What to know
- Toronto leads Canada in Caribbean food delivery orders, according to Skip.
- Jerk chicken, plantain, griot, oxtail, and roti are the most-ordered dishes.
- Caribbean food orders spike during Caribana but stay strong year-round, with January seeing the highest demand.
- Most orders are placed for dinner, peaking between 5-7 p.m. during the festival weekend.
Caribana is taking over Toronto this long weekend, but the city’s love for Caribbean food goes far beyond the festival. New data shows that Torontonians are ordering these flavours year-round.
Caribana is in town from July 30-Aug. 3, but if you can’t make it to the festival, there are still opportunities to taste the culture from the comfort of your home.
Canada-born delivery network, Skip, reveals that Toronto, followed by GTA hubs Pickering, Vaughan, and Brampton, ranked among the top cities for Caribbean food orders.
So, what are people ordering?
The most-loved dishes rank as follows:
- Jerk Chicken
- Plantain
- Griot
- Oxtail
- Roti
With Caribana in town, data shows Caribbean cuisine orders jumped by 22 per cent. However, the craving lasts year-round, with January as the biggest month for Caribbean food orders.
Despite Carnival taking place in the summer, January is actually Toronto’s biggest month for Caribbean food delivery.
Data reveals the party starts at dinner time, with a Caribbean food rush between 5-7 p.m., and orders that cost nearly $300 during the weekend festivities.
Toronto is home to one of Canada’s largest Caribbean communities, and the city’s annual Caribbean Carnival draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each summer.
Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival, formerly known as Caribana, is North America’s largest Caribbean festival.
Now in its 59th year, the festival celebrates Caribbean culture filled with dozens of events, music, food, and more.
From J’ouvert celebrations, boat cruises, pool parties, day fetes, concerts, nightlife events across the GTA, to major performances by artists such as Bunji Garlin or Voice, there’s no shortage of activities.
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So, jump on the craving and taste jerk chicken, plantain, oxtail, or any top-ranked Caribbean dish before heading to the parade or a post-festival feast.
Whether you’re grabbing jerk chicken before heading to the Grand Parade, stopping for roti after a Carnival event or ordering oxtail on a cold January evening, the latest figures suggest one thing is clear: Caribbean cuisine has become one of Toronto’s favourite comfort foods, regardless of the season.
