Jamaican Bobsled Café - Montego Bay - TravBuddy

After a dismal pizza experience in Negril earlier in the week, we were still on the hunt for a worthy pizza, and of the lobster variety no less. After having a supreme lobster pizza in Treasure Beach on my last trip to Jamaica, I was seeking something that tasty again. We made our trip to Montego Bay to run some errands and as we drove through the "Hip Strip", I noticed a sign that read, "New York-style pizza" although at the time I didn't catch the name of the restaurant. However, that sign was enough to entice me to make sure we made it back there after our business.

Parking is difficult on the "Hip Strip" but we managed after a little driving back and forth. Upon entering the restaurant, it finally became apparent that this was the "Jamaican Bobsled Café" modeled after the famed movie "Cool Runnings", complete with the official bobsled used in the Olympics, set up against the back wall for photo-taking opportunities (you can even climb in for pictures). The movie played silently with captions on a screen off to the side to keep with the theme while two different soccer (football) games played on the screens at the bar. Also, built in to all of this was the souvenir shop on another wall in case you should want any bobsled t-shirts or memorabilia to take with you. We did the requisite picture taking, perusing the souvenirs and reading of the wacky signs on the walls such as, "Men: No Shirt, No Service - Women: No Shirt, Free Drinks".

The waitress promptly took our order and was courteous although not overly friendly or attentive. Sometimes I'm sure Jamaicans tire of tourists as evidenced by what at times comes off as 'attitude'. We started off with some refreshing Piña Coladas that not only were excellent, but got our mouths watering in anticipation of what was to come. I ordered the Jerk Shrimp appetizer and a beautifully presented dish came to us with four sets of two shrimp per skewer placed around a pineapple with more spicy jerk sauce in the middle. The waitress' recommendation was right on although all of their appetizers looked scrumptious. Shortly after, she informed us our pizza was on the way and we took the opportunity to order another round of drinks, this time Dirty Bananas, that we slurped down in short order. Those were also top-notch and I could only imagine that one could easily spend an afternoon here getting schnockered on all variety of frosty, blended beverages...I've read they also make a Hummingbird worth writing home about.

Once our aptly-titled "Gold Medal" pizza arrived, we were ready for our second round of Dirty Bananas and a delicious-looking lobster pizza was placed in the center of the table on one of those pedestal platters. I dished up slices for all of us and at first bite, it was pure satisfaction! Finally! A pizza that could rival the one in Treasure Beach as well as any in the U.S. The thin, crispy-in-the-right-places crust had a zesty, flavorful tomato sauce with loads of mozzarella cheese and garlic-sautéed lobster covering every square inch. This is what pizza is supposed to taste like and if you've never tried a lobster pizza, it's a must! It will surprise you how tasty such a non-traditional pizza can be. However, if you aren't feeling that adventurous, they have a wide variety of traditional pizzas that you can order that must certainly be as good as what we had in addition to other items of American continental fare on the menu.

After being thoroughly sated, we took the other half of the pizza in a takeout box so that we could enjoy it again later. The day I flew out of Montego Bay, I noticed they have another restaurant in the Sangster International Airport so if you find yourself there, you have an opportunity to try the place there as well. Until I find a satisfactory pizza place in Negril, I'll be checking out the Jamaican Bobsled Café in Montego Bay when I want good pizza (and good drinks)!