6 Caribbean Takeout Restaurants Across Canada
The Caribbean is a lot more than white sand and jerk chicken. The region is huge and is made up of countries spanning from Cuba in the north to Central American countries in the west, down to Aruba and its neighbouring countries to the south, and then over to the islands of the West Indies on the east.
Apart from the Indigenous population, the region is made up of people whose ancestors originated mostly from Europe, Africa, India, China, and the Middle East over many years. These people brought a lot of their native ingredients and cooking techniques with them as they populated the region.
Here is where you can get an authentic taste of those flavours in Canada.
Fred’s Kitchen is a small takeout spot that serves up traditional Jamaican food. While the customers do enjoy their jerk chicken with rice and peas, it’s their many seafood dishes like the jerk mussels, garlic buttered lobsters, and stew parrot fish that have people talking.
The mussels are cooked in a spicy coconut-based sauce that’s packed with jerk flavour. It comes with a side of naan so that you can soak up every drop. The food is so good that Fred’s Kitchen is widely acclaimed as one of the best Jamaican takeout food spots in Mississauga.
Address: 2515 Hurontario St, Mississauga, ON. @mastercheffreddy
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BARA Caribbean Cuisine is the new kid on the block in the International Village Mall. They serve a variety of Caribbean dishes but the most recommended item on their menu is doubles, the quintessential street food from Trinidad and Tobago.
A doubles is made up of two pieces of fried dough that are filled with curried chickpeas then topped with a variety of chutneys such as tamarind, cucumber, mango, and coconut. One thing to keep in mind: never ask for a “double”! Whether you’re asking for one or ten, you always say
“doubles.”
Address: 88 W Pender St #2009, Vancouver, BC. @baracaribbean
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Chef Corinna Mazo operates three locations of La Cubano, serving up a variety of Cuban comfort food. Before the pandemic, they were open for lunch, dinner and brunch but since then, they’ve switched to takeout and delivery.
This restaurant is the spot in the city to familiarize oneself with dishes such as cubano sandwiches, tostones, pork with rice and beans, and Cuban coffee. Cuban cuisine is heavily influenced by Spanish, Caribbean, Mexican, and African ingredients so diners can expect a variety of flavours and textures.
Address: Click here for the closest location: La Cubana @lacubana_to
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Perhaps the most popular dish to be associated with the Caribbean is Jamaica’s famous jerk chicken.
In Halifax, Christine Allen and her daughters, Judy-Ann and Dejhani, dish out their spicy jerk chicken, Jamaican patties, and oxtail to customers who can’t make it down to Jamaica but want to experience the island flavours.
Address: 1567 Grafton St, Halifax, NS. @brawtajamaicanjerkjoint
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A takeout joint whose name translates to “good Creole food”, La Bonne Bouffe Creole is the perfect place to get familiarized with traditional Haitian dishes. Haitian cuisine, like many other Caribbean nations, has been heavily influenced with ingredients and cooking techniques from Africa, Spain, France, and the indigenous Taino people.
At La Bonne Bouffe Creole, customers can enjoy dishes like griot (fried pork), tassot cabrit (fried goat meat) and lalo (stew made with Jute leaves and spinach). If you like it spicy then this is the spot because many of their dishes are very bold in flavour, and they like their peppers!
Address: 3715 St Catherine St E, Montreal, QC. @labonnebouffecreole
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One of the first things that chefs do when deciding to open a restaurant is to come up with a name. For chefs Patrice Gilman and Deidré Coleman, this was the easy part as both had grandmothers named Gladys.
Their menu reflects their Jamaican upbringing, but one of their more popular dishes is their jerked Portobello Mushrooms with Plantain Croquettes on a Coconut Cream base. You can easily see why this dish is so popular with their vegetarian and vegan customers!
Address: 726 Sargent Ave, Winnipeg, MB. @gladyscaribbeankitchen
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