The Top 3 Caribbean Restaurants in Driving Distance of Jacksonville, FL

It’s no surprise at all that Jacksonville is one of America’s hotspots for tasty Caribbean cuisine. With the fruits of the sea right on our doorstep and a huge population of immigrants from the Caribbean islands, we Jaxons are very spoiled with our choices of where to go for delicious spicy jerk chicken and Jamaican patties. Though there are lots to choose from, here are our three favorite Caribbean restaurants in Jacksonville, FL.

The Top 3 Caribbean Restaurants in Jacksonville, FL

1. Balla’s Caribbean Restaurant

Walk into Bella’s Restaurant at 1410 Palmdale Street and enter a world of colorful Caribbean flags, reggae music, and happy, smiling Jamaican faces. Oh, and of course, the food! Bella’s menu is simple, fresh, and delicious, with everything cooked to order in soothing sauces that will leave you licking your plate.

Start your meal with a conch soup from their simple appetizer menu, and finish it with one of their two signature entrees; goat curry or oxtail. The menu is so simple you won’t need to stress about making a bad decision!

2. Puerto Plata Restaurant

Drive down to 2045 Bayview Road in Hillcrest for a taste of the most authentic Spanish Caribbean food you’ll find in Jacksonville. Puerto Plata is always full of music and energy, and the chefs will always greet you with a smile and talk about the home-cooked Caribbean dishes they know and love so much.

Puerto Plata’s menu is highlighted with a number of signature Spanish Caribbean seafood dishes, such as octopus ceviche and fried red snapper, as well as meat-based dishes, such as Puerto Rican steak with onions and Mofongo (plantains with curried meat). And the menu is big and diverse enough that you’ll keep coming back for more!

3. Jamrock Caribbean American Cuisine

This small roadside restaurant is owned and operated by a native Jamaican at 8943 Lem Turner Road in Riverview. You’ll get the sense of Kingston the moment you walk in and smell the Caribbean spices cooking and hear soothing reggae music coming from the speakers.

You definitely want to come here for the seafood; they’ll serve you snapper fish, escovitch, callaloo, and akee fresh from the sea in a delicious curry spice blend.

If you like Caribbean food as much as we do, you should definitely find time to head out on a road trip down the Caribbean coast and try the food in New Orleans, Panama City, and Tampa. But before you do that, you’re going to need a reliable and comfy car for a long road trip, like the Volkswagen Passat. So before your trip, drive down to Tom Bush Volkswagen on Atlantic Boulevard and pick up a solid new Volkswagen!

Posted in Date Night, Jacksonville Amenities, Jacksonville Eateries, Jacksonville Family Fun, Jacksonville Restaurants, Things To Do In Jacksonville, Tom Bush Volkswagen | No Comments »