The Caribbean Capital That's a Creative Superpower

New York Times

28-02-2025

Even if you've never been to Kingston, Jamaica, you've likely heard the city's sounds. Ska, reggae, rocksteady, dub and dancehall — all genres born and bred in the coastal city — have played on airwaves worldwide for the better part of the past century. Kingston is preceded by its musical reputation — and by its cuisine. Jamaican staples like beef patties, jerk chicken and fall-off-the-bone oxtail are now ubiquitous in many American cities. 'I often say, if the U.S. is an economic superpower, then Jamaica is a cultural superpower,' says the visual artist Ebony G. Patterson, who was born in Kingston and now splits her time between there and Chicago. 'So many roads pass through here.'
Kingston, the island's capital and arguably its cultural hub, is on the southeastern coast. The city was nearly destroyed on more than one occasion — in fact, it was built in the aftermath of a natural disaster, a 1692 earthquake that wrecked the harbor town of Port Royal, a colonial trading center once frequented by pirates. In 1907, another major earthquake hit, followed by a fire, upending the city's infrastructure once more. Not long after, in 1923, the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew were combined, officially forming the roughly 175-square-mile region that many residents now refer to simply as 'Kingston.'
About a fifth of Jamaica's population of 2.8 million people live in this area, which visitors can best traverse by car — or by booking a catamaran to explore the harbor, as the jewelry designer Mateo Harris recommends, where a good deal of the old pirate city is still hidden beneath the waters. In many ways, Kingston's best gems are just below the surface. 'Most people don't know that we have amazing Indian and Chinese food; [those communities] have left such a stamp on the country,' says Harris. 'Our national motto in Jamaica is 'Out of many, one people,' and that's why: because so many different people come here from all walks of life.' And although the music scene is undeniably potent — the city was once said to be home to the world's largest number of recording studios per capita, including the renowned Studio One, where Bob Marley recorded — Patterson says that 'the visual-artist community here is incredibly rich' as well. She adds that despite the fact that there aren't that many commercial institutions, 'people are still committed to making things,' and museums like the National Gallery of Jamaica and visual artist-led initiatives such as New Local Space have made Kingston the island's 'mecca.'
As of this past summer, the U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 3 Travel Advisory for Jamaica, but Patterson cautions against blending safety concerns with oversimplified depictions of the place. 'There's a lot of sensationalizing of all of what Kingston is,' she says. 'Like any city, some of that's true, but it's not exclusively so.' She also recommends pushing past 'sun, sand and sea,' to fully appreciate Kingston's varied landscape. 'When people typically think about Jamaica, they don't necessarily think about the mountains,' she says, 'but if you have time, you should sojourn to the Blue Mountains,' which line St. Andrew's northeastern border and can provide a quiet, reflective counterpoint to the bustle of 'the flat,' or city proper. Here, Patterson, Harris and two other locals share their other favorite places in and around Kingston as well as a few farther-flung spots that highlight the many sides of Jamaica.
Andre Fowles, a Kingston-born chef, oversees the culinary program at Miss Lily's at Skylark in Negril. Based in New York, Fowles returns to Kingston every couple of months.
Matthew 'Mateo' Harris is a fine jewelry designer and the founder of the brand Mateo. He splits his time among Jamaica, the U.S. and Lisbon.
Koffee, a Jamaican-born reggae and dancehall musician, lives in Kingston and recently recorded a new album there, due out this summer.
Ebony G. Patterson is a multimedia visual artist who lives between Kingston and Chicago.
Sleep
'S Hotel Kingston has a nice bar program and it's one of my favorite spots to have a cocktail. It's very central, so you can quickly get to any major points in Kingston.' (From about $190 a night) — Andre Fowles
'I stay at the AC Hotel when I'm in Kingston. It's at the center of the city; there's great nightlife. People gather at the lounge, the restaurant and the pool. It's a hotel for someone who wants to be in the mix of things. (Rooms from about $220 a night)
'GoldenEye is one of the best hotels in Jamaica. Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond novels on the grounds. [It's on the northern coast of the island, about two hours away from Kingston.] Amazing food there.' (Rooms from about $580 a night) — Mateo Harris
'Strawberry Hill Hotel, up in the Blue Mountains, has a number of lodgings that are basically nestled in the side of the mountain. The climate's just very different from being on the flat. It's a place I tend to go to for refuge and quiet. (Rooms from about $370 a night)
'Farther up [from Strawberry Hill] is Holywell, which is a historical park that also has cabins, for people who are interested in a camping [experience]. There are a number of parks like this on other parts of the island but none at this scale.' (Rooms from about $90 a night) — Ebony G. Patterson
Eat and Drink
'In Kingston, sometimes the restaurants turn into bars or clubs after dinner service. [On a Friday night,] I normally go out to East Japanese.
'I love just grabbing some jerk chicken from a man with a grill on the street. We call that pan chicken. After the club, get some jerk chicken with some hard dough bread with some butter — mind blown.' — M.H.
'Juicy Blacks Peanut Porridge doesn't have any social media, an Instagram page or a cellphone number that you can call. It's a shack off the side [of West Main Drive in the neighborhood Maverley], and it's run by my great-uncle Juicy Blacks. The porridge is really spiced up, with fresh peanuts, coconut milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla and sweetened with condensed milk. It's a very hearty, delicious bowl.
'At Devon House Bakery, I'll buy only one type of patty: curry goat. Not a lot of other patty shops make it, because it's very expensive and takes a lot of skill to get it right. It's spicy. It's savory. The meat is super tender, and the shell is thick and flaky. And if you're there, you might as well go to Scoops Unlimited for the famous Devon House I-Scream. My favorite flavors are Grapenut and Rum & Raisin. Kids will have their ice cream and play in the grass — there's a big, lush lawn there and cute seating areas as well.
'One of the places [I prefer] for dim sum, which is only served on Sundays, is Dragon Court Restaurant. The flavor profile [for Jamaican dim sum] is so eclectic. They can't do without some of the more traditional [Chinese] ingredients: soy sauce, sesame, hoisin. But instead of using dry chilies or red chilies, they'll swap them out for Scotch bonnet. And the ginger in Jamaica is spicier, and the flavor of the green onions produced in the country is distinctive.
'Pretty Close 1876 is in Kingston but makes you feel like you're in the countryside — there's a river running through the property. The guy who owns and runs it is a Rastafarian, and he makes traditional ital food [Rastafarian plant-based fare] as well as fried fish and other things. Usually, you would have to go to a place like Ocho Rios or Negril to get that kind of natural setting. That's why they call it Pretty Close: If you're in New Kingston, which is as central as it gets, it'll probably take you, without traffic, 20 to 25 minutes to get to this spot.
'Uncorked is a very relaxed wine bar and restaurant, if you want to mix it up from traditional [Jamaican] food and get a nice salad, pasta or a burger instead.' — A.F.
'I'm obsessed with Gloria's in Port Royal. My order is steamed fish with extra okra, fried bammy [a thick cassava flatbread] and ripe plantains.
'At Melrose Yam Park, you can get roasted yam and salt fish on the side of the road.
'Tacbar is a popular [Mexican] spot that's a five-minute drive from a dispensary called Kaya Herb House.
'There are many weekday parties named after [the specific] day. I frequent [the street party] Uptown Mondays the most.
'About two hours away in St. Ann's is Stush in the Bush, which offers an elevated, hourslong experience with ital cuisine. It's owned and run by a married couple, Lisa and Chris, [at their home]. [Most of the ingredients used] are from their garden. It's in the hills, so you get a really good view.' — Koffee
Shop
'Kingston Dub Club is raw, irie and just a damn cool place to be on a Sunday night. It's a roots-reggae bar. [When I went,] I had some marijuana-infused wine, and I bought reggae T-shirts and sweaters, an anklet and other beaded trinkets at the gift shop.' — M.H.
'Locale really stands out among the boutique stores in Kingston. [It focuses on] locally made jewelry, clothing and tokens from Jamaica.
'Kingston Craft Market is good for handmade art, woodwork and [other] cultural items.' — A.F.
Take Home
'Get a pack of Blue Mountain Coffee — not the instant kind, you want to get the beans. The notes are fruity and decadent.
'You can make amazing drinks with Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum — I recommend grabbing a six-pack of Ting [to mix with it.] Or, if you're sick with the flu or a headache, put [a dab of rum] on your forehead.'
'You must bring home a bottle of Walkerswood jerk sauce. You can buy it at a local supermarket or the airport. — M.H.
'Buy a piece from a really good Jamaican artist like Barrington Watson, Ken Abendana Spencer, Ebony G. Patterson or Taj Francis and put it on your wall back home.' — K.
Explore
'I love to rent a little catamaran for the day and go around Kingston Harbor, especially on a Friday or Saturday — or even a Sunday Funday moment.
'Port Royal was destroyed by an earthquake in the late 1600s. It's a protected heritage site now, and you can go on a tour there and see the old cannons and [fortress]. A lot of pirate ships sank there [and legend has it] there's a lot of gold and treasure under the water.
'I know everyone thinks the Bob Marley Museum is touristic, but you should sign up for the tour because they give you a proper education about Marley. It's raw; they're not trying to sugarcoat his life.
'Bob Marley Beach, about 30 minutes from the heart of Kingston, isn't the typical white sand beach like we have on the north coast or in Montego Bay. Fishermen have their boats thrown on the sand, and it's super rustic but just so beautiful.' — M.H.
'Freedom Skate Park is in St. Andrew Parish, not that far away from Kingston. Bob Marley Beach is out there too, so you can make a day of it.
'Go to Donovan's Portland Domane Fruit Stand outside Port Antonio for coconut water, coconut jelly, jackfruit and sugar cane. He also has what we call root drinks, or tonics — healthy drinks.' — K.
'Along the stretch of Hellshire Beach, you have different vendors and stalls. Everyone has their favorite cookshop to go to. For me, it's Aunt Merl's Fish Place. You'll walk up and they'll have this big ice chest packed with fresh seafood, fish, lobster, crab or whatever daily catch they get. It's all wood-fired, backyard-style cookery. [You can get your food] fried or steamed, in garlic, Scotch bonnet — I love the escovitch fried snapper with festivals [a sweet fried dough] and bammy. If you're lucky, you'll see oystermen walking around with buckets of fresh oysters.
'It's a nice drive on the way up the Blue Mountains, and there are multiple cafes on the roadside. You can stop [along] the trail and have some of the best coffee in the world. There's a part called Holywell Park where tons of people go hiking.' — A.F.
'Lime Cay is a little island not far from Kingston. Plan a day to go out on a boat for a small fee; just tell the [captain] how long you want to stay and they'll come back and get you. There's nothing on the island — just sand and a few trees. There's also Maiden Cay, which is basically the same thing but on a different island with less shade — that one's [best] for yachting.' — K.
'Like most major museums, the National Gallery of Jamaica is an important place for holding history, but it also does what a commercial gallery in other places would do: introduce new and underrecognized voices from the [artist] community. Commit to being there for a few hours.
'New Local Space (NLS) is a micro-gallery, incubator space and residency program. It fills some of the gap in artist-led and run spaces in the city. [To visit,] make an appointment.' — E.P.
These interviews have been edited and condensed.