Caribbean food hits the spot year round, but especially so after a whole day of dancing to mas bands at Notting Hill Carnival.
You’ll find a rich Caribbean heritage across London, written through the city’s neighbourhoods via excellent local spots that champion the vibrant cuisines of these islands. Whether you’re heading to Notting Hill Carnival this weekend or not, here is how you can celebrate Caribbean culture, one plate at a time, with London’s best Caribbean food and restaurants.
Jam Delish, Islington
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Jam Delish turns all the classic bits we love about Caribbean cuisine into (mostly) vegan-friendly, modern plates, as thought up by head chef Nathan Collymore. From kimchi twists on pholourie (split-pea fritters) to spicy pepper tostones (fried plantain slices) each plate packs a punch both visually and via high-intensity flavours. Come here for really invigorating dining; it will introduce your palette to the kinds of flavours that will make you crave returning as quickly as possible.
139 Fika, Peckham
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Africa, the Caribbean, and Britain collide on the plates at 139 Fika, a popular spot in Peckham for fusion cooking. This takes shape in the likes of grilled jerk-infused chicken wings served with red cabbage slaw, an omelette with spiced lamb meatballs, grilled black tiger prawns with jollof-spiced cauliflower puree, and much more. The menu is split between lunch and evening, and is the perfect spot for ordering lots from the menu and dining family-style.
Guanabana, Kentish Town
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This cult-favourite halal-certified Caribbean smokehouse has garnered its name for its fusion of street-style smoked flavours across clever (and colourful) platters and plates. The menus focus on meats, including the popular short rib and jerk chicken platters, with vegan (Carlita’s vegetable trio of bean stews) and gluten free (pan-fried sea bass with a coconut herb sauce) dishes too. Don’t save Guanabana just for Carnival weekend: head here to shake-up your traditional Sunday Roast any time of year, with Guanabana’s Oak Smoked Jerk Sunday Roast, featuring a stacked plate of smoked meats and vegetables doused in gravy.
Fish, Wings & Tings, Brixton
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At Brixton Village on a Friday evening, Fish, Wings & Tings will be packed. Expect low-key Caribbean food served on communal tables in a lively courtyard festooned in bunting and pergola lights. Its popularity isn’t without good reason – the restaurant’s spicy chicken wings are so good they’ve been patented, and its curried goat is equally delicious. The menu, cooked by its Trinidadian owner Brian Danclair, is great, but diners also come for the atmosphere – the reggae soundtrack pumps through speakers and the strong rum punch, coupled with the fiery jerk chicken, will leave you feeling warm in every way. The restaurant also has a plant-based sister restaurant Veg & Tings, Brixton. By Ella Alexander
Original Tasty Jerk, Thornton Heath
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A very much IYKYK destination, Original Tasty Jerk, a takeaway destination near Selhurst Park, does what it says on the tin – supremely good jerk chicken, pork, mutton and fish. The menu is limited; these guys are specialists and do what they do very well – perfectly charred, juicy jerk that falls on the spicy side (OTJ makes its own punchy scotch bonnet pepper sauce). The rice and peas comes soaked with gravy and the plantain is crispy and sweet. There’s no website and certainly no social media presence, which of course makes OTJ even cooler. Expect to queue, but good things come to those who wait. By Ella Alexander
Hoodwood, Kentish Town
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Sometimes, the best Caribbean food comes in … delivery boxes. Hoodwood is the new Caribbean takeaway service from the team behind one of London’s favourite smoke houses, Guanabana. To celebrate Carnival this year, the team has launched a limited-edition ‘Carnival Celebration Box’ packed with all of the restaurant’s best bits, and serves two. Tuck into the spot’s famous patty pies (golden-coloured pastries stuffed with spiced meat and vegetables) alongside jerk bowls and wings. We know where to flock after a night of dancing down West London’s DJ-filled streets.
Maureen’s Brixton Kitchen, Brixton
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Maureen Tyne has been serving Brixton Jamaican food from her back yard for 20 years. You’ll know you’ve got to the right place when you see the smoke fumes from behind her Railton Road home. Tyne, who was taught to cook by her Jamaican grandmother, says it’s the scent of the food that draws the crowds. The menu spans oxtail, curry goat, fried fish and chicken, jerk chicken, plus weekend specials of jerk pork and cow foot and of course, her famous soups. For £20, you’ll be served a generous platter that will ensure you become a repeat customer. By Ella Alexander
Cottons, Notting Hill
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It’s Carnival all year long according to Cottons in Notting Hill, a proud favourite since 1985. Step inside the wood and palm tree themed restaurant to seep in its “contagious” Caribbean energy which continues into the jerk chicken spring rolls, salt cod fritters served with spiced jams, and hot wings. These dishes all go down especially well with one of the restaurant’s rum cocktails, for which the spot has a Guinness World Record for the biggest number of rums available – a whopping 372. Bottomless brunch anyone? The original spot is in Notting Hill, but you’ll find three other outposts across the city, in Camden, Shoreditch and Vauxhall.
FAQS
What is Caribbean food?
Caribbean food originates from the Caribbean islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Jamaica, Barbados, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Dominica, and more. It is characterised by meat, fish, rice, and root vegetable dishes infused with spices for vibrant and colourful plates.
What are the main ingredients in Caribbean cooking?
Vegetables like plantain, sweet potato, cassava are very common in Caribbean cooking, alongside local fishes and meat like pork and chicken. Spices include chilli, garlic, ginger, alongside fresh mango and coconut.
Which are the most popular Caribbean dishes?
The most popular Caribbean dishes vary from island to island, but in London you can find Jamaican jerk chicken or spicy wings, fried plantain in most restaurants, alongside spice-infused rice and beans, and cod dishes.
Is Caribbean food vegan-friendly?
Traditionally Caribbean food focusses on meat and fish dishes. However, local and season vegetables like plantain are crucial to the cuisine too. Many Caribbean restaurants in London now offer vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free dishes, or are even entirely vegan-friendly.
Lead image credit: Hoodwood
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