Negril Restaurants

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Set on a cliffside, Rick's in Negril has become the premier gathering spot and its sunsets have become a Jamaican tradition.

Opened in 1974, it has achieved the distinction of being named one of the top 10 bars in the world and for so many great reasons despite being destroyed by 2 hurricanes the past 25 years.

From its cliffs countless visitors and locals have jumped or dived into the crystalline waters below and its highest platform jump is 35 feet and ensures a thrill.

The staff is wonderful and some have been there over 20 years.

Favorite Dish: Jerk anything...chicken, fish, vegetables. It is all good, authentic.

In my opinion, Rock House is the place to go for that special dinner when in Negril. The views of the bay surrounding the restaurant, the sunsets right out in the ocean, the flowers and tropical gardens are all amazing, and they also have some of the most consistently excellent food on the Cliffs. The prices are accordingly, so bring that Visa card (most Jamaican restaurants in Negril do not take AMEX)---here is a dinner my girl and I had and the total bill
Lime Dacquiri and Caribbean Sky, Coconut Shrimp, Conch Fritters, Crab turnovers, grilled calimari (4 large appetizer plates) one scoop of delicious grapenut ice cream, and with 10% added to the bill for service came to $56 US....I left a couple more dollars on the table for the server. Not a bad deal for the delicious food and the wonderful surroundings.

Favorite Dish: fresh fish or mountain shrimps

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LTU sits on the Cliffs of Negril, right past the (in)famous Ricks Cafe. They are open all day and the food is excellent! Breakfast you can have banana pancakes or Ackee and saltfish, the rest of the day they have sandwiches, burgers, jerk chicken and fresh seafood. There is a nice bar where Johnny serves up cold Red Stripes and banana Daquiris with aplomb. Noreen is my favorite server with a beautiful smile!
updated Oct/2010---still cooking great seafood and serving cold red stripes---Johnny and Noreen both still there with big Jamaican smiles! One night I had pumpkin soup (they serve that with most meals--MMMMM good!), and their version of jerk chicken, 2 skewers of fresh juicy chicken with jerk seasoning, some cho-cho (chayote squash), and some rice and peas, the National dish of Jamaica, washed down with a Red Stripe beer. Very much recommended , around the bend from Ricks Cafe on the Cliffs of Negril.
updated April 2011
Still one of my favorite spots to eat on the cliffs---the staff makes it great and the food is some of the best in the West End of Negril. Had the Coconut shrimp as usual (mmmm) and some fresh mahi-mahi blackened with all the Jamaican veggies to go along----Say Hi to Noreen and Johnny when you go and say hey from Dusty!

Favorite Dish: Pan fried Snapper with pumpkin soup! Or the Coconut Shrimp!

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Xtabi (pronounced ex-ta-bee) has been around the Negril scene for a long time---It is on the site of the old Awee Maway resort from the 60's. There are great areas along the cliff for jumping off into the sea, and a great restaurant where I go mostly for a nice lunch with ocean views and breezes. They have a wonderful club sandwich which includes a fried egg on top! There are some caves down below that you can access with stairs---you can get into the water easily down there and swim out into the bay where there are also rocks for sunning.
I have never stayed here--they have rooms around the bay and also across the road.
updated April 2011
Still a wonderful place for lunch under the shade right on the ocean's edge---Some of the cliffside cottages look re-painted; lots of people swimming in the gorgeous bay surrounding the resort.

Favorite Dish: Club sandwich with fried egg!

Ericas is another long-time restaurant on the land side of the Lighthouse road--lobster is one of her specialities and usually at market prices---she also does brown stews with chicken and fish on request----definitely recommended if on the cliffs---prices $10-$20 for a full dinner.
Wish she had a place on the water.......

Favorite Dish: brown stewed chicken

Yeah I know it seems weird to eat pizza in Jamaica but their seafood pizza is amazing! Whatever is fresh, shrimps, lobster, snapper and other good toppings along with cold beer and other Jamaican specialities----good crispy crust too-----This place is ancient by cliff standards probably at least 30-35 years in the same location---really unheard of on the cliff and worth a visit for local food cooked with care. My friend Gasnell lives in the house behind the cafe and I see him there often----definitely recommended.

Favorite Dish: seafood pizza

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Ciao Jamaica serves Jamaican Italian cuisine, so there's lots of pasta dishes but mostly everything has a Jamaican twist. They use locally-grown ingredients and have an authentic Jamaican chef so the food is like momma's home cooking if only momma was Jamaican/Italian. Everything was FABULOUS. The service was amazing too: the servers were so happy to serve us! We stayed in Negril for 5 nights, and ate at Ciao Jamaica for three nights -- it was that good. The prices were average for other restaurants, but the food was better and there was more of it. A great value as well as simply being the best food we've had anywhere.

Favorite Dish: The West Indies Seafood Linguine was incredible. Shrimp and lobster cooked in a rundown sauce with a little bit of curry and lemongrass. They also do a stir fry spaghetti, which is chicken and veggies stir fried with the chef's own original sauce, on spaghetti. I could eat either dish for breakfast lunch and dinner every day for a week and still not be tired of them.

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While staying in Negril, we stumbled across Presley's (which is located just outside of the Rockhouse).

Presley's looks like most of the other little roadside "bars",...but what you don't know is that upon request, he will cook-up most anything you wish as long as it's Jamaican.
He requires a verbal reservation, and his word is his bond. He only cooks for a couple or two at a time,....so make your reservations as soon as he opens, approximately 8:00 a.m.

When you arrive that evening,...you will find that he has transformed his place into a private, romantic restaurant, just for you. On top of being your own private grill chef, he selects the freshest catches (per your request) from the local fisherman. The fresh (right of the garden) sidedishes are a taste treat in themselves.

And the price....he asks that you pay him "whatever you think is fair". He will have his Redstrip in the freezer for you (ours actually had ice crystals,...soooooo cold). If you prefer wine,...just let him know, because there are "No Problems" at Presley's Bar & Grill. It's the "Real Deal", a unique experience you will cherish forever. It's all about "Respect", great food and lots of laughter.

*We found that most Jamaicans wear several "hats",...Presley also provides inexpensive taxi services, guided tours, he will get you better prices on anything that you buy (and tell you what is fair) and don't forget to ask to see his garden,...he will climb his coconut tree or chop a stalk of sugarcane and happily share his Jamaican life with you. He will do whatever he can to help make your trip extraordinary!

Favorite Dish: Presley's well known for the grilled Lobster, Conche and Snapper. Presley's prides himself in the freshest local vegetables and ingrediants. His Jamaican approach to life and his menu makes you want to come back again and again.