For waterfront seafood in Montego Bay, start with Pier 1 on Howard Cooke Boulevard, where whole red snapper, lobster and a seafood pot are on the menu. For a dinner built around regional seafood, Marguerite's on Gloucester Avenue serves bouillabaisse, sea bass and grouper with crab. For dinner on the water, The HouseBoat Grill is a floating restaurant inside the Montego Bay Marine Park.
Pier 1 on Howard Cooke Boulevard
Pier 1 is an open-air waterfront seafood restaurant and entertainment venue that has operated since 1986. Its regular hours are Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 11 p.m., and special events run later on some nights.
Whole red snapper can be escoveitch, steamed, brown-stewed, grilled, or stuffed and roasted in foil.
As of October 2026, whole red snapper is priced by size: US$23 for a pound, US$33 for a pound and a half, and US$42 for two pounds. You can have it escoveitch, steamed, brown-stewed, grilled, or stuffed and roasted in foil. The rest of the menu includes drunken fish at US$20, coconut-crusted shrimp at US$22, seafood pasta at US$29, Caribbean lobster at US$38 and citrus-grilled lobster tail at US$39. The Seafood Mega Pot, at US$53, holds lobster, crab legs, shrimp, mussels, clams, potatoes and corn. These are prepared restaurant prices, not fish-market prices.
Marguerite's and The HouseBoat Grill
Marguerite's on Gloucester Avenue puts you on the Hip Strip. It is an upscale, sea-to-table restaurant with a waterfront setting, and its menu includes island seafood chowder, bay scallops, calamari, ahi tuna, crab cake, bouillabaisse, sea bass, reef snapper rundown, sautéed shellfish, shrimp, salmon, grouper with crab and surf and turf. Dinner runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Dinner on the water is the draw at The HouseBoat Grill.
The HouseBoat Grill is at Tony Hart Boulevard in Montego Freeport, in the Montego Bay Marine Park Fish Sanctuary. Its menus are seasonal and include international and fusion dishes, and dinner is served on the boat from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Lunch runs from noon to 3 p.m. daily, and the bar stays open from noon to 11 p.m. Live lobster is available from July through March, so October is in season. Because it floats, plan how you will get out to it as part of the evening.
Getting there and paying
Pier 1 and Marguerite's are both in central Montego Bay, on Howard Cooke Boulevard and Gloucester Avenue. The HouseBoat Grill is out in Montego Freeport, and Snappaz is in the White House District on Kent Avenue, near the airport. Plan the transport for each before you set out, especially for a late dinner. Carry a backup payment method too, since card acceptance varies from one seafood spot to the next.
Lobster and conch seasons
Spiny lobster has a closed season from April 1 through June 30. During that period, catching, buying or selling lobster is illegal, although lobster held from before the season can still be sold if it was declared to the National Fisheries Authority. Undeclared lobster can be seized. Berried and undersized lobster are prohibited all year. Lobster is in season now.
Queen conch is different. Its closed season runs every year from August 30 through February 28, and during it, possession, sale, processing and trade of conch products are prohibited under the 2023 regulations. The Jamaica Information Service reported in April 2026 that the conch rules would stay as they are while the fishery recovers, and the 2026 harvesting season opened on March 1. Conch is off the table until the closed season ends on February 28, so read Conch in Jamaica: The Season, the Dishes and Where to Eat It before you plan around it. Dates can change by new regulation, so check with the National Fisheries Authority before you plan a conch meal.
Seafood boils and takeout
Pier 1's Seafood Mega Pot is the restaurant boil, at US$53 as of October 2026, for lobster, crab legs, shrimp, mussels, clams, potatoes and corn. Chef Life JA covers takeout and catering, with mini and mega lobster seafood boils, jerk lobster, a large fish platter, jerk shrimp and brown-stew snapper with curry shrimp for Montego Bay and St. James. Boils can be seasonal or need booking ahead, so plan a day in advance. Ask for the price before you commit, and check whether the quote is in Jamaican or US dollars.
A seafood boil packs lobster, shrimp, corn and potatoes into one pot.
Fish, cooking styles and the fishing beaches
Fish is usually priced by the whole fish, by weight or by how it is prepared, not by one plate price. Local styles to look for include fried, steamed, escovitch, brown stew, rundown, grilled and coconut. Ask whether a quoted price includes sides, preparation and the service charge.
Fishing beaches are working landing areas, not restaurants.
Fishing beaches are working landing areas, not restaurants. A February 2026 Ministry of Agriculture report says the government has been supporting fishers at River Bay, Grange Pen and Harvey Beach since Hurricane Melissa, and River Bay Fishing Village is one of the places where that work happens.
Snappaz in the White House District
Snappaz Seafood Grill & Sports Bar is at 12 Kent Avenue in the White House District, near the airport. It serves local fish, including snapper, in a seafood grill and sports bar setting. Its hours are 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and the phone number is +1 876 367-3171.
Confirm before you go: Snappaz's hours, the day's catch and whether cards are accepted, since all three can change.
More seafood in St. James
Rain's Yardie Plates in Montego Bay is a seafood restaurant with takeout. It is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Thursday from 6 p.m. to midnight, and closed the rest of the week.
Delmare Restaurant in St. James is a seafood restaurant open daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Finding more seafood
For more on the coast, see Waterfront Restaurants in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Seafood Restaurants in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Lobster Season in Jamaica: When It Opens and Where to Eat Lobster. The Hip Strip guide covers the Gloucester Avenue end of town. To find more places by parish, use the St. James page or the restaurant directory.
Common questions
Choose by the kind of meal and the season, then check the hours.
Where can I get seafood in Montego Bay?
Pier 1 on Howard Cooke Boulevard is the waterfront choice for whole red snapper, lobster and a seafood pot. Marguerite's on Gloucester Avenue suits a longer dinner, and The HouseBoat Grill suits a floating dinner with live lobster from July through March. For local fish and seafood, Snappaz in the White House District is the grill to try.
Is there a seafood boil restaurant in Montego Bay?
Yes. Pier 1's Seafood Mega Pot is US$53 as of October 2026 and holds lobster, crab legs, shrimp, mussels, clams, potatoes and corn. Chef Life JA also makes lobster seafood boils for takeout and catering, which can be seasonal or need booking ahead.
How much does a pound of lobster cost in Jamaica?
A Jamaican seafood supplier lists lobster tail at J$2,650 per pound (about US$17) in October 2026, and that is a supply price rather than a restaurant price. Restaurant prices include preparation, sides, overhead, taxes and service, so they run higher. Restaurants also charge by dish, so as of October 2026 Pier 1 sells Caribbean lobster at US$38 and citrus-grilled lobster tail at US$39. Lobster is priced as whole, tail, live weight or cooked weight, so check what a quoted pound covers.
Are there cheap seafood restaurants in Montego Bay?
On Pier 1's October 2026 menu, drunken fish is US$20 and coconut-crusted shrimp is US$22. Marguerite's and The HouseBoat Grill are upscale dinners, so budget more for them. Ask about fish of the day and smaller portions first.
Is conch in season now?
No. Queen conch's closed season runs from August 30 through February 28, and during it conch products cannot be sold, processed or traded. Lobster is in season now, since the spiny lobster closed season runs from April 1 through June 30.