Scotchies is an open-air jerk restaurant that has become something of a benchmark for proper Jamaican jerk. Pork, chicken, and sausage are slow-cooked over pimento wood on long pits, which gives the meat a smokiness that gas-fired imitations rarely match. The pork is the standout: crackling skin, moist flesh, and a seasoning that's genuinely hot without being incendiary. Bammy (cassava flatbread) and festival come with most orders.
The setting is basic — picnic tables under a tin roof — and service is counter-style. Prices are lower than anything comparable in the tourist centre. The Ocho Rios branch is a second location of the original in Montego Bay. It gets busy at lunchtimes, especially on Sundays when local families drive out for the full experience. Cash is preferred.