The Most Scrumptious Caribbean in Washington

St James - Modern Caribbean

★★★★☆ 4.3 (374)

"I was very curious about the definition of modern Caribbean cuisine so a visit to St James was needed to find my answer. The restaurant has a contemporary decor and moderately sized for this area of DC. The servers were friendly and did an incredible job of managing the crowded restaurant without an extended wait. Craft cocktails are not my usual experience at Caribbean restaurants but St. James has extensive menu of drinks. However, the food was the real hit with me. I had the Duck and Dhal which was absolutely delicious, the leg is tender and full of flavor. We shared a side sampler of coconut rice, greens and plantains each was great. I was also lucky enough to try the Garlic Pork which is a must try if you visit. I didn't try anything that wasn't impressive. Of course, the city has so many dining options to try but this one I will repeat upon my next visit."

Jerk At Nite

★★★★☆ 3.5 (505) • $$

"This Jamaiican Food Place is open late nights in Washington, DC. They have a food truck as well. We came here at 12a-1a to order food for a family member. The parking is challenging as there is a club within 20 feet of the restaurant. Once we found street parking, we walked up to a line of about 15 people outside then about 15 more inside. This is a good sign; people willing to wait for authentic Jamaican Food. After standing in line for 20-25mins, we ordered with the 1 person taking orders. Then, we waited another 20mins for the food to be ready. There is no room inside the establishment to sit down while you wait for your food to be ready.We got back to our place and the family member started when they realize that it just wasn't as flavorful as the truck. The feedback is that the food truck food was well marinated well seasoned and cooked much better. Also, the full menu is not available mWe will stick to the food truck version of this place. It is nice that they have a stand up restaurant as well, but we prefer to have the good stuff for the prices we paid. TIP: The full menu is not available for late night dining, only about 4 select items."

Ruby's Jamaican Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.2 (345) • $$

"My husband and I recently visited Rubys and we absolutely loved it. We were both craving Jamaican food and this hit the spot on Saturday. We got the jerk chicken wings and oxtail lunch combos and let me tell you they were out of this world. For sides, we got the Mac & cheese, collard greens, cabbage, mac & cheese and plantains. The jerk chicken wings were very tender, a little spicy and just so so good. The oxtails were succulent, juicy, and the broth that was soaked in it was just delicious. The sides were all delicious but what stood out the most to me were the collard greens!! I would highly recommend this restaurant, please go check them out because they are just such a good restaurant ."

Negril - Silver Spring

★★★★☆ 3.9 (389) • $

"Ordered the "Chicken Fricassee " w/ white meat only plus rice & peas ... it's plenty of delicious food ! I mean it's really delicious! It comes with some kind of dipping sauce (liquid) which adds a savory kick ! We buy from Negril somewhat often & will definitely be back! My mom got the curried chicken dinner w/ rice/peas and light cabbage ! She's full , quiet and very happy indeed ! Mission accomplished Negril!"

Jam Doung Style

★★★★☆ 3.9 (374) • $

"My favorite thing to order is the curry chicken lunch special. When I have some extra coins, I always add the mac n cheese!"

Andrene's Soul Food & Caribbean Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (339) • $$

"I absolutely love Andrene's Soul Food & Caribbean Cafe. I ran across this spot on the humble. I was in the area because the traffic was detoured. I had a taste for Caribbean cuisine so decided to give it a try. I'm so glad that I did. I had the chicken curry and my son had the curry goat and oxtails. It was BOMB!!! This is my new spot. I had been looking for a good spot since Sweet Mango closed."

Pimento Grill

★★★★☆ 4 (323) • $$

"The food here is so good! I wasn't ready for my tastebuds to go so crazy!I plan on eating my way across the menu. I highly doubt anything is bad here"

Caribbean Corner

★★★★☆ 3.9 (309) • $

"Finally got lucky and got in when they were open! I know their hours are unpredictable and I've tried multiple times to catch them but I was just so happy to get in the door. My barber recommended I try their jerk pork since it was a Friday and he described it as melt in your mouth.It took a second to see if anyone was even in the kitchen but someone must have heard me and took my order. Only took about 5ish minutes to get my order (only one in line). Food traveled very well, still hot when I got home. That pork is no joke, it was crispy, fatty, tender, and had a really good amount of jerk seasoning on it. Came with a load of rice and peas and some plantain. Really almost two regular sized meals only for under $12 (for the large).I really hope I can catch them when they're open, I need to try their oxtail if they're doing the jerk pork this good."

Bammy's Modern Caribbean

★★★★☆ 4 (254) • $$

"The view of the river is so beautiful but the food was even better!We got the jerk wings, Plantains and spicy beef patties. Everything was really delicious, with fantastic flavors and just the right amount of spice. I got a strawberry Long Island ice tea which was great and not too sweet. During happy hour it's on sale for $8. Even though I paid full price it was worth it. The server was very helpful and attentive especially Dre who kept coming back to make sure everything was good. I can't say enough good about this place. Great food! Good drinks! Beautiful location! Great service!"

Ka'ribbean Fire

★★★★☆ 4.1 (208) • $$

"I went during lunch, and their plates were affordable. The food was pretty good. And the service wasn't bad at all. I definitely would visit it again. I had the jerk chicken. I loved their sauce!"

Negril - Mitchellville

★★★★☆ 3.6 (264) • $

"I purchased a Fried Red Snapper Dinner and two beef patties. The beef patties were extremely thin and disappointing, but the red snapper, and rice and peas were delicious. I highly recommend and will definitely return! There really is no seating and always a line. Place your order in advance online to lessen the wait and get coupons."

Sunrise Caribbean Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.6 (190) • $$

"I ordered through DoorDash and everything came out hot. I really appreciated Sunrise calling me as soon as the order was submitted that the oxtails would take extra time. Much rather know in advance than be waiting for an order I expected 30 minutes sooner. Also ordered jerk chicken and the dishes are plentiful. I'm not sure I'd order the oxtails again, not that it wasn't tasty but that's something I might order when dining in but the jerk chicken was amazing and the rice and greens they include is abundant."

CaribeExpress

★★★★☆ 3.8 (158)

"I stopped in one day to grab lunch. I ordered the oxtail. It came with rice&peas paired with cabbage. The meal was very good. It was well-seasoned, and the portion was generous. The staff were great and greeted me walking into the restaurant. I will definitely visit again soon."

Negril - DC

★★★★☆ 3.6 (171) • $$

"Always a satisfying choice! Consistently good food, great deals and excellent (delivery) service."

Peaches Kitchen & Catering

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (206) • $$

"I love this place...like I have never had anything that wasn't absolutely delicious here. Some days I'll stop in just for a chicken curry patty which not only tastes good but is also cheap! The goat curry is my absolute fave- along with a sweet potato and Mac n cheese as a side. The people who work here are so kind and welcoming. This is really a gem of a restaurant"

Negril - Laurel

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (192) • $$

"I found this location while going to LA fitness. Very pleased to find a spot with beef patties for those rare cravings."

The Angry Jerk

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (158)

"This review is for takeout.I ordered pickup. The food took about 30 minutes to prepare, though the estimate was 10 minutes. The wings were so worth the wait!! I got the mumbo jerk wings and they're like Asian, sweet but still a little jerk. Fantastic. There's about 12 in the box. What I cannot recommend is the Mac n cheese... avoid at all costs.The restaurant is very small on the inside, less than 20 seats total. They play very loud lounge type music. The staff is relatively friendly. I'll certainly be back to try the "make your own bowl" option but will definitely put in an order for those wings again too."

Crown Bakery

★★★★☆ 4.2 (95) • $

"I love going to Crown Bakery for a good pastry. It's one of my most frequented snacking places when I'm in Washington, D.C. My favorites are the spinach pies, and the coconut rolls. I also enjoy the lentil pie, and I get chicken pie sometimes too. They carry a really amazing Caribbean ice cream that comes in pints. I love it when they aren't sold out of the Mango and Passion fruit flavors. Those flavors are so good that they get sold out fast, but they have other popular flavors too. I can't wait to go back to D.C. for more of their amazing snacks."

Tropicana Eatery

★★★★☆ 3.6 (129) • $$

"The food here is very good. I pick up food for my mom whom is very very particular about her food.. I've been here several times for the lunch special, which is really reasonably priced. My food order is always correct, as well as the food is always hot and fresh. Ordering by phone is a breeze."

SaPoDilla's

★★★★☆ 3.7 (120) • $$

"My fiancé is Guyanese, so this place has been on our "to eat" list since we found out about it a few months ago.What we had:*OXTAIL STEW DINNER w/ RICE + PEAS*JERK GRILLED SALMON DINNER w/JASMINE RICE + FRIED CABBAGE*FRIED PLANTAINS (side)Everything was made to order, so there was a wait. I was the only customer there at the time, so it wasn't too bad -- 15-20 minutes, tops. My order was piping hot, so I didn't mind at all.Pricier than I expected, but it was good. I'm fairly new to eating Caribbean food and don't have much to compare it to restaurant-wise, so these prices might be standard. I'll be back soon to check out some of the other items and hopefully catch the lunch special.**There's also an event space next door for hosting and catering functions.__I eat. @f.huxI thrift. @DCthriftish"

Lydia On H

★★★★☆ 3.7 (116) • $$

"Vibe was great. Small area for intimate conversation. Loved the music and the food! The beef patties were our favorite!"

Caribbean Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (153) • $$

"I can always appreciate the good authentic Jamaican cuisine that's served up here. I used to indulge in the lunchtime buffet prior to the pandemic since it was nearby to my place of employment. The brethren always welcome me with a smile and are eager to take my order. I ordered a trio of boiled dumplings, rice and peas and cabbage. My order came out quickly and I was on my way."

Little Island Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.9 (102)

"Great portions, friendly staff, and the kind of hours that a Jamaican spot ought to have. Glad I found this place and I look forward to returning. They even had a spot for me to do an impromptu photo shoot while we waited!"

Sweet Sweet Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.2 (83)

"The food here is amazing. Sweet Sweet Kitchen is a small African/Caribbean restaurant that offers authentic Caribbean & West African food. You will be hooked on your visit. I literally came on a Friday came back on Saturday. My favorite dishes include the Cassava Leaf, this was actually my first time trying this dish. I love the curry chicken and the oxtail is fall off the bone good. I want to try the curry goat and the snapper next but I keep getting the curry chicken. Parking is limited. There are a few tables to enjoy your meal at this location. Prices are big higher then most Caribbean spots, but totally worth it. All the food is halal/kosher."

Tropicana Eatery

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (132) • $$

"Can we all say "yo-man" on the count of 3. While visiting the Island Bwoy Cuisine the Chef asked if I wanted to grab some lunch @ a tiny Jamaican restaurant not far from his place. Located in a strip mall this unassuming place serves one of the best for this style cuisine. Since Chef Mark is a frequent customer & from the island, they put together a variety of items for us. Pictured at the top was the Goat stew which was over the top, along with the jerk chicken, oxtails, the staple rice and cabbage and tiny bite size portions of plantains. Everything was fabulous and having never eaten goat stew - that in itself was amazing. One knows when an ethnic restaurant knows how to cook as the meat off the oxtails and goat just fell off the bone with savory flavors coupled with the sauces. 5 solid stars for this small business and hope work sends me back to this area!"

Island Pride Oasis

★★★★☆ 3.7 (99) • $$

"Doesn't look like much when you drive up, because they share the parking lot with other businesses, but I was so hungry I went inside and it turns out to be a cute restaurant and bar. They have the best jerk Chicken I've had in a long time and the best part is quite a few choices for your sides, which I loved, for example, collard greens, green beans, standard cabbage & carrot mixed.Happy hour 4-7 pm, live entertainment, and full bar."

Spice - A Carribean Jerk Joint

★★★★☆ 3.5 (105) • $$

"Came here for dinner with my wife a couple months ago. The service was very friendly and prompt. The ambience is more that of a fast food joint. My wife and I shared the Jerk Chicken Sandwich and Snapper Escovitched and we had plenty of food for dinner and leftovers at a low price."

Ocean Blui Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (68)

"Here's what we had:CURRY CHICKEN - Tender, flavorful, and delicious. Would definitely order again.OXTAIL - Savory and tender. Plenty of sauce and not super fatty, just not as flavorful as we hoped. Doubt I'd order it again.Each dinner entree includes two side items. We had RICE AND PEAS and FRIED CABBAGE with both. Next time, I'm definitely ordering an extra side of fried cabbage because it was really good.The portions were plentiful, so that's a plus. Everything smelled really good, so I was anxious to try it.The service was polite. We'll be back soon to try other items and beverages.__I eat. @f.huxI thrift. @DCthriftish"

Reggae Vibes Qzine

★★★★☆ 4.4 (57)

"This place is on the corner of Georgia and Eastern Avenues and is hard to miss with its colorful island colors, Jamaican flag and pictures of food on the wall outside of the restaurant. I ordered the Jammin' Jerk platter (chicken, fried plantain, rice 'n' peas) and a side of steamed cabbage via Door Dash. My pickup time kept being extended on the app, so I decided to just show up to the restaurant to collect my order after thirty minutes. My order was ready and one of the employees explained that there was something wrong with their system. I wondered why they didn't call to update me, but the female employee who greeted me was pleasant, so I didn't make a fuss. The chicken tasted like baked chicken; no jerk flavor. I didn't appreciate the taste of cloves in the rice and peas. The plantains were sweet and delicious. The cabbage had a nice smell, but something on them -- not sure if it was butter or oil -- didn't sit well with me and I wasn't able to finish it. The portion size was large enough for two meals.2.5"

Jammin Island BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.1 (63) • $$

"Food was very delicious & flavorful. Christopher & Bryan's customer service was 10/10.. they gave us recommendations on what to order.definitely did not disappoint us. We were left wowed. Will definitely be back more often. Already craving their mac & cheese & burger!!"

Nice N’ Spicy

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (88) • $$

"The food was tasty, but the portion was not adequate. I ordered oxtail, rice and peas, plantains and 3 coco bread. The coco bread was awful, it was dry and had no flavor. The oxtail was not the normal diameter; it was cut in half or one normal piece looks like it was cut to make three pieces. I will not be back. I spent over $40.00. The plantain was dreadful, it was over ripe and soaked in oil. I had to throw the plantains and coco bread away."

The Caribbean Market

★★★★☆ 3.7 (68) • $$

"This my first visit to this shop. It was recommended by a coworker, so we decided to meet there. I was pleased to see patron's access being limited. The line seemed to go quickly as persons exited more were allowed in. Overall, I thought the store had a great variety of items including fresh produce. This was the first time, I'd seen dasheen in a store in Maryland.They also had a variety of fresh and salted meats and frozen fish. The price of some meat was higher than usual (direct impact of costs related to COVID-19). There was prompt service at the butcher counter and the area was well lit and looked clean. There are lots of grocery items stacked neatly on shelves throughout the store. I searched though the hot sauce bottles some of which were expired to find one my husband might enjoy. HINT: watch the experience dates. As I walked back to front of the front of the store with my coworker who was buying hot - prepared food, there was a display with hot sauce within date so I grabbed a bottle from there. I enjoyed the visit and plan to return."

Africaribbean Taste

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (78) • $

"I've tried the curry goat, escovitch and fricassee chicken. All have been amazing, food Is fresh and employees are friendly. I like the touch of care they provide by letting me see the food prior to putting in the Togo bag."

Jerk at Nite

★★★★☆ 3.6 (68) • $$

"Jerk at Nite was a lovely experience in the city.To set the scene, it's on a corner unit on the H street block, and there's a to-go station that is outdoors.Parking was decent, I parked in the neighborhood and my friend found parking across the street.There is not really a fleshed out waiting area, so considering the busy nature of the restaurant, you're going to be a bit awkward, either waiting in your car, waiting in the cold, or standing up in the limited space in the restaurant.Our server was quick to share her perspectives on the dishes we inquired about, and showed pride in how jerk at nite differentiated themselves from other food spots.Now, to the meat and potatoes (pun intended)Me and a friend both got the tropical punch, along with a water. The tropical punch had a layered taste to it- you could definitely taste the passion fruit, mango and more. For both my friend and I, we agreed it was a little watery. It felt like either the result of a syrup based drink, or, a jungle juice type drink where there's ice in the jug, and it melts over time. I didn't think it was too big of a deal, as the degree of watery-ness didn't ruin it. 5/10The Mac & Cheese is an extremely affordable appetizer for the size of dish that you receive. There were 5 people in our party, and we were easily able to split two dishes of the Mac & cheese at $13 a piece. It was extremely seasoned (in a good way), and it didn't have a nasty consistency about it, which is my complaint with a lot of Mac & cheese's. 10/10.The jerk chicken pasta was seasoned TO THE GODS. The sauce was prevalent, but not overwhelming, and the cheese was a nice touch. There even was a kick of spice to each bite. 8/10.I didn't order the tacos, however, the tortilla has a nice char on it, which I appreciate. It didn't fall apart with each bite, and there were enough ingredients within each taco that you're getting a combination of flavors with each bite.Be careful- there was a 18% gratuity included automatically on our check, and our server didn't go out of her way to point it out. One of our friends ended up paying $10 extra, on top of the service charge. That and the tropical punch was the only reason I give Jerk at Nite on H street: 4/5 Stars."

Jamaica Gee's

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (78) • $$

"Are you looking for AMAZING jerked chicken in an authentic sweet and spicy sauce??? This is the place ... I've ate jerked in many locations around the DMV and this is by far the best. Don't come here for quality service or a super clean restaurant.... this place is really just carry out ..."