Fill your belly with these pan-cultural restaurant options from across the city.
From family-owned fast-casual takeout spots to upscale chef-driven restaurants, we’ve found the best places across Toronto to taste African and Caribbean cuisine.
Ready to tour one of the best foodie cities one meal at a time? Let’s dig in!
Afrobeat Kitchen
Starting as a pop-up, Afrobeat Kitchen has found its permanent home in Parkdale. Serving Nigerian and other West African-inspired food, menu highlights include Sticky Suya Wings, Goat Pepper Soup and Buka Beef Stew.
Albert's Real Jamaican
Albert’s Real Jamaican has served Midtown’s St. Clair West communities for nearly forty years. Albert Wiggan’s menu is filled with family recipes passed down from his mother, including the jerk chicken that marinates in a homemade sauce for two days and fresh oxtail served with rice and gravy.
Boukan
Try some of the best Haitian food the city has at Boukan, named after the word for campfire in Creole. This small 20-seat restaurant on The Danforth is decorated with local art and serves fritay-style plantains as the star in multiple dishes.
Chadon Beni
Chadon Beni is a Trinidadian Caribbean restaurant at the coveted corner of trendy Queen Street West and Shaw Street. Named after a popular spice in many of their dishes, you’ll want to try their conch fritters and chadon beni buffalo wings while sitting on their patio.
Hamdi Restaurant
Hamdi Restaurant is a Halal East African and Somali restaurant located in a Rexdale plaza that has enough space for large groups and families to find a seat. Their hearty protein-based plates serve chicken, steak or goat with rice, spaghetti or chapati, and salad on the side, or warm up with beef stew seasoned with cinnamon or cardamom.
Istar
Serving Somali food 24 hours a day, Istar is a family-run restaurant in Etobicoke connected to a 2,500-square-foot banquet hall. Pop by their hot table to try some of their grilled meats and veggies or fill up on one of their massive grilled salmon chapati wraps.
Jollof King
Jollof King is a West African Restaurant on Spadina Avenue, just south of The Annex and steps from the University of Toronto. This no-fuss restaurant serves large portions of Nigerian jollof rice, pounded yam and gizdodo.
Miss Likklemore’s
Set on the swanky King Street West strip, Miss Likklemore’s is an upscale pan-Caribbean restaurant with a hundred-bottle rum menu. Enjoy a multi-course meal of housemade patties and slow-braised oxtail with a side of mac pie.
Mnadi Pies
Mnadi Pies serves Zimbabwe-inspired flakey pastries filled with vegetable curries or more meat-forward fillings like their steak and onion pie. Grab one of their pies at the east end’s Withrow Park Farmer’s Market during the warmer months.
Mona’s Roti
It’s worth the drive to Scarborough to dine at the family-run Mona’s Roti. Named after their signature dish, choose between veggie fillings like pumpkin curry potato or mango, slow-roasted meats or enjoy a plain (partha) roti on its own.
Make it a day trip by checking out the Scarborough Bluffs or Rouge National Urban Park while you’re out east.
Naija Jollof Toronto
You’ll want to arrive hungry when visiting Naija Jollof’s fast-casual spot in Cabbagetown, where they serve filling plates inspired by pan-African cuisine. Slurp up a savoury bowl of okro soup with pounded yam or the grilled suya beef with a side of jollof rice.
Nicey’s Eatery
Nicey’s Eatery is conveniently located in a Caribbean grocer in Scarborough, so you can pick up spices and other edible souvenirs from the market shelves along with a delicious lunch. The dumplings are made in-house from scratch. Or order the Ackee and Saltfish from the drive-through to bring home.
Randy’s Roti
Growing from a food truck to their downtown Yonge Street storefront, Randy’s Roti has ample casual seating to accommodate the lunchtime rush. They’re known for their namesake rotis and bite-sized doubles topped with chickpeas, mango chutney, coleslaw and chadon beni.
Rasta Pasta
Who knew the fusion of Italian and Caribbean dishes could be this tasty? Kensington Market’s Rasta Pasta is well worth the wait in line to try a jerk chicken grilled panini (aptly named The Vatican), or their namesake Rasta Pasta, with ackee and saltfish served over gnocchi.
The Real Jerk
This ever-expanding restaurant skyrocketed in popularity when its Gerrard Street location was featured in Rihanna and Drake’s music video, but for locals, The Real Jerk has been serving classic favourites, like curry goat and escovitch fish dinner served with a side of rice and peas, white rice and coleslaw or a tossed salad for decades at their many locations throughout Toronto.
Ritz Caribbean Food
With two locations in Toronto, Ritz Caribbean Food is a family-run franchise known for its curries, roti, oxtail and other island classics. Their grab-and-go casual atmosphere has a lunch up at lunch at their Yonge Street location with hungry locals looking for a hearty container of Jamaican food to go.
Roywoods
Roywoods is a friendly takeout spot that satiates the lunchtime rush with its jerk chicken sandwiches, large curry chicken plates and savoury sides like plantain or rice and peas.
With three locations throughout downtown Toronto, this fast-casual spot has developed quite the following on social media.
Scotthill Cuisine
While Scotthill Cuisine serves both sit-down and takeout cuisine, you’ll want to pull up a chair and stay awhile to try their expansive menu. This uptown restaurant puts a fine dining twist on Caribbean and Jamaican staples; remember to order the boneless jerk chicken or the ackee and saltfish with a side of plantain.
Simone’s Caribbean Restaurant
Simone’s Caribbean Restaurant serves Jamaican specialties in the heart of Toronto’s The Danforth Greektown in a homey and relaxed atmosphere. Start your meal with their deep-fried yet flakey codfish fritters, and next, try one of their flavourful Caribbean curries.
Skcookks
Located in Toronto’s lively Liberty Village, dine indoors or on the patio at Skcookks, where you can enjoy some of the richest Nigerian dishes. Order their peppered beef with a side of jollof rice for your main, but you’ll want to save some room for puff puff for dessert.
Tropical Joe’s
A trip to Eastside’s Gerrard Square Shopping Centre isn’t complete without lunch at Tropical Joe’s.
For those in a rush, their patties (made by locally loved Allan’s Pastry Shop) are the perfect on-the-go meal. Want a uniquely Torontonian take on poutine? Top yours with jerk chicken for a cross-cultural play on this classic Quebecois dish.
