Part grocery store, part catering company and part restaurant, this is where Jamaican patty addicts get their fix. You can also get goat roti (sort of a Jamaican burrito) and jerk chicken dinners most of the time. On Wednesdays, there's an all-you-can-eat Jamaican buffet lunch with goat curry, jerk chicken and other hard-to-find West Indian foods. There's reggae on the stereo and plenty of cold Red Stripe beer.
If you're after good service and ambiance, Caribbean Hot Pot Restaurant may not be the place for you. If, however, a spicy piece of jerk chicken and some caramelized plantains will make you go weak in the knees, stop by this hole-in-the-wall Jamaican joint on FM 1960 for some Caribbean offerings good enough to be eaten oceanside to the dulcet tones of a marimba and bongos. Other standout dishes include goat curry and escovitch fish, but any fish dishes must be ordered in advance because they take awhile to cook. The staff of Caribbean Hot Pot won't bend to your wishes, but after you enjoy some of the restaurant's signature chicken, you just might bend to theirs.
Inexpensive lunch specials at Jamaica House near the Galleria are a steal, with a huge quarter of jerk chicken barely fitting on a plate that's also piled high with rice and beans, cabbage and plantains. Red Stripe-braised ribs are similarly attractive, especially when washed down with a Red Stripe on weekend evenings as jazz and reggae musicians play on the small stage. Not drinking? An icy mango drink is equally recommended, cool and sweet and reminiscent of the islands.
