Location: 7 Folly Rd., in Port Antonio (on the coast side of the road, just east of town)
Phone: 876.715.6533
Reservations: Not accepted
Hours: Approximately 8AM-11PM daily
Credit cards: Yes; MC, V, AE, DC
Price Range: US$5.00-$16.00
Food: Seafood and Jamaican specialties
Details: Anna Bananas is really just a roof over a big deck, painted bright yellow, on a small stretch of beach with a nice view of Port Antonio. They will either list the choices for the day on a chalkboard or the server will relate them to you. Usual offerings are fried fish or chicken, oxtail, sandwiches, curry goat or chicken, stew chicken, and lobster, conch and shrimp. My curry chicken meal here was very tasty! Weekend offerings include jerk chicken and pork. The specials are ready as soon as you order. If you want something special and they have the right ingredients, ask the server and the chef might cook it up just for you. Enjoy the full bar and two pool tables while you chill. Anna Bananas can also be booked for wedding receptions or large events (it really is quite large). There is room for 3 or 4 cars in their very small parking lot just in front.
Boston Jerk Centre - EDITOR'S PICK!
Location: Route A4, just east of Port Antonio, in Boston Beach
Hours: Approximately 10AM-midnight daily, maybe longer
Credit cards: No
Price range: Reasonable (and you can barter a bit)
Food: Jamaican Jerk center of the universe
Details: Jerk stands are everywhere on the island but some say Boston has the “real thing”. The fragrant aroma should lead you right to it. Stall after stall of jerk vendors who have been doing this for generations offer some of the best jerk pork in Jamaica but you can also get chicken, sausages, fish or lobster (when in season). Order your meat by the quarter, half or full pound. To accompany the meats you can get festival, breadfruit, hard dough bread or rice and peas. To wash it all down there is fresh natural juice made from june plum, guava, and pineapple along with the regular sodas, beers and of course coconut water. Try it on the weekend; they are busiest but this means the meat won’t overcook on the fire. It would be a national tragedy if you left Jamaica without eating plenty of jerk.
Chill-Out Beach Bar and Restaurant
Location: On Long Bay Beach, in Long Bay
Phone: 876-913-7327
Reservations: Not needed
Hours: 10AM-10PM daily
Credit cards: Unknown
Price Range: Reasonable
Food: Burgers, fish, local Jamaican
Details: Although they suffered damage to their thatched roof from Hurricanes Dean and Gustav and lost the seaside patio, everything is OK here and they are up and running. (Unfortunately their neighbor, Cool Runnings, was demolished.) This popular beachfront bar and eatery serves great burgers, local dishes and excellent fish. Chill-Out is where much of the evening action is in Long Bay; they have a lively bar and often hold sound-system parties and jams.
Cynthia’s on the Beach - EDITOR'S PICK!
Location: On Winnifred Beach off the A4 about 5 miles east of Port Antonio, in Fairy Hill
(At the Fairy Hill crossroads, the turnoff to the right is for Athenry/Nonsuch. On the left, opposite the Jamaica Crest Resort, is a narrow bumpy “road” leading down to Winnifred’s. If you pass the sign for Winnifred Rest House, you missed it.)
Phone: 876.347.7085
Reservations: No
Hours: Daily
Credit cards: No
Price Range: About US$5.00 a plate
Food: Fish, lobster, vegetarian, local Jamaican
Details: This is a wonderful laid-back local beach - a great choice for spending your day. There are small stands where you can buy cool drinks, snacks, corn on the cob and handmade items. Painter (cook) and Cynthia’s (owner) restaurant, tucked into the northeast end of the beach, is a popular eatery and they cook up some of the best breakfasts and lunches around. Everything is freshly caught and cooked to order, including the festival bread. So, put your order in before you get hungry. Don’t pass up the lobster (spiny, not Maine lobster) when it’s available! The food is delicious and the location is sweet! They usually serve until the late afternoon.
Dawn’s Bar & Snack Shop - EDITOR'S PICK!
Location: On Rte. A4, across the street from the beach, in Manchioneal
(Along the big curve in the road around Manchioneal Bay)
Reservations: No
Hours: Daily
Credit cards: No
Price Range: Very inexpensive
Food: Jerk chicken, fish, and the BEST soup around!
Details: There are several little snack shops along the bay in Manchioneal but you can easily spot Dawn's by the huge soup pot sitting right out front. Look for it! Dawn is the most charming and friendly Jamaican woman who makes the BEST red pea soup anywhere in Jamaica (in my unbiased opinion!). I stop here several times each time I visit – I can’t get enough and wish she could Fed-Ex some to me! The soup is perfectly spiced and has many ingredients, including red peas (a.k.a. kidney beans), carrots and wonderful dumplings. She sells it in various sized containers; the large one is more than enough to fill up a hungry belly or two. She offers other food at her cookshop and I am sure everything is delicious, but you must try Dawn's soup!
DeMontevin Lodge Restaurant
Location: in DeMontevin Lodge Guesthouse, 21 Fort George St., in Port Antonio
Phone: 876-993.2604
Reservations: Recommended
Hours: Lunch and dinner daily
Credit cards: Yes; MC, V, AE
Price Range: Reasonable
Food: Jamaican homestyle
Details: This family-run restaurant is well known for its delicious home-style Jamaican cuisine that uses seasonal fresh ingredients.
Devon House’s I-Scream - EDITOR'S PICK!
Location: West Street (at the Errol Flynn Marina), in Port Antonio
Details: I-Scream, the popular Kingston ice cream parlor, is a household name in Jamaica. Besides the standards, they serve delicious Jamaican flavors like bordeaux cherry, rocky river, strong back, devon stout, pistachio, and coconut coffee. By all means, get a fabulous sour-sop cone and enjoy it as you wander around the Marina.
Dickie's Best-Kept Secret - EDITOR'S PICK!
(after the Cool Oasis gas station, on the coast side of Rte. A4)
Phone: 876.809.6276
Reservations: Required
Hours: 5PM-11PM daily, other times based on demand
Credit cards: No
Price range: US$20.00-$30.00
Food: Jamaican (Chicken, fish, lobster, goat, vegetarian, etc)
Details: This place is a gem and, hopefully, the government’s highway road-widening hasn’t demolished it! Imaginative Dickie (Alvin) Butler owns this not-so-secret-anymore funky yellow and blue Victorian-ish shack, where he is also the chef. He’s been in business for 30 years and learned his trade at some of the best hotels in Jamaica (Ritz-Carlton, Trident, Frenchman’s Cove). The place is perched on the side of a cliff and is really three stories, going down toward the sea. The cozy dining rooms are eclectically decorated by Dickie himself, with Rasta drawings, photos, wood carvings, and other works of local art. Reservations are REQUIRED and you must order your five-course meal in advance so Dickie will know what to purchase and cook for you. If you order fish, it will be caught that day. Dickie will try to accommodate you without a reservation but there are no guarantees. Follow the steps down the cliff to Shan Shy Beach. And be sure to check out the panoramic views from the restrooms here! First class food and service, casual atmosphere, totally Jamaican experience!
Hotel Jamaican Colors Bar/Grill - EDITOR'S PICK!
Location: Ross Craig District, on the coast side of Rte. A4, in Manchioneal
(if heading east from Port Antonio, just past the curve in the road known as See-Me-No-More)
Phone: 876.893-5185 or 876.407-4412
Reservations: Not necessary
Hours: Serving throughout the day & evening
Credit cards: Unknown
Price range: US$10.00-$20.00
Food: Pizza, Jamaican, Continental
Details: If nothing else, definitely try the pizza here! They have a wide variety of creations on their menu including a delicious chicken pizza. Martine Bourseguin or her son, Romain, will cook up tasty Jamaican dishes like jerk chicken or pineapple chicken, but they have a good selection of other entrees as well, including steaks, burgers and sandwiches. Their pleasant outdoor dining area overlooks the swimming pool and the sea. You can get a nice little candlelit table for two out by the pool if you're looking for a little romance. They are eager for you to enjoy your meal and I never went hungry here!
Location: 13 William Street, in Port Antonio
Phone: 876.715.5244
Reservations: Not taken
Hours: Monday-Saturday for lunch & early dinner
Credit cards: No
Price range: $2-$5
Details: Besides jerk chicken, patties are the other favorite Jamaican fast food creation. Delicious pockets of dough filled with beef, chicken, fish or veggies, you simply cannot leave Jamaica without trying one!
KFC (aka Kentucky Fried Chicken)
Location: 22 West Street, in Port Antonio
Phone: 876.715.5298
Price range: US$5.00-$7.00
Details: Do I really have to explain this one? With locations all over the island, KFC is truly a Jamaican institution. You know the drill – “They do chicken right”. I swear I eat more KFC here in Port Antonio than I ever do at home in Los Angeles. It definitely tastes better here! I don’t think that’s my imagination; it’s either far better chicken (my guess) or a different type of oil. The spicy and BBQ flavors are WAY better here in Jamaica. Anyway, when you need a quick familiar fix, KFC is the place for tender juicy fried chicken.
Location: in Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, along Rte. A4, in Drapers Heights
(about 3 miles or a 10-minute drive east of Port Antonio)
Phone: 876.993.7267
Reservations: Recommended
Hours: 8:30AM-10:30AM, Noon-2PM, 7-9:30PM daily
Credit cards: Yes; MC, V, AE
Price Range: Lunch US$9.00-$30.00, dinner $20.00-$40.00
Food: Nouvelle-Jamaican
Details:This is a romantic gourmet favorite. If you arrive by 6Pm you can sit on the verandah and watch the sunset. Enjoy the wonderful coastline views and the garden of a “thousand flowers”. The restaurant offers an à la carte menu that changes daily. Some of their interesting entrées include chicken in June plum sauce; grilled fish with spicy mango-shrimp sauce; jerk-spiced meatballs topped with grilled bananas and rum sauce; and spiced fish with tamarind and coconut sauce. Lunches include sandwiches, salads, grilled-fish platters, and soups. There are always several menu options for vegetarians. The restaurant has been praised by Gourmet magazine for its dishes.
Location: on the banks of the Rio Grande, near Port Antonio
Reservations: No
Hours: Lunch
Credit cards: No
Price Range: Inexpensive
Food: Local Jamaican
Details: Instead of packing your own picnic lunch for your 3-hour relaxing rafting trip down the Rio Grande, plan to stop at Miss Wissy’s, also known as Belinda's Riverside Canteen. You can only access the place while on your rafting trip. Miss Betty was a longtime institution on the river and was noted for her mean pepperpot soup. Her daughter, Belinda (Wissy), now handles most of the cooking. The menu changes daily but they have all your Jamaican favorites and the food is great!
Location: at the Errol Flynn Marina, in Port Antonio
Phone: 876.993.9510
Reservations: Recommended for dinner
Hours: Tues-Sat 10AM-10PM, Sun Noon-8PM
Credit cards: Yes; MC, V
Price Range: Lunch US$12.00-$20.00
Food: Nouvelle Jamaican, Continental
Details: Norma Shirley, who runs this upscale restaurant, is one of the best-known chefs in Jamaica. This sprawling beachside establishment with great harbour views is her newest restaurant, opened in 2005. The menu changes regularly according to what is in season and might include smoked marlin or grilled lobster, along with steak, pork and fish dishes.
Location: in Fern Hill Club Hotel, Mile Gully Rd., in San San
(Drive east along Allan Ave. and watch for the signs)
Phone: 876.993-7374
Reservations: Recommended
Hours: 7:30AM-10PM daily
Credit cards: Yes; MC, V, AE
Price range: US$8.00-$25.00
Food: Jamaican, International (chicken, pork, fish, etc)
Details: The road leading up into the hills to get you here is one of the worst in the area, but the food is usually reliable. And the great views make for great sunsets. San San Tropez
Location: just east of Port Antonio on the Rte. A4 main road, in San San
Phone: 876.993-7213
Reservations: Recommended
Hours: Noon-4PM, 6-9:30PM daily
Credit cards: Yes; MC, V, AE
Price range: US$10.00-$20.00
Food: Italian, Pizza
Details: This is the place to go for great Italian seafood and pizzas. The menu is vast, and there's a large wine list. The indoor dining room looks like a Roman villa. There are also romantic, candle-lit tables by the pool. Menu items include homemade pastas, fresh fish, and Italian staples like chicken or veal parmigiana, and osso buco. Be sure to try the delicious homemade lasagna.
Location: on Rte. A1 at Somerset Falls, 2 miles east of Hope Bay
Phone: 876.993-3115
Reservations: Required
Hours: Lunch and early dinner
Credit cards: Yes; MC, V, AE
Price range: US$10.00-$20.00
Food: Burgers, Seafood, Jamaican
Details: Indoor and outdoor dining in a romantic garden atmosphere with a deck overlooking the river. Their specialty is seafood along with chicken and hamburgers and they will prepare Chinese, Italian and Jamaican meals to order. They have an occasional live band.
Sweet Daddy
Location: roadside on the Rte. A4 next to Morgan’s Glass House, in Long Bay
Phone: 876.913.7475 or 876.891.0516
Reservations: Not necessary
Hours: Daily
Credit cards: No
Price range: US$3.00-$7.00
Food: Local Jamaican
Details: This local favorite serves baked or fried chicken, curry goat, and fresh fish as well as hearty breakfasts. They also cater to vegetarians.
Location: roadside on the A4 main road in Drapers
(about 3 miles or a 10-minute drive east of Port Antonio, near San San)
Phone: 876.993-7888
Reservations: Required for dinner; not necessary for breakfast or lunch
Hours: 10AM-10PM daily
Credit cards: No
Price range: US$3.00-$15.00
Food: Burgers, Jamaican (chicken, fish, goat, vegetarian, etc)
Details: The famous Woody's Low Bridge Place has been in business since 1986 and is run by Charles "Woody" Cousins and his wife, Cherry Cousins. “Low bridge” is for the low doorways that cause taller visitors to stoop when they enter. The Cousins’ specialize in homemade burgers made from local ingredients. They also offer the best veggie burgers anywhere in Jamaica and other items for vegetarian diners. You order at a window, and then dine in a big open covered pavilion. All food is cooked to order so call in the morning if you want one of their three course Jamaican meals for dinner, like curry goat, jerk chicken or escoveitch fish. And, with any luck at all, Woody, an aspiring reggae singer will sing for you! The bar offers plenty of local specialties too, from fresh fruit punch to Red Stripe beer and they make their own non-alcoholic ginger beer. Cherry’s homemade jerk seasoning is available to purchase. Enjoy warm, friendly hosts and one of the best meals on the island.
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