Can Caribbean specialties be just as good out of their native habitats? Where can you find some proper Jerk chicken, ital, or Ackee, and Saltfish in South Carolina? SAPi has compiled a list of the most beloved Jamaican eateries in the Palmetto State.
Despite what one might think, the vibrant Jamaican culinary scene outside the Caribbean can be just as irie inside of South Carolina’s state lines.
South Carolina has had a vibrant Jamaican food scene for decades. For an example of the rooted Caribbean culture and heritage tradition in the state, where Jamaican cuisine shines bright up and down the coast, look no further than the Charleston Carifest hosted each summer.
If you are looking to satisfy your tastebuds between Caribbean festivals, the region has a lot to offer. Whether you are looking for the grab-and-go convenience of a food truck or a sit-down restaurant ambiance with vibrant beats, SAPi has you covered.
The Best Jamaican Food in South Carolina
Clarendon Cuisine, Myrtle Beach
1. Best By The Beach | Clarendon Cuisine
Where: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach has a robust Jamaican community, so you can be sure that the dishes served have passed the authenticity inspection by local eaters. Reviews report that for all the great, diverse restaurants on the Grand Strand, it was almost impossible to find good Jamaican cooking until Clarendon Cuisine came along. Daily lunch specials include Brown Stew Chicken, Curry Chicken, and Jerked Chicken.
Reggae Island Grill, Myrtle Beach
2. Best Ackee and Saltfish | Reggae Island Grill
Where: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
If you are looking for Jamaica’s National plate of choice, Ackee and Saltfish, there is only one place that serves it in Myrtle Beach: Reggae Island Grill. Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and is usually boiled with salted cod. If it powers Usain Bolt’s breakfast, it must be something magical.
The Reggae Island Grill’s menu features other classics like Jerk Chicken, Curry Goat, and Oxtail as well. One reviewer reports: “We were looking for some good authentic Jamaican food while on vacation, and this place did not disappoint. The jerk chicken was smoked just right and literally fell off the bone. Like honestly, the food was so good I had to stop to get a plate on my way headed home.”
TruJerkJamaica, Columbia
3. Best Jerk Food Truck | TruJerkJamaica
Where: Columbia, South Carolina
One look at this popular food truck’s Jerk Chicken, surrounded by plantains and peas and rice, and you know TruJerkJamaica is not playing around. Not only do they specialize in all things jerk (chicken, pork, oxtail) they also come through with some authentic Jamaican Ting soda and Coco Bread. Close your eyes, and you’re on Seven Mile Beach.
Jamaica Mi Irie, Greenville
4. Best In Greenville | Jamaica Mi Irie
Where: Greenville, South Carolina
Jamaican Me Irie proclaims itself to be “the only 100% authentic Jamaican Restaurant in Greenville. With three locations around the city, it won’t be hard to lock in your Brown Stew Chicken Lunch, Jerk Shrimp, or Curry Chicken Roti. Outdoor seating in a vibrant setting and Caribbean beats make the whole experience a vibe.
JAMROCK CARIBANA, Warrenville
5. Best Off The Beaten Path | JAMROCK CARIBANA
Where: Warrenville, South Carolina
Visitors here exclaim, “the Brown Stew Chicken is life!” While you won’t find JAMROCK CARIBANA in a major city hub, Red Pea Soup and their Annual Fish Fry certainly make the drive out to Warrenville worth the trip. One of the sure signs you’re eating at an authentic Jamaican joint is oxtail on the menu, and JAMROCK CARIBANA doesn’t disappoint with tender, juicy servings and generous side portions.
Whether you’re a die-hard Brown Stew Chicken fan or you’re looking to mix up your foodie routine, check out one of these great options in South Carolina. Not only are they all run by authentic chefs, but also local businesses run by real people.
SAPi’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide For South Carolina Foodies
Gather around the SAPi tree while we lay out the best gifts for your South Carolina foodie friends for 2022. You know the ones, the Aunt that’s always hosting parties with elaborate charcuterie trays or the best friend who always knows where to find the most authentic Jamaican food in town. The culinary experts we call friends and family deserve the best food-themed gift 2022 has to offer!
The Best Holiday Gifts For Foodies | 2022 Edition
Photo: Root Note Food Truck
1. Root Note Food Truck Gift Card
Give the gift of food truck love with a gift card from Root Note Food Truck. This isn’t your average casual dining destination. Root Note is located conveniently beside the Charleston Pour House in case you get thirsty and is the perfect place for date night. They specialize in gourmet tacos – think tandoori chicken, pho-inspired pork, and vegetarian aloo gobi tacos featuring curry cauliflower, sweet potato, chickpeas, lentil, and queso in a chili tamarind sauce. It’s an experienced-based gift that will also delight the appetite!
Photo: Sobremesa
2. Sobremesa Mole & Salsas
Sobremesa is a small-batch mole & salsa company in Charleston, South Carolina. Only a true foodie friend will appreciate the rich and velvety texture of a Mole Poblano that is blended from four different chiles, nuts, fruits, seeds, and a hint of chocolate to create a layered sauce that will step up your favorite foodie’s home-cooking game.
The Sobremesa Bundle costs $40.00 and includes sauces, salsa, and moles. It is available for shipping to your Latin food-loving friends and family.
Photo: Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
3. Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit | All-Night Kit
Repeat after SAPi: you can never go wrong with a locally sourced gift basket. And in South Carolina, you can never go wrong with biscuits. And in the case of Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits, even if your giftee is Gluten Free. Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit is widely recognized as an iconic Southern brand with national retail exposure, grab-and-go eateries and a food truck in Charleston, as well as a cult-like national following.
Their All Night Kit retails for $52.95 and is a sure win every time. It includes:
A half-dozen Cinnamon Biscuits
A half-dozen Buttermilk Biscuits
Cocoa & Cream Cookies
Cheese Crisps
Optional Addition: Traditional Pimento Cheese*
4. Charleston Culinary Tours Gift Certificate
Looking for a different gift idea for a foodie or a friend? Charleston Culinary Tours offers Gift Cards that make great gifts for all food and drink lovers and adventurous travelers in your life!
The tours explore Charleston’s historic cobblestone streets while participants can sample food from some of the hottest new restaurants. Whether you know a Lowcountry local or someone planning a trip to Charleston, a food tour is a great way to explore a new or familiar city.
This 2.5-hour tour offers insight into Charleston’s historic Upper King Street neighborhood, which has been named one of the top 10 food neighborhoods in America.
This 2.5-hour food tour explores Charleston’s Historic French Quarter and City Market, offering the tastiest of Charleston’s history and food while walking some of the oldest streets in America!
This 3-hour tour showcases the Lowcountry’s seasonal bounty and a local chef’s creative prowess.
Photo: Swamp Rabbit Cafe
5. Swamp Rabbit Cafe | Taste Of The South Gift Basket
South Carolina has so many talented artisan food makers the Swamp Rabbit Cafe created a mailable gift basket that represents the ingenuity of the artisan food makers from the region. The once abandoned building along the Swamp Rabbit Trail is now a thriving food community where you can find an artisan grocer, cafe and bakery.
The Taste Of The South Gift Basket retails for $100.00 and includes items curated from local artisan vendors. If you want your loved one to choose, they also have Gift Cards! Baskets are available for same-day pickup or delivery.
Photo: Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
6. Lowcountry Oyster Company& Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit | Lowcountry Bundle Gift Basket
This collaboration between Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit and Lowcountry Oyster Company is a match made in heaven that will benefit both you and your giftee if you’re invited to their next party.
The most savory Lowcountry staples have been combined to create the Lowcountry Bundle. Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit and Lowcountry Oyster Co. have come together to make the perfect gift for the foodie who like to entertain. From tide to table, enjoy a bushel of oysters straight from the ACE basin atop a crunchy sea salt biscuit cracker with a dollop of traditional pimento cheese!
The Lowcountry bundle is available for delivery, retails for $135.00, and includes:
• Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit Sea Salt Biscuit Crackers
• Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit Traditional Pimento Cheese (12oz)
• Lowcountry Oyster Company Bushel of Oysters
Photo: Mushroom Mountain
7. Mushroom Mountain Spring Cultivation Workshop
For a unique twist for the foodie who loves exotic ingredients and farm to table dining, how about a Mushroom Mountain Spring Cultivation Workshop? Let the Mushroom Mountain team give your giftee the adventure of 2023.
Participants will learn about fungal ecology and life cycles while immersed in hands-on methods to cultivate mushrooms on logs, stumps, wood chips, and straw design mushroom gardens as well as how to compost or recycle with fungi. The workshop includes a tour of the Mushroom Mountain Farm, where guests will be able to check out the myco lab. The gift of a workshop also includes breakfast snacks, lunch, an oyster mushroom fruiting kit, and a shiitake log to take home from a hands-on activity. Workshops start at $275.00.
Ace Leather and Knife Works Photo Credit: Soda City
For an heirloom gift look no further than this beautiful hand-forged iron Kitchenware byACE Leather & Knife Works. The company makes a wide selection of bespoke cookware, including hand forged iron knives, grill utensils, iron, and carbon steel pans, and more. You can find the former finalist of the TV show Forged In Fire, Jon Medelin, representing his wares at the Soda City Market in Columbia or he also takes custom orders on his website.
Photo: SimpliThai
9. SimpliThai Cooking Kits
SImpli Thai makes all in one craft cooking kits so that your foodie family member won’t have to run around to import stores looking for special ingredients! There’s something about learning how to cook something that may otherwise seem complicated in a compact kit with real good instructions. That way your giftee can be the kitchen hero they are.
Cooking Kits start at $22.00 and are available for local pick up at farmers markets in Charleston and Columbia. They also SHIP cooking sauces and cooking kits to nearby states.
Cubo Woodworks Photo Credit: Soda City Market
10. A Locally Crafted Charcuterie Board | Cubo Woodworks
Nothing but the best to impress with a Cubo Woodworks Charcuterie Board for the party-hosting fiend in your life. If you’re hosting a party, you’ll want the best cutting boards around. Their inventory ranges in cutes and grains, and they also take custom orders with up to 10 days notice. We love a gift that will remind our loved ones of us and great cheese simultaneously.
In any holiday season, you can never go wrong with supporting local. Also check out the SAPi APP for local plates from local makers in your neighborhood to keep you and your friends and family fed while also supporting local small businesses.
The Best of Soda City: South Carolina’s Brain, Body, and Belly Market
Where 1300-1600 Block of Market Street in tree-lined downtown Columbia South Carolina.
Open Rain or shine every Saturday
Hours 9:00AM- 1:00PM
Soda City Market, Columbia South Carolina
The energy is electric! The Soda City Market was founded in 2005 growing from just 6 vendors to 150 rotating vendors from all walks of life. The market is self-funded and contributes 500 individual paychecks to the locally crafted vendors weekly. What started out at a couple of hundred marketgoers can boom to up to 7,000 people on an event weekend. The market founder wanted the weekly event to be a microcosm of all things Columbia and regional.
The market focuses on three main points; brain, body, and belly. Not hard for your brain to be stipulated by all the amazing music, art, and melting pot of cultures represented. The market can easily support body health with its wealth of wellness offerings including CBD products, handcrafted soaps, and plants. We need plants for general happiness, agreed? Finally, your belly will not be disappointed. The Soda City Market is a veritable artisan buffet of all things food including vegan and gluten-free options.
Why should the Soda City Market be on your weekend to-do list? Let’s check it out.
10 Reasons To Head To Soda City Market
A Producer Only Market
Soda City Market is a producer-only market — vendors must make or grow their own products (including out-of-season/exotic fruits and vegetables, antiques, and vintage items). Everything sold at our market is unique, hand-crafted, and produced in the Southeast. The market fields an average of 150 vendors per week and over 400 unique vendors throughout the year!
Although most vendors are local to South Carolina, they also have rotating small businesses coming in from North Carolina, Georgia, and Maine.
Photo Credit: Soda City Market
International Food
More than just the local farm produce (which they also have) Soda City represents a variety of cuisines capable of taking you across the world as you stroll down Market Street. International cuisine includes Brazilian, Venezuela, Spain, Indian, Thai, and Filipino. Think paella, Brazilian grilled meats, and curries. You can also find Thai Cooking Kits by Simpli Thai, which feature Kao Soi, Green Curry, or Pad Thai ingredients.
Photo Credit: Soda City Market
Local Food Creations
You can also find mouthwatering local favorites including shrimp and grits, locally cured beef jerky, and pecan apple butter.
One must-stop is Grown Wild Foods artisan-crafted nut mixes that feature flavors like Bourbon Bacon Pecans and Cinnamon Pecan Crunch with Fireball Whiskey.
Photo Credit: Soda City Market
Something For Everyone
There are offerings for the kids at Soda City as well! Check out A Childhood Storefor eco-friendly crayons and art kits. They also host activities like a “Color Your Own” market tote or apron and have activity kits to build your own spaceship or castle.
After you’ve picked up some loot for the kids, head down to Chill Out Pops for a Blue Lemonade or Mexican Hot Chocolate popsicle.
Photo Credit: Soda City Market
Hydration
The Market Street stretch can get warm towards the middle of the afternoon, but they’ve got you covered with hydration options. Try the seasonal kombucha offerings from the charming retro KombiKeg van or Dogs On The Run for some fresh squeezed lemonade.
Photo Credit: Soda City Market
Pet Friendly
Not only are pets welcome, but there is also something for them at the market. It’s a great outdoor space to roam with your best friend and socialize. Not to be left out of the shopping, The Modern Companion makes bespoke pet bananas and ties so that they can make a scene as they stroll down Market Street.
Photo Credit: Soda City Market
The Glow Up
You’ll find plenty of booths selling beaded jewelry, handcrafted earrings and accessories, and newly glowed-up sneakers. From streetwear to lounging, the Soda City Market has you covered. The clothing, jewelry, and accessory option range from newly crafted, to thrifted vintage and rotate between different vendors all year long.
Soda City Market, Columbia South Carolina
Rotating Live Music
What’s a market without a music vibe? Street performers light up Saturday at the Soda City Market with every genre of music. On any given Saturday you might hear an electric violinist, harpist, or even “Poetic The Masked Rapper.
Photo Credit: Soda City Market
The Art Scene
From custom prints to sandblasted ceramics and handblown glass, this is the easiest gift buying you’ll ever do. The market has something for everybody and the best part is that your purchase supports the local arts community and real people. Phoenix Fire Studios has got you covered for the mug lover in your life, while Blue Dash Laser Designs has the chess player in your life covered with a custom laser-cut wooden chess board.
Photo Credit: Soda City Market
Plants, Yes, You Definitely Need More Plants
From custom bouquets to starting the succulent garden you’ve always wanted, you’ll find it in these bustling Main Street blocks each Saturday. Local farms bring fresh floral bundles while local nurseries represent the best of both indoor and outdoor plants. Yes, you need another one! You’ve got permission from us to get all the plants from places like Floral Hardy Farm out of Lexington (bouquets) or Old Turtle Pond Farm (succulents).
In addition, Thorne and Finch have you covered for beautiful woven macrame plant holders.
Bonus: The Surrounding Local Businesses
One of the great things about the Soda City Market is its proximity to tons of other great brick-and-mortar shops that surround the neighborhood. If you need to take a break from the heat you can duck into one of the many restaurants, galleries, or clothing shops around the market. The Good Life Cafe and Odd Bird Books are two stops worth making off the main market drag.
If you are interested in becoming a vendor at the market, Soda City has an online application here and can also be contacted at hello@sodacitysc.com.
SAPi’s Best of Food Trucks: Greenville, South Carolina
Thoroughfare Food Truck, South Carolina
SAPi is determined to find the best food truck experiences all over the United States. This week we are bringing you the top five best food trucks in Greenville, South Carolina.
Food trucks are no longer just for cheap hotdogs and fast eats. Instead, the evolution of the food truck over the past few years has brought us the culinary best of both local favorites and foreign delights.
Greenville offers fine dining on four wheels with this edition of SAPi’s Best of Food Trucks.
The Five Best Food Trucks of Greenville, South Carolina
Thoroughfare Food Truck, South Carolina
1. Thoroughfare Food Truck
Specialty: Seasonal Street Eats
The Thoroughfare Food Truck boasts itself to be the longest-running food truck in upstate South Carolina. Open since 2013; they serve a rotating menu of simple dishes with big flavors. A rotating menu means they are committed to sourcing seasonally and locally when possible making their ever-changing always fresh.
Must Try: Shrimp and Grits, Tots with Bacon Jam, and Butternut Squash Soup.
The Black Thai, South Carolina
2. The Black Thai
Specialty: Fusion American Thai
The Black Thai blends traditional Thai cuisine with a modern American food truck flair. Established in 2018 by Greenville locals, this beloved food truck offers a fine dining fusion experience and regularly pops up at The Community Tap and Grateful Brew. Proving that they are more than just a food truck, their Pad Thai Rice is as much raved about as their well-known hospitality.
Must Try: The Brussel Box tossed in Honey Ponzu Sauce, Black Thai Burger with an artisan mix of chuck beef and duck, Pad Thai Fried Rice
One Love Food Truck, South Carolina
3. One Love Fusion Foods
Specialty: Fusion Southern Comfort
The One Love Fusion Foods truck is an award-winning kitchen on wheels boasting two first-place prizes in the US Foods Silver Spoon Challenge. They regularly pop up at the Greer Farmer’s Market, Cityscape Winery, and festivals around South Carolina. Their cult following has allowed them to grow in seven locations throughout the state with plates featuring BBQ, tacos, and salads.
Must Try: Coconut Shrimp Spinach Salad, Kingston Nachos, and Unity Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Project Host Food Truck, South Carolina
4. Project Host
Specialty: Soups
Project Host’s “Hostmobie” is a food truck with a mission. Operating as a mobile soup kitchen on the pay-it-forward model, their social endeavor feeds the hungry and trains the unemployed. Paid meal services several nights per week provide a 1:1 free meal in areas of need in the community. They are also available for private catering.
Must Try: Seasonal Soups
We Got The Beets Food Truck, South Carolina
5. We Got The Beets
Specialty: Plant-Based
We Got The Beets is Upstate South Carolina’s first ever all plant-based food truck. Their dishes are delicious and also happen to be dairy-free, cruelty-free, and bursting with boldly flavored sauces. Doing a service to all farm animals everywhere, they serve incredible vegan versions of classic street fare, including souped-up hotdogs and plant-based burgers.
Must Try: Pineapple Upside Down Burger, Sushi Sandwich. Brown Sugar Peach Cheezecake
