After a successful five years running their Haitian food truck, expats Frantz Felix and his wife Guerline opened a restaurant in 2019. They specialize in Haiti’s national dish: rice and beans with griot, spicy pork seasoned with Scotch bonnet peppers, lemon, and vinegar — or fried goat if you prefer. Round out your plate with a side of accra, a starchy root similar to yucca; pikliz, the fermented shredded cabbage salad; and sweet or savory banane pesées, or plantains. Pair it all with a vanilla lemonade, mango juice, or a local IPA. Felix wishes the pandemic hadn’t made it impossible to import Haiti’s Prestige beer; for now Red Stripe will have to do.

Most people remember their first time tasting the sunny and flavorful Puerto Rican fare at Sol Food almost as intensely as they recall their first kiss. The 16-year-old Bay Area institution pumps out garlicky pork ribs, juicy baked chicken, and bistec sandwiches on toasty rolls, plus pots of creamy black beans and sweet plantains with amazing speed and consistency. Dine in at their original restaurant on the corner, or order online and then make a quick stop at the brightly colored take out shop in Mill Valley.

This market is the place to find a great Jamaican beef patty plus all the ingredients you need to make your own saltfish and ackee, maduros, or jerk chicken. Pick up a bag of Johnny cake or bake batter to make a Jamaican spread on the fly. They’ve got shelves full of marinades and sauces, plus dried fruit soursop and coconut milk to add to smoothies, juices, and desserts. Their ready-to-drink selection is strong: pick up some locally made mauby or island favorites like sea moss; Ting grapefruit soda; or Milo, the chocolaty breakfast drink that’s the Caribbean’s Ovaltine equivalent. 

The wrought iron railings out front and the red brick walls give Caña an Old World vibe, just like much of Havana. Stop in for Cuban sandwiches, chicken empanadas, arroz con pollo, and ropa vieja, the island’s signature stew of slow-cooked beef and tomatoes that resembles old clothes simmering in a laundry pot. On weekends, when Caña hosts a swinging salsa dancing scene, the bar never stops mixing up sangria and five kinds of mojitos.

Chef Nelson German, who’s been a contestant on Top Chef Season 18, grew up in Washington Heights, but his family roots lie in the Dominican Republic. At Sobre Mesa, German does high-end riffs on traditional Dominican dishes, like tostones topped with a crispy salchichon (Dominican salami) and spicy piri piri mayo. Both vegans and meat eaters can’t get enough of his sweet plantains stuffed with Impossible Meat chorizo ragu seasoned with tomatoes and sofrito, avocado, and chow chow. Sunday brunch brings sancocho, a hearty Dominican stew brimming with oxtail, roast pork, longaniza, chicken, and maybe some salchichon depending on the chef’s mood. 

Stepping into this Dimond District Puerto Rican restaurant feels a little like arriving at your tia’s house for Sunday dinner. Owners Jose and Kimly Ortiz painted the walls bright colors and hung up photos of ancestors and famous visitors, as well as a Taino wood carving. But the best part is the aroma of roasted meat and garlic. Whether you order a combo of chicharron de pollo, bistec guisado (stewed steak) or mofongo, you’ll get a generous helping of rice, gandules (pigeon peas), sweet plantains, and a cucumber-pineapple salad plus spicy mango salsa. Everything is infused with bright, satisfying flavors and homey charm. Ask about off-menu dishes like bacalaitos (codfish fritters), and drop by on the last Sunday to sample Dominican specialities like stewed pork ribs and breadfruit.

Bussdown is Jamaican slang with a few meanings — including one that’s NSFW. Here, we’ll assume it refers to a rise from obscurity to fame, which is just what Solomon “Chef Swoop” Johnson has done after establishing his bona fides in marijuana cookery on Chopped 420. He and Mike Woods are throwing down mod combos with mad flavors like jerk yardbird, smoked sofrito seafood, and green onion smash fries topped with either vegan green plantains or spicy beef at their cool-kids truck that’s open Thursday through Saturday. 

If you want to have an authentic Trinidadian experience, Marisa Lyons says you’ve got to order doubles. In case you’re not hip, many people in Trinidad start their day with this street food that’s a double layer of small dough discs filled with spiced channa, also known as chickpeas. You can have them spicy or sweet, or somewhere in between. “It’s a rite of passage when you touch down and visit Trinidad and Tobago,” Lyons says. “You have to make sure from the airport you get your doubles or your roti.” With cooler weather here, they’ll be adding traditional soups to the menu including cow heel soup that’s loaded with collagen, heart healthy fish tea, and creamy corn soup.

If you live or work in the South Bay, you’ve probably chowed down on a jerk chicken and oxtail combo plate from Back A Yard. Since chef Robert Simpson and his wife Annetta opened their Menlo Park restaurant in 2004, they haven’t slowed down. They just opened a fifth restaurant in Campbell (open for takeout and delivery only), and have a spinoff called Coconuts Bar & Grill in Palo Alto. They cater to a diverse crowd with a Jamaican-meets-soul-food menu that ranges from jerk tofu and coconut curry shrimp to barbecue pork ribs and macaroni and cheese. Kick up your meals at home by adding a jar of their hellfire sauce or jerk barbecue sauce to your order.