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Enjoy a culinary adventure with Caribbean food

The Caribbean isn’t just for swaying palms, white sandy beaches and sunshine. Caribbean food is a truly unique and delicious culinary experience full of bold flavours and vibrant ingredients

6 min 02 Jan 2024

Editorial Team

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It’s hard not to fall in love with this incredible food! Caribbean cuisine is influenced by African, European and Indigenous flavours and cooking techniques, all of which reflect these wonderful islands' diverse cultures and histories.

Big flavours from big local inspiration

Caribbean food is all about local produce and flavours packed into one amazing dish. Fresh and tropical ingredients such as plantain, yucca and cassava work in harmony with herbs and spices like thyme, nutmeg and ginger to make wonderful dishes. Seafood is another important element of Caribbean food, with many dishes featuring prawns, crab and lobster, often freshly caught from the surrounding seas.

Discover traditional Caribbean food

Jamaica: spicy yet incredible food

Jamaica is known for its bold and fiery flavours with dishes like curried goat being a popular dish amongst the locals. Another staple in Jamaican food is jerk chicken: a wonderfully marinated, spicy chicken that’s carefully slow-cooked to perfection. But be warned, it’s often eaten by hand so expect to get messy!

Whilst you’re on the island, look out for locally run restaurants for real local food, such as Scotchies in Montego Bay and Boston Jerk Center in Boston Bay for authentic jerk chicken and fish.

Tobago: multicultural fusion foods

The food in Tobago is influenced by many cultures making it a melting pot of flavours – there’s something for everyone to try. One of the must-try dishes is the roti, a type of Indian bread stuffed with curried meat or vegetables; another is doubles, a street food made with fried bread and curried chickpeas.

There are many superb restaurants on the island where you can try spectacular local food such as The Seahorse Inn in Black Rock or The Fish Pot in Pleasant Prospect.

Traditional Jamaican cuisine including beef patties, jerk chicken, rice and brown stewed chicken

The Bahamas: seafood lovers’ heaven

Bahamian cuisine is a real paradise for seafood lovers, with many wonderful dishes made from local catches. One of the truly popular dishes is conch fritters. Diced conch and spices are mixed together before being battered and deep fried until golden brown: a genuinely delicious, slightly sweet, dish.

When you’re next on the island, and hoping to try local food, head for Fish Fry in Nassau, which is a collection of seafood restaurants serving authentic cuisine with an incredible atmosphere.

Barbados: authentic, wonderful island flavours

A combination of African, British and Caribbean flavours creates mouth-watering local dishes for you to try. Boasting the accolade as Barbados’ national dish, cou-cou and flying fish is made with cornmeal and okra, or sometimes breadfruit and bananas, and is a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike. So much so, you’ll find it from local snack huts through to high-end restaurants!

Whilst you’re in Barbados and looking for local food, visit the Oistins Fish Fry for its local, rustic and excellent food, or the Fish Pot, which offers an incredible seaside setting and a menu full of Caribbean and international foods to choose from.

St Kitts: where the land and sea come together

The food in St Kitts takes full advantage of its surroundings, using the plentiful coastlines for fishing and unique volcanic soils for growing local produce. Both of these unique environments influence the local food and produce unique dishes you can’t miss including the island’s national dish: salt fish and dumplings.

There is a brilliant range of restaurants to choose from when you step ashore in St Kitts including Sprat Net, which serves only what they catch, or Marshalls, which offers amazing views over the area.

Bahamian conch fritters

St Lucia: a melting pot of flavours

A fusion of flavours influenced by African, French and Caribbean cuisines, St Lucian food is not one to miss. The historic national dish of this beautiful island is green fig and saltfish. This breakfast dish is made with green bananas and salted cod, and you can find many unique twists on this scrumptious dish across the island.

On your next visit to St Lucia consider visiting The Coal Pot, a local favourite with traditional island cooking, or The Pink Plantation, an authentic Caribbean restaurant in the mountains.

Antigua: fresh and unique flavours

Famous for its fantastic food scene, Antigua cuisine is full of many international influences and home to incredible dishes. One of the most popular dishes includes pepperpot and fungee. This national dish combines a hearty stew made with vegetables, meats and spices, with cornmeal made from okra; this really is a match made in heaven.

Whether you’re a foodie or just looking to try local foods whilst visiting the island, consider visiting Sheer Rocks, famous for its tapas-style food and cocktails, or Catherine's Café, a French-inspired restaurant on the beach at Pigeon Point.

Antigua

Experience a taste of the Caribbean on board

Trying the local food in any place you visit is a must and the Caribbean is no different. When you’re ashore, visit local restaurants, cafés and street food vendors to try authentic specialities made by the locals. And when you get back on board, that amazing culinary experience doesn’t have to stop. We have a brilliant range of cuisines and restaurants on board all our ships, ready for you to explore different flavours.