Top 5 Caribbean restaurants in Toronto
Published September 16, 2024 at 10:19 am
Caribbean restaurants in Toronto offer a taste of the island life to those of us stuck here in frozen Canada. The vibrant flavours of bold seasonings and spices complement chicken, pork, veggies and seafood. Comforting rice and peas, coleslaw, plantains and dumplings make for the perfect accompaniments.
While chicken is a major focus in jerk, grilled, BBQ, curry, stew and fried forms, stunning fish and shrimp dishes bring in the flavours of the sea the Caribbean is known for.
Here are some of Toronto’s great Caribbean restaurants.
5 – Jerk King
With multiple spots around town, locations conveniently situated near Dufferin and Bathurst stations are favourite late night options to hit up for big portions of stick-to-your-ribs Caribbean food before getting on the subway.
They serve a wide variety of dishes and do great fried chicken, but jerk dishes are a specialty seeing as it’s in the name. For pure forkable goodness, opt for the boneless jerk chicken: a heap of tender meat is piled on top of rice and peas, all slathered in a rich saucy gravy. A plate comes with a small tub of creamy coleslaw. Their jerk seasoning has a mild zinging heat throughout that won’t blow your head off, but should satisfy a desire for spice.
4 – Allwyn’s
This local mini chain has decades of history in Toronto, and multiple locations in more suburban areas. However, they do have one spot on Queen West to serve hungry downtowners.
They’re known for their jerk pork, jerk chicken, and jerk wings, and for making deluxe stuffed sandwiches with jerk meat, a patty and coleslaw on coco bread. The flavourful jerk sauce coating the hearty meats is made from scratch in house. Their other specialties include oxtail, curry goat, BBQ chicken, curry chicken and roti.
3 – Island Foods
This family business has roots at Dufferin Mall in the 1970s, and has had multiple locations that have come and gone over the years. They once had a beloved spot in the King West area that closed down, but now they’ve reopened not far away on Gladstone in the Parkdale area.
Island Foods is a great option for veggie lovers as they load every dinner with curried potatoes and mixed vegetables, something not every Caribbean restaurant does, and they have lots of vegan options. They make their own award-winning hot sauce that gets splashed on your meal in different increments depending on whether you want it medium spicy, hot or extra hot.
If you’re into seafood, opt for the curry shrimp for a juicy protein that’s bursting with warm curry flavour.
2 – Albert’s Real Jamaican Foods
With a history that stretches back to 1984, this is a St. Clair West institution. Look out for the iconic sign of a person riding a donkey and you’ll know you’ve made it.
Some of Toronto’s best oxtail can be found here: fatty, fall-off-the-bone, jiggly, and absolutely swimming in the richest gravy. You’ll find yourself sopping up every last bit of sauce with a generous portion of rice and peas.
They also make great jerk pork, jerk chicken, jerk chicken sandwiches, fried chicken and roti.
Wander down Portland just off King West to find this ode to Jamaican cuisine. The sit-down restaurant and its menu are a slight departure from the more casual hot table restaurants that are everywhere in Toronto, but the core of Caribbean cuisine is still undeniably represented.
Here, you’ll find takes on pepper shrimp, jerk pit dishes, curry goat, mac n’ cheese and escovitch snapper. Don’t be fooled by the fancy presentation, as these dishes faithfully stick to traditional flavours.
For something a little different, try the pan-seared snapper fillet. Sweet potato and coconut steamed greens ground this dish with some fundamental Caribbean veggies with a sweet, smooth flavour, and a comforting brown stew sauce brings the whole plate together, the fish expertly cooked.
