For a traditional oxtail plate with gravy, butter beans and rice and peas, start with CRU Bar & Kitchen in St Andrew, Mama Chu Chu in Kingston, Elevate in Montego Bay, or Miss Lily's and Negril ATL in Negril. For a modern take, One Park in New Kingston serves oxtail gnocchi, and Broken Plate in Kingston serves oxtail wonton and oxtail flatbread.
Traditional oxtail in Kingston and St Andrew
Kingston and St Andrew have traditional plates alongside a few modern takes. For a classic plate, start with CRU Bar & Kitchen at 71 Lady Musgrave Road, one of the St Andrew restaurants. Its menu serves braised oxtail with broad beans and spinners, and spinners are small flour dumplings, so this is the plate to pick if you want dumplings with your gravy. The 2026 menu price is J$4,400 (about US$28) for the braised oxtail, with 15% GCT added. Oxtail with chicken is J$4,700 (about US$30), and oxtail with curry goat is J$5,900 (about US$37).
A traditional plate pairs braised oxtail with gravy, beans and rice.
Mama Chu Chu Restaurant sits in Heritage Plaza at 14½ Molynes Road, one of the Kingston restaurants with a lower-priced traditional plate. Its beef dishes include Jamaican-style oxtail for J$2,500 (about US$16) or J$3,000 (about US$19), depending on portion. The restaurant is open Monday to Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and closed on Sunday, and you can call or WhatsApp +1 876-206-1220.
One Park Restaurant & Lounge at 1 Park Close in New Kingston uses oxtail in modern dishes rather than a rice-and-peas plate. Its 2026 menu includes oxtail gnocchi at J$4,750 (about US$30), and it also serves oxtail ragù and oxtail Benedict. The restaurant also serves cocktails and hosts live music and DJ nights.
Broken Plate at 24 Barbican Road in Kingston serves slow-braised oxtail in two formats. The oxtail wonton costs J$1,950 (about US$12), and the flatbread dish, called Kingston on Flatbread, costs J$2,250 (about US$14). It suits a visitor who wants a contemporary oxtail dish rather than a standard stew plate.
Traditional oxtail in Montego Bay and Rose Hall
Montego Bay sits in St James, and Elevate Lounge & Nightclub at 9 Spring Garden serves a traditional plate. Its Jamaican-style braised oxtail is cooked with pimento, browning, Scotch bonnet and butter beans, then served with gravy over rice. The menu prices it at US$30, excluding applicable taxes and gratuity, and it adds a 12% service charge. The restaurant is open Monday to Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and on Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Queen G's at Seacastles in Rosehall, on Block G Main Road, puts oxtail on its menu as Sultan's Oxtail, next to curry goat and other Jamaican dishes. The price is US$28. It is open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and closed on Sunday, and the restaurant takes calls at +1 876 508 8011.
Traditional oxtail in Negril
Negril sits in Westmoreland, and it has two options for oxtail stew with rice and peas. Negril ATL serves the stew with sautéed cabbage and plantains for US$34. Its 2026 menu also has oxtail pasta for US$32, for anyone who wants the oxtail in a different format.
Negril's oxtail menus sit alongside its cliffside setting.
Miss Lily's Negril serves oxtail stew in a rich gravy with butter beans, bell peppers, and rice and peas. The stew is US$32. Sides include steamed callaloo, roasted sweet potatoes, jerk fries, festival and roasted plantains, so you can build the plate around what you like most.
Rick's Café on the cliffs serves Jamaican-style braised oxtail on its cliffside grill menu. Ask for today's price before you plan a visit.
St Ann and the Ocho Rios area
Starliner Seafood Wine-Bar and Grill in Plantation Village, Priory, near Ocho Rios, has oxtail among its Jamaican dishes. The restaurant says it serves local and international guests, and it is open daily except Tuesday. Check the oxtail price directly before you go.
How oxtail is cooked and served
Jamaican oxtail is braised or stewed slowly until the meat is tender and the connective tissue turns into a rich, gelatinous gravy. Browning, pimento, Scotch bonnet, thyme, onion and garlic are the usual seasonings. Butter beans are a familiar part of the dish, and both Elevate's Montego Bay menu and Miss Lily's Negril menu build the stew around them.
Slow braising is what turns the tail into a rich gravy.
Rice and peas is the most common starch on these menus. Spinners, the small flour dumplings, appear with CRU's braised oxtail. Other sides vary by place. Negril ATL serves sautéed cabbage and plantains, Miss Lily's offers roasted plantains, steamed callaloo, festival and sweet potato, and CRU serves jasmine rice, fried ripe plantains, bammy, roti and vegetables.
What oxtail costs
Prices depend on the restaurant, the portion and what the menu includes. Each figure is a single menu price, not an island average.
Retail oxtail is priced per kilogram, separate from a restaurant plate.
On 2026 menus, a traditional oxtail plate runs from about J$2,500 (about US$16) at Mama Chu Chu to J$4,400 (about US$28) at CRU before 15% GCT. In Montego Bay and Negril, the menus show US$28 to US$34 for oxtail. For the wider view of what a meal costs in Jamaica, see How Much Does Food Cost in Jamaica?
Modern oxtail dishes are priced differently. Broken Plate's wonton is J$1,950 (about US$12), and its flatbread is J$2,250 (about US$14). One Park's oxtail gnocchi is J$4,750 (about US$30).
For cooking at home, the Consumer Affairs Commission's meat survey for the week ending April 5, 2025, put imported oxtail at an average of J$3,995.97 (about US$25) per kilogram for unbranded product and J$4,406.26 (about US$28) per kilogram for a branded product. Those are retail meat prices, not restaurant plate prices. Add GCT, service charge, gratuity and any delivery fee to a menu price before you budget.
Why oxtail costs more
The Jamaica Observer wrote in 2009 that oxtail had gone from an inexpensive, overlooked cut to an expensive one, and it linked that appeal to tender flesh protected by fat.
The main reasons are demand and supply. Demand has grown while each tail gives only a limited amount of meat. Imported supply is also an important part of the retail market. The restaurant price also includes slow cooking, seasoning, kitchen labour, sides, rent and service.
Before you go
Mama Chu Chu, at Heritage Plaza, 14½ Molynes Road in Kingston, is open Monday to Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and closed on Sunday. Elevate at 9 Spring Garden in Montego Bay is open Monday to Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and on Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Queen G's at Seacastles in Rosehall is open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and closed on Sunday.
Put each street address into a current map app, starting from your hotel, home, airport or cruise port. Payment differs from place to place, so ask whether cash, card or mobile payment is accepted before you order, especially at cookshops, food trucks and smaller places.
Confirm before you go: oxtail can sell out or change with supply, so call ahead to check the dish is on the menu that day. Many places close on 25 December, so see restaurants open on Christmas Day in Jamaica before you plan a holiday plate.
Finding more places by parish
Find more places by parish in the restaurant directory. For jerk instead of oxtail, see Where to Get the Best Jerk Chicken in Jamaica, Parish by Parish. For another national favourite, see ackee and saltfish and where to eat it, and for Indian-Jamaican plates, see roti and curry in Jamaica.
Common questions
Where can I get good oxtail in Jamaica?
For a traditional plate, try CRU Bar & Kitchen in St Andrew, Mama Chu Chu in Kingston, Elevate in Montego Bay or Negril ATL in Negril. For a modern dish, One Park in New Kingston serves oxtail gnocchi, and Broken Plate in Kingston serves oxtail wonton and flatbread. Good is a matter of taste, so pick by whether you want gravy and beans or pasta and dumplings.
Why is oxtail so expensive?
Demand has grown while each tail gives only a limited amount of meat. Imported supply is an important part of the retail market. A restaurant plate also pays for long braising, seasoning, kitchen labour, sides, rent and service.
What do you eat with oxtail?
Rice and peas is the most common partner, with gravy and butter beans on the plate. Spinners, which are small flour dumplings, come with CRU's braised oxtail. Other menus offer cabbage, plantains, callaloo, festival or sweet potato alongside.
How much does oxtail cost in Jamaica?
On 2026 menus, a restaurant oxtail plate runs from about J$2,500 (about US$16) at Mama Chu Chu to J$4,400 (about US$28) at CRU before GCT. In Montego Bay and Negril, the menus show US$28 to US$34. Retail imported oxtail averaged about J$3,996 (about US$25) per kilogram in an April 2025 survey, and that is for home cooking.
What's better, oxtail or curry goat?
Neither is better across the board, but they taste different. Oxtail is a rich, slow-braised stew with gravy and beans, while curry goat is a more aromatic curry seasoned with thyme, garlic, ginger and often potatoes. At CRU, braised oxtail is J$4,400 and curried goat is J$4,300 on the 2026 menu, so the gap is small there. For more on goat, see Where to Get the Best Curry Goat in Jamaica.