is a steady stream of fishing boats ferrying people back and forth between Treasure Beach and the nearby town of Black River. By 2pm or so the place is good and crowded with tourists.

I’ve always wanted to see what it was like after everyone left, maybe spend the night out there. I bet your view of the stars wouldn’t be impeded by any light pollution. And I bet it’d be a hell of a time.

But in the world of travel, you can explore and search all you want, nothing stays just yours for very long. Maybe it shouldn’t. I certainly don’t begrudge Floyd. He’s built something that people want and he employs many people in the running of it. Good for him.

Eggy’s Bar (Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth Parish)

Your boat has brought you back to dry land from your afternoon at Pelican Bar. But ‘ang on, ‘ang on…it’s not time to go back to the hotel just yet.

There is the matter of the sunset and a few more cold beers and a few more sips of Appleton. Maybe you see the food come out as the people assemble to watch the sun go down and maybe you decide, after talking to the man himself, to have Eggy cook you a nice piece of fish as well.

The place is not slick and the chairs don’t match. It is put together by hand and you don’t really need to know anything about it to realise that it is a labour of love for someone.

Your feet are in the sand because there is no floor. Chill a bit and find your country / state / province’s licence plate nailed up on the wall. There really is no reason to go anywhere else and there really aren’t all that many places to go anyway. But between Eggy’s and Lion Rock next door, you can’t really go wrong as the day turns into night.

Little Ochie Seafood Restaurant (Alligator Pond, Manchester Parish)

From Treasure Beach, you could work your way back to the highway and return to Kingston that way. Or, you could follow a series of roads that hug the south coast and find your way to the small fishing town of Alligator Pond.

I remember coming here the first time I lived in Jamaica, 20 plus years ago. And I am glad to say that it has not changed a bit since then.

You’ve driven a bit to get here, as it is way off the main highway and the owners have thoughtfully positioned the bar and the beer fridge as the first thing when you come in.

Then, it’s the choosing of the seafood. Somebody will be happy to help you and the owner, Evrol or Blackie, is on the grill and really wants you to have a taste. I couldn’t imagine I’d ever come here and not have the grilled lobster, but I could not say no to the barbecued conch. Or the crab either.

One of each and let’s share.

Meals ordered, outside you go with your drinks and find a location on the beach to have a seat and wait. There are various converted boats with thatched roofs and there is a larger deck by the water.

It might take a while, but that’s ok, there’s lots of fishing community activity around and you’ve got nowhere to go. The place fills up with friendly people all here for the same reason and eventually your food is brought to you.

And you eat. And eat. And eat. And halfway through and enjoying the moment, you already can’t wait to come back.

Yeah. It really is that good here. Food is the way into any culture and Jamaica is no different. I don’t know if that’s the reason why McDonald’s and Taco Bell didn’t work here and don’t exist anymore on the island. It still doesn’t explain the thing about KFC though. The one off, a bit left of the dial, somewhat makeshift places are so much better.

If you are interested in reading my previous meanderings on this country, here are links to a few related articles:

Having privilege has certainly opened doors for me while living abroad the past 7 years. These are some realisations that have occurred to me about the difference in motivation, experience and expectations in being an expat and being an immigrant.

A previous article on the topic include some of the nuts and bolts of living life as an expat here.

Part 1 of this series on the topic of Jerk Chicken is linked above.

Part 2, on a road trip to Reggae Falls in St Thomas parish

Part 3, on a road trip to the Worthy Park Sugar Estate in St Catherine parish

Part 4, on taking part in a farmer’s market

Part 5, on the natural beauty of the country