Roti and curry in Jamaica usually means curry goat or curry chicken served beside a soft, flat roti, or a roti folded around the curry. In Kingston, Murray's Fish and Jerk Hut, CRU Bar & Kitchen and One Park all serve curry with roti on their current menus. Outside Kingston, Roma's Roti in Mandeville sells roti by the dozen for island-wide delivery, and The Courthouse Gallery & Cafe in Ocho Rios serves a roti wrap filled with curry chickpea.
Where roti and curry came from
Indian indentured labour migration to Jamaica began in 1845 and continued until 1917. The National Library of Jamaica estimates that 36,412 Indian workers were brought to the island, mainly from Northern India. Their communities settled particularly in Westmoreland, Clarendon, Kingston and St Mary.
Ginger, dhal and curried dishes came with Indian workers who arrived from 1845.
Those migrants introduced or strengthened foods such as roti, wheat flour, eggplant, ginger, dhal and curried dishes. Jamaican curry grew out of Indian cooking traditions, British colonial foodways and local ingredients, so it is Jamaican in its own right. Curried goat became the country's best-known curry, and you will find it at weddings, birthdays, church events and other gatherings.
Roti itself is related to Indian flatbread, but it developed in a Jamaican and wider Caribbean setting. It can be served plain alongside curry, or folded around curry goat, curry chicken, vegetables or chickpeas.
Jamaican roti, dhal puri and filled roti
A Jamaican roti is made from wheat flour, water, salt and oil. The dough is rolled into a round and cooked on a flat griddle. It can be a plain bread for curry, or it can wrap the curry itself.
A roti can be served plain beside curry or wrapped around it.
The word "roti" covers more than one thing, so it helps to know the difference. Trinidad and Tobago is especially known for filled roti meals such as dhalpuri, paratha and buss-up-shut, served with curried meat, chickpeas or vegetables. Jamaica has roti too, but it sits in a different place in the national menu, mostly alongside curry goat and other Jamaican curries.
Shops also use "dhal roti," "dhalpuri" and "dalpuri" for different things. Dhal puri is a flatbread filled with seasoned split peas or lentils. Plain roti is unleavened, while paratha-style roti has fat worked into the dough, which makes it flakier.
The short answer is this: roti is Indian in origin, Caribbean in development, and present in both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
Where to get roti and curry in Kingston
- Murray's Fish and Jerk Hut, 18 Waterloo Road. Curried goat comes with white rice or rice and peas, roti and vegetables, or roti only. Curried coconut chickpeas can also be served with roti. This is a good stop for Jamaican-style curry with roti, rather than Indian bread. See Kingston restaurants.
- CRU Bar & Kitchen, 71 Lady Musgrave Road. Its menu offers Murray's Curried Goat with handmade roti, and it describes the dish as local goat curry.
- One Park, 1 Park Close, Kingston 10. Its curry goat comes with warm roti and seasonal vegetables.
- Janga's Soundbar & Grill, 22 Belmont Road, New Kingston. This is a Jamaican and Caribbean dinner and nightlife venue, and roti is a side on its menu. It is open Monday to Thursday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Mezza Luna Jamaica, 44 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 5. This is an Indian restaurant with tandoori roti, missi roti, lacha paratha and naan, along with chana masala, aloo gobhi and fish Goan curry. Tandoori roti is an Indian bread, so this is a different meal from curry goat with roti.
Confirm before you go: Janga's publishes different closing times on different pages, and One Park, The Courthouse Gallery & Cafe and Roma's Roti do not post opening hours, so call ahead before you travel.
Roti outside Kingston
- The Courthouse Gallery & Cafe, Milford Road, Ocho Rios. It is across from the Turtle River Park entrance. Its roti wrap is filled with curry chickpea, pumpkin and mango chutney, a Trinidadian-style filling. See St Ann restaurants.
- Roma's Roti, 141 Dunrobin Sub Division, Mandeville. It sells plain roti, dhal roti and buss-up-shut roti for island-wide delivery. See Manchester restaurants.
- Negril Spice Cuisine. Its menu lists plain roti or dalpuri with curry chicken. The menu PDF also carries the restaurant's address, phone number and hours.
- Route 66 Lounge, 3 Cheniston Drive, Westmore Gardens, Spanish Town. It serves curry chicken, with lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Roti is not on its current lunch menu alongside the curry, so say so when you order if you want it.
- Round Hill Hotel and Villas, John Pringle Drive, Montego Bay. Its sample menu offers Jamaican curry chicken and Jamaican curry goat, both served with chutneys and dhal roti. It is a resort, so check whether non-guests can dine there and whether the sample menu is served on the day you visit. See St James restaurants.
To find roti, curry and other dishes parish by parish, use the Weh Fi Nyam restaurant directory.
What roti and curry cost
Prices are from restaurant menus as of October 2026. Each one is a single menu, not an island average, so treat them as examples. The US dollar figures are approximate, at about J$159 to US$1.
A curry goat plate with roti costs more than roti bought by the dozen, so compare the same kind of plate.
- Plain roti, Roma's Roti, Mandeville: 12 for J$1,500 (about US$9), which works out to about J$125 each (about US$0.79) when you buy the dozen.
- Dhal roti, Roma's Roti, Mandeville: 12 for J$2,000 (about US$13), or about J$167 each (about US$1.05).
- Curry goat with roti, One Park, Kingston: J$2,500 (about US$16), with seasonal vegetables.
- Curried goat, Murray's Fish and Jerk Hut, Kingston: J$3,000 (about US$19), served with roti, rice or vegetables as you choose.
- Curried coconut chickpeas, Murray's: J$2,200 (about US$14), which can be served with roti.
- Murray's Curried Goat with handmade roti, CRU, Kingston: J$4,300 (about US$27), with 15 percent GCT added to the final bill.
- Roti side, Janga's, New Kingston: J$500 (about US$3). Janga's says its prices are being updated, so check the figure when you order.
- Curry chicken, Route 66 Lounge, Spanish Town: J$700 small or J$1,000 large (about US$4 and US$6), with a starch and vegetable included.
Mezza Luna's menu shows tandoori roti at "$3" as of October 2026 without naming the currency, so do not assume it is Jamaican dollars. Ask which currency it is before you order.
Curry dishes you will meet
The Jamaica Tourist Board calls curry goat a Jamaican favourite. For named places across the island, see where to get the best curry goat in Jamaica.
Curry chicken is cooked with onion, scallion, thyme, garlic, Scotch bonnet and potato.
- Curry goat is goat slow-cooked with Jamaican curry powder, aromatics and usually potato. It is served with rice, rice and peas or roti.
- Curry chicken is cooked in Jamaican curry seasoning with onion, scallion, thyme, garlic, Scotch bonnet and potato.
- Curry shrimp is cooked in a curry sauce with onion, tomato and pepper, and sometimes coconut milk. It appears on Jamaican restaurant menus but is less universal than curry goat or curry chicken.
- Curried tin mackerel is a home-style, economical dish made with tinned mackerel and Jamaican seasonings.
- Aloo, or curried potato, and channa, or curried chickpeas, are the usual vegetarian fillings or sides, often served with roti.
- Vegetable curry may include pumpkin, chickpeas, potato, eggplant or mixed vegetables.
Indian restaurants in Jamaica add dishes such as chana masala, aloo gobhi and fish Goan curry. Recipes and heat levels vary by cook and restaurant, so ask how hot the curry is before it arrives.
Common questions
What is a Jamaican roti?
A Jamaican roti is an Indian-derived flatbread made from wheat flour, water, salt and oil. It is cooked on a flat griddle and served plain beside curry, or wrapped around curry goat, curry chicken, vegetables or chickpeas. Names differ from place to place, so say exactly which style you want.
Is roti Jamaican or Trinidadian?
Both, in a way. Roti is Indian in origin and became part of several Caribbean cuisines through indentured migration. Trinidad and Tobago is especially known for filled roti meals such as dhalpuri, paratha and buss-up-shut. In Jamaica, roti is found particularly alongside curry goat and other Jamaican curries.
Where can I get roti in Montego Bay?
Round Hill Hotel and Villas has a sample menu with curry chicken and curry goat, both served with chutneys and dhal roti. It is a resort, so check whether non-guests can dine there. For a local roti shop rather than a resort, ask Montego Bay restaurants directly, since roti is not on every menu.
How much is a roti in Jamaica?
There is no island-wide price. Roma's Roti in Mandeville sells plain roti at about J$125 each (about US$0.79) when you buy a dozen for J$1,500, and dhal roti at about J$167 each when you buy a dozen for J$2,000. A roti side at Janga's is J$500 (about US$3). A curry goat plate with roti costs more, from J$2,500 at One Park to J$4,300 at CRU, so compare the same kind of plate.
What curries do Jamaicans eat?
Curry goat is the strongest national answer, and it is commonly served at weddings, birthdays and church events. Curry chicken, curry shrimp, curried tin mackerel, aloo and channa are common too, and vegetable curries turn up on many menus. Exact recipes vary from cook to cook.