MIAGuide
The Best Jamaican Patties in Miami
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Jamaican patties are hot, spicy, and conveniently fit in the palm of your hand. And if you’ve never been to Jamaica, you can get a taste of one of the island’s comfort food staples across Miami. When judging a patty, it comes down to the crust, filling, and the balance of heat (both temperature and spice). Here are six of our favorites.
THE SPOTS
Jamaica Kitchen has been handing patties to customers from the same location since 1976. They’ve had the same patty chef since 1986, so needless to say, customers can count on consistency. They serve seven different patties—beef (spicy/mild/cheesy), chicken (curry/jerk), spinach, and vegetable—and while their patties don’t have the flakiest crust, they still have a nice crunch and are thick enough to hold the fillings in place as you eat. A red dot on the top of the crust will remind you that you picked a spicy one, so proceed with caution.
If you prefer a meaty filling in your patty over the crunch of a thick crust, then Hammond’s is your best bet. The crust isn’t super flaky—instead, it’s thin and lacks a gold color, but you can taste the pepper and thyme in it before you reach the filling. And since the crust is thinner, you get more filling, along with a stronger scotch bonnet pepper flavor. And if you like curry and spice as much as we do, then you’ll enjoy these too. Hammond’s serves a variety of patties: beef (mild/spicy/spicy cheesy), chicken (mild/jerk), callaloo, vegetarian, and ackee and saltfish.
As you probably guessed, Sonia’s specializes in patties—and they’re delicious. This popular shop’s been in the same Kendall location for more than 30 years, and all of the patties are flaky, baked fresh, and made to order. The patties are golden, the beef is spiced right without the scotch bonnet pepper taking the lead over the other ingredients, and the filling is finely minced instead of mixed into a paste. Keep in mind that when they say “spicy” here, they mean it. So, we recommend you sandwich a spicy patty between two pieces of coco bread. It will help balance the heat of the spice and the temperature of the patty that will most likely be steaming hot and fresh out of the oven.
You can hear the reggae music playing outside Jamrock Cuisine before you even step through the door. And while this family-owned restaurant gets their patties from a local distributor, you can still count on the crunch of a golden, flaky crust and tasty fillings that you can enjoy at one of their two outdoor tables next to the entrance. Beyond the standard beef, chicken, and vegetable patties, they offer a spinach version instead of callaloo. You can also order a plantain tart here, which is similar to a patty with mashed sweet plantains that isn’t overly sweet.
There are 6 different Taste Rite locations in South Florida, but the one on 2nd Ave in Miami Gardens is where the magic happens. All their patties are baked here and then shipped to the other locations throughout South Florida. Like most mass-producing bakeries, there’s a little filler in their beef patties, so it’s more of a meat paste than minced meat inside. But if you like a super flaky, golden crust and a generously sized patty, this is the place to go. There are nine options to choose from, including a lobster and shrimp.
