Eva Myers' outpost of Italian cuisine has been going strong since 1989 in an 1860s Gingerbread house just off the main road where Ocho Rios climbs into the jungle heights of the residential areas. You can dine in the wood-floored interior surrounded by paintings, photos of Evita’s many famous patrons, at the mahogany bar (good cocktails), or out on a deck with views over the lush surroundings to downtown Ocho Rios and the sea just below. 

Some dishes are straight-up Italian—a tenderloin filet in cognac and cream, veal parmigiano, rigatoni tossed with veal and mushrooms in a light tomato cream sauce, catch of the day chargrilled with olive oil, lime, and thyme. Others are thoroughly Jamaican, like the lobster grilled with garlic butter and lime, or Ja curry supreme (chicken and shrimp in a mango-chutney curry with walnuts and raisins).

Most, however, are a happy fusion of both: lasagna rastafari with callaloo and ackee fruit, or jerk spaghetti (the jerk is in the sausage, plus a touch in the tomato sauce).

 - Reid Bramblett