Boston Bay is widely credited as the birthplace of commercial jerk in Jamaica, and you can still buy jerk there today from a cluster of small roadside vendors. The original pits date to the 1940s, and today's Boston Jerk Centre stands near the sites of the third and fourth historic pits. Vendors generally sell pork, chicken and seafood, cooked with local sauces and served with local sides, so the stall you pick shapes the whole meal.
Where jerk cooking started
Jerk is associated with Jamaica's Maroons, who preserved and cooked wild pork using salt, peppers, pimento, pepper elder and covered fires. The covered pit reduced the smoke that could reveal the cooks' location to British forces.
Jamaica's National Library also connects northeastern Portland's Coromantee communities with the development of jerk cooking. That ties the cooking to northeastern Portland itself, not only to the stalls that came later.
Boston Bay's 1940s pits
The Jamaica Tourist Board credits Boston Bay with the first commercial jerk sales in Jamaica. The original pits date to the 1940s, and the first pit was about half a mile away from the current centre. Today's Boston Jerk Centre sits near the sites of the third and fourth historic pits.
Roasted breadfruit and pimento wood smoke go back to the original Boston meal.
The original Boston meal was jerk pork with roasted breadfruit, and the menus have grown well beyond that pairing since then.
What "birthplace" means here
The Jamaica Star described Boston as the birthplace of commercial jerk in an August 2025 report. The stronger way to put it is that Boston Bay is widely credited as the birthplace of commercial jerk, which is a claim about commerce and origin rather than proof that every part of jerk began in one spot.
The wider cooking tradition came before the Boston stalls, and it includes Maroon, African and Taíno influences. Boston Bay is where the commercial version of jerk is most closely tied.
Vendors to try at Boston Bay
The Boston Jerk Centre is a cluster of jerk vendors rather than one conventional restaurant, so each stall has its own menu and its own strengths. The Jamaica Star reported about eight jerk shops at the centre in August 2025, and it profiled two of them, each for a different reason.
Pork, chicken and seafood are the usual choices across the centre's stalls.
Mickey's Jerk Centre is known for jerk pork and homemade pork sausage cooked over pimento wood. It suits anyone who wants jerk pork and the sausage made in-house, and it puts pork first on the menu, ahead of chicken and fish.
Gurley and Aston Boston Jerk Stop has the wider menu. It sells jerk chicken, pork, shrimp and lobster, along with steamed vegetables, vegetarian meals, bammy, breadfruit, nuggets and burgers. It is the practical choice for a group with mixed tastes, and for visitors who do not want pork.
The other vendors at the centre generally sell pork, chicken and seafood. Across the centre, the range runs to lobster, shrimp, fish, fruit and natural juices, so the menu is wider than pork alone. It helps to compare a few stalls before you settle on one.
Check that the stall is trading
Public-health officials closed the Boston Jerk Centre on September 6, 2024. The Jamaica Observer reported that the problems included sanitation at the jerk pit, food-contact surfaces, hand-washing facilities, waste management and food-handler permits. The centre reopened in October 2024 after renovations and reassessment.
Vendors and hours can change at any time, and the centre is made up of separate stalls, so the reopening does not tell you about every vendor's current status. Look for the stall you want on the day you travel. If seafood is what you want, check that the stall has it that day, since menus differ from one vendor to the next.
Getting to Boston Bay from Port Antonio
Boston Bay is in Portland Parish on Jamaica's northeastern coast, east of Port Antonio and close to Boston Beach. The Jamaica Tourist Board places it just west of San San, and it identifies Boston Beach as a surfing location.
The coastal road east from Port Antonio is the way to Boston Bay.
Port Antonio is the practical gateway. From there, follow the coastal road east toward Boston Bay. The jerk centre is roadside and easy to miss, so give your driver or taxi "Boston Jerk Centre" or "Boston Bay" as the destination.
Boston Beach is known for stronger surf than many Jamaican beaches. The beach and the jerk vendors are close enough to combine in one stop, but they are separate visitor experiences. Surfing and swimming are their own plans, so decide which ones you want before you set out.
Confirm before you go that the vendor you want is trading that day, since vendors and hours can change.
What jerk costs at Boston Bay
The travel guide Viajá con Gus gave these figures in its 2024 to 2025 guide.
Those are guide figures, not a vendor's menu, so treat them as a starting point. A bigger portion costs more than the quarter-pound figure, so check the weight along with the price. Prices change with the meat, the weight and the sides, so ask the vendor for today's price, weight and side options before the meat is cut. Carry Jamaican dollars, and ask whether the stall takes cards before you order. Budget for drinks too, and for beach or parking charges if they apply to your visit.
Festival dates and what to check
The event has gone by two names, the Portland Jerk Festival and the Boston Jerk Festival. Earlier editions were held at Boston's playing field, and later ones moved to Folly in Port Antonio. At the 2010 edition, more than 25 vendors sold jerked pork, chicken, lobster, shrimp, goat, beef and conch, which shows how far the festival's menu once reached.
The Jamaica Star reported in August 2025 that the Boston Jerk Festival had been cancelled. The festival normally ran during the Emancipation period, and the cancellation hit Portland vendors. For any future date, venue or ticket price, check with the organisers or the Jamaica Tourist Board before you plan a trip around a festival.
Pork, chicken and the Boston style
Pork remains central to the area's identity, even though chicken is now widely available. Vendors also sell fish, lobster, shrimp and other variations, so the menu has moved well beyond the original jerk pork and roasted breadfruit.
Pimento and other local woods give the smoke its character.
The cooking has changed too. It has moved from covered earth pits to raised grills and pits that use pimento and other local woods. Seasoning and recipes differ from one family and vendor to the next, so each stall brings its own taste to the same basic method.
Common questions
What is Boston jerk?
Boston jerk is the Portland style of jerk associated with Boston Bay. The meat is seasoned with hot peppers, pimento or allspice, herbs and aromatics, then cooked over smoke and heat, traditionally with pimento wood. Recipes differ, so the taste changes from stall to stall.
Why do Jamaicans call it jerk?
A common explanation links the word to charqui, the Spanish term for dried meat, which comes from the Quechua word charki. The Jamaica Fi Real cultural history presents this as the origin of the word. The cooking also preserved meat, since it was salted, seasoned and cooked slowly. Today, jerk names both the seasoning and the cooking method.
Is there a difference between Caribbean jerk and Jamaican jerk?
Yes, although the terms overlap. Jamaican jerk is the specific tradition built on pimento, Scotch bonnet or bird peppers, herbs, smoke and pit or grill cooking. Caribbean jerk is a broader label for Jamaican-inspired dishes made elsewhere, which may share the seasoning but not the Boston Bay history.
How much does jerk chicken cost at Boston?
The travel guide Viajá con Gus put a quarter-pound serving of jerk chicken at J$950 to J$1,000 (about US$6) in its 2024 to 2025 guide. Prices change by vendor, weight and sides, so get the current price and portion size from the stall before you order.
What sides go well with jerk chicken?
Roasted breadfruit connects most directly with Boston's history, because it was part of the original jerk meal. Festival, rice and peas, fried plantain, bammy, hard-dough bread and sweet potato are other pairings, and slaw or fresh vegetables give a cooler contrast. Side availability depends on the vendor and the day's menu.
More jerk to try
Boston Bay is one stop on a wider jerk trail. For jerk chicken prices across the island, read Jerk Chicken Price in Jamaica, and Why It Is Called Jerk. For a parish-by-parish look at where to find good jerk, read Where to Get the Best Jerk Chicken in Jamaica, Parish by Parish.
Portland's restaurants are on the Portland directory page, where you can plan the next stop before you leave the parish. The full restaurant directory covers every parish, so you can compare jerk stops across the island.