clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A white platter with braised oxtails, sprig of rosemary, vegetables, seasoned rice, and peas
Braised oxtails, steamed vegetables, rice, and peas
Chef Rob’s Caribbean Cafe

14 Jamaican Restaurants to Try Around Atlanta

From jerk chicken and oxtails served with rice and peas to beef patties and curried goat

View as Map
Braised oxtails, steamed vegetables, rice, and peas
| Chef Rob’s Caribbean Cafe

The term “Caribbean” seems to function most often in America as a synonym for “Jamaican”. Atlanta has plenty of great Caribbean and, in particular, Jamaican restaurants to choose from — many fusing the flavors of the vast archipelago spanning nearly 7,000 islands together on their menus — and offering everything from jerk chicken and oxtails served with rice and peas to beef and vegetable-filled patties and curried goat. Here are a few restaurants to try around Atlanta and beyond.

Don’t see a favorite restaurant on the list? Give it some love in the comments or via the tipline.

Read More

Tropical Caribbean Cuisine

Copy Link

The flavors of curry are spread over plates of goat, mutton and more at this simply appointed cafeteria-style meat-and-three in Norcross. Hit the counter and choose from several options — some of which stay strictly within traditional recipes, and others like the boneless sweet chicken, which lean into the tropical flavors made famous by island chefs. Other standouts here include curried beef, crispy conch fritter platters, and a pulled pork sandwich that incorporates Carolina-style barbecue sauce.

Chef Rob's Caribbean Cafe & Upscale Lounge

Copy Link

After gaining prominence in the kitchen at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ now-shuttered soul food restaurant Justin’s, Chef Rob opened his own restaurant in Sandy Springs. Part-lounge and part-restaurant, this Caribbean establishment is designed for good times. The mango chicken (one of the most popular menu items) is a large and comforting dish of savory seared poultry topped with sweet slices of fruit. For something more manageable, try the pina colada-glazed shrimp skewers, the cocktail-sized beef and chicken patties, or sautéed blue crab claws in white wine or creamy jerk sauce. Late night food offerings here also include those claws as well as crab cakes and a roasted jerk chicken plate. All can be paired with a tropical rum punch and other Caribbean cocktails.

Rodney's Jamaican Soul Food

Copy Link

Considering itself “Jamaican fusion”, Rodney’s includes several cultures that make the island rich in diversity. Fill up on curried shrimp, chicken, or goat roti, but also try the tamarind-glazed shrimp and grits, oxtails prepared as pepper steak, and inventive jerk-seasoned dishes, from chicken egg rolls and burgers to sea scallops and lamb stew. Don’t forget to order a slice of rum and butterscotch cake with vanilla ice cream.

Chris' Caribbean Bistro

Copy Link

Born in Ocho Rios, Jamaica-raised chef Chris Campbell includes not just the flavors of the island, but cultural inclusion of the region in his cuisine. The menu offers fried fritters, which can be Bajan saltfish or Bahamian conch, soups such as Jamaican pumpkin chicken, and the delightfully acidic Belizean lime cucumber salad. The menu also features traditional jerk and curry dishes, but why not try the jerk chicken lasagna. Grab a drink from the bar and relax on the patio. Be sure to order the rum raisin bread pudding here.

Sun City Caribbean & American Restaurant Better Food, Better Service

Copy Link

Sun City in Stone Mountain offers patties in the expected formats (beef, chicken, coco), small and large portions of Jamaican classics, and a few specialties, including barbecued jerk ribs. However, it’s their weekly soup specials which separates Sun City from its Memorial Drive neighbors. On Thursdays, the restaurant serves a thick red pea soup. On Fridays and Saturdays, it’s fish soup — referred to in Jamaica as “fish tea”. Breakfast here kicks off at 7 a.m. and includes jerk chicken and waffles, both oat and cornmeal porridge, and saltfish paired either with ackee or callaloo.

Irie Mon Cafe

Copy Link

With hearty servings of jerk chicken cut into lean, chunky bites and perfectly prepared rice and peas, Irie Mon Cafe in Brookwood Hills seems to offer a true representation of Jamaican food on its menu. Bite into breakfast meals like porridge (cornmeal or plantain), ackee and saltfish with hoecakes, or the fried-plantain-topped callaloo and fried dumpling. The cafe also serves Halal curry goat, beautifully spiced braised oxtail, and even a fried chicken entree that challenges some of the city’s most famous establishments for crispy yardbird. Irie Mon Cafe includes a mural depicting JFK, President Obama, Nina Simone, and Usain Bolt painted together against a Jamaican flag centered around Bob Marley and one of his most famous lyrics.

Royal Caribbean Bakery

Copy Link

Known as both a restaurant and an international distributor of Caribbean baked goods via its New York City headquarters, Royal Caribbean serves as a reminder of Jamaica’s Asian community, and is perhaps best known for being a sure thing when it comes to patties. Choose patty ranging from beef, chicken, and even meatloaf to vegetable, soy, and spinach with cheese. Patties are baked crispy on the outside, while still moist on the inside. Be sure to hit up the glass display in the shop to take home a loaf or two of hard dough or coco bread and other bread-based goods, including sugar buns and flat jackass corn biscuits.

Negril Village Atlanta

Copy Link

Walkable from the North Avenue MARTA station in Midtown, Negril Village is where the dark-stained wood bar and surrounding ivory floors and walls create an easygoing yet upscale vibe. Expect to find dishes like rum-glazed jerk salmon with whipped sweet potatoes and sautéed asparagus here. The waffles that come with the jerk chicken combo are pineapple-infused. Negril Village calls its Jamaican patties “empanadas”. Most dishes incorporate warm spices like nutmeg with the addition of sorrel. Order a painkiller cocktail and enjoy.

Mango’s Caribbean Restaurant

Copy Link

Hit Mango’s, just east of Downtown, when the craving for jerked foods hits; especially in the wee hours of the morning between Thursday and Sunday. The restaurant isn’t heavily decorated, but it’s clean and appointed with plenty of seating. Enjoy ackee and saltfish (the national dish of Jamaica) here as well as callaloo (imagine a hybrid of greens and seaweed), vegetable plates, and “rasta pasta” for those on vegan diets. Other dishes to try include the kingfish and red snapper prepared either escovitch-style with peppers and vinegar, as a traditional brown stew, or with butter sauce.

Foxx Original Jamaican Restaurant

Copy Link

It’s not hard to miss Foxx Original along this busy stretch of Edgewood Avenue with its prominent Jamaican flag storefront sign — a reminder that despite gentrification, the Old Fourth Ward still loves these Jamaican classic dishes. Foxx’s $25 escovitch red snapper is one of the stars on this menu; especially for those looking to try something beyond curry, jerk, or brown stew. The dish comes with enough sauce to fall just beneath the definition of soup, making the rice and peas that much more enjoyable. The restaurant is also a great spot for a quick roti or coco bread fix without having to travel to Stone Mountain.

Dat Fire Jerk Chicken

Copy Link

Dat Fire is hard to miss on Northside Drive with its red, yellow, green, and black painted exterior. Jerk proteins at this humble establishment near Mercedes-Benz Stadium aren’t aggressively hot like some other area restaurants. In addition to the traditional offerings of oxtails and curry and brown stew, there are a few takes on American favorites here like jerk pork cheese fries, hoagies with jerk chicken, pork. or fish, and a whole fried snapper for under $10. It’s a great quick takeout spot with reasonable prices near Castleberry Hill.

Jamrock Restaurant

Copy Link

What started out as a restaurant in the south downtown Atlanta area near the corner of MLK and Peachtree, Jamrock has spread its super saucy talents throughout Atlanta with multiple locations. The restaurant likely has one of the city’s best (and richest) curry shrimp dishes. Try one of Jamrock’s sandwiches delivered on wheat such as the “Hotty Hotty” jerked chicken and turkey bacon topped with peppers and onions. The rest of the menu is similarly playful in names and categories, from the “Yea Mon Specials” (try the jerk fish fried rice) to “Entrees to Cry For,” which include standard jerk, curry, and brown stewed meals. Prices are particularly inexpensive, including $2 patties.

Scotch Bonnett Jamaican Restaurant

Copy Link

This yellow-painted, no-wheels food trailer, parked near the corner of County Line Road in south Fulton County, has been satisfying souls for more than a decade. Whether picking up a carryout plate or hanging around in the screened-in outdoor seating area, Scotch Bonnett serves up a menu full of comforting flavors and spices. Definitely try the jerk chicken, but don’t skip the smoked jerk lamb and sautéed coconut salmon. This spot will also jerk a whole turkey for $100 with a week’s notice. If torn between menu options, go for the “heavy hitter” combo for $26 consisting of up to seven meats on the plate: jerk sausage, wings, pork, curry oxtails, sautéed snapper, salmon, and shrimp.

The Dutch Pot Caribbean & American Flavors

Copy Link

Located in a Henry County strip mall and combining American and Jamaican food styles, the Dutch Pot is a fast-casual cafeteria decorated with brick wallpaper and a rusted metal counter. Grab a carryout plate here of curry, jerk, or braised favorites as well as dishes like herb roasted chicken, ginger-glazed salmon, and garlic-curry shrimp. Dutch Pot also serves snapper prepared three ways: steamed, fried, and braised. Prices range between $8 and $17 for considerably hefty portions.

Tropical Caribbean Cuisine

The flavors of curry are spread over plates of goat, mutton and more at this simply appointed cafeteria-style meat-and-three in Norcross. Hit the counter and choose from several options — some of which stay strictly within traditional recipes, and others like the boneless sweet chicken, which lean into the tropical flavors made famous by island chefs. Other standouts here include curried beef, crispy conch fritter platters, and a pulled pork sandwich that incorporates Carolina-style barbecue sauce.

Chef Rob's Caribbean Cafe & Upscale Lounge

After gaining prominence in the kitchen at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ now-shuttered soul food restaurant Justin’s, Chef Rob opened his own restaurant in Sandy Springs. Part-lounge and part-restaurant, this Caribbean establishment is designed for good times. The mango chicken (one of the most popular menu items) is a large and comforting dish of savory seared poultry topped with sweet slices of fruit. For something more manageable, try the pina colada-glazed shrimp skewers, the cocktail-sized beef and chicken patties, or sautéed blue crab claws in white wine or creamy jerk sauce. Late night food offerings here also include those claws as well as crab cakes and a roasted jerk chicken plate. All can be paired with a tropical rum punch and other Caribbean cocktails.

Rodney's Jamaican Soul Food

Considering itself “Jamaican fusion”, Rodney’s includes several cultures that make the island rich in diversity. Fill up on curried shrimp, chicken, or goat roti, but also try the tamarind-glazed shrimp and grits, oxtails prepared as pepper steak, and inventive jerk-seasoned dishes, from chicken egg rolls and burgers to sea scallops and lamb stew. Don’t forget to order a slice of rum and butterscotch cake with vanilla ice cream.

Chris' Caribbean Bistro

Born in Ocho Rios, Jamaica-raised chef Chris Campbell includes not just the flavors of the island, but cultural inclusion of the region in his cuisine. The menu offers fried fritters, which can be Bajan saltfish or Bahamian conch, soups such as Jamaican pumpkin chicken, and the delightfully acidic Belizean lime cucumber salad. The menu also features traditional jerk and curry dishes, but why not try the jerk chicken lasagna. Grab a drink from the bar and relax on the patio. Be sure to order the rum raisin bread pudding here.

Sun City Caribbean & American Restaurant Better Food, Better Service

Sun City in Stone Mountain offers patties in the expected formats (beef, chicken, coco), small and large portions of Jamaican classics, and a few specialties, including barbecued jerk ribs. However, it’s their weekly soup specials which separates Sun City from its Memorial Drive neighbors. On Thursdays, the restaurant serves a thick red pea soup. On Fridays and Saturdays, it’s fish soup — referred to in Jamaica as “fish tea”. Breakfast here kicks off at 7 a.m. and includes jerk chicken and waffles, both oat and cornmeal porridge, and saltfish paired either with ackee or callaloo.

Irie Mon Cafe

With hearty servings of jerk chicken cut into lean, chunky bites and perfectly prepared rice and peas, Irie Mon Cafe in Brookwood Hills seems to offer a true representation of Jamaican food on its menu. Bite into breakfast meals like porridge (cornmeal or plantain), ackee and saltfish with hoecakes, or the fried-plantain-topped callaloo and fried dumpling. The cafe also serves Halal curry goat, beautifully spiced braised oxtail, and even a fried chicken entree that challenges some of the city’s most famous establishments for crispy yardbird. Irie Mon Cafe includes a mural depicting JFK, President Obama, Nina Simone, and Usain Bolt painted together against a Jamaican flag centered around Bob Marley and one of his most famous lyrics.

Royal Caribbean Bakery

Known as both a restaurant and an international distributor of Caribbean baked goods via its New York City headquarters, Royal Caribbean serves as a reminder of Jamaica’s Asian community, and is perhaps best known for being a sure thing when it comes to patties. Choose patty ranging from beef, chicken, and even meatloaf to vegetable, soy, and spinach with cheese. Patties are baked crispy on the outside, while still moist on the inside. Be sure to hit up the glass display in the shop to take home a loaf or two of hard dough or coco bread and other bread-based goods, including sugar buns and flat jackass corn biscuits.

Negril Village Atlanta

Walkable from the North Avenue MARTA station in Midtown, Negril Village is where the dark-stained wood bar and surrounding ivory floors and walls create an easygoing yet upscale vibe. Expect to find dishes like rum-glazed jerk salmon with whipped sweet potatoes and sautéed asparagus here. The waffles that come with the jerk chicken combo are pineapple-infused. Negril Village calls its Jamaican patties “empanadas”. Most dishes incorporate warm spices like nutmeg with the addition of sorrel. Order a painkiller cocktail and enjoy.

Mango’s Caribbean Restaurant

Hit Mango’s, just east of Downtown, when the craving for jerked foods hits; especially in the wee hours of the morning between Thursday and Sunday. The restaurant isn’t heavily decorated, but it’s clean and appointed with plenty of seating. Enjoy ackee and saltfish (the national dish of Jamaica) here as well as callaloo (imagine a hybrid of greens and seaweed), vegetable plates, and “rasta pasta” for those on vegan diets. Other dishes to try include the kingfish and red snapper prepared either escovitch-style with peppers and vinegar, as a traditional brown stew, or with butter sauce.

Foxx Original Jamaican Restaurant

It’s not hard to miss Foxx Original along this busy stretch of Edgewood Avenue with its prominent Jamaican flag storefront sign — a reminder that despite gentrification, the Old Fourth Ward still loves these Jamaican classic dishes. Foxx’s $25 escovitch red snapper is one of the stars on this menu; especially for those looking to try something beyond curry, jerk, or brown stew. The dish comes with enough sauce to fall just beneath the definition of soup, making the rice and peas that much more enjoyable. The restaurant is also a great spot for a quick roti or coco bread fix without having to travel to Stone Mountain.

Dat Fire Jerk Chicken

Dat Fire is hard to miss on Northside Drive with its red, yellow, green, and black painted exterior. Jerk proteins at this humble establishment near Mercedes-Benz Stadium aren’t aggressively hot like some other area restaurants. In addition to the traditional offerings of oxtails and curry and brown stew, there are a few takes on American favorites here like jerk pork cheese fries, hoagies with jerk chicken, pork. or fish, and a whole fried snapper for under $10. It’s a great quick takeout spot with reasonable prices near Castleberry Hill.

Jamrock Restaurant

What started out as a restaurant in the south downtown Atlanta area near the corner of MLK and Peachtree, Jamrock has spread its super saucy talents throughout Atlanta with multiple locations. The restaurant likely has one of the city’s best (and richest) curry shrimp dishes. Try one of Jamrock’s sandwiches delivered on wheat such as the “Hotty Hotty” jerked chicken and turkey bacon topped with peppers and onions. The rest of the menu is similarly playful in names and categories, from the “Yea Mon Specials” (try the jerk fish fried rice) to “Entrees to Cry For,” which include standard jerk, curry, and brown stewed meals. Prices are particularly inexpensive, including $2 patties.

Scotch Bonnett Jamaican Restaurant

This yellow-painted, no-wheels food trailer, parked near the corner of County Line Road in south Fulton County, has been satisfying souls for more than a decade. Whether picking up a carryout plate or hanging around in the screened-in outdoor seating area, Scotch Bonnett serves up a menu full of comforting flavors and spices. Definitely try the jerk chicken, but don’t skip the smoked jerk lamb and sautéed coconut salmon. This spot will also jerk a whole turkey for $100 with a week’s notice. If torn between menu options, go for the “heavy hitter” combo for $26 consisting of up to seven meats on the plate: jerk sausage, wings, pork, curry oxtails, sautéed snapper, salmon, and shrimp.

The Dutch Pot Caribbean & American Flavors

Located in a Henry County strip mall and combining American and Jamaican food styles, the Dutch Pot is a fast-casual cafeteria decorated with brick wallpaper and a rusted metal counter. Grab a carryout plate here of curry, jerk, or braised favorites as well as dishes like herb roasted chicken, ginger-glazed salmon, and garlic-curry shrimp. Dutch Pot also serves snapper prepared three ways: steamed, fried, and braised. Prices range between $8 and $17 for considerably hefty portions.

Related Maps