Toppa Top 10: Ten Best Caribbean Street Foods

Words by Jesse Serwer and Jillionaire—

Street food has received a trendy makeover over the last few years thanks to the proliferation of boutique food trucks in major US cities, but any seasoned traveler will tell you that the Caribbean runs the roadside eats game. Whether it’s the jerk chicken served up from smoky steel drums at Boston Beach and Red Hills Road, the shark and bake huts at Trinidad’s Maracas Beach, or the Dominican empanada trucks that thrive in NYC’s early morning hours, these simple and cheap delicacies have seen some truly unique cultures created around them.

Now, keep in mind that the order of this list is highly subjective, but don’t hesitate to rep your island’s roadside gems in the comments section.

10. Pholourie (Trinidad & Tobago/Guyana)

Guyana has it’s own spin on pholourie, too, but it’s Trinidad that’s renowned for this bite-sized Indian delicacy of fried batter goodness, made from split pea flour and topped with sweet tamarind sauce, and sold in paper bags by roadside vendors.

9. Chicharron (Cuba/Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic)

You probably shouldn’t eat salty, deep fried chicharron—which you may also know as pork rinds—every day but, in moderation and from the right vendor or takeout spot, a tastier treat can rarely be found. Except maybe chicharron de pollo—spicy, rum-soaked fried chicken nuggets found in Puerto Rico and DR.

8. Cuchifritos (Puerto Rico)

Another one that’ll send your Whole Foods-shopping, health-nut friends running in fear, cuchifritos is something of a catch-all category for meat-filled, fried Puerto Rican eats like alcapurria and papas rellenas, and can also be said to include chicharrones. “Puerto Rican soul food” is now perhaps now just as closely associated with New York City, meanwhile, thanks to the shops whose stark, garish lighting illuminates cuchifritos-filled windows like the one above.

7. Fishcakes (Barbados)

A close cousin to the fried cod fritters found in British pubs, Bajan fishcakes are made with saltfish, while hot pepper adds some more kick to the batter. You don’t need to leave your hotel or house to try fishcakes in Barbados but head up to Oistins for that town’s famed Friday night fish fry to try these tasty, round treats in their ideal setting.

6. Griot (Haiti)

Fried pork is a staple of cuisines around the world, but nobody does it quite like Haiti. Top your griot off with sauce ti-malice (Haitian hot sauce) or pickliz (spicy pickled salad), and grab yourself a Prestige to wash it all down.

5. Empanada (Cuba/Dominican Republic)/Beef Patty (Jamaica)

Empanadas are said to have originated in Portugal, and Argentinians will claim they do them best, but whether in Santo Domingo or on the streets of Bushwick and Washington Heights, it’s Dominicans who’ve turned these shell-shaped, meat-filled pastries into the ultimate after-midnight snack. And we can’t forget the Jamaican equivalent to the empanada, the beef patty. Although typically purchased in bakery shops, these spicy, gooey, meat-filled pastries are the official snack food for Jamaicans on the go, especially when sandwiched between two slices of coco bread.

4. Conch Fritters/Cracked Conch (Bahamas)

Conch salad, conch chowder conch burgers…Bahamians can’t get enough of their conch. But the most popular use of the ubiquitous (in the Bahamas, that is) mollusk are these two deep-fried varieties.

3. Shark and Bake (Trinidad & Tobago)

Chef/TV host Andrew Zimmern dubbed this one of his favorite sandwiches on Bizarre Foods, and I’ve got to say it’s definitely my fave as well. Head up to Maracas Beach, cram all the toppings on there—lettuce, tomatoes, pineapples and pepper, tamarind and Shadon Beni sauces—and have yourself a good time.—Jillionaire

2. Doubles (Trinidad & Tobago)

Photo: What’s Cooking In Your World

My English friend once described doubles as “baked beans in a pancake all rolled up.” Breakfast food, afterparty food, midday snack—doubles aren’t much to look at, but, if you haven’t been to Trinidad (or your local roti shop) they’re probably the best thing you’ve never eaten.—Jillionaire

1. Jerk Chicken/Pork (Jamaica)

Restaurants can throw some allspice, Scotch bonnet and thyme on some chicken, bake it in an oven with a whole bunch of other things, and call it jerk chicken. They can do that, and you’re welcome to like it. But you haven’t really had jerk until it’s been cooked for you on an outdoor grill, over a bed of pimento leaves and pimento wood sticks. Jerk chicken/pork/anything are the ultimate street foods, precisely because they taste so much better on the street than in any fancy restaurant. The fact that it’s grilled, not fried, makes it a winner, comparatively speaking, on the health side of things, as well. Of course, we can’t forget to give a big “honorebel” mention to festival, the fried sweet dumpling that is the best friend a jerk chicken ever could have.