If your legs take you to the Big Smoke and you get to be on the lookout for some mutton, there is undoubtedly something in store for you. London has some of the best-in-class Caribbean eat spots, from Jamaican-born outfits in East London to swanky Southbank eateries that flex a comprehensive menu. With the scope of services and variety duly considered, here are the top 10 Caribbean restaurants in the English capital.

 

Cummin Up

Should you happen to stay in the borough of Lewisham or environs, you would be able to find scores of people who know this establishment. Almost everyone there knows Cummin Up, either by personal experience or bumping into the affable owner, Richard Simpson, who is often up and about.

The takeout spot in New Cross is more popular. But it cannot be compared to Cummin Up’s Catford branch, whose dining space has been newly refurbished. Sunday buffets come with complete spicy wings, fried and escovitch fish.

 

Caribbean Kitchen

Previously called Cafe Health, the teeny, unprepossessing Caribbean Kitchen is a Hackney joint that has been banging the gastronomic trade for what it’s got. The restaurant hasn’t just been around since 2013 but has also brought Caribbean food into the present London lifestyle.

Go to this place anticipating the classics: pork, chicken, jerk, curried goat, coconut milk-dipped chick[eas, patties, plantain and so on. A Guinness punch should do the drink trick.

 

Rudie’s

Are you on the lookout for a restaurant that goes full Jamaican on the jerk? Look no past Rudies, the one London-based Caribbean restaurant that marinates its meat for no less than 24 hours. What’s more, the establishment uses traditional jerk drums for cooking and meticulously selects its wood chips for grilling.

Though Rudie’s branch in Dalston is closed, they are open in Borough and Boxpark Shoreditch, mostly offering street food. For starters, go for the Jah Love Ital ackee and sweet peppers with callaloo.

 

Cotton

Cotton opened its first outlet in 1985. From then till now, the business has become a numero uno in London’s Caribbean dining scene. Now, the restaurant has four locations in all corners of the capital, where it serves decidedly comforting comfy food.

Do you like your jerk saucy? Well, the meats and salmons at Cotton come with lashings of the said sauce. Plus, the eatery is very upfront about its rum. Each of its restaurants serves over 300 types of rum.

 

Calabash London

Apart from Hackney, you get significantly fewer options for a sit-down Caribbean meal when you travel further east. But one two-decade-old Calabash London has stood time’s testing. For people who want to munch on some curry goat, jerk chicken or oxtail, your expectations might not just be as high as you thought they were.

Nevertheless, there is a full display of a mixture of English and Caribbean culture, as there would be lamb chops or roasted chicken alongside plantain and rice.

 

Buster Mantis

This Caribbean restaurant is a marriage between a bar, kitchen and created space. Based in Deptford, Buster Mantis services Jamaican food every day of every year. Although, it alternates between its own resident cooks and some pop-up chefs like Dee’s Table for Ital Caribbean food.

Here, the focus is more on local ingredients, a medium through which they adapt the menu to match either what inspires them or what is available. Truly phenomenal, the jerk pork ribs rhyme with a coleslaw side and some Red Stripe.

 

Fish, Wings And Tings

No need to guess what they sell here. Out of Brixton Village, this staple is a place you will find fish, wings, and pretty sumptuous Tings. The restaurant’s smaller Tings is a party-starting dish comprising fat, juicy prawns with some Granny Suzy’s nasal cavity-cleansing pepper sauce.

Fish, Wings And Tings’ stewed and curries dishes come along with rice and peas, well-creamed sales and fresh mango chutney. The curried mutton is a surefire pleaser, but that doesn’t mean you should turn a blind eye to the first part of the arrangement.

 

One Stop

A good number of the early arrivers in London’s Caribbean food space focused on providing takeaway services their space can support. However, One Stop bridged a gape by coming with restaurant dining provisions from 9 in the morning up until 11 PM the same day.

For as much as can be noticed, the place strives to never run out of food. You can start your morning with saltfish and ackee and wind up your late-night with a hard food boil of dumplings and green banana. Even in the afternoon, One Stop doesn’t disappoint.

 

Alchemy

Since 2014 when it first came to market, Alchemy has grown into more than a restaurant. It is now a one-stop-shop for all things Caribbean dishes in London, especially in the Croydon culture. The shop serves a mouthwatering buffet during the day, which includes cuts of jerk chicken and curry goat.

When it is nighttime, they serve up a swinging nightclub that rotates karaoke with lavish, bottle service parties. For the lucky revellers, a surprise personal encounter with whichever reggae star is in town is a huge possibility.

 

Caribbean Spice London

Mostly called a humble cafe that curls itself up in north London’s Tottenham, Caribbean Spice London is known for opening late in the evening. But it does not do so because of logistic or power challenges.

It opens late enough in the evening every day of the week to get customers a cosy Caribbean timeout with great food. It was formerly a takeaway vendor, but it has a new schedule that gives room for a series of closely-knit tables. This kind of setting typically allows for intense debates of different topics with strangers while sipping homemade soup.

 

Whether you are in the United Kingdom capital for a few weeks of vacation or are here to stay for the meantime, enjoying Caribbean cuisine is more than guaranteed, and variety is a given.