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Eating
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Montego Bay has its fair share of swanky
restaurants
alongside the more usual Jamaican eateries, though many offer bland "international" fare or watered-down Jamaican dishes at inflated prices. Pricier tourist restaurants almost always offer special deals; look out for flyers around town. Aside from notable exceptions such as
The Native
, Jamaican food is at its best from small-scale cookshops and restaurants. There are plenty of US-style
fast-food
outlets around town.
Akbar Gloucester Avenue tel 876/979-0113. The sister of the renowned Kingston purveyor of fine Indian cooking serves excellent curries in an air-conditioned dining room with tasteful Indian dAİcor. Prices are moderate to expensive. The Brewery Miranda Ridge, Gloucester Avenue. Late-opening spot above the strip. Extremely varied menu with daily specials, a big burger selection, lots of salads and excellent fajitas. Good value and pretty views over the bay. Dragon Lounge Kent Avenue, Whitehouse. Laid-back terrace under almond trees specializes in fresh seafood, with some Chinese dishes. Proximity to the airport makes it perfect for plane-spotting, albeit somewhat noisy. Good mix of locals and tourists. Houseboat Grill Freeport Road tel 876/979-8845. Fantastic, unique setting in a beautifully converted houseboat moored on Bogue Lagoon; you board by way of a rope-pulled launch, and a window in the floor allows perusal of the marine life gliding underneath. The menu is superlative and sophisticated, mixing Jamaican cooking with international dishes; the pepper shrimp with scotch bonnet beurre blanc is unmissable, and the desserts are pure indulgence. Best choice in town. Jen's Coffee Place 166 Gloucester Ave. Friendly breakfast cafAİ and ice-cream parlour with reasonably priced pancakes, eggs and bacon and club sandwiches. Margaritaville Gloucester Avenue. The loudest place on the strip. International menu with a Mexican flavour, and American-style service with the emphasis on fun. Hidden behind an aquatic wall mural, Marguerites (tel 876/952-4777 ) next door has elegant dAİcor, upscale atmosphere and a Continental menu specializing in seafood; there's a flambAİ grill for table-side cooking as well. The Native 29 Gloucester Ave tel 876/979-2769. The best place on the strip for a sit-down Jamaican meal - take advantage of reduced-rate buffets and lunch specials. Try the "Boonoonoo's Platter" of ackee, curry goat, jerk chicken and escovitched fish, rice and peas and plantain. The Pelican Gloucester Avenue tel 876/952-3171. Long-established restaurant popular with locals and tourists. Highlights include American/Jamaican breakfast, the daily lunch specials, and the rum pudding and coconut or banana cream pie for dessert. PJ's 17 Kent Ave. Excellent open-air and inexpensive jerk centre, serving delicious platters of curried lobster, steamed fish and vegetables as well as jerk meats and all the trimmings. Raine's St James Place, Gloucester Avenue. Popular kiosk cafAİ between Doctor's Cave and Cornwall beaches with all-day breakfasts, burgers, and home-made cakes. Sunset Restaurant and Bar Gloucester Avenue. Tiny, easily missed place that's the only really authentic Jamaican bar and restaurant along the strip, as suggested by the local clientele. Recommended, especially the home-made ginger beer.
Tapas
Corniche Road tel 876/952-2988. Innovative and delicious Mediterranean food in a place that's upscale but affordable, and blessedly detached from the strip; take the small road to the left of
Coral Cliff
hotel. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Jamaica,
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