Jamaica Restaurants for Divers: What to Eat Between Dives
Finding good Jamaica restaurants is part of the fun of a dive trip. From jerk stands to seafood shacks and cliff-top bars, here is what to eat, where to look for it and how to fit meals around your dive day.
Jamaican Dishes to Try
Jamaican food is bold, spicy and built on fresh local ingredients. Look for these on menus and at roadside stands:
- Jerk chicken and pork. Meat marinated with Scotch bonnet pepper, allspice (pimento) and thyme, then cooked slowly over pimento wood. Jerk began in Portland parish on the east coast, but you will find it all over the island.
- Ackee and saltfish. The national dish: salted cod cooked with ackee fruit, onion and peppers, usually eaten at breakfast with fried dumplings or boiled green bananas.
- Escovitch fish. Whole fried snapper or parrotfish under a tangy pickle of vinegar, onions, carrots and peppers. A seaside favourite.
- Festival and bammy. Festival is a slightly sweet fried dumpling; bammy is a flat cassava bread. Both come with fish and jerk.
- Curry goat and rice and peas. Slow-cooked goat curry with rice cooked in coconut milk and kidney beans.
- Beef patties. Flaky, spiced pastries sold everywhere. A quick, cheap lunch after a morning dive.
- Blue Mountain coffee. Grown in the mountains above Kingston and one of the most famous coffees in the world.
Where Divers Eat in Each Region
The dive sites in each area are covered in the Jamaica dive travel guide.
Negril
Beach bars and seafood grills line Seven Mile Beach, and the West End cliffs are famous for sunset. Rick's Café, perched on those cliffs, is known for its sunset views and for the cliff jumpers who leap into the clear water below. Keep the jumping for days when you are not diving.
Montego Bay
Montego Bay has the widest choice, from jerk centres to fine dining along the Hip Strip and in the resort areas east of town. Many divers grab jerk and festival on the way back from the boat.
Ocho Rios and Runaway Bay
Look for jerk stands and fish shacks along the coast road, and fresh fruit and patties in town. Resort guests often head out for at least one meal to try local cooking.
Port Royal and Kingston
Port Royal is known for fried fish and bammy eaten beside the water, a classic Kingston weekend outing. Kingston itself has the island's most varied restaurant scene.
Eating Around Your Dive Day
Before the boat: eat a light breakfast with some carbohydrate and drink plenty of water. Ackee and saltfish is filling; save it for a non-diving morning if you are prone to seasickness.
Between dives: fruit, water and a light snack. Most boats carry water; bring your own bottle to refill.
After diving: this is the time for jerk and a cold drink. Keep alcohol for the evening, never before or between dives, and keep drinking water because heat and diving both dehydrate you.
Spice: Scotch bonnet peppers are very hot. If you are not used to them, ask for sauce on the side.
Seafood and the Reef
Fish is on almost every menu, and as a diver you can help the reefs you came to see. Ask what is local and in season. Lionfish is an invasive species in the Caribbean that eats young reef fish, and eating it helps reduce the numbers on the reef. Order it when you see it. Avoid parrotfish where you have a choice: parrotfish graze algae off the coral and help keep the reef healthy. Lobster has a closed season, so lobster served then may be frozen or imported.
Many divers choose a hotel or guesthouse near good local food rather than staying in a resort every night. Our Jamaica dive accommodations guide covers the trade-offs, and the Jamaica dive shops guide helps you plan the dive days around them.
Jamaica Restaurant Questions for Divers
What should I eat before a morning dive in Jamaica?
A light breakfast with fruit, toast or porridge and plenty of water. Save heavy or very spicy meals for after diving.
Is it safe to drink alcohol on a dive trip?
Only after your last dive of the day. Alcohol dehydrates you and affects judgement, so never drink before or between dives.