Scotchies in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is a strange and mythical place that many of heard of but few can provide details about (myself included). Even after having been there, I cannot articulate where it is exactly located or any other details such as its hours, etc.
All I can tell you is that we hopped into a taxi (the driver kindly waited for us while we leisurely ate) and he brought us a few miles down a freeway that followed the coastline. Pretty quickly we arrived at the half-finished, smoking shack. It looked very authentic (although it is frequented by many tourists).
We of course ordered the jerk chicken; you can see the yellow scotch-bonnet peppers, which give it a kick and gave Scotchies its name. You can stand and watch them cooking the chickens which is entertaining.
We also ordered the classic “rice and peas,” or rice and beans. They were very dry, but that’s almost how they’re supposed to be. This is a result of the earthy beans.
Scotchies serves genuine jerk chicken, pork, fish, sausage, etc.and side dishes including festival (the Jamaican version of fry bread; we also ordered this and it was yummy!).
I feel like the worst traveler / food enthusiast / blogger ever in saying this, but I am obligated to give you my truthful opinion, which is this: I thought the jerk at our hotel was better. It was juicer and just a bit more flavorful. I’m not saying that our Scotchies meal wasn’t good, because it was. But if I had to choose to go back to only one, I would go back to the Ritz (which by the way, is no longer a Ritz). This makes me feel especially guilty since Travel + Leisure says Scotchies is “widely considered the best place on the island for authentic jerk,” and many other outlets agree.
A unique and fun aspect of our meal was the opportunity to try Red Stripe‘s “BOLD” beer, which isn’t available outside of Jamaica. This was long ago so I don’t remember specifically what it tasted like (it has more malt than the regular version), but I do remember that I liked it.
These pictures make it look like we were the only people there, which isn’t true. There obviously wasn’t a big lunch rush (or maybe it hadn’t hit yet), but locals and tourists alike came in and out as we ate. I would have loved to spend an afternoon drinking at their adorable bar, but we wanted to get back to the beach and the pool since we only had a few days.
The ambiance can’t be beat. It provides the authentic feel of street food since it’s literally street-side, but the shrubbery blocks off an area that is quite its own and is not disturbed by the outside world, even though it’s technically outdoors.
Scotchies
Location: North Coast Highway Phone: (876) 953-3301
Tagged: beans, beer, beverages, bread, chicken, deep-fried, festival, fried food, fry bread, holiday, hotel, Jamaica, jerk, Kiyo Egashira, lunch, magazine, meat, Montego Bay, peppers, Red Stripe, Red Stripe Bold, restaurant, rice, rice & peas, Ritz Carlton, scotch bonnet pepper, Scotchie's, street food, Thanksgiving, travel, Travel + Leisure, vacation
