16 March 2023
Doubles from Queen Trini Lisa. | Randy Schmidt/Eater NOLA
Get a taste of Trinidadian, Jamaican, and Haitian cooking at these varied New Orleans restaurants
New Orleans has been called the northernmost Caribbean Island, a reference to the deep historic ties the city shares with islands including Cuba and Haiti. Trading partners with Cuba until the ’60s embargo, there are echos of the French Quarter in Havana’s pervasive Spanish colonial architecture. The ties to Haiti run even deeper, with thousands of refugees doubling the city’s population in 1809, forever connecting the two places with a shared bloodline. There are so many Caribbean eateries of all stripes, from Kenner to the West Bank to Mid-City and Magazine Street, there’s no way to count them all. With fine dining and casual spots, there are many out-of-the-way gems worth discovering.