Caribbean dining gains new ground across Los Angeles
New restaurants, pop ups and classes are drawing more attention to Caribbean food in Los Angeles. Recent openings span Haitian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and broader Afro Caribbean cooking.
Caribbean food has long had a smaller footprint in Los Angeles than in cities such as New York or Miami, but several recent projects are changing what diners can find locally. Kerline Ordeus's Haitian Knockout Kitchen drew a 150 person waitlist for 10 seats at a June 14 class, with students seeking hands on lessons in seasonings, plantains and marinated meats.
The newer wave includes Lucia on Fairfax, Amiguita's Afro Caribbean menu, ABL's Jamaican Chinese dishes in Hollywood, Tev's & Family Kitchen's second location in Gardena and Trinidadian spot Demrani Roti + Doubles near Venice Boulevard and Western Avenue. The growth builds on earlier anchors such as Coley's Original, Tracey's Belizean, Porto's and Bridgetown Roti.