Discovery Bay - Dining
Recommended Eating Establishments
CAFE AUBERGINE
This most intriguing restaurant, 18km (11 miles) south of Ocho Rios (and a 40-min. drive), is an offbeat adventure. European-trained chef Neville Anderson has converted an 18th-century tavern into a restaurant serving food as good as (or better than) that in the best restaurants of Ocho Rios.
You're welcomed inside a gingerbread-trim house with cascading pink and red flowers. On our last visit the cook was roasting half a cow. The dishes would pass muster on the Left Bank: sautéed breast of chicken in a lemon caper sauce over a bed of linguine or grilled lamb chops with a honey mustard sauce, for instance. We're also fond of baked crab with white wine (seasoned with fresh herbs) and the smoked marlin with pineapple sorbet.
Location: Moneague, Ocho Rios
Teleohone: 876/973-0527
BIBIBIPS
Set in the main tourist strip of Ocho Rios, this restaurant (whose name is the owner's nickname) occupies a sprawling open-air compound of porches and verandas. Lots of single folks come just to hang out at the bar. Drinks and flirtations sometimes segue into dinner at the adjacent restaurant, where well-prepared menu items include Red Stripe shrimp, which is deep-fried in a beer-based batter; coconut-curried chicken; vegetarian Rasta Pasta; and a combination Creole-style seafood platter. Lunches are a bit simpler, focusing mostly on sandwiches, salads, and an especially delicious jerk chicken burger. There's live entertainment, usually some kind of rap or reggae band, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday beginning at 8pm.
Location Ocho Rios
Telephone 876/974-8759
OCHO RIOS VILLAGE JERK CENTRE
At this open-air restaurant, you can get the best jerk dishes along this part of the coast. When only a frosty Red Stripe beer can quench your thirst and your stomach is growling for the fiery taste of Jamaican jerk seasonings, head here-and don't dress up. Don't expect anything fancy: It's the food that counts, and you'll find fresh daily specials posted on a chalkboard menu on the wall. The dishes are hot and spicy, but not too hot; hot spices are presented on the side for those who want to go truly Jamaican. The barbecued ribs are especially good, and fresh fish is a delight, perfectly grilled-try the red snapper. Vegetarian dishes are also available on request, and if you don't drink beer, you can wash it all down with natural fruit juices.
Location: Da Costa Dr, Ocho Rios
Telephone: 876/974-2549
RESTAURANTS AT ROYAL PLANTATION
Because this is an all-inclusive, you must purchase a pass to enter . Once inside, you can dine as lavishly as you want at any of their trio of restaurants. You'll think you've arrived at Tara in Gone with the Wind: An evening here, dining and dancing by candlelight, is one of the most romantic experiences in Ocho Rios. You're seated at beautifully set tables with crisp linens, either indoors or on a terrace. After the dinner plates are cleared, a dance band plays. The Continental cuisine is spiced up a bit by Jamaican specialties; try "Fire & Spice," a chicken and beef kabob with a ginger-pimento sauce. For the main course, we ask the chef to prepare a whole roast fish from the catch of the day, seasoned with island herbs and spices and presented with fresh country vegetables. Because the place attracts a lot of meat eaters, the chefs also prepare the classics: lamb chops Provençal and the like.
Location: Main St, Ocho Rios
Telephone: 876/974-5601
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THE CASANOVA
The suave Casanova is one of the most elegant enclaves along the North Coast, a super choice when you feel like dressing up. Meals are included for guests of the hotel, but nonguests who purchase a pass can also enjoy dinner and entertainment here. All drinks are included. Jazz wafting in from a lattice-roofed gazebo might accompany your meal. In the late 1960s, Harry Cipriani (of Harry's Bar fame in Venice) taught the staff some of his culinary techniques, and a little more care seems to go into the cuisine here, as opposed to the mass-market chow-downs at some of the other all-inclusives. Salads, vegetarian dishes, and soups are made fresh daily. Typical dishes include an appetizer of smoked chicken breast in a Continental berry sauce, or a small vegetable mousse with a fontina-cheese sauce. For your main course, you might prefer osso buco (braised veal shanks) or roast Cornish hen with citrus and mild spice.
Location In the Sans Souci Resort and Spa, along Rte. A3, 5km (3 miles) east of Ocho Rios, Ocho Rios
Phone 876/994-1353
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EVITA'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT
A 5-minute drive south of the commercial heart of Ocho Rios, in a hillside residential neighborhood that enjoys a panoramic view over the harbor and beachfronts, this is one of the most fun restaurants along the north coast of Jamaica. Its soul and artistic flair come from Eva Myers, the convivial former owner of some of the most legendary bars of Montego Bay, who established her culinary headquarters in this green and white gingerbread Jamaican house in 1990. An outdoor terrace adds additional seating and enhanced views. More than half the menu is devoted to pastas, including almost every variety known to northern and southern Italy. The fish dishes are excellent-especially the snapper stuffed with crabmeat and the lobster and scampi in a buttery white cream sauce. Italian (or other) wines by the bottle might accompany your main course
Location: Eden Bower Rd, Ocho Rios
Telephone: 876-974-2333
JAMAICA INN
Recently Voted as the Best Kept Secret for Breakfast in The Jamaica Observer Table Talk 2003 Food Awards, Jamaica Inn offers a breakfast menu with a wide variety of choices including Local Delights. Breakfast may be had on the Restaurant Terrace overlooking the bay or on the Verandah of each suite overlooking the Blue Caribbean. (7:30am – 10:30am)
Lunch is a daily treat that, once you have tried it, you will find it very hard to pass on. Jamaica Inn’s Lunch Menu boasts an extraordinary offering. From freshly made Soups, Salads & Breads to light bites, Sandwiches & Burgers and an “Around the World” section. Lunch is served at the Seaside Restaurant, on the Beach or in your Suite. (1:00pm – 2:30pm)
Flavorful Gourmet Dinner under the Stars while listening to a live band. The Dinner menu at Jamaica Inn changes every night. Every Saturday night is the infamous Lobster night.
Dinner is available in a romantic outside setting overlooking the sea (no reservations required for in-house guests) or in the privacy of your own suite on your balcony/verandah. Gentlemen are required to wear collared shirts and long trousers. (7:30pm – 9:00pm)
Location: Ocho Rios
Telephone: (876) 974-2514
LITTLE PUB RESTAURANT
Located in a redbrick courtyard with a fishpond and waterfall in the center of town, this pub is the town's most popular. No one will mind if you enjoy a drink in one of the pub's barrel chairs; if you want dinner, proceed to one of the linen-covered tables topped with cut flowers and candles. We're fond of the barbecued chicken and grilled kingfish, but you might like snapper or fresh lobster.
Location Ocho Rios
Telephone 876/974-2324
TOSCANINI'S
The three partners behind this place all hail from Parma, Italy. Coming from a long line of restaurateurs, they bring style and a Continental sophistication to their food service and preparation. The restaurant is set in an art gallery on the coast. The menu offers many classic Italian dishes, supplemented by ever-changing specials, depending on what's fresh at the market. The best specialties include marinated marlin, various homemade pastas, carpaccio, gnocchi, and a strong emphasis on fresh lobster and seafood. The chef also caters to vegetarians. All this good food is backed up by a fine wine list.
Location: In Harmony Hall, Tower Isles on Rte. A3, 6km (3 3/4 miles) east of Ocho Rios, Ocho Rios
Telephone: 876/975-4785
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