Dining & Shopping in Jamaica

Restaurants In Jamaica
Dine, Island Style
Ever wonder what makes Jamaican food receive praise from all over the world? It’s not just flavor-filled dishes hugged with herbs and spices—it’s gourmet experiences you simply can’t replicate elsewhere.

Imagine carefully cupping foil filled with just-smoked jerk pulled from pimento wood, enjoying a whole fish drowning in savory stew near a whispering seaside, or popping open a frosted Red Stripe beer bottle under the Jamaican sun. These are just a few of the unparalleled island pleasures you can have in Jamaica. Dining here is a feast for the senses, whetting appetites with an abundance of food festivals, street food, and a plethora of restaurants.

 

Kingston
Kingston is the country of Jamaica’s capital city and thrives as a melting pot of cultures. This mixture has birthed and developed diversity in many forms, underscored greatly by our cuisine. Whether you crave crackling jerk under a bamboo hut, a homestyle meal fit for Sunday dinner tables around the island, or a taste of international flavors, Kingston has more than a few answers for satisfying your hunger.

Some famous restaurants in Jamaica were first established in Kingston before spreading to other parishes, such as Usain Bolt’s restaurant and Gloria’s Seafood. Different ends of the parish host pockets of foodie escapes with multiple eateries in one area. From the likes of Grog Shoppe and Damascus Gate at Devon House to New Kingston’s Triple Century Sports Bar and Sweetwood Jerk Joint, to the revitalized downtown restaurants like Moby Dick and Ribbiz Ocean Lounge and beyond.

 

Montego Bay
The Gloucester Avenue ‘Hip Strip’ is Montego Bay’s buzzing street that offers a variety of options to indulge in. Get a taste of what Montego Bay has to offer with samples from around the globe within steps of each other.

Filling options from China House Restaurant, iconic selections from Margaritaville, and traditional Jewish servings from Chabad of Jamaica, the first kosher hot spot in Jamaica, will leave you with more than just a bellyful. Enjoy tasty eats at top restaurants in Montego Bay while bar hopping day to night from Pier 1 to Hard Rock Café for a well-rounded experience.

 

Blue Mountain Culinary Trail
Jamaica’s hills hold more than just coffee. Take the Jamaica Blue Mountain Culinary Trail and savour delicious eats from restaurants and cafes along the route ascending the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Dine with a majestic view of the lush terrain and cosmopolitan Kingston below.

 

Negril
Negril has its own bustling stretch of culinary possibilities along the famed Seven Mile Beach. In between beachfront resorts, you can grab a bite before or after soaking up the sun at a cozy spot like Arthur’s Beach Bar, or perhaps stop for a snack and a drink at a local jek spot, or live the high life at a high-end restaurant for a special occasion or just because you’re in Jamaica.

Make your way to the quiet cliff side of Negril’s West End to uncover an additional host of dining options overlooking the gradient horizon. You can get front row seats to Jamaica’s impressive sunsets at Rockhouse Restaurant.

 

Ocho Rios
As a coastal resort town, it’s no surprise that Ocho Rios has a sizeable selection of seafood restaurants in Jamaica. Pioneering fine dining establishment Spring Garden Steakhouse & Seafood and the appropriately named Seaside Dutchie are two popular picks to enjoy the catch of the day. You’ll find a pod of other choice seafood selections at the central Fishing Village, which sits just by the shore.

Jamaica’s savory options range from street food to fine dining, granting an indescribable satisfaction no matter where you choose to sample.

Shopping in Jamaica
Before your Jamaican vacation ends, pick up a piece of paradise. The satisfaction of inspecting a product before your purchase it—feeling its durability, smelling the ingredients, and seeing the true quality—is enhanced in Jamaica with the knowledge that many items are handcrafted and made locally. With just about everything from trinkets to high-end products, shopping in Jamaica will leave you with souvenirs of many kinds.

Negril
Laid-back Negril is famous for silky sands and the blue calm of Seven Mile Beach. Vendors roam daily, charming buyers with everything from handmade crafts to tasty bites and creative offerings like beachside massages and hair braiding. Stall collections like the Negril Craft Market and decades-old Rutland Point are respectively located on both the sandy and craggy sections of the city. For additional variety, Time Square Shopping Mall is stocked with duty-free purchases.

Port Antonio
Musgrave Market is considered the go-to produce market in Port Antonio. Its shoreline location includes Musgrave Craft Market, offering authentic merchandise such as pieces created by Maroon descendants. Facing Fisherman’s Beach are a collection of small huts which compose The Craft Village. This shoppers’ paradise includes a bar, eateries, and an outdoor playground for younger visitors.

Ocho Rios
Harmony Hall Gallery shares works by over 100 Jamaican artists. Whether you’re staying in Ocho Rios or visiting after docking at the port, picking up souvenirs is easy. Ocho Rios Craft Market, Pineapple Craft Market, and Coconut Grove Market are surrounded by accommodations and attractions to make supporting local vendors simpler. If cooling down under Dunn’s River’s natural cascading showers, their on-site craft market creates one less stop.

Montego Bay
This tourist capital has retail options catering to all buyer types. Get extra value by visiting a shopping village that doubles as a historic venue. For example, the grounds of 17th-century Fort Montego has the artisan shops of Old Fort Craft Market; and the Montego Bay Cultural Centre offers exhibitions on a 20th-century site and houses a National Museum.

While you’re out enjoying the city, Harbour Street and Holiday Craft Market are both conveniently located near main attractions and popular resorts to stock up on souvenirs. Speaking of attractions, the eerie Rose Hall Great House is across from the Shoppes of Rose Hall. This shopping village includes a variety of handmade goods, resort apparel, luxurious pieces from the likes of Casa de Oro Jewelers, and more.

Kingston
For a more authentic experience, why not go where the locals shop? Kingstonians flock to the strip malls in Half Way Tree and the bargain blocks of downtown. Attractive product displays, blasting speaker boxes, and promoters on microphones beckon shoppers inside.

Downtown near the Jamaica Conference Centre, National Gallery, and Victoria Pier eateries, is the Kingston Craft Market. Its boundless view of Kingston Harbour’s rolling waves is an extra feature, aka ‘brawta’ in patois. In Half Way Tree, an interior Kingston area, you’ll find Sun Island and sister store My Jamaica. Known mostly for T-shirts with island flair, the shops are almost synonymous with Jamaican-made products. They, plus Bijoux duty-free store, are must-visits for many shoppers ahead of Kingston airport departures.