1.Calabash

One of the most famous restaurants in Montego Bay is Calabash, which serves classic Jamaican dishes.

The restaurant is located on Queens Drive, which stretches along the Caribbean coast. Calabash offers traditional lamb curry, Jamaican crab, lobster, lobster soup, poached fish in white wine sauce and lobster with garlic butter. In addition to the national cuisine, this place offers many unusual dishes made from locally produced products. Meat lovers will appreciate the rack of lamb and filet mignon.

During daytime hours, Calabash has a buffet system, which will be relevant for those who like to eat a hearty meal for a small check.

2.Peppa’s Cool Spot

This authentic, rustic Jamaican eatery boasts a breathtaking view of the coastline and jungle thickets.

You can go there with family or friends to enjoy the national open-air cuisine. Peppa’s Cool Spot serves traditional Jamaican dishes such as pulled pork, aki, cod and curried clams. This restaurant would be the perfect place for a romantic candlelit dinner under the stars. And as entertainment, the restaurant owners regularly host karaoke nights.

3.The Houseboat Grill

The Houseboat Grill is nestled right on the water in the fish sanctuary of Montego Bay Marine Park. This restaurant serves an ever-evolving fusion menu created by internationally experienced chef Rich Nourse. The menu features freshly caught seafood that is used to prepare a variety of Caribbean and other world cuisines. Live lobster is available from July through March.

  • The best seats at The Houseboat Grill are on the outdoor terrace overlooking the bay, and in the evening hours you can enjoy an unforgettable sunset there.

4.Scotchies

This is another famous restaurant in Montego Bay that serves outdoor barbecue jerky.

Tourists must try the cured chicken, pork and fish, as well as the signature side dishes – cassava tortillas, corn on the cob, roasted yams, breadfruit, rice and peas, and vegetable curries. At tables on the restaurant’s patio, you can watch Jamaican dishes being grilled. All dishes are served wrapped in foil, so they can be taken to go. The Scotchies restaurant is decorated in a rustic style, with wooden tables, keg chairs and grass umbrellas as furniture.

The thatched-roof bar plays music, making Scotchies a place to soak up the local friendly atmosphere and play a few rounds of dominoes.

5.Day-O Plantation

The Day-O Plantation restaurant is located in a beautiful and historic building, which was built in the early 20th century and belonged to the Barnett Estate sugar plantation.

The restaurant is decorated in an elegant style with touches of Old World plantation atmosphere. Day-O Plantation guests can admire the picturesque view from the hill, so the place is famous for its relaxed and uncluttered atmosphere. The Day-O Plantation has been owned by the Herlock family for decades, and the place offers exclusive dishes that are prepared according to the family recipes of the establishment’s owners.

  • The specialty of the restaurant is chicken stewed in red wine, and there are also many interesting dishes from fish.

6.Seagrape Terrace

Seagrape Terrace is located within the Half Moon Resort Hotel and is one of Jamaica’s best restaurants.

Tourists are attracted to the setting of this place, namely the tastefully set tables and intricately designed chairs that are arranged all around the patio, which offers a stunning view of the sea. If you want to dine by the sea under the stars, this place is perfect for you. And after a great dinner, you can stroll along the pier and sit in a gazebo by the water. Seagrape Terrace serves traditional Caribbean and Jamaican cuisine, and there are dishes for vegetarians as well. For seafood, we recommend the seared tuna, salmon fillets, Caribbean lobster and mahi-mahi. Of the meat dishes, the restaurant’s guests like the braised beef ribs and marinated duck breast the best. Fish and meat are accompanied by a good glass of dry wine.

  • Besides dinner, the restaurant is open for breakfast from 7:00 to 10:30 and for lunch from 12:00 to 17:00.

7.The Pelican Grill

The Pelican Grill is one of the most popular restaurants in Montego Bay and has been around for more than 50 years.

This place is popular among locals, and tourists are attracted by its unusual appearance – the restaurant is decorated as an authentic Jamaican pub in bright orange. The interior consists of wood paneling and brown leather in an antique style. The Pelican Grill is conveniently located right in the heart of the Mobay neighborhood, with beautiful views of the park and sea.

  • The menu features all the traditional Jamaican dishes such as braised oxtail, West Indies curry, grilled chicken and fish, and many other treats. In addition, the menu features international grilled dishes such as meat steaks, sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, and desserts.

8.Round Hill Dining

The open-air terrace of Round Hill Dining is open to all guests, not just those staying at the hotel where the restaurant is located.

The hotel is located on a hill, so from the terrace of the restaurant you can admire the tropical forests, the snow-white shore and the emerald sea surface. In the evenings, the music is soft and the tables are lit by candlelight, making it an ideal place for romantic rendezvous. Round Hill Dining offers a variety of Caribbean and continental cuisine.

  • There are grills on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, a traditional Jamaican menu on Fridays, and organic produce from local farms every Monday.

9.Sugar Mill

Sugar Mill is a quintessentially Jamaican restaurant. It’s located on the former Running Gut estate, not far from the golf course and the 17th-century watermill.

The site was an old sugar cane plantation that was built in 1676, so the walls of the restaurant are steeped in history. The cuisine of the restaurant consists of Jamaican and Caribbean dishes. The Sugar Mill is a must-try for Chilean sea bass and lucian fillets, marinated salmon, grilled lobster tail and curried chicken with curry. Meat lovers should order grilled beef jerky ribs, filet mignon, ribeye and rack of lamb. Also, the menu has salads, soups and side dishes for every taste.

10.Marguerites

Marguerites is a sophisticated and comfortable gourmet restaurant on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, on Gloucester Avenue.

The restaurant’s almond terrace is very popular for its superb views of local landmarks. Marguerites is the first restaurant in Jamaica to be awarded the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and Trip Advisor’s Traveller’s Choice Award. Marguerites’ exquisite menu consists of Caribbean cuisine, featuring freshly caught seafood and selected cuts of meat. All dishes there are prepared exclusively from local products. Guests are encouraged to try the seafood soup, salmon, crab cake and Key Lime dessert.

  • There are also gluten-free and vegetarian menu. The restaurant’s varied wine list includes Old World and New World wines that harmonize perfectly with the main dishes.