Jerk is the centre of the local food culture — slow-grilled chicken or pork rubbed in a fierce mix of allspice, scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, and brown sugar — and you can find a competent jerk stand on almost every corner. Beyond jerk, expect curried goat, oxtail, escovitch fish, ackee and saltfish, and Red Stripe with everything.
The Hip Strip has the obvious tourist restaurants. Downtown around Sam Sharpe Square has cheap and excellent Jamaican lunch counters. The estate restaurants east of town offer a more polished experience.