Housed in the bustling Treats Food Hall in the Aventura Mall, Jrk serves chef Wayne Sharpe’s mod Caribbean cuisine. The food is fragrant, boasting a straightforward menu of Jamaican patties and crispy cassava sticks, along with inventive vegan and meat-based bowls of jerk, oxtail, Jamrock pepper steak, and Blue Mountain curry. Sides of jerk mac and cheese and crispy cassava yucca sticks offer extra layers of flavor, and the pineapple or chocolate cake (rum-laced, of course) makes for the perfect sweet ending.

This Bahamian joint’s fare is addictively tasty and unwilling to bend to American tastes. The heartwarming food menu opens with breakfast options of corn beef and grits, boiled fish, and pig feet souse, followed by a deeply-flavored feast of cracked lobster, curry chicken, and fried crab. The island’s favorite sea treat, conch, is served scorched, grilled, stewed, or in a burger. Dessert of guava duffs is an excellent cap to the meal. 

Manjay, which takes its name from the Haitian Creole word for food, serves diners at the Citadel food hall a menu of grilled cornish hen, jerk chicken bites, braised pork, and other starters that are like a Caribbean festival in your mouth. Conceived by husband-and-wife team Christian and Sabrina Dominique, the concept also dishes out neo-Cubano and vegan sandwiches, along with mofongo, a savory Puerto Rican staple of mashed plantains and meat, and the toofay, a Haitian-style ratatouille served with fried plantains. Don’t leave without trying Haitian style beignet, filled with dulce de leche and Nutella, and wash it all down with fruit Champagne-flavored Jamaican Kola.

After more than three decades of serving Jamaican comfort food at its best in Wynwood, in 2013, Pearline “Miss Pearl” Murray moved her charming restaurant from Wynwood to Little Haiti, which is just as much of a Jamaican comfort food haven. Whether the sun is shining or not, there’s always soul-soothing jerk chicken that perfectly balances smoky and sweet, luscious curry goat, and oxtail falling off the bone, served with sides of macaroni and cheese and steamed cabbage to rival any others you’ve had. Take a seat and enjoy a priced-right meal with reggae beats pulsing in the background, or, if in a hurry, grab a couple of patties from the takeout window. 

Wilkinson “Ken” Sejour has been celebrating his Bahamian and Creole roots for years at his original Chef Creole restaurant, which Anthony Bourdain visited for one of the episodes of No Reservations. The restaurant now boasts several locations all over the Magic City (including a spot in the MIA Airport), serving plenty of the steamed, stewed, and fried seafood offerings that have made it popular, including shrimp, conch, and fish, accompanied by generous sides of the traditional rice, beans, and plantains. Succulent wings, barbecue ribs, and fried chicken are also on the menu.

Dukonoo (West African for “sweet thing”) serves Jamaican food in the heart of buzzy Wynwood. The menu starts with small plates like pressed plantains topped with crispy snapper, salt cod fritters, jerk corn, and red pea soup with pickled beef. “Bigga plates” such as fried chicken, oxtail, whole roasted snapper, and shrimp skewers are a treat to the tastebuds and will require a loosening of the belt buckles. The star dessert on the menu is made of a starchy pudding-like consistency wrapped in a leaf, tied, and steamed. Weekend brunch comes with jerk omelet, pon di side, and other specialty dishes offered on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

Chef Emanuel Jimenez is the soul of this South Beach restaurant, packed with life, tasteful Puerto Rican food, and dangerously drinkable mojitos. Situated just north of Fifth Street on West Avenue, 100X35 takes its name from the measurements of the island it pays homage to — Puerto Rico measures 100 miles east to west and 35 miles north to south — and celebrates its varied, traditional cuisine with a variety of mofongo dishes, alcapurrias, and salted cod. There’s also plenty to share, including bolitas de queso to dip in guayaba sauce, mariscada, and baby back ribs cooked in whiskey sauce. On Fridays, sit at the bar to enjoy the live music show.

A high-spirited Dominican spot on Calle Ocho, Milly’s offers generous traditional mangú-based (mashed plantains) lunch specials, large-sized stewed tripe, and sancocho in a homey, Old-World atmosphere, where cheerful staff greets diners on karaoke nights. The lunch and dinner menus also include other Caribbean specialities, such as creole-style goat, arroz con pollo, pressed Cuban sandwich and lechón asado. 

The spirit of Trinidad come through in the ten different versions of the fluffy, buttery folds of roti served here, filled with choice of goat, shrimp, pumpkin and others island favorites. Decide what filling and level of spice is desired and try some of the best paratha in the city, Trini’s favorite soft flatbread also known as buss-up-shut. Special vegetarian dishes are the main star on Thursdays, and the list of side dishes include hearty cups of dhal, cassava pone, and allo pie. Plus, nothing costs more than $20.