For seafood with the sea right there, start with Sharkies Seafood on A1 Main Street in Salem. Its menu runs from whole fish and crab to lobster and surf-and-turf, and it opens daily from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. For jerk, try Farenough Jerk & Seafood on Main Street, which opened in February 2025 and cooks jerk chicken, jerk pork and jerk wild boar alongside its seafood. For a sit-down meal at a resort, 143 Restaurant & Lounge at Tiamo Beach Resort & Spa serves seafood, escoveitch fish, ackee and saltfish, and Sunday brunch.
Runaway Bay is a coastal resort town in Saint Ann Parish on Jamaica's north coast. Salem sits just to the east, Discovery Bay farther west, and the whole area lies between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. It is spread out rather than packed with restaurants. Main Street and the A1 link the town, Salem and Discovery Bay, so visitors usually need a taxi, rental car or arranged driver to move between meals and attractions. From the airport, see getting from Montego Bay Airport to Runaway Bay.
Seafood by the beach in Salem
Sharkies Seafood sits directly on the beach in Salem. The restaurant combines seafood dining with a casual waterfront setting, and its website says it has been operating since 2012. You can get fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, seafood platters and surf-and-turf dishes there.
Fish, shrimp, crab and lobster are the core of Sharkies' menu on the Salem waterfront.
As of October 2026, Sharkies prices its menu as follows, with US dollar figures at about JMD 159 to US$1 (Bank of Jamaica, October 13, 2026). These are one restaurant's prices, so use them as a benchmark for Sharkies alone.
Sharkies' menu notes that lobster season is closed from April 1 through June 30. For the wider picture, see lobster season in Jamaica.
Jerk, Jamaican plates and pizza in Salem and Runaway Bay
Farenough Jerk & Seafood on Main Street opened in February 2025. The Jamaica Observer covered it in June 2025, when the restaurant was aiming for a share of the town's jerked food market. The menu includes jerk seafood, wild-caught seafood, jerk chicken, jerk pork and jerk wild boar, and on alternating Fridays it serves curry reindeer.
Jerk chicken, jerk pork and jerk wild boar are on the menu at Farenough.
Salem has more jerk to choose from. Exprss Jerk Center is a Jamaican restaurant that serves jerk and barbecue. Di Best Seafood & Jerk Center pairs jerk and barbecue with seafood.
If you want Jamaican food early in the day, The Cove at Runaway Bay at 132 Main Street is open Tuesday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and it is closed on Mondays and Sundays. For pizza, Morris Pizza in Salem is open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.
Discovery Bay: beach lunches and attractions
Discovery Bay, farther west, has the caves, the beaches and a few seafood stops. CrisNic Lobster Deck offers beachfront dining, with seafood prepared fried, steamed, curried, brown-stewed or run-dung style. Its menu lists fish by the pound and lobster-focused dishes. It opens from 11 a.m. Monday to Thursday and from 10 a.m. Friday to Sunday, closing at 10 p.m. every day.
Discovery Bay pairs its beaches and caves with a few seafood stops.
Puerto Seco Beach is a day out on its own. Jamaica's tourism site describes a floating obstacle course there, and the beach also has an aqua park, a pool beach, cabanas, spa services and a bar and grill. Santa Maria Eatery at Puerto Seco is one of its food outlets.
Green Grotto Caves is a 64-acre site in Discovery Bay, between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. It offers guided cave tours, a nature trail, a souvenir shop and a first-aid station. In a September 2024 update, the Jamaica Information Service gave opening hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and non-resident admission of US$20 for adults and US$10 for children. Jamaican residents paid J$1,000 (about US$6) for adults and J$500 (about US$3) for children, with valid identification. Because the caves close at 4 p.m., a morning tour followed by lunch at CrisNic or Puerto Seco works well.
BeachLifestyleChill is a bar and grill in Discovery Bay that is open every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Cre8tive Cafe Pizzeria at Shop 8, Penny's Plaza, serves pizza. It opens at 7 a.m. Monday to Saturday and closes at 8 p.m., and on Sundays it opens from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stew Peas Restaurant is a fast food and takeout spot open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and it is closed on Sundays.
Bakeries, ice cream and dinner
Bake My Day JA in Runaway Bay is a bakery that also sells patties. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Mondays and Sundays. George's Creamery serves ice cream, desserts and juice from 1 p.m. every day, closing at 8 p.m., or at 9 p.m. on Sundays.
For seafood at dinner time, Highseas Seafood Restaurant in Runaway Bay is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Donte Bar and Grill is a bar and grill open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Resort dining and reservations
143 Restaurant & Lounge at Tiamo Beach Resort & Spa opened in April 2025. The Jamaica Observer described its seafood, escoveitch fish, ackee and saltfish, jerk chicken, crispy salmon pasta and Sunday brunch. Book ahead, especially for brunch.
L'Escargot Restaurant near Salem is a French restaurant, and Make It Jamaica's write-up of a November 2024 visit describes its French dishes and its reservations. Reserve a table before you go.
Toward Ocho Rios
Head east on the A1 through Salem and Discovery Bay toward Drax Hall and Ocho Rios. At Drax Hall, Scotchies Jerk Centre serves jerk dishes, sides and soups, and Jamaica Tourist Board material gives its hours as 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Next door, Kaya Drax Hall lists a cafe and pizza operation. In Richmond, St. Ann, Plantation Smokehouse serves slow-smoked meats, fresh seafood and Asian, American and Jamaican dishes. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., with live music on Fridays. For more places on that side of the island, see local restaurants in Ocho Rios.
The A1 links Runaway Bay, Salem and Discovery Bay with Drax Hall and Ocho Rios.
Getting around, paying and planning
Get the current taxi fare and return arrangements from your resort or villa host before you set out. If you are staying at an all-inclusive, eating outside your all-inclusive covers the same idea for Negril, Montego Bay and Ochi.
Keep Jamaican cash for cookshops, roadside vendors and beach businesses. Before you order, find out whether a place takes cards or mobile payment. The cookshop or restaurant guide explains how the two kinds of place differ.
Book ahead for L'Escargot, 143 Restaurant & Lounge, resort restaurants and busy seafood venues. If you have dietary needs, raise them with the kitchen before the food arrives, covering ingredients, seafood, cooking methods and cross-contact.
Confirm before you go: get current menus and prices for Farenough, 143 Restaurant & Lounge, L'Escargot, CrisNic Lobster Deck and Santa Maria Eatery from the restaurants themselves.
To compare Runaway Bay with other towns, use our restaurant directory, which lets you browse places by parish.
Common questions
What restaurants are in Runaway Bay?
Good places to start are Sharkies Seafood in Salem for seafood on the beach, Farenough Jerk & Seafood on Main Street for jerk, and 143 Restaurant & Lounge at Tiamo Beach Resort for resort dining. Discovery Bay adds CrisNic Lobster Deck and Santa Maria Eatery at Puerto Seco Beach. Salem has Morris Pizza for pizza.
Is Runaway Bay a nice part of Jamaica?
It suits visitors who want a quieter north-coast base, with resort beaches, villas, the nearby Green Grotto Caves and beaches such as Puerto Seco. It is a smaller setting than Ocho Rios, and the restaurants are spread along the main road. Plan on a car or driver for most meals, and sort out your ride back before a late dinner.
Where is Sharkies in Runaway Bay?
Sharkies Seafood is at A1 Main Street in Salem, Runaway Bay, Saint Ann, directly on the beach. You can call (876) 973-5472 or (876) 456-6293. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Can non-guests eat at Runaway Bay resorts?
Each resort sets its own rules. Some restaurants may take outside reservations, some may require a day pass, and some are for registered guests only. Ask the resort before you travel whether outside diners are welcome, whether you need a reservation, and whether a day pass or access fee applies. Bahia Principe Escape's dining page describes its restaurants for resort guests, so check that property's rules directly.
Where to eat between Runaway Bay and Ocho Rios?
Scotchies Jerk Centre at Drax Hall and Plantation Smokehouse in Richmond are the main stops on that stretch of the A1. Scotchies serves jerk dishes, sides and soups from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Plantation Smokehouse is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and it has live music on Fridays.