Toppa Top 10: Miami’s Best West Indian Eats

Words by Jesse Serwer and EchoSlim/Photos by Kevin Ornelas, Daison Osbourne, Martei Korley, Kolya Barnes and Erik Ebright—

This weekend is Miami-Broward Carnival, which means folks from across the Caribbean and the diaspora are heading to South Florida for night after night of feting and liming. Food vendors will be in abundance at the carnival itself on Sunday, but that’s no excuse not to stop into some of the many great Caribbean eateries that can be found between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Among major metropolitan areas, only New York can claim a wider variety of Caribbean cuisine. No matter where you are in the 305, you’re not far from a good Jamaican, Bahamian or Haitian meal and, if you know where to look, quality Trini and Guyanese eats can be had, too. And we’re not even getting into food from Cuba and the Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean—that’s a whole separate list, entirely. (Look out for that in March—Calle Ocho time!)

So if you’re headed to Miami, already there, or planning a trip in the future, here’s 10 island outposts to get your nyam on. Click here to kick off our Caribbean culinary journey through MIA.

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1. Chef Creole Seasoned Kitchen
(200 NW 54 St. at NW 2nd Ave, Little Haiti, 305-754-2223)

Photo: Martei Korley

Located smack in the middle of Little Haiti at NW 54th St and NW 2nd Ave—and four other locations in northern Miami-Dade—Chef Creole is one of the most classic and unique representations of Miami culture you’ll find in the city. Chef Wilkinson “Ken” Sejour was raised in MIA and the Bahamas by Haitian parents, and his menu reflects each aspect of his upbringing, with a mixture of Haitian specialties (Steamed fish with creole sauce, fried griot), Bahamian favorites (conch fritters, conch salad) and Southern staples (Fried chicken).

While it’s true that you can find similarly tasty variations on all of the above at various other places, Chef Creole is special not only in bringing them all together in one place, but also for its convenience (five locations) and its aesthetics. The thatched-roof outdoor seating areas offer the illusion of eating at a seaside shack in Haiti, while photos on the wall showing nearly every one of Miami’s hip-hop celebrities assure you that you’ve come to the right place for that quintessential Miami meal. Make sure to ask for extra pickliz (Haiti’s moderately spicy pickled pepper garnish) with your dish and, if that’s not enough to satisfy, purchase a whole bottle of the stuff (for $5), and bring it back home.

2. Clive’s Cafe
(5890 NW 2nd Ave., Little Haiti, 305-576-0277)

Photo: Kevin Ornelas

The original Clive’s Cafe (above) held down Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood for nearly 40 years, until the changing real-estate climate necessitated a move this spring. A small luncheonette counter with a few small tables, the place was perfectly trapped in time —all the better to focus on the tasty Jamaican delights served up by owner Pearline Murray and her sister-in-law Gloria Chin. Clive’s cult following only grew as the neighborhood changed from poor and industrial to chic and artsy, drawing in regulars like Lenny Kravitz. On our first visit several years ago, Clive’s was already closed for the night, but Miss Pearl and Miss Chin opened the place back up for us—good luck finding that kind of service anywhere else in that part of town!

While the comfy charms of the original Clive’s are sorely missed, the flavor hasn’t changed one bit at the new location on NW 2nd Ave. in Little Haiti (previously an annex known as Clive’s II.) Clive’s is still Jamaican comfort food at its best. All the stapes—oxtail, escoveitch snapper, jerk chicken—are solid but get the brown stew with a side of cabbage. Just trust us on that one.

3. Tap Tap Restaurant
(819 5th St., Miami Beach, 305-672-2898)

Photo: Facebook.com/Tap-Tap

You won’t find any other Haitian restaurants in the U.S. quite like Tap Tap. For one thing, it’s not tucked away in a Haitian community —it’s right in the middle of South Beach. And the awesome murals that adorn the whole restaurant, while typical of Haitian folk art, were each painted by a different notable Haitian artist, giving the place a classic, yet unique, look and feel. Besides staples like griot and steamed fish, Tap Tap also serves specialties that you won’t find at the menu at Haitian takeout spots, like joumou, a pumpkin soup traditionally served to commemorate Haitian independence on New Year’s Day. The drink menu too is stacked with winners, like a mojito made with Barbancourt.

4. LC Roti Shop
(19505 NW 2nd Ave., Miami Gardens, 305-651-8924)

If you’re in a Carnival state of mind, you’re bound to go craving for some Trini food, and LC’s in Miami Gardens is the best place to get your fix. Located in a shopping strip across from the Harley-Davidson dealership in Miami Gardens, LC’s serves up the city’s best roti, and just about every other street food staple—doubles, shark and bake, buss-up shut—you can find in Port-of-Spain. Also on the menu is owner Elsie Chin’s colorful presence, whether she’s there or not.—signs saying things like “Alcoholics are Welcome” and “Farting prohibited” let you know from jump what kind of establishment you’re in. LC’s is so good that Walshy Fire (Major Lazer, Black Chiney) made eating there his second selection in our “11 Things You Must Do For Miami Carnival” feature.

5. Truck Stop
(@Cafe 27, 4690 US Highway 27, Weston)

Photo: Daison Osbourne

Located about as far as you can get from South Beach without leaving the Miami metro area, Cafe 27 (a/k/a Chickee Hut, or Tiki Hut) at the Seminole Travel Center on the edge of the Everglades Weston, Fla. turns three nights a week into one of Florida’s best Caribbean parties. Besides for the music and unusual location, the appeal of Truck Stop, as the parties are known, lies in its food—jerk chicken, jerk pork, escoveitch, sometimes even mannish water. And you can’t come all the way out to Weston without snacking on a few festival.

Their annual blowout Carnival kickoff party already went down on Wednesday, but stop in tonight or tomorrow for your jerk chicken fix. Most nights— Truck Stop only keeps on Wednesdays, Friday and Saturdays; the other nights it’s a biker hangout— the food starts cooking around 5, with DJs on at 8 or 9 and the party over at 2 on the dot. Read more about the phenomenon that is Truck Stop here.

6. Bahamian Connection Grill
(4400 NW 2nd Ave., Miami, 305-576-6999)

Photo: Erik Ebright

Bahamian Connection calls itself the “Number one Bahamian restaurant in America,” which is not a far-fetched claim considering 1) the recent decline in the number of such establishments and 2) how damn good their food is. Located just west of the Design District, near Wynwood and Allapattah, it’s the most conveniently located and best known of Miami’s Bahamian restaurants.

In a reflection of its significance within Miami’s deeply rooted Bahamian community, Bahamian Connection this year hosted Miami’s annual Bahamas Goombay Festival, historically held on Grand Avenue in Coconut Groove. The two-restaurant Bahamian Connection complex has been known to host the occasional junkanoo jump-up; stop in on a weekend, and you might catch some jazz. But it’s best known for its Bahamian seafood specialties like boiled fish and, of course, conch—cracked conch, stew conch conch fritters, conch salad. Name a way to serve conch, and Bahamian Connection.

7. Ortanique on the Mile
(278 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, 305-446-7710)

Photo: Instagram/OrtaniqueontheMile

For something completely different, head to Ortanique on the Mile in upscale Coral Gables. Opened in 1999 by Delius Shirley, son of the late Jamaican restaurateur and “Julia Child of the Caribbean” Norma Shirley, Ortanique is a showcase for chef Cindy Hutson’s “Cuisine of the Sun”—a very Miami fusion of Caribbean and South American flavors. The best dishes are those that tap Caribbean classics and turn them into something new: stuff like jerk chicken penne, Blue Mountain Coffee-encrusted salmon, and mussels steamed in Red Stripe beer. Their Blue Mountain coffee ice cream and banana fritters are also in our personal desert hall-of-fame.

Read our interview with Delius Shirley here.

8. Sheiks Bakery & Roti Cafe
(184 N. University Drive, Pembroke Pines, 954-441-4895)

Sheiks Bakery offers various fresh breads, pastries such as sugar cake, pinetarts, and coconut buns, and various other delectable sweets. Its entrees, however, are to die for. Owned and operated by a wonderful Guyanese family who add their own twist on West and East Indian cuisine, they are easily one of the best roti shops in South Florida. Don’t believe us, check their ratings on Urban Spoon or Yelp. The Pumpkin/Spinach/Potato Curry/Eggplant combo is a favorite among customers, and their Dhal is mouth watering.

9.Reed’s Catering and Concessions
(12203 NW 27th Ave, Opa Locka, 305-397-3623)

Photo: Miami Herald

Conch salad, at its best, is an artform. Watching the Bahamian dish’s colorful ingredients—it’s generally made with limes, peppers, red tomatoes and oranges and its namesake mollusk— mingling before your eyes can be nearly as enjoyable as eating it. (OK, not really, but it is a sight to behold). Keith Reed is the master art of conch salad as entertainment, serving his variation on the dish up in hollowed pineapple shells with conch fritters on top.

When he’s not stealing the show from the other vendors at Miami events like the Jazz in the Gardens music festival, you can find Reed serving his conch salad, fritters, steamed garlic crabs and fried whole crabs from his food truck on 27th Ave In Opa Locka near Miami-Dade College and the famed Club Lexx. He’s also available for parties, so next time you’re in the area and fiending for that quality conch salad you just can’t get outside of the Bahamas—or Florida—look him up.

10. Caribbean Express
(6033 Miramar Pkwy, Miramar, 954-981-4989)

This well-respected food haven has been a favorite choice for many of the top artists in reggae and soca music, DJs, and record collectors. While the many record shops that once stood on the same block unfortunately could not stand the test of time, Caribbean Express, in the words of Sizzla Kalonji, has been “holding firm” for over 15 years. Known for their savory brown stew chicken, oxtail, and curry goat, you can’t go wrong ordering anything on the menu. What sets The Express apart from other Jamaican restaurants? Two things. 1) They have mastered the art of Rice and Peas: Not too hard and not too soft. The perfect medium. 2) They have arguably the best ackee & saltfish on the east coast of North America. Its quite possible that they sprinkle some sort of sweet tasty drug in this popular dish. They also serve ackee and salt fish during the evening some days, unlike most Jamaican restaurants that only serve it during breakfast.