Caribbean Eating and Drinking

1st Choice Bakery

A popular bakery that has long queues – especially at the weekends when wafts of freshly-baked bread, meat, fish or vegetable patties, oxtail soup, fried fish and chicken meals waft out towards the market. There is also a fine selection of cakes and fruit pies in the window. 40 Atlantic Road, SW9. Tel: +44 (0)20 7733 5748.

Anda de Bridge

More a bar than a restaurant, Anda de Bridge stocks a range of rums and Caribbean beers, but also offers a decent menu of Caribbean staples – brown stew fish, jerk chicken, jerk wings, jerk snapper – and a gorgeous selection of seafood dishes including butterfly prawns or steamed snapper – both with coconut salsa. A fully-equipped sound system and space to entertain 100 people means this is a popular place for party bookings although there are always house DJs on Friday and Saturday nights playing reggae, Latin and R&B.

Atlantic Bakery

A regular late-night service is offered by the red-fronted Atlantic Bakery is handy if you get a late-night yearning for patties, sweet breads, coconut cake, homemade juices, and soups.

Bamboula

A good lunchtime and evening venue for large portions of Caribbean food at minimal prices. Satisfaction is the title of a Bamboula's complete meal for £5.50 that includes a quarter of jerk chicken with rice, peas and plantain and a soft drink. Price tags are equally as appealing for other choices such as red pea soup with pumpkin, yam and potato and bamboula salad with a bumper selection of tomato, lettuce, mango, avocado and soft cheeses. Summer sees diners taking to the table seating on the outside pavement and minding that they're in full view of the nearby bus top and constant stream of Brixton shoppers.

BBs

Owner and chef Brian Benjamin's roots are in Grenada and BBs makes every effort to reflect this. Dishes span the islands but there are Grenadian specials like the BB's Crabback (a crab shell filled with crab meat and a cheesy, creamy sauce) and Bathway Express – curried split-pea risotto with mint and yoghurt sauce.

Cottons

Various changes of management have done nothing to hinder the success of Cottons, which is always a good party offering a range of 150 different rums from an international cocktail list. Food portions are large, with classic dishes including jerk chicken, ackee and sat fish and curried goat. Parties take place on Fridays and Saturdays in the front bar, with DJs playing ragga, dancehall and R&B. A second branch on the corner of Exmouth Market in Islington (70 Exmouth Market, EC1. Tel: +44 (0)20 7833 3332) is even grander, with a seating capacity of 100.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird looks to a few Caribbean islands for its menu. Large dhalphouri rotis (a subtly spiced pancake) filled with stewed, curried or fried meat, fish or vegetables. Jamaica's national dish, ackee and saltfish is on the menu as is coo coo and stewed fish – creamy polenta with okra and coconut milk, and red fish in a robust tomato, pepper and herb stew. A few doors down, Hannah’s Caribbean Restaurant (96 Stroud Green Road) is owned by the ex-wife of the Hummingbird owner.

Mango Room

Mango Room fuses an essence of the Caribbean with European influences in its well thought out menu. You'll find Jamaican classics like jerk chicken and curried goat, as well as ackee and avocado salad, salmon fillet with mango sauce and grilled goats cheese. Popular with large groups booking in for birthdays, wedding or any other type of celebration. Lunchtime visits are laid back, particularly in the week when the buzz of Camden market is less noticeable.

Mr Jerk

Eat in or takeaway Caribbean dishes are served at Mr Jerks’ branches..The younger Westbourne Park venue (19 Westbourne Grove, W2) is more laid back than  Mr Jerk, Soho – probably because it’s minus the larger population of office workers in and around the Soho area. Meat and vegetable patties are the snackier options, but main meals – fish and meat rotis, braised oxtail and peppered steak with hard food (root vegetables like yam, potato or plantain) are more than filling, especially if accompanied by delicious Guinness punch or carrot juice.

Negril

Jerk barbecue, juices, burgers, rotis, salads and curries can all be had at Negril, a Jamaiacn-style café that offers good service and large portions if you want to stop by for authentic Caribbean food. Burgers also include a calypso chicken sandwich with chicken breast, grilled sweet peppers with hot sauce. There's also a homemade bean burger with chickpeas and black eye beans as well as fresh salads and roti wraps.

The Spirited Palace

Much positive word of mouth has spread about this vegan Caribbean café where delightful food includes rotis and wraps, vegan cheeses, sausages, bacon, vegetable fritters, seasoned tofu and pumpkin, sprouted seeds and salads. Patties filled with vegetables, spinach and potato, or wheatmeat and coriander are also sold as are gorgeous desserts including sweet potato pie, apple crumble, chocolate chip slice, ginger squares, pineapple cup cake, coconut bun and carrot cake. 105 Church Road, Crystal Palace, SE19. Tel: +44 (0)20 8771 5557

Zionly Manna Vegan Restaurant

One of Brixton's newer venues, Zionly Manna (60 Atlantic Road, SW9. tel: +44 (0)20 7738 4604) offers vegan Caribbean food including rice and peas, soya chunks, peanut stew, ital stew (as in vital, which is approved in the Rastafarian movement). Homemade and fresh juices include sorrel and ginger and Irish moss.