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A person enters the front door of Kingston Tropical Bakery, a Jamaican bakery in the Bronx.
Outside of Kingston Tropical Bakery in the Bronx’s Wakefield neighborhood.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

13 Generously Stuffed Jamaican Patties in New York City

Where to find patties packed with spicy beef, curry chicken, meatloaf, cod fish, and more

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Outside of Kingston Tropical Bakery in the Bronx’s Wakefield neighborhood.
| Luke Fortney/Eater NY

With help from local supplier Tower Isles, mass-produced versions of the Jamaican patty have found their way into the display cases of bodegas and slice shops across the city. But for something flakier, homemade, and preferably steaming when cracked open, head to one of the 13 restaurants on this list. This guide includes decades-old bakeries — Champion Bakery, Trinidad Golden Place — along with neighborhood favorites in the city’s growing patty scene, like Uptown Veg and Veggies, which serve vegetarian versions of the beloved baked good.

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Paul's Caribbean Bakery Inc.

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Some of New York’s best patties are found on this stretch of the Bronx toward the end of the 2 subway line. The decades-old Paul’s Caribbean Bakery, not much more than a counter and refrigerator up front, is one such example, serving plump patties with lentil, mashed chickpea, and other fillings. The ground beef version comes in its signature yellow pastry, smooth on top with some crunch around the edges.

Kingston Tropical Bakery

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Kingston Tropical Bakery is located less than a block from Champion Bakery, also on this list, but there’s enough demand for these business’ baked goods that both tend to draw a crowd. The patties sold here are made using a smooth, not flakey, crust that gives way to generous beef and curry chicken fillings. Further down on the menu, and best of all, is the meatloaf, a patty-shaped piece of coco bread packed with meat that’s big on beefy flavor, with a pleasant funk.

A crescent-shaped beef patty split in two and not lacking in filling.
A crescent-shaped beef patty with plenty of filling.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Champion Bakery Inc

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Step inside this bakery at the right hour, and prepare to be smacked by the smell of fresh-baked coco bread, a Caribbean baked good typically made from flour and coconut milk. The buttery, not-too-sweet rolls are often eaten with a patty wedged inside, and though this sandwich might look dry, don’t underestimate the patties here. The curry chicken, pictured here, is plenty saucy and just hot enough to burn the roof of your mouth if you’re not careful.

A hand clutches a yellow patty tucked into a piece of coco bread.
A chicken curry patty tucked into a piece of coco bread.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Uptown Veg

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Sandwiched between two locations of Golden Krust in Harlem is Uptown Veg, the first of two vegetarian patty spots on this list. This takeout restaurant is probably better known for its steam trays of curried tofu, vegan mac and cheese, collard greens, and more, but further back in the shop, an easy-to-miss display case offers several kinds of patties. Order the ones made with yellow split pea or refreshing callaloo, a steamed Caribbean vegetable dish.

A flakey, rectangular patty stuffed with callaloo.
All of the patties at Uptown Veg, this version with callaloo included, are vegetarian.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Branch Patty

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What started as a weekend pop-up in Williamsburg has grown into this citywide delivery business based out of Long Island City. Branch Patty delivers their patties frozen, but leave your doubts at the door because this colorful array of patties is among the best we’ve tasted in Brooklyn. Sure, they cost $5 to $6 each, but why shouldn’t they, packed as they are with Impossible beef, chickpea curry, jerk mushroom, and other ingredients?

An overhead photograph of three colorful patties on aluminum foil.
A trio of patties from Branch Patty.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Jamaican Flavors

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For some of the city’s very best patties, head to Jamaica, a Queens neighborhood that isn’t named for the Caribbean island or its patties, but easily could be. At Jamaican Flavors, patties come with all the usual fillings, and a few that are harder to find, including saltfish ($2.75 to $3.75 each). Order them plain or stuffed inside a piece of coco bread for $1.25 more.

Sybil's

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At the bottom of a sizable menu that advertises currant rolls and pine tarts, this decades-old Richmond Hill bakery offers Jamaican and Guyanese patties, the latter made with short crust, rather than the flakey pastry found at other spots on this list. Patties of both variety can be ordered with chicken or beef, and at $1.25 to $2 apiece, they rank as some of the most affordable in the city.

Little Miss Muffin 'N' Her Stuffin

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Prospect Heights’ best patties are found at this bakery that also sells steamed fish, oxtail, and goat roti on weekends. Beef and chicken patties are baked throughout the day and are plenty flakey, even after an hour out of the oven ($2.50 to $2.75). Despite this store’s name, the thinner patties sold here lack some of the “stuffin” found in others on this list, but well-seasoned fillings — spicy beef, curry chicken, among others — more than compensate.

A hand holds a flakey curry chicken patty in a piece of parchment paper.
A flakey curry chicken patty.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Trinidad Golden Place

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The patties at this Trinidadian-Chinese restaurant are thick and rectangular, stuffed with ground beef that’s sometimes in need of a dab of Scotch bonnet hot sauce but still perfectly filling ($2.50). It’s the only kind of patty available on this wide-reaching menu, which also advertises doubles, roti, fish and chips, and Trinidadian chow mein. Time your visit around 3 p.m., when currant rolls are plucked fresh from the oven and draw a crowd.

A person stands at a counter making an order from a lengthy list of specials that include chow mein, roti, and other Trinidadian-Chinese specials.
The counter at Trinidad Golden Place.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Veggies

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This smoothie and juice shop with three locations in Brooklyn also serves vegetarian patties. They come out of the oven around 11 a.m., according to a store employee, made with pumpkin, jerk plantain, callaloo, and other ingredients that more than stand-in for a traditional ground beef filling. Try the lentil and split pea patties, which come plenty hot in a flakey, rectangular crust.

Allan's Bakery

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A small crowd forms outside of Allan’s Bakery most mornings, and though many of the people in line are here for currant rolls and coconut bread, the patties are likewise worth the wait. The standard beef version — done up in a soft, light-brown crust — costs just under $2 each, while another made with cod fish ($3.95) is full of flakey, fishy flavor. Order one of each, and one of the currant rolls advertised in large font on its sign, for a full meal.

A queue of customers forms in front of Allan’s Bakery in Brooklyn.
A line amasses in front of Allan’s Bakery most mornings.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Tastee Pattee

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There’s nothing quite like a beef patty from Tastee Pattee, and thankfully for us, this Caribbean restaurant has a handful of locations across Brooklyn. Burnt orange, deeply flavorful, and griddled with cheddar cheese, the patties served here are near-perfect by themselves — and actually perfect when tucked into a piece of buttery coco bread.

A hand clutches an orange beef patty with cheese wrapped in a piece of coco bread.
A beef patty with cheese, wedged into a piece of coco bread.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant

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The best Golden Krust is the one closest to home, but this location in central Brooklyn wins points for its proximity to Little Caribbean. Don’t expect a life-changing pastry (the crust is tougher than many of the other patties served in this Brooklyn neighborhood), but you can count on flavorful fillings — spicy beef, jerk chicken — that are better than you’d think from a chain of this size. Plus, they’re Shaggy-approved.

A spicy beef patty from restaurant chain Golden Krust sits on its wrapper.
A spicy beef patty from Golden Krust.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Paul's Caribbean Bakery Inc.

Some of New York’s best patties are found on this stretch of the Bronx toward the end of the 2 subway line. The decades-old Paul’s Caribbean Bakery, not much more than a counter and refrigerator up front, is one such example, serving plump patties with lentil, mashed chickpea, and other fillings. The ground beef version comes in its signature yellow pastry, smooth on top with some crunch around the edges.

Kingston Tropical Bakery

Kingston Tropical Bakery is located less than a block from Champion Bakery, also on this list, but there’s enough demand for these business’ baked goods that both tend to draw a crowd. The patties sold here are made using a smooth, not flakey, crust that gives way to generous beef and curry chicken fillings. Further down on the menu, and best of all, is the meatloaf, a patty-shaped piece of coco bread packed with meat that’s big on beefy flavor, with a pleasant funk.

A crescent-shaped beef patty split in two and not lacking in filling.
A crescent-shaped beef patty with plenty of filling.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Champion Bakery Inc

Step inside this bakery at the right hour, and prepare to be smacked by the smell of fresh-baked coco bread, a Caribbean baked good typically made from flour and coconut milk. The buttery, not-too-sweet rolls are often eaten with a patty wedged inside, and though this sandwich might look dry, don’t underestimate the patties here. The curry chicken, pictured here, is plenty saucy and just hot enough to burn the roof of your mouth if you’re not careful.

A hand clutches a yellow patty tucked into a piece of coco bread.
A chicken curry patty tucked into a piece of coco bread.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Uptown Veg

Sandwiched between two locations of Golden Krust in Harlem is Uptown Veg, the first of two vegetarian patty spots on this list. This takeout restaurant is probably better known for its steam trays of curried tofu, vegan mac and cheese, collard greens, and more, but further back in the shop, an easy-to-miss display case offers several kinds of patties. Order the ones made with yellow split pea or refreshing callaloo, a steamed Caribbean vegetable dish.

A flakey, rectangular patty stuffed with callaloo.
All of the patties at Uptown Veg, this version with callaloo included, are vegetarian.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Branch Patty

What started as a weekend pop-up in Williamsburg has grown into this citywide delivery business based out of Long Island City. Branch Patty delivers their patties frozen, but leave your doubts at the door because this colorful array of patties is among the best we’ve tasted in Brooklyn. Sure, they cost $5 to $6 each, but why shouldn’t they, packed as they are with Impossible beef, chickpea curry, jerk mushroom, and other ingredients?

An overhead photograph of three colorful patties on aluminum foil.
A trio of patties from Branch Patty.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Jamaican Flavors

For some of the city’s very best patties, head to Jamaica, a Queens neighborhood that isn’t named for the Caribbean island or its patties, but easily could be. At Jamaican Flavors, patties come with all the usual fillings, and a few that are harder to find, including saltfish ($2.75 to $3.75 each). Order them plain or stuffed inside a piece of coco bread for $1.25 more.

Sybil's

At the bottom of a sizable menu that advertises currant rolls and pine tarts, this decades-old Richmond Hill bakery offers Jamaican and Guyanese patties, the latter made with short crust, rather than the flakey pastry found at other spots on this list. Patties of both variety can be ordered with chicken or beef, and at $1.25 to $2 apiece, they rank as some of the most affordable in the city.

Little Miss Muffin 'N' Her Stuffin

Prospect Heights’ best patties are found at this bakery that also sells steamed fish, oxtail, and goat roti on weekends. Beef and chicken patties are baked throughout the day and are plenty flakey, even after an hour out of the oven ($2.50 to $2.75). Despite this store’s name, the thinner patties sold here lack some of the “stuffin” found in others on this list, but well-seasoned fillings — spicy beef, curry chicken, among others — more than compensate.

A hand holds a flakey curry chicken patty in a piece of parchment paper.
A flakey curry chicken patty.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Trinidad Golden Place

The patties at this Trinidadian-Chinese restaurant are thick and rectangular, stuffed with ground beef that’s sometimes in need of a dab of Scotch bonnet hot sauce but still perfectly filling ($2.50). It’s the only kind of patty available on this wide-reaching menu, which also advertises doubles, roti, fish and chips, and Trinidadian chow mein. Time your visit around 3 p.m., when currant rolls are plucked fresh from the oven and draw a crowd.

A person stands at a counter making an order from a lengthy list of specials that include chow mein, roti, and other Trinidadian-Chinese specials.
The counter at Trinidad Golden Place.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Veggies

This smoothie and juice shop with three locations in Brooklyn also serves vegetarian patties. They come out of the oven around 11 a.m., according to a store employee, made with pumpkin, jerk plantain, callaloo, and other ingredients that more than stand-in for a traditional ground beef filling. Try the lentil and split pea patties, which come plenty hot in a flakey, rectangular crust.

Allan's Bakery

A small crowd forms outside of Allan’s Bakery most mornings, and though many of the people in line are here for currant rolls and coconut bread, the patties are likewise worth the wait. The standard beef version — done up in a soft, light-brown crust — costs just under $2 each, while another made with cod fish ($3.95) is full of flakey, fishy flavor. Order one of each, and one of the currant rolls advertised in large font on its sign, for a full meal.

A queue of customers forms in front of Allan’s Bakery in Brooklyn.
A line amasses in front of Allan’s Bakery most mornings.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Tastee Pattee

There’s nothing quite like a beef patty from Tastee Pattee, and thankfully for us, this Caribbean restaurant has a handful of locations across Brooklyn. Burnt orange, deeply flavorful, and griddled with cheddar cheese, the patties served here are near-perfect by themselves — and actually perfect when tucked into a piece of buttery coco bread.

A hand clutches an orange beef patty with cheese wrapped in a piece of coco bread.
A beef patty with cheese, wedged into a piece of coco bread.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant

The best Golden Krust is the one closest to home, but this location in central Brooklyn wins points for its proximity to Little Caribbean. Don’t expect a life-changing pastry (the crust is tougher than many of the other patties served in this Brooklyn neighborhood), but you can count on flavorful fillings — spicy beef, jerk chicken — that are better than you’d think from a chain of this size. Plus, they’re Shaggy-approved.

A spicy beef patty from restaurant chain Golden Krust sits on its wrapper.
A spicy beef patty from Golden Krust.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

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