Jamaican/West Indian Communities .........? (Charlotte, Raleigh: chapel, house, to buy)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Does anyone know of any Jamaican/West Indian communities or hangouts in the triangle? I know that there is a large Jamaican/West Indian community in the Charlotte area and would like to know if there is such a following here in the triangle as well.
Do you play futbol (soccer)? Plenty of international people play soccer at the Centennial campus at NC State on week days. Back in the days, there used to be lots of people from Islands (Jamaica, Trinidad, ...).
I am of Arab and English descent, so I don't know where the community hangs out, but according to the most recent American Community Survey, 2,518 Jamaican-born persons (https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/...prodType=table) and 3,497 persons of Jamaican Ancestry live in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill CSA (https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/...prodType=table). While the community isn't large enough for there to be any real enclaves, according to Social explorer the Census Tract with the largest number of Jamaicans appear to be clustered around the Capital Blvd Area, off of New Bern Avenue in East Raleigh, and some scattered Census Tracts in Cary and Apex.
As for Restaurants, the ones I know of are Jamaican Grille on Atlantic Springs, Mum's on Capital Blvd, Jamaican Jerk Masters, Lee's Kitchen, and Taste of Jamaica in Cary. There is also a Golden Krust in Durham.
That's for sure. Speaking along food, what is the best Jamaican restaurant here comparatively? How about Jerk Masters at 1909 Poole Rd, Raleigh?
I just happened into Taste of Jamaica on Chatham Street in Cary last week. Unassuming place, you wouldn't know it was there if you didn't already know. (It's between Downtown and East Maynard). Good food, really nice people running the place, and (I'd assume) they may know more about the community than I would. https://www.yelp.com/biz/taste-of-jamaica-cary
There is also a Jamaican place (or used to be?) on the corner of 54/55 in RTP. I've eaten there before, but don't recall it being as nearly as good as the place in Cary.
So I can't speak to "which is best", but I do recommend that you check out the one in Cary, and would certainly appreciate hearing the opinion of someone who is more qualified than I am to pass judgement.
My wife is Jamaican, and I happen to love Jamaican food (and cook it moderately well.) We've been here since October 2017, and have run into Jamaican folks here and there but never in big numbers. Recently tried Jerkmaster on New Bern and found it to be "okay." Their jerk chicken was the only really notable dish of those we've tried. Also tried Urel's Jamaican House in Durham when researching that area as a place to buy a house (we opted for Raleigh instead.) It was seriously underwhelming. Our favorite thus far is Mum's. We have yet to try their jerk chicken but everything else is spot on - spicy, tasty, goat is not too bony or fatty etc. Raleigh has a Jerk Festival in early October, at which Mum's has won top honors several years in a row. We'll be going this year.
By the way - we've tried Compare Foods and many other markets but thus far found International Foods to have the best selection of products for Jamaican food. Their frozen goat is some of the best we've ever had, there's a broad array of Grace brand products, and they are the only place where we have found plantains ripe enough to make good sweet plantains.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
