Yes, Kingston has Chinese restaurants you can visit this week. They range from a fast food and takeout spot on Half Way Tree Road to a Chinese restaurant inside the Sovereign Center on Hope Road. China Max, in Orchid Village Plaza on Barbican Road in Kingston 6, is open seven days. Sunday is the day to plan around, because four of these places are closed that day, while China Max, YAO and Royale Court are open.
These places run from Windward Road and Red Hills Road to Harbour View and Half Way Tree, so you can pick the one closest to where you are staying or working. Some of the places are sit-down restaurants and some are takeout spots, and the menus range from familiar Chinese Jamaican plates to Cantonese dishes and dim sum.
Where to eat Chinese food in Kingston
China Max sits at Shop 27, Orchid Village Plaza, Kingston 6, and the phone number is 876-927-1888. It is open Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Its food is Chinese and Asian, and the menu includes tofu and dim sum. It is open on Sundays, which makes it a good option when other places are closed.
Dim sum and fried rice are among the dishes on Chinese menus in Kingston.
Sakura Express Windward Road is a Chinese restaurant at 121 Windward Road, Kingston, with a Chinese and Asian menu. It opens Monday to Thursday and on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Friday until 9 p.m. It is closed on Sundays, so keep that in mind if you are planning a weekend lunch.
Little Tokyo Restaurant is at 15 Half Way Tree Road. Its food type is fast food and takeout with Chinese and Asian dishes, so it suits a quick takeaway order better than a long sit-down meal. It opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 8:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, at 9:30 p.m. on Friday and at 9 p.m. on Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.
Yummy Kitchen is a Chinese restaurant serving Chinese and Asian food in Harbour View, St Andrew. It is open Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed on Sundays.
Royale Court Restaurant is at 67 Red Hills Road and serves Chinese and Asian food. It is closed on Mondays. From Tuesday to Thursday, and again on Sunday, it opens from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Friday and Saturday it stays open until 9 p.m. It is one of three places open on a Sunday, along with China Max and YAO.
Han Xi's Restaurant is in Shop 7 at 78 3/4 Hagley Park Road. It is a fast food and takeout place with Chinese and Asian food, and it opens from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It is closed on Wednesdays and Sundays, so plan a weekday or Saturday visit between those hours.
YAO Restaurant Sovereign is a Chinese restaurant at the Sovereign Center, 106 Hope Road, Kingston 6, with a Chinese and Asian menu. It is open every day. From Monday to Saturday it serves from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. It is a practical choice if you are already around Hope Road.
Confirm before you go: holiday hours, because holiday schedules can change.
How to choose a place for your visit
Start with the area. Yummy Kitchen is in Harbour View, Little Tokyo and Han Xi's are on Half Way Tree Road and Hagley Park Road, Sakura Express is on Windward Road, Royale Court is on Red Hills Road, and China Max and YAO are in Kingston 6. If you are already in one of those areas, the closest place saves you the most travel time.
Takeaway is the easy choice at the fast food and takeout places.
Next, decide between a sit-down meal and takeaway. Little Tokyo and Han Xi's are both fast food and takeout places, which makes them the easiest picks for a quick order. The others are Chinese restaurants with a sit-down menu, and China Max's menu includes dim sum, which is most likely at places with a dedicated dim sum menu.
For prices, check the current menu before you go. For parking, check with the restaurant or the plaza before you drive, and plan a taxi if you do not have a car. Ask whether the restaurant takes cards before you order, and carry Jamaican cash for the smaller places.
What Chinese food in Kingston usually looks like
Chinese Jamaican food is built on a familiar set of dishes. Fried rice, chow mein and low mein, chop suey, suey mein and wontons appear on many menus. Sweet-and-sour chicken or pork, roast chicken and roast duck are common too, along with stir-fried vegetables and dishes that use pak choi, ginger, scallion, soy sauce and Chinese mushrooms. Seafood, beef and pork show up in black bean, oyster and ginger sauces at some restaurants.
Pak choi, ginger and scallion are the basics of many stir-fried dishes.
Jamaican Chinese food is not the same as regional food in China. It grew out of Hakka and Cantonese traditions, adapted to local ingredients, available imported products and Jamaican tastes for seasoning and portion size. Some menus follow the Chinese Jamaican style closely, while others lean toward Cantonese dishes or newer regional Chinese food.
For a broader view of food in the city, read the Best Restaurants in Kingston, Jamaica: Rooftops, Lunch Spots and Local Favourites guide, or the Restaurants Open on Sunday in Kingston, Jamaica guide if your visit falls on a weekend. For Indian-Jamaican plates, the Roti and Curry in Jamaica guide shows where to find them. If you want to try somewhere that has just opened, see new restaurants in Kingston, Jamaica.
How the Chinese came to Kingston
The first significant Chinese arrivals in Jamaica came during the labour shortage after Emancipation. The National Library of Jamaica records 472 Chinese arrivals from Panama in 1854, another group arriving from Trinidad and British Guiana between 1864 and 1870, and about 680 contract workers arriving directly from China in 1884. Many of the early migrants were Hakka.
After their contracts ended, some stayed, because of economic conditions, political changes and family or business opportunities. By 1880, Chinese Jamaicans had begun running grocery shops in Kingston and elsewhere. The Chinese Benevolent Society was founded in 1890, with its Kingston foundation at 113 Barry Street in 1891.
The corner shop became a major part of Chinese Jamaican commercial life. It sold groceries and household necessities, and families often lived above or behind the shop. Chinese Jamaican cooking adapted to local ingredients and tastes.
Is there a Chinatown in Kingston?
Kingston has a historic Chinese district downtown, but it is not a modern Chinatown with a row of restaurants. The area around Barry Street and Orange Street was historically associated with Chinese Jamaican businesses, shops and community life. The Chinese Benevolent Association later moved to Old Hope Road, where it continues its cultural and community work. Its events, including the Suey Mein Nite gatherings, show the community side of the food.
Barry Street and Orange Street downtown were historically tied to Chinese Jamaican businesses.
The downtown area still matters to Chinese Jamaican history. Do not expect every old shop or institution to be there today. If the history is what draws you, plan a downtown walk for the story, then take a taxi to one of the restaurants above for the meal.
Common questions
Are there Chinese restaurants in Jamaica?
Yes. Kingston has several, including China Max in Kingston 6, YAO at the Sovereign Center on Hope Road, and Royale Court on Red Hills Road. Some menus follow Chinese Jamaican traditions, while others focus on Cantonese dishes or newer regional Chinese food.
What are some popular Chinese dishes in Jamaica?
Fried rice, chow mein, chop suey, suey mein, wontons, sweet-and-sour chicken or pork, roast chicken, roast duck and stir-fried vegetables with pak choi are the common choices. Dim sum is most likely at restaurants with a dedicated menu. The Chinese Benevolent Association has hosted "Suey Mein Nite" events, which shows how much the dish means to the community.
What are Chinese Jamaicans called?
The clearest respectful term is Chinese Jamaicans or Jamaican Chinese. Many older families trace their roots to Hakka migrants, and later arrivals came from other parts of China and Chinese-speaking communities. "Chiney" appears in Jamaican speech as an informal word, and it can be context-sensitive, so the standard terms are the safer choice in writing.
What foods did the Chinese bring to Jamaica?
The lasting influence is a set of ingredients and techniques more than one fixed list. Pak choi, Chinese mushrooms, soy sauce, ginger, scallion, five-spice seasoning and stir-frying are among the Chinese influences on Jamaican cooking. Dishes such as fried rice, chow mein, chop suey and wontons grew out of those ingredients, adapted to Jamaican supply and taste.
Does Jamaica have a Chinatown?
Jamaica has a historic Chinese district in downtown Kingston, around Barry Street and Orange Street, rather than a modern Chinatown. It is the former Chinese commercial district. Visit it for the history, and eat at the restaurants above for the food.
Find more places to eat by parish in our Kingston listings and St Andrew listings, or browse the full restaurant directory.