The New York Times has featured the wide variety of restaurants enjoyed by diners in Miami, Florida, and on its list is the Taste Rite Jamaican Bakery owned by Lynden Gordon.
Gordon’s restaurant opened in 1996, offering cuisine from Jamaica, his native country, like oxtail and jerk chicken, but to differentiate his business from a spate of Jamaican restaurant openings in the Miami area, Gordon and his wife Jennifer, who is also his business partner, decided in the 2010s to focus Taste Rite on Jamaica’s baked goods. Taste Rite, which now operates from six locations in Florida – two in the metropolitan Miami area – are famous for their Jamaican patties, which are served hot from the oven and distinguished by their flaky crusts and a wide choice of fillings. Taste Rite offers its customers a taste of authentic Jamaican cuisine from local Jamaican bakeries in six different locations serving fresh Jamaican patties, buns, cakes, breads, and other Jamaican baked goods.
Taste Rite Jamaican Bakery is open for business at two locations in Miami, and in Pembroke Pines, Miami Gardens, North Lauderdale, and Sunrise. The bakery also offers take-out options. The patties are baked at the restaurant on 2nd Avenue in Miami, then shipped to the other locations in South Florida. Customers praise the patties for their very flaky, golden crust and generous size, which reflects the restaurant’s slogan: “One bite is never enough!” Diners can choose from nine different fillings, including lobster and shrimp, traditional callaloo and ackee, and the cheeseburger-like beef and cheese combination.
Diners rave about the patties and other menu items available at the Taste Rite bakeries. A selection of comments from online reviewers includes:
“The absolute best place to get authentic Jamaican patties in south Florida! I’ve had all of their patties and haven’t been disappointed yet! They also have soup days and I can’t wait to try them. Great customer service and affordable prices!” and “Love everything they sell!!! Especially their soups. Go early it runs out quick. The personnel are so so nice!! Try their Natural juices they are so so good!!” and “All I can say is these hot patties are the best in town.” And “I finally got to taste these patties and they are delish…The crust is extremely flaky and they are generous with the fillings. I also love the fact that they offer so many varieties. So far, the shrimp, veggie and fish are my favorites. Go get some!”
The New York Times article also covers other unique bakery venues in the Miami area. These bakeries offer French-style pastries; Mexican conchas, sweet rolls with a crumbly topping; Venezuelan cachitos, a traditional ham roll; and other foods that reflect the region’s claim of being the US capital of the Caribbean and Latin American diaspora.
