Jamaican in Phoenix

We’re big fans of quality, inexpensive lunches, which is why we also recommend Island Sensation Cuisine. We recommend you start with the house-made ginger beer brew and then work your way down the menu. Chef Lloyd Campbell offers classically Jamaican food, which he fine-tuned in culinary school in Kingston. Plates include classic stewed oxtail with gravy and rice, jerk chicken thighs, and sides like “island” coleslaw.

This tiny, fast-casual eatery in a strip mall strip by a bus stop on 19th Avenue just north of Indian School Road, delivers on Jamaica’s rich and highly-seasoned flavors from a small selection of traditional, street-side eats served up in plentiful portions and wallet-friendly enough to try more than one. Try the rich and aromatic curried goat, Rastafarian friendly veggie stew made with pineapple and soy, or the spectacular jerk chicken. Those with time to spare should order up the escovitch fish, a whole snapper fried in marinated in a vinegary concoction that will leave the tongue tingling. And don’t forget beverages of ice-cold Ting or D&G Jamaican sodas or the by-request-only cup of Blue Mountain coffee.

If environmentally sustainable practices enter into your calculus for choosing where to dine in Phoenix, The Breadfruit should be mighty high on your list. Chef Danielle Leoni has been through so many environmentally focused programs, from those at the James Beard Foundation to others at ASU, that her resume surely spans many pages at this point. Co-owner Dwayne Allen, is equally impressive. Just ask him about the implications of the trees shading The Breadfruit's patio, or downtown parking spots, or the Impossible Burger and beef consumption. There is a salon-like sense of intellectual exchange at this intimate, Arizona-Jamaican restaurant, up to and including the bar presided over by Allen, who knows rum like art historians know sculptures and frescoes. But don't let that fool you into thinking the offerings here are anything less than joyful. Leoni plates juicy jerk chicken and fragrant fish cooked in a Jamaican version of en papillote, soulful goat curry and a fiery, hypnotic plate of sautéed shrimp. When you're on the patio digging into Two Wash Ranch chicken spiced with a jerk sauce made in part using palo verde beans, with a rum flight or ginger beer at the ready and a long cigar in hand, you couldn't be anywhere else but downtown Phoenix. New Normal: Currently closed for dine-in, takeout, and delivery. However, owners Leoni and Allen often host pop-ups with takeout food and drink. Keep your eye on Breadfruit's social pages for updates.