Caribbean in Phoenix

108 E. Pierce St. Central Phoenix

602-267-1266

Caribbean, Restaurants, Recommended, Best Of, Menu, Slideshow

The Breadfruit, a cheerful, casual Jamaican restaurant, fits right in with other independent eateries that have cropped up on the sleepy periphery of downtown's bustling core. Owner Dwayne Allen, originally from Jamaica, considers the restaurant an extension of his kitchen at home, which means customers are treated to the same succulent, spicy jerk chicken, fragrant curried tofu, and moist escovitch fish that he's been making for friends all these years. Vegans and health-conscious diners will find plenty of options here, while those with a sweet tooth will love not only the desserts, but also unique imported drinks like Ting (grapefruit soda) and spicy ginger beer.

31 articles

Caribbean Palm Scottsdale

1334 N. Scottsdale Rd. South Scottsdale

Caribbean

1 article

Cocomo Joe's

28244 N. Tatum Blvd. Cave Creek

480-538-8008

Asian, Brunch, Caribbean, Pan-Asian, Seafood, Music Venues, Menu

1 article

Cool Vybz Jamaican Restaurant

2340 W. Northern Ave. West Phoenix

602-601-5731

Jamaican, Caribbean

1 article

Delicious by Aldu Dominican Cuisine

235 E. Warner Road, #107 Gilbert

480-558-4601

Dominican, Caribbean

1 article

Elvira's Belizean Cafe

2386 N. Alma School Rd. Chandler

480-899-9024

Caribbean, Cafe, Best Of, Menu

1 article

Fe La Cubana

5821 N. 67th Ave., #110 Glendale

623-533-6912

Cuban, Latin American, Caribbean, Best Of, Slideshow

Fe La Cubana is a classic Cuban American-style cafeteria that deviates little from many of the best-known dishes of the island just south of Florida. Though there are Cuban sandwiches and fried foods, Fe La Cubana is all about the steam table offerings. These are soupy, stewy, and beautiful — ageless preparations like ropa vieja and stewed oxtail made with great skill. The dining room is plain. There is a language barrier for those who speak only English. But make no mistake, this tiny cafeteria in Glendale is one of the great enclaves of Cuban food in the Valley.

5 articles

Havana Cafe

4225 E. Camelback Rd. East Phoenix

602-952-1991

Caribbean, Central American, Cuban, Latin American, Spanish, Recommended, Menu

Even Castro would endorse capitalism like this. Authentic comidas Cubanas like tostones, paella and arroz con pollo served in an attractive, intimate environment. The black bean soup is revolutionary. After 5 p.m., sip sherry and sample tapas upstairs in Arriba.

7 articles

Havana Patio Cafe

6245 E. Bell Rd. North Scottsdale

480-991-1496

Caribbean, Central American, Cuban, Latin American, Spanish, Recommended, Menu

Even Castro would endorse capitalism like this. Authentic comidas Cubanas like tostones, paella and arroz con pollo served in an attractive, intimate environment. The black bean soup is revolutionary. After 5 p.m., sip sherry and sample tapas upstairs in Arriba.

10 articles

Hot Pot Caribbean Cuisine

2081 N. Arizona Ave. #132 Chandler

480-722-7577

Caribbean, Menu

Around for more than 10 years, Hot Pot Caribbean Cuisine is a small restaurant inside a featureless strip mall in Chandler. But the dishes here are multiple times more eye-catching than the eatery’s exterior. Hot Pot serves a mean Brown stew chicken, plus Goat curry, Oxtails, and deep-fried Escovitch fish.

2 articles

Island Sensation Cuisine

830 E. Indian School Rd. Central Phoenix

602-279-5866

Jamaican, Caribbean, Menu

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.

2 articles

Little Cay – Latin Caribbean Kitchen

Little Cay – Latin Caribbean Kitchen, 4912 E. Shea Blvd., #108, Scottsdale North Scottsdale

480-534-4110

Latin American, Caribbean

Little Cay – Latin Caribbean Kitchen unites many far-flung flavors of the Caribbean, with mixed results. A vibrant design theme runs through the high-ceilinged dining room. People clench churrasco steak sandwiches, fork into vaca frita, sip Cuban coffee at a long, bright bar. Service is nice, warm. Some of the classics could use more zap, like that vaca frita and simply fried plantains. The move here is to embrace the riffs, such as a ropa vieja French dip sandwich and “tostonadas” — which are like open-faced sandwiches but on plaintains and mounded with toppings like lechon (slow-roast pork).

1 article

Love Cuisine

3633 W. Camelback Rd., 7 West Phoenix

602-995-2015

African, Caribbean, Best Of

In-the-know diners come to this well-regarded ethnic diner for authentic African cuisine with Caribbean influences. African food is traditionally very spicy, but one can adjust the heat on pretty much every dish. Equisi soup, a slow-cooked Nigerian concoction featuring pounded yam and rich chunks of goat, is a winner. Likewise the thyme-infused oxtail soup, a hard-to-find delicacy made with onions, whole tomatoes, slivered red pepper, and enough oxtail to count as an entrée. First-timers might start out with the Love’s sampler platter, with juicy buffalo wings, nicely charred jerk chicken, and four pof-pofs, unsubtle Nigerian delicacies that are hush puppy-like balls of dough, crispy on the outside, dense, hot and sweet on the inside. Made from flour, sugar, butter, and nutmeg, they’re addicting.

9 articles

Millie's Cafe

1616 E Main St Mesa

480-223-8217

Caribbean, Cuban, Latin American, Puerto Rican

1 article

Ms. Martha's Caribbean Kitchen

1820 W. Northern Ave., #110 West Phoenix

602-675-2212

Caribbean, Jamaican, Best Of

2 articles

Sazon Bachata Restaurant

906 N 15th Ave Central Phoenix

480-842-9262

Caribbean, Cuban, Dominican, Latin American

Family-owned and -operated, the eatery is one of a handful of Caribbean restaurants in the Valley. It's inviting and informal, with the menu -- which changes depending on availability of ingredients -- written in chalk on the wall. If the writing is illegible, the staff will be more than happy to recite the day's available dishes. The little place seats a total of 17, with five tables. Art, Caribbean instruments, a Dominican flag, and quirky antiques -- like a Saved By the Bell-era cell phone -- decorate the restaurant, while Dominican news plays on a flat-screen TV.

3 articles

The Breadfruit & Rum Bar

108 E. Pierce St. Downtown Phoenix

602-267-1266

Caribbean, Contemporary, Jamaican, Menu, Slideshow

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.

10 articles

Caribbean in Phoenix

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