New York City consists of numerous boroughs, including Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. There’s even a middle class neighborhood called Jamaica. All over NYC you’ll find good places to eat Jamaican cuisine.
In our search to find the best Jamaican restaurant in NYC, we have found the following nine restaurants to have amazing food. We ranked the restaurants based on customer reviews, atmosphere, and food quality.
1. The Door
The Door is the best Jamaican restaurant in NYC for dates due to its upscale atmosphere. In 2014, they won Trip Advisor’s certificate of excellence award. When you walk inside the restaurant, professionally dressed staff greets you. The restaurant has a large circular booth on the main level and an elegant, elevated dining room.
Delicious items on the menu include jerk chicken, brown stew chicken, curried chicken, curried goat, and oxtail. You can have fried plantains on the side. Some appetizers they have are escovitched chicken strips, garlic shrimp, crab cakes, and fried calamari.
The Door is suitable for nice family meals as they have a kids menu too. Children can choose to have chicken fingers, shrimp scampi, pan fried fish filet, or spaghetti and bolognese.
Address: 163-07 Baisley Blvd, Queens, NY 11434.
2. Miss Lily’s
Miss Lily’s is the best Jamaican restaurant in NYC with a vibrant, retro atmosphere. The cooks take a modern approach to classic Jamaican cuisine. You can enjoy jerk chicken, curried goat, escovitch fish, and oxtail at the restaurant.
Miss Lily’s has an award-winning chef on board: Andre Fowles. He won twice on the Food Network’s “Chopped.” Fowles is a Jamaican native as well. Some seasonings Miss Lily’s uses in their dishes are scotch bonnet peppers and fiery jerk spices. You can make reservations at Miss Lily’s or order food for delivery. The restaurant also offers catering and event space services.
Address: 132 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012.
3. Negril Village
Negril Village is a good Jamaican restaurant for a fun night out. They have an in-house DJ who plays island tunes to help set a Caribbean atmosphere. Their rum punch is potent, and the cuisine is spicy. The interior is bright and colorful with a contemporary vibe.
Items on the menu you can enjoy include jerk treasure, curry goat stew, Jamaican saltfish cook-up, and jerk shrimp. Negril Village is a family run, privately owned restaurant. Marva Layne founded the restaurant with the goal to use high quality ingredients and provide great hospitality.
Address: 70 West 3rd St, New York, NY 10012.
4. Corner Style
Several customers consider Corner Style the best Jamaican restaurant in NYC. Popular dishes at the restaurant include curry chicken, oxtail, jerk chicken, beef patties, and plantains. They give generous portions, and the service is good as well. Beverages you can choose from are sorrel, ginger beer, Irish moss, Jamaican sodas, and coconut water.
Address: 1195 Walton Ave, Bronx, NY 10452.
5. Freda’s
Freda’s is a family-run Jamaican restaurant that serves hearty portions of Caribbean food. It has a small, intimate dining area, so you can enjoy a quiet meal. Menu items include oxtail, jerk chicken, jerk shrimp, brown stew chicken, and curried chicken. You can have fried sweet plantains, white rice, callaloo, collard greens, or macaroni and cheese on the side. Examples of beverages you can order at Freda’s are sorrel, homemade lemonade, and ginger ale.
Address: 993 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10025.
6. Jamaica Breeze
Jamaica Breeze is a small eatery that serves tropical juices and Jamaican cuisine. The recipes they use have been in their family for several generations. Favorites on their menu include oxtail, curry chicken, jerk chicken, stew chicken, and carrot cake. One customer described the carrot cake as “out of this world.” He said that his only complaint was they run out of carrot cake sometimes due to its popularity. Jamaica Breeze offers delivery for a minimum order of $10.
The restaurant has a wide variety of Jamaican drinks, such as Blue Mountain coffee, DG Jamaican soda, and Vitamalt. They have many baked goods available too like roundspice buns, coconut bulla cakes, sugar buns, and bulla buns. Jamaica Breeze offers catering services as well.
Address: 103-02 Astoria Blvd, East Elmhurst, NY 11369.
7. Port Royal Restaurant & Bakery
Port Royal Restaurant & Bakery is a Jamaican eatery with a relaxed atmosphere. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can choose a traditional dish or try a more adventurous meal. The restaurant is kid-friendly, ideal for families looking for good Jamaican food in NYC.
Port Royal Restaurant & Bakery offers catering, delivery, and takeout services. Examples of items on the menu include jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtail, escoveitch snapper, callaloo, cod fish cakes, and fried plantains. Their bakery menu consists of cakes, pastries, ice cream, bread, homemade juices, smoothies, and shakes.
Address: 113-7 Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11435.
8. Kingston
The best Jamaican restaurant in NYC for a casual atmosphere and modern vibe is Kingston. An interesting menu item they have is jerk chicken and waffles. Other good options on the menu are oxtail, curry goat, jerk pork bites, jerk salmon flatbread, and fried plantains. Beverages you can order include Red Stripe beer, ginger beer, and coconut water.
Address: 218 W 116th St, New York, NY 10026.
9. Winston & Tee
Winston & Tee is the best Jamaican restaurant in NYC where you can grab a quick bite to eat. As expected of a Jamaican joint, they sell jerk chicken, oxtail, and curry chicken. Customers enjoy Winston & Tee’s fish, describing it as flaky and well-seasoned.
Address: 1257 Park Ave, New York, NY 10029.
Final Thoughts
Of all the Jamaican restaurants in NYC, the nine eateries listed above are some of the best. They have high ratings from customers and delicious Jamaican cuisine. If you want to have a nice night out, The Door is a good option as it has an elegant, upscale atmosphere. For more casual meals, you can still find delicious Jamaican food at Kingston, Winston & Tee, and Port Royal Restaurant & Bakery.
Which restaurant do you think is the best Jamaican restaurant in NYC and why?