Montego Bay: Private Foodie Tour with Local Eats & City Sights

4.93

(147 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I remember is the sound—loud reggae from a shop window, then the soft thump of our van’s door shutting as we stepped into downtown Montego Bay. There was this warm, sticky breeze (not too much, just enough to make my shirt cling) and the smell of something sweet and fried drifting over from a food cart. Our guide, Simone, waved us over to Sam Sharpe Square and started telling stories about the place—she had this way of making history feel like gossip you’d overhear at a backyard barbecue. I kept glancing at the old buildings while she talked; there’s something about that mix of faded paint and bold murals that sticks with you.

Breakfast was brown stew chicken with boiled dumplings—Simone said it’s what her mom makes on Sundays. The sauce was rich and peppery, almost smoky, and I nearly burned my tongue because I got impatient. We sat outside on plastic chairs while locals hustled past, some giving us a quick nod or half-smile. After that came the patty shop. You know how people say “you haven’t tried Jamaica till you’ve had a beef patty”? They’re right. Flaky pastry, spicy filling—I got crumbs everywhere but didn’t care. Simone laughed when I tried to pronounce “callaloo” properly (I definitely didn’t).

I didn’t expect the fruit stop to be such a highlight. Sugar cane is tougher than it looks—you have to really chew—but there’s this grassy sweetness that lingers after you spit out the pulp. Pineapple juice ran down my wrist; nobody seemed to mind sticky fingers here. We finished at a tiny coffee shop where an older man poured us Blue Mountain coffee in chipped mugs. It tasted earthy and smooth, not bitter at all. Sitting there listening to him talk about his farm up in the hills made me wish I could stay longer—just for another cup or two.