Island lifestyle troubadour Jimmy Buffett and Jamaica have patched up their differences following the infamous 1996 “Jamaica Mistaica” incident—Buffett was taking U2’s Bono and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell for some jerk chicken in his Grumman HU-16 Albatross flying boat when the local Jamaican authorities, mistaking Buffett’s plane for that of a drug runner, opened fire on it. (Being Jimmy Buffett, he wrote a song about the incident.)

In 2001, Buffett also folded under his official corporate umbrella Jamaica’s small chain of (previously unlicensed) “Margaritaville” restaurants.


Now this open-sided, beachfront Negril outpost of Buffett’s vast Margaritaville empire of beach bar burger joints has become the de facto nightlife center of Seven Mile Beach.

Yes, there is a full menu of Caribbean-inflected all-American food—a bit overpriced when compared to other, more Jamaican beachside neighbors. No, most people don’t bother ordering anything other than the famous Cheeseburger in Paradise; if you don’t know how that is served, you aren’t a true Parrothead. (Just in case you’ve forgot the lyrics: Lettuce, tomato, Heinz 57, mustard, and an onion slice, with french-fried potatoes and a big kosher pickle on the side.)