Looking for patties that pack a punch? Peanut punch that jerks your tastebuds back to life? Jerk chicken that’s simply dynamite? You've come to the right place, my friend. Because London is brimming with quality Caribbean restaurants and takeaways – all of which play a vital role in supplying the communities they serve with excellent food and an arena for people from all walks of life to come together over a communal sense of enjoyment.
Whether you're in the mood for a post-night double or a pre-night bowl of breeches-busting Oxtail stew, Caribbean restaurants in London provide a sanctum of good eating that is hard to match. God knows a portion of ackee and saltfish has saved us from many a life-questioning hangover caused by a night of too much rum consumption.
Often heavily spiced and dancing with fresh produce, food from the Caribbean is comfort at its finest and Caribbean restaurants in London are consequently some of the most comforting places to dine. And, while we tend to advocate championing your local rice and peas-salespersons whenever possible, we're encouraging you here to do a bit of food exploring throughout the capital. Because that comfort really can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
London is chock-a-block with excellent Caribbean fare – from traditional Trinidadian roti huts to genuine Jamaican jerk drums, so trust us when we tell you that you’re never too far from someone doing the goods on some dangerously addictive dumplings.
The following are some of Foodism's picks for the best places to pick up great roti and decadent curry goat at the best Caribbean restaurants in London. Is it an exhaustive guide? Far from it. But is every one of these restaurants and takeaways worth a visit to dine on some fantastic Caribbean cuisine? Absolutely.
12 best Caribbean restaurants and takeaways in London
1. Roti Joupa
Multiple locations
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Roti Joupa has absolutely got the sauce. This Trini takeaway serves some of the best rotis and doubles in the city. Simply sidle up to the counter, choose your roti filling (we’d personally recommend the chana or curry goat), decide on what spice level you can handle, and get ready for an eating experience that’ll make every meal you eat afterwards dwindle with disappointment. Why? Because pretty much everything at Roti Joupa is super affordable, appetising and the sizeable portions will have you full and happy as an aloo pie. No, there’s not much room for seating, but when the food hits you with this much of a flavour haymaker – that simply doesn’t matter. We’ll be having words if you don't order a buss up shut roti.
2. Guanabana
85 Kentish Town Road, NW1 8NY
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This Kentish Road staple has been firing up Latin Caribbean cuisine since 2007. While options like jerk caesar salad aren’t what you'd expect to find on most typical Caribbean menus, classics like oxtail butter bean stew (complete with rice and peas and plantain on the side) and the grilled jerk chicken hut scratch that itch with aplomb. Serving dishes inspired by the flavours of Jamaica, Colombia, Mexico and everywhere in-between, Guanabana is about as unique as they come. Caribbean restaurants in London don't come like Guanabana. The fact it's BYOB is still pretty BYO-unbelievable to us and, c’mon, where else are you going to get the chance to nyam some Jaimaican poutine?
3. SoulFood Peckham
27A Peckham High Street SE15 5EB
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If you ask around for the best jerk in London, SoulFood is the name that keeps coming up. Formerly JB’s Soul Food – named after Jennifer and Bill Hawes who run the place – this Peckham High Street institution is all about consistency and generous portions. Whether it’s patties, curried goat, or deeply charred oxtail, come hungry and expect to loosen your belt by the time you leave. SoulFood is a jerk specialist, serving up perfectly flame-licked meats that hit all the right notes. Their prized jerk pork, usually available Fridays and Saturdays, arrives on the bone, dripping with melting, caramelised fat – the kind that makes you start plotting your next visit before you’ve even finished.
4. White Men Can't Jerk
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Housed in the Prince of Peckham pub, White Men Can’t Jerk is perhaps a misnomer... because it seems like they actually can. This award-winning jerk chicken is marinated for 48 hours, then smoked slowly over oak and alder woods, delivering a drool-worthy depth of flavour and a perfectly caramelised crust. Don’t miss the buttermilk fried wings glazed with honey, ginger, and chilli and the jerk salted spiced fries, served with dollops of jerk mayo. Jerktastic.
5. Fish, Wings & Tings
Brixton Village, 99 Cold Harbour Lane, SW9 8PR
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Fish, Wings & Tings has, er, fish (kingfish curry), wings (reggae wings) and plenty of 'tings' (split pea fritters, stew oxtail and more) on the menu. Chef Brian Danclair grew up watching his Trinidadian grandmother cook, so there's a clear Trini influence here, from beers to roti, and the vibe is fun and easygoing. Trained in French Provençal cooking, Danclair has developed what he calls "nouvelle Caribbean cuisine"– a style of food that's just as delicious, and nowhere near as pretentious, as it sounds. Is it one of the most exciting Caribbean restaurants in London? You betcha.
6. Marvees Food Shop at UNDR
3 Thorpe Close, London W10 5TZ
Marvees Food Shop makes a strong case for being one of London’s vibiest dining rooms – a technicolour mash-up of retro wallpaper, cinema chairs and a venue that transforms from restaurant to club come the wee hours in Notting Hill. The brains behind the operation is national treasure Dom Taylor – winner of Channel Four’s Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef – who’s turned his memories of childhood trips to Jamaica into a menu that’s both soulful and impossible to resist. Named after his mum, Marveline, this place serves up all the crowd pleasers – including perfectly tender boneless curry goat, jerk chicken and dark rum and raisin glazed pork belly. Don't scrimp on the sides either – the pumpkin rice, charred lime and maple plantain, and a roast pineapple and tomato chow are all winners. Happy hour, Tuesday to Friday 5-7pm and Saturday to Sunday 1-5pm, serves up two-for-one cocktails so you can get sauced in more ways than one.
7. Buster Mantis
3-4 Resolution Way, SE8 4NT
This gem of a bar is packed with life, soul, Jamaican food and dangerously drinkable punch. Which is why we've whacked it on this round-up to the finest Caribbean restaurants in London. Buster Mantis's menu changes on a weekly basis but you’ll pretty much be guaranteed to find excellent jerk and curry knocking about for a bloody good time. Jerk jackfruit and braised callaloo will keep the vegans among us satiated while the curry goat satisfies a far meatier spot of one’s skull. Be warned, though, as dishes tend to run out fast and the chances of getting your first choice are slim on a busy night. It has a space devoted to everything from life drawing to art exhibitions, and Wednesdays see Buster Mantis host weekly jazz nights. Dancing on a school night? Go on then.
8. Ma Petite Jamaica
4 Inverness Street, NW1 7HJ
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Ma Petite Jamaica is a little slice of Jamaica in Camden Town: a scotch bonnet safe space where you can stuff yourself silly with stone cold classics like fish escovitch with grilled vegetables and fried cassava or jerk red snapper from the jerk pot. Get a sharing platter all to yourself if you're feeling especially hungry. Daily happy hour from 5-7pm ensures your rum consumption will be up there with the very best of them. Caribbean restaurants in London don't get realer than this.
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9. Ochi
226 Uxbridge Road, W12 7JD
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Opened in 1996, Ochi Caribbean Takeaway has been a central part of the Shepherd's Bush Afro-Caribbean community for over two decades now. It’s a place to meet old friends, new and a never-ending line of Deliveroo drivers. Rihanna, Rick Ross, Amy Winehouse and Lenny Henry have all graced Ochi with their presence over the years (evidence of this available on the feted "Wall of Fame"), and it’s not hard to see why. Plump festivals and dumplings are a gorgeous, golden hue and a waft of redolent curry spices greet you as soon as you walk through the doors. Order a portion of curry goat with rice and peas and you won't just get a glop of indiscernible meat and sauce. You'll get beautifully pink meat that sprints off the bone to swim in a thick, rich and moreish pool of gravy.
10. Island Social Club
258 Kingsland Road, E8 4DG
Run by owners Marie Mitchell and Joseph Pilgrim, the Island Social Club is a hub of real Caribbean food and real creativity in Haggerston
Run by owners Marie Mitchell and Joseph Pilgrim, the Island Social Club is a hub of real Caribbean food and real creativity in Haggerston
Run by owners Marie Mitchell and Joseph Pilgrim, the Island Social Club is a hub of real Caribbean food and real creativity in Haggerston
Run by owners Marie Mitchell and Joseph Pilgrim, the Island Social Club is a hub of real Caribbean food and real creativity in Haggerston
Run by owners Marie Mitchell and Joseph Pilgrim, the Island Social Club is a hub of real Caribbean food and real creativity in Haggerston
Run by owners Marie Mitchell and Joseph Pilgrim, the Island Social Club is a hub of real Caribbean food and real creativity in Haggerston
Run by owners Marie Mitchell and Joseph Pilgrim, the Island Social Club is a hub of real Caribbean food and real creativity in Haggerston. A regular events programme and a mean selection of curries and stews guarantee you won’t ever visit the place just once. Especially when the food is this good. Island Social Club’s curry mutton, fragrant with licks of garlic and ginger, is marinated for 24 hours in one of the tenderest treatments of the meat you’ll find in the city. Other essentials are the addictive bussup shut rotis. Prepared in-house, these rotis arrive on your table in a happy mound and, pliable with all the dextrousness of a Russian gymnast, are perfect for mopping up any delicious dregs you’ve got left on your place.
11. Reggie's Caribbean Cuisine
55 Hillside, NW10 8LY
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Reggie's is a family-run Trinidadian restaurant with a whole lot of heart. Thanks in no small part to the exuberant presence of head chef, Agnes. Everything cooked by Agnes, from her salt fish fritters to her channa roti, is packed with a spades of aromatic spice. This isn't fast food: it's food made with care and affection. Not content with just nailing the classics, Reggie's underlines the fusion of different ethnic influences that makes Caribbean food so diverse and it's also one of the reasons Reggie's is one of the best Caribbean restaurants in London. Perhaps best epitomised by the presence of chicken chow mein on the menu right next to the pelau. Everything is fantastic value for money and a considerable bargain when you consider the quality on offer. Although you won't be left wanting after a few sizeable portions of mains, you’d be remiss not to order some of Agnes' homemade ice cream for dessert.
12. Cottons
157-159 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3LF
If you yearn for the sounds, smells and sunshine of carnival, make a trip to Cottons' Notting Hill branch. The group first opened its doors in Camden in 1985, so it's safe to say they know a thing or two about creating utterly delicious Caribbean fare for the masses, and you won't leave disappointed. Most of the cocktails are, quite obviously, rum based. So much so that the Notting Hill branch currently holds the Guinness World Record for being the bar with the most types of rum commercially available (372). A lot of the meat plates at Cottons shines through though the most popular dish of all is the chaguanas dinner plate – chana dhal curry served with black eyed bean, chick pea and callaloo fritters, and plantain.
