Photo from Jamaican Pot
Detroit doesn't have a huge Jamaican population, Still, as Tom Perkins of Metro Times notes, it has some worthy Jamaican restaurants:
Though Detroit doesn't hold the sizable population of Jamaican transplants that you'll find in New York City or Toronto, the northwest part of town is where to go to taste intensely piquant dishes redolent of allspice and garlic; thyme and scallion; scotch bonnet and ginger; and all the other components of the tropical nation's flavor profile.
That's where restaurants like Jamaica Jamaica and Rono's started trading in jerk chicken 35 to 40 years ago.
Caribbean Citchen, a fast-turnaround space, is in its 17th year. Others came and went over the decades, while Mama Rose at Jamaican Pot started building up a reputation for healthy, fresh Jamaican fare in 2014.
On Livernois, Mama Nezaa Bandele is planning to turn her vegan Jamaican-inspired food company Paradise Natural Foods into a brick and mortar restaurant, and several grocery stores selling Jamaican and Caribbean foods are scattered throughout northwest Detroit.
Here's the list:
- Caribbean Citchen: 10500 W. McNichols Rd., Detroit
- Jamaica Jamaica Restaurant and Bakery: 17550 W. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit
- Rono's Caribbean Family Dining: 14001 W. McNichols Rd., Detroit
- Jamaican Pot: 14615 W. Eight Mile Rd., Detroit
- Paradise Café & Juice Bar: The food company plans to move into space at 19164 Livernois Rd.
