The 7 Best Places for Caribbean Food in Houston

The gastronomy of the region is much more diverse than rum and Scotch Bonnet peppers. Here are 7 places to get you started on a food cruise right here in Houston.

Donafe Coffee

It’s a bit of a surprise to find a Trinidadian bakery and cafe in lavish Vintage Park, but this restaurant is cute and cozy enough to fit in. pholouria, an Indo-Caribbean snack of fried dough balls dipped in a spicy green mango chutney and a sweet and sour tamarind sauce. The desserts include both Caribbean standards like pone and euro candies.

Cafe Piquet

Cubans prefer this mainstay when they crave their native home cooking, served in a charming setting. Whether you order garlic pork pernil, the unusually complex version of beef ropa vieja, or one of the many seafood dishes, get it with maduros (plantains) and congri, rice flavored with black beans and ham.

Haitian Caribbean

Do you like your meat marinated, then fried? It may take a while to get your food at this little restaurant, but for goat’s cheese or chicken that’s tender and chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside, there’s no better option than driving to Mission. Bend. The selection is inconsistent, so call ahead to make sure there is pasta, the Haitian equivalent coated in puff pastry and with the French accent of Jamaican pancakes.

Jamaican Island Sizzler Rum Bar & Grill

For many, Jamaican food is defined by heat. This restaurant proves that it can be nicely spicy without being overwhelming. Take, for example, brown chicken stew, a rich dish drenched in spices, but just a good dab of fire. You can split your order here; we suggest you serve this chicken with sweet and sticky oxtails, in a plate containing rice and peas, fried plantains and cooked cabbage.

Caribbean restaurant in Punta Cana

It would be a mistake not to start with the jokes, a savory Dominican take on bulgur and fried beef kibbeh brought by Lebanese immigrants. But we love everything about this cozy mall destination. Bite-sized segments of bone-in chicken, marinated and then fried will disappear too quickly to bring home leftovers and mounds of fat mofongo, whether served with fried cheese or garlic pork, not to be missed.

Reggae hut

The murals by Houston artist Tierney Malone create an island vibe even on days when there is no live music. After tasting the food, it’s no surprise that Breakfast Klub owner Marcus Davis holds the reins here. Jamaican beef patties are sweet and just spicy enough to prepare the palate for whole snapper curry. Fried fish, topped with a multidimensional sauce of peppers and onions, can easily feed two or even three.

Puerto Rican Restaurant Tex-Chick

The trifongo (mashed green plantains and sweetened with yucca) is sprinkled with crisp chicharrones, pork fried carne bursts with flavor, and the rice and beans are perfectly seasoned. This stripped-back little restaurant offers everything you abuela doing it, in a way that even she wouldn’t argue with.