EATING
OUT
The Jamaican traditional national dish
is aukee (local fruit) and salt fish. Another popular dish is jerk
chicken and pork well-spiced and barbecued on a smoky grill. Goat
or chicken curry is common as are rice ‘n’ peas. For those who
prefer a more international style of dining out, there are
restaurants serving dishes to suit most palates. A cold beer, such
as Red Stripe, is a great way to start any night but be sure to
finish off with a glass of beautiful Jamaican
rum.
Asian
Restaurants
Dragons
If
you’re ready for a break from Caribbean dishes, try some authentic
Cantonese and Szechwan cooking. Located in the South Tower Lobby
adjoining the Dragons Lounge, this delightful restaurant is open 6
to 11 pm for dinner. Dragons menu selections include: sweet and
sour pork, Szechwan-style chicken and nuts, chow mein, duck in plum
sauce, lemon fish and fried rice.
Renaissance Jamaica Grande
Main
Street, Ocho Rios
876-974-2201
The
Ruins
This
restaurant is perched right beside a waterfall, its tables at the
base of a 40-foot cascade. The menu here is diverse, with Oriental
specialties such as lotus lily lobster and Far Eastern chicken,
Jamaican dishes and some vegetarian choices.
DaCosta
Drive
876-974-2442
A Ruined
Romance
The site of
the restaurant has an interesting history. In 1831, Englishman
Robert Rutherford built a sugar factory near these falls, using
their energy to grind the cane. Allegedly, he married a local girl
named Rose Dale and they moved into a great house near the falls.
Later, while Rutherford was in England on business, Rose fell in
love with one of the plantation’s overseers. When her husband
returned home, he learned of his wife’s indiscretions and began
spending time with Annie Palmer, better known as the White Witch of
Rose Hall in Montego Bay. One night, after finding his wife with
her lover, he took Rose and the lover to a cave between the falls,
chained the couple to the walls, and sealed the cave with a
boulder. Later Rutherford married Annie Palmer and the plantation
became, literally, ruins.
Temples
This
elegant Asian restaurant serves Thai, Japanese, Indonesian and
regional Chinese cuisine. Couples sit on cushions in a rich Asian
atmosphere that features Oriental rugs, bronze fish and hanging
chandeliers. Entrée selections include: curried beef, chicken and
bamboo shoots with lemon grass sauce; Thai seafood fried rice; and
spicy Bangkok stir-fried vegetables with ginger-chili sauce.
The
Enchanted Garden, Eden Bower
Road
876-974-1400
Teppanyaki
Asian
dishes are prepared table-side by Teppanyaki chefs at this fun
eatery. A popular choice here is the Emperors Feast, a selection of
dishes such as oyster-flavored tiger shrimp and glazed tuna
teriyaki. End the evening with a sweet taste of Asia such as lychee
custard with an essence of orange blossom.
Sandals Dunn’s River,
North Coast Highway
876-972-1610
Caribbean
Cuisine
Windies
West
Indian food with a gourmet flair is served by white-gloved waiters
and waitresses at this elegant restaurant for couples only.
Offerings include Arawak-style jerk chicken in port; aged striploin
steak; red snapper fillet infused with Seville orange marmalade
grilled over charcoal; and lamb steak pan roasted with wild island
onions.
Sandals Dunn’s River, North Coast
Highway
876-972-1610
Continental
Cuisine
Evita's
Enjoy
fine dining in Ocho Rios in the setting of an authentic 1860's
Gingerbread house with wooden floors and mahogany bar. You can
enjoy lunch or dinner indoors or outdoors, on our verandah
overlooking the cruise ship piers and Ocho Rios. The menu
specialises in Northern Italian food. (876) 974 2333
info@evitasjamaica.com
Almond
Tree
The menu at
this popular eatery reflects both Jamaican and continental tastes.
Diners enjoy spectacular views from their table al fresco. The menu
is extensive. Live music entertains diners three times weekly.
83
Main Street
876-974-2813
Casonova
This
restaurant is open nightly except Friday and serves gourmet French
cuisine in a casually elegant setting. Casanova menu selections
include nut-crushed snapper, fillet of salmon served with saffron
and champagne sauce, baked sea trout topped with basil-hollandaise
sauce, pot-roasted guinea fowl with port game sauce, seared duck
stuffed with goose liver and nuts, jerk chicken roulade stuffed
with callaloo and tournedos of pork.
Grand Lido Sans Souci, North
Coast Highway, 2 miles east of Ocho
Rios
876-974-2353
The International
Room
This elegant
indoor restaurant serves gourmet cuisine. Try the seared fillet of
salmon with key lime, beurre blanc and saffron vegetable risotto.
It’s delicious. Other great choices are the chargrilled reef
snapper dusted with Jamaican allspice and served with papaya ginger
salsa and grilled plantains and the fresh shrimp sautéed in garlic
butter with fennel cream sauce.
Sandals Dunn’s River, North Coast
Highway
876-972-1610
Le
Gourmet
This elegant
French restaurant offers two seatings at 6:30 and 8:30 nightly,
except Wednesdays. Mouth-watering dishes include: Cajun-style
blackened snapper fillet and jambalaya rice; sautéed veal
medallions with roasted garlic; and steamed grouper stuffed with
crab and spinach on a spicy butter sauce, topped with crisp grated
potato garnish.
Couples Ocho Rios, North Coast Highway, east of
Ocho Rios
876-975-4271
Jamaica
Inn
Chef Wilbert
Matheson conjures up varied fare in this al fresco restaurant. Some
of the most tempting entrées are grilled beef tenderloin topped
with chicken liver compote; poached yellowtail tuna with steamed
mussels and tomato concasse; and porkloin with a pineapple and
honey glaze.
Two miles east of Ocho Rios, North Coast
Highway
876-974-2514, fax 876-974-2449
Jacket and tie are required
after 7 pm in all but the summer season. No children under age 14
are permitted to dine here, as the restaurant strives for an
elegant atmosphere. Reservations are
required.
Orchids
This
resort is noted not only for its villa suites with private plunge
pools but also for its cuisine. The signature restaurant is
Orchids, featuring nutritional gourmet cuisine developed in
conjunction with the Culinary Institute of America.
Ciboney, Main
Street
876-974-1027
Placere
This
elegant French restaurant is an excellent choice for a special
evening. Entrées include such creations as sautéed chicken breast
on a bed of soft polenta and fava beans; mille feuille of Angus
beef tenderloin and wild mushroom ragout; lavender-glazed salmon
with saffron whipped potatoes; smoked seafood spaghettini with
boursin and caper sauce and sevruga caviar; and mustard and
herb-crusted rack of lamb. Reservations are required.
Grand Lido
Braco, West of Runaway Bay on North Coast
Highway
876-954-0000
Plantation
Inn
This elegant
restaurant has been a favorite with Jamaica vacationers for over
four decades. Visitors can opt for breakfast in the main dining
room with local specialties such as ackee and codfish, liver and
bananas, pan-fried fish, or eggs, pancakes and freshly baked
breads.
Main Street
876-974-5601
Italian
Restaurants
Bayside
Bayside
is the perfect spot for a dinner right by the water’s edge. As its
name suggests, this open-air eatery sits right on the bay.
Specialties of the house are Italian, with a wide selection of
pasta sauces from which to choose. The restaurant is open for
dinner only from 6:30 to 9:30pm.
Couples Ocho Rios, North Coast
Highway, east of Ocho Rios
876-975-4271
If you are not a guest at
Couples Ocho Rios, you can purchase an evening pass which includes
drinks during your stay, the evening meal (including tips) and the
nightly show.
Evita’s
This
restaurant is a longtime favorite visited by travelers and locals
alike for good Italian food. Perched high over the city in a house
more than a century old, Evita’s is especially noted for its
numerous pasta and seafood dishes. Menu selections include homemade
fettuccini with meat sauce; fettuccini Alfredo; and red snapper
fillet stuffed with crabmeat and jumbo shrimp sautéed in garlic
butter, white wine and tomatoes. Operated by Eva Myers from Venice,
Italy.
Mantalent Inn, Eden Bower
Road
876-974-2333
L’Allegro
This
restaurant, with both indoor and open-air seating, offers fine
Northern Italian cuisine, including pizzas made in a Tuscan
wood-burning brick oven. Selections include pizza with blue cheese,
tuna, artichoke and bacon and another with toppings of jerk
chicken, yam and tomato sauce atop mozzarella cheese. Located in
the South Tower of the resort, this restaurant offers an extensive
wine list.
Renaissance Jamaica Grande, Main
Street
876-974-2201
Michelle’s
This
couples-only restaurant serves Northern Italian food. Try the
pan-fried swordfish, filet of snapper and shrimp baked in a paper
pouch or the beef medallions in a tomato and herb sauce with creamy
polenta.
Sandals Ocho Rios, North Coast Highway
876-974-5691
Ristorante
D’Amore
This
couples-only restaurant offers two courses as well as such
delicious desserts as tiramisu or chocolate and amaretto
cheesecake. Main dishes include: grilled snapper fillet; chicken
breast simmered in tomatoes; veal cutlets with fontina and
prosciutto sautéed in butter and wine; and pork medallions sautéed
in olive oil with capers, garlic and lime juice.
Sandals Dunn’s
River, North Coast Highway
876-972-1610
Toscanini
When
you’re ready to take a break from shopping at Harmony Hall, refuel
with a stop at this authentic Italian restaurant open for lunch and
dinner. The menu offers many classic Italian dishes supplemented by
ever-changing specials, dependent upon available fresh produce. The
carefully selected wine list features vintages from around the
world, while the fully stocked bar caters to all tastes. Toscanini
is popular with visitors and local residents. Its delightful
setting makes it an ideal spot for lunch, light or long, and for a
romantic candlelit dinner.
Harmony Hall, Tower Isle
876-975
4785
Jamaican
Restaurants
Calabash
This
Jamaican restaurant serves dinner nightly, except Wednesday and
Saturday. Each of the dishes reflects the rich cuisine of the
island, starting with such appetizers as May Pen mushroom pie and
scallops and crab cakes mixed with virgin olive oil, balsamic
vinegar and herbs. Entrées include mahi-mahi with grilled pineapple
and curried tomato vinaigrette, Kingston Kiev chicken breast
stuffed with herbed garlic butter, and baked christophines
(cho-cho) with vegetable spaghetti and red pepper sauce. There’s
also jerked chicken, jerked pork, red snapper escovitch and
peppered steak.
Couples Ocho Rios, North Coast Highway, east of
Ocho Rios
876-975-4271
Cardiff
Hall
Local and
international dishes fill the menu at this indoor restaurant, which
serves seafood, steaks, salads and vintage wines. As a training
institute, the restaurant offers classic European table
service.
Heart Hotel, Runaway
Bay
876-973-2671
Manor
Jamaican
dishes prepared with a gourmet flair are the order of the day at
this elegant eatery.
Ciboney, Main
Street
876-974-1027
Ocho Rios Village
Jerk Centre
This
open-air eatery looks like an all-American hamburger joint with its
striped canopy and casual atmosphere, but take a whiff of that
smoky jerk and you’ll know this is no burger bar. Jamaican jerk is
the star of the day here; try the pork, chicken or fish.
DaCosta
Drive
876-974-2549
Middle Eastern
Cuisine
Sultan’s
Table
This fine
dining restaurant serves delights from Morocco, Lebanon, Israel,
Algeria and Turkey. The Middle East theme is carried out in the
resplendent decor, which features rich Turkish rugs, ornate brass
screens and hand-carved ornaments. Offerings include stuffed
peppers with beef and cous cous; slow-cooked chicken with chick
peas; and snapper fillet with tahini-yogurt sauce.
The Enchanted
Garden, Eden Bower Road
876-974-1400
http://www.jamaicans.com/tourist/ochorios/ochoriosEat.htm
All Inclusive
Resorts
All guests staying at Sevilla Villa are
offered day/night reduced prices to visit local - All Inclusive
Holiday Resorts.
Breezes
After
working an appetite, take your choice: dine under the stars by the
Almond Tree, feast casually on the open-air Beach Terrace or how
about an elegant evening at Martino’s to dine Italian style?
Breezes is only ten to fifteen minutes walk from the villa and will
cost around US$70 for the whole day, this includes food, drinks and
access to all facilities.
http://www.superclubs.com/brand_breezes/resort_runawaybay/index.asp
Hedonism
If
there are any rules at a Hedonism resort, they are these: eat the
kind of food you dream about on a diet, leave inhibitions on the
doorstep – and never, ever, wonder how things are going back at the
office.
Hedonism III is for couples and singles, adults 18 years
and over, and will cost US$50 per day for Sevilla Villa
guests.
http://www.superclubs.com/brand_hedonism/resort_hedonismiii/index.asp
Club Ambiance
Club Ambiance is located in Runaway Bay, close to
where the beauty of Jamaica was discovered by Christopher Columbus
in 1492. This is particularly good value for money at US$40 per
person per day, eat and drink as much as you like and relax to the
sound of live jazz/reggae/ska music overlooking the sea.
http://www.clubambiance.com/about.htm