For seafood in Ocho Rios itself, start at the Fishing Village on the waterfront, where Reggae Kitchen and Lounge is one of the spots Jamaica's official tourism site ties to curried shrimp and brown-stew fish. Jangalee Seafood Joint on Exchange Road, in the White River fishing-village area, serves fried fish, fried shrimp and fish curry. Sharkies Seafood Restaurant publishes a full menu with prices, but it sits in Salem, Runaway Bay, a drive west of town, so plan that trip before you plan your meal.
Seafood here falls into three areas, and the area decides how far you travel. The Fishing Village is on the Ocho Rios waterfront and is the main place for a casual fish meal in town. White River has its own fishing-village area with a riverside restaurant. Salem, in Runaway Bay, sits farther west in St. Ann parish, and that is where Sharkies is.
Central Ocho Rios and the Fishing Village
Reggae Kitchen and Lounge is in Shop 3 at The Fishing Village in Ocho Rios. You can reach it at 876-508-9952 or 876-372-2955. Its hours are the part to check. One current business profile gives 24 hours a day, while another gives 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, so confirm before you go.
The Fishing Village on the Ocho Rios waterfront is the main place for a casual fish meal in town.
Fishing Village restaurants can price differently depending on fish size, preparation and whether you take the food away or sit down. Check the price of the exact fish you want before you order.
White River and Exchange Road
Jangalee Seafood Joint serves fried fish, fried shrimp and fish curry. It is open Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The phone number is 876-398-2040.
Reggae Hill Riverside Dining, at White River Exchange, is the more formal choice in the area, with a riverside setting rather than a beach stall. Its current menu lists seafood soup, fish tartare, lobster or crab tagliatelle, pesto jerk shrimp tagliolini and a fresh catch of the day. The restaurant is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with dinner service from 5:30 p.m., and the phone number is 876-834-0565.
Sharkies in Salem, Runaway Bay
Sharkies Seafood Restaurant is at A1 Main Street in Salem, Runaway Bay, St. Ann, on the beach and outside Ocho Rios town. It is open Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Call 876-973-5472 or 876-456-6293 to reach it. Jamaica's official tourism site also names Sharkies among the Ocho Rios-area seafood restaurants known for curried shrimp and brown-stew fish.
Fish at Sharkies can come escovitch, steamed, brown stewed or curried.
The menu covers whole fish, shrimp, lobster, crab, seafood platters, seafood boils, salmon, octopus and conch. Fish can come escovitch, steamed, brown stewed or curried. Lobster can be garlic, curried, grilled or deep-fried, and the menu also offers combinations of fish, lobster and shrimp.
As of October 2026, Sharkies charges the prices below. US dollar figures use the Bank of Jamaica rate of about JMD 159 to US$1, set on October 13, 2026.
The menu adds a 10% service charge to dining tabs and 15% GCT to meals and drinks. It also says prices and availability can change. Market-price items such as stone crab claws can move without notice, so find out their price when you order.
Runaway Bay and beyond
If you are already heading west, three more St. Ann seafood spots are worth knowing. Highseas Seafood Restaurant in Runaway Bay is open 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Di Best Seafood & Jerk Center in Salem serves jerk and barbecue along with seafood, with hours from midnight to midnight every day. CrisNic Lobster Deck in Discovery Bay is a seafood restaurant open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For more places across the parish, browse the St. Ann restaurant directory.
Seafood boils
Sharkies serves seafood boils in four options, priced from J$6,500 to J$10,000 (about US$41 to US$63) as of October 2026. Each mixes some combination of crab, shrimp, crayfish, lobster, mussels, sausage, corn, potatoes and egg. You choose the seasoning, which is Cajun, butter garlic or Old Bay, and the heat, which runs mild, medium or very spicy.
A seafood boil mixes shellfish with corn, potatoes and sausage, seasoned to the heat you choose.
Salem is a separate trip from town, so plan the drive. For a boil in central Ocho Rios, ask the Fishing Village restaurants whether one is available that day and what it costs.
How fish is sold and cooked
Fish in Ocho Rios is often sold whole, and the price moves with the size. Sharkies lists whole fish in five sizes, from medium to XXXL, and cooks it four ways: escovitch, steamed, brown stewed or curried. Those cooking words mean different things:
- Escovitch fish: fried fish served with a spicy pickled mix, commonly vinegar, onions, peppers and carrots.
- Steamed fish: cooked gently with seasonings and vegetables, so it stays soft and moist.
- Brown stew fish: fried or browned first, then simmered in a seasoned brown gravy.
- Curried fish: cooked in a curry-seasoned sauce.
Crab, shrimp, crayfish and parts of a seafood boil may be sold by weight. Check whether the quoted price covers the seafood alone or the full meal. For more on these dishes, the Jamaican fish dishes guide covers escovitch, brown stew, steamed fish and where to order them.
Lobster and the closed season
Yes, lobster is on menus around Ocho Rios, though the season decides when you can order it. Sharkies' menu offers lobster garlic, curried, grilled or deep-fried at J$5,500 (about US$35) as of October 2026.
Lobster is on menus around Ocho Rios, but fishing for it is closed from April 1 through June 30.
Lobster also appears in Sharkies' surf and turf with lobster tail at J$7,000 (about US$44), in seafood platters and in seafood boil option 4. Reggae Hill Riverside Dining's current menu lists lobster or crab tagliatelle. Lobster prices differ from place to place, so check the figure on the day.
Jamaica's National Fisheries Authority states that the annual spiny-lobster closed season runs from April 1 through June 30. Fishing for lobster is prohibited during that time. The authority also says undersized and egg-bearing lobster is illegal all year round. A 2025 advisory said legally held lobster had to be declared and could be stored, sold or processed only under the applicable rules. That same year the government announced a pilot allowing legally caught, properly declared lobster to be sold or eaten during the closed season, under stricter controls.
If you are visiting in April, May or June, ask the restaurant whether its lobster is legally available before you order. For the full season picture, read Lobster Season in Jamaica: When It Opens and Where to Eat Lobster.
Planning your visit
Cruise passengers with a short stop should choose the place closest to where their day already takes them. If you are docking, where to eat near the Ocho Rios cruise port is the place to start.
Payment differs from one restaurant to another, so ask whether a restaurant takes cards before you order, and carry Jamaican dollars as a backup. Travel time between Ocho Rios, White River and Salem changes with traffic and where you start, so use the restaurant's address and check directions with the restaurant or your driver. Access and parking at Fishing Village spots also differ, so ask before you go.
To find more seafood across Jamaica, use the restaurant directory and search by parish to find places near where you are staying.
Common questions
Where can I get seafood in Ocho Rios?
Start at the Fishing Village, where Reggae Kitchen and Lounge is at Shop 3, or at Jangalee Seafood Joint on Exchange Road in the White River fishing-village area. Reggae Hill Riverside Dining at White River Exchange serves seafood soup, fish tartare and a fresh catch of the day in a riverside setting. Sharkies publishes a full priced menu, but it is in Salem, Runaway Bay, outside town.
Where can I get a seafood boil in Ocho Rios?
Sharkies offers four seafood boil options, from J$6,500 to J$10,000 (about US$41 to US$63), but it is in Salem, Runaway Bay. For a boil in central Ocho Rios, the Fishing Village restaurants can tell you whether one is available that day and what it costs.
Where is Sharkies in Jamaica?
Sharkies Seafood Restaurant is at A1 Main Street in Salem, Runaway Bay, St. Ann, on the beach. That puts it west of Ocho Rios, so allow extra travel time. It is open 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day, and the phone numbers are 876-973-5472 and 876-456-6293.
Can you get lobster in Ocho Rios?
Yes, lobster is on menus around Ocho Rios. Sharkies' menu prices it at J$5,500 (about US$35) as of October 2026, and Reggae Hill Riverside Dining lists lobster or crab tagliatelle. Lobster fishing is prohibited from April 1 through June 30, so check with the restaurant that its lobster is legally available if you visit in those months.
How much does fish cost in Ocho Rios?
Sharkies, in Salem, prices a whole fish from J$4,000 for medium to J$6,000 for XXXL (about US$25 to US$38), as of October 2026, plus a 10% service charge and 15% GCT. Fish at Fishing Village and White River restaurants can cost differently depending on size and preparation. Check the price of the specific fish you want before you order.