Best Caribbean Food near me in Orlando, FL

Where to find Caribbean food in Orlando

Orlando's Caribbean restaurants follow its communities. The west side, around Pine Hills, Silver Star Road and Good Homes Road, is the center for Jamaican and Haitian food, home to Caribbean Sunshine Bakery and Seana's. South Orange Blossom Trail and Kirkman Road have Bon Appetit Grill, and South John Young Parkway has Kalalou.

South Orlando, including Southchase and the Pine Castle area, leans Dominican and Puerto Rican, with Chimiking and House of Antojitos. On the east side, Mark's Jamaican sits near UCF on University Boulevard, Island Thyme serves Avalon Park and Crocante is on East Colonial Drive.

To choose, start with the island you are craving, then the setting. Caribbean Sunshine and Bon Appetit are quick, inexpensive counters, Mark's and Kalalou are sit-down meals with a bar, and House of Antojitos is the late, casual stop.

What to order at Caribbean restaurants

For Jamaican food, oxtail, curry goat and jerk chicken are the core trio, and ackee and saltfish is the national breakfast. Add a beef patty or festival, a slightly sweet fried dumpling. At a Haitian spot, griot, crispy fried pork, comes with pikliz, a spicy pickled slaw, and fritay is a mixed plate of fried foods.

Dominican menus feature yaroa, layered fries or plantains with meat and cheese, and chimi burgers. Puerto Rican cooking brings mofongo, pernil and tostones. If you are new to all of it, a fritura sampler at Chimiking or a mixed plate at Bon Appetit lets you try several things at once.

Sides matter too. Rice and peas, fried plantains and steamed cabbage come with most Jamaican plates, and Mark's serves every entree with three sides, so you can try several.

Tips for eating Caribbean food in Orlando

Many of these kitchens are counter service with takeout as the main business, so expect plates to travel well and portions to be large. Oxtail and some specials can sell out later in the day, so go earlier for the full menu. Jamaican and Haitian hot sauces and pikliz are very hot, so taste before you pour.

For a sit-down meal with drinks, Kalalou, Mark's and Crocante are the best bets, and Kalalou and Crocante take reservations. For late nights, House of Antojitos and Seana's run later menus. Most of these spots have strip mall parking, which makes quick pickup easy.

About this list

Every place here is a locally run business in Orange County with its own website, which we checked for hours, menus and contact details. We leave national chains off our best-of lists and favor places with a clear specialty.

This page covers 9 Caribbean restaurants in Orlando. You'll find them in Pine Hills, UCF / Alafaya, South Orange Blossom Trail and Southwest Orlando.

Where menus list prices, most of these sit in the $$ range, with a handful at $.

What comes up again and again on their menus and websites: Jerk chicken, Catering, Oxtail, Ackee and saltfish and Curry goat.