Reviews of Three Dives Restaurant and Bar

Vogue Magazine (November 2015): For a taste of Negril’s local food scene, head to 3 Dives jerk center, a family-owned spot on the West End with canvas-topped tables covered by wooden roofs on stilts. Here the jerk chicken comes with a homemade granny sauce, while the grilled lobster comes doused in garlic butter, with callaloo and rice and peas on the side. There’s a bonfire each night, and live music every Tuesday.

The Jamaica Gleaner: Some lovely photos and nice words about us in the October 29 2015 issue - click the picture to check it out!

Brian M, October 2012: The fellas at 3Dives are doing it right!! We made the mistake of going on our last night in Negril as we would have liked to hit it again to try more of the menu. Yeah it’s a small shack/hut, yeah you’re sitting at tables outside on the patio, yeah it takes a little while for the food…….that’s the beauty of it! This is what our vacation was all about, hittin up the local shops and experiencing the culture.

If you’re looking to experience some great food at a real chill place, make it a point to go to 3Dives. If it’s during lobster season, I highly suggest it. Try the sauces, they’re outstanding.

Jeff — April 28, 2011: Shhhh….stop telling everyone about 3 Dives Jerk Centre. I was there just last month and will never go again….until my next trip to the island!! Whatever you do, do not try the Jerk Grilled lobster, it will ruin you and you will never want to eat anywhere else again!

Mike & Liz December 2011: We were in Negril August 2011, we were told to go to this place called 3 Dives when we first arrived in Negril. We didn't get there until 2 days before we were to leave, what a mistake that was. I had the lobster and my husband had the jerk chicken. We are in love with 3 dives we wish 3 dives could come to Virginia. They should be on the cooking channel. 3 Dives is AWESOME. We want to go back to Jamaica just for 3 Dives. The food stayed hot for 2 hours after we brought it back to our hotel,how do you do that.

Davietta, August 2011: If you are ever in Negril and you want good prices and delicious food come to 3 Dives. they are located right on the cliffs and there is a beautiful ocean view and you can watch the sun set. For those of you who like spicy jerk you've come to the right place.

This blog entry describes a family visit to 3 Dives in February 2010 and has some neat photos - both near the bottom of the page. Thanks for coming by!

Melissa, 2010:...the four of us arrived at dusk to cold beers by the fire, which was burning right near the cliff...the view from the fire is amazing...we all ordered the jerk chix dinners...this gentleman approached the fire with a big coal shove, scooped a load of coals and walked back to hut...i was interested in this, so i followed him back to see him throw wood embers into homemade grill, and throw 2 entire chix on rack...he smiled at me and was so polite, as is everyone...we had some time to burn so we relocated on log right close to fire....the wait was worth it...he called us up to a table set for four....the dinner was outstanding, and the owner and his family treat you like kings....do not miss a dinner at this place, you will never forget...memory burn p.s. see you Easter 2011

Ben, 2007: "The best conch lived at 3 Dives in Negril's west end." Photo of conch

Christy and Mike, October 2007: We were there in October. 3 Dives is an absolute treat. We had Jerk Chicken, Lobster and curry shrimp. It was great. We will definitley go back everytime we are in Negril.

Suszann & Patrick, April 2006: One of the reasons I love Negril so much is 3 Dives. Food is outstanding and we eat there most days during our stay. We stay at Xtabi just because it right next door to our beloved 3Dives. Maybe you guys should build us a shack to stay in when we come. You would never get rid of us. Granny Sauce.....Wow! Lobster......The best!!! Jerk Chicken......yummy!!! And the prices........Unbelievable. The Red Stripe is the coldest of anywhere. We will be there in 3 weeks. Can't wait to come back home and chill out in our favorite spot.

Kirt from Cleveland, OH: We went to Selinas for breakfast, Miss Sonias for dinner and to Three Dives on the cliffs (our nicest experience of the trip). I would suggest that anyone do this. Just take any normal precautions as you would anywhere else you would go and you will have a great time. At Three Dives we met Rob, who does the live feeds for RealNegril.com, and some of the people who are regulars on their boards and chat ( hello Lisa, Michael {from Crunchy Crunchy} and Glen ). They were great people who we are looking forward to seeing on future trips.

Chris Cognac, Culinary Detective: 3 Dives is a special kind of place.You get an amazing location, friendly people and great lobster. I am forced to eat at many different places as a Food Critic for the Daily Breeze newspaper in Los Angeles, but 3 Dives tops my list as one of my favorite places in the world to eat. I think about it often, about the sunsets and friendships made over some red stripes. I advise anyone coming to Negril to check out 3 Dives, its a must do.

Rosemary Parkins for the Jamaica Gleaner: Next it was straight to 3 Dives. It takes a policeman from Los Angeles to show me a place in Negril! Right next to Xtabi is this little spot with the most incredible grilled lobster you could want - three lobsters cut in half, garlic butter sauce, rice and peas and salad knocks you back J$1,000 ­ believe it or not. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Remember though ­ 3 Dives is chock-a-block with people so get there early. By the time we arrived, lobsters were coming out 'en masse'. There was not an empty table so we sat with two ladies already 'digging in'... http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20030828/cook/cook2.html

"Strike" from Indianapolis, IN (January 2006): We're just back from Negril last week. Did 3 Dives. The jerk chicken I had at 3 Dives was the best meal I ate the entire week in Negril. My wife and I were disappointed we didn't eat at 3 Dives more during the week. Our experience there (along with an excellent sunset) was nothing short of perfect. After eating the jerk chicken that was the best meal I had last week in Jamaica, I paid the the guy cooking a complement on how good it was. I then found out that 3 Dives was his own business (his name was Lloydie). He told me that he has his own farm, and that the chicken is fresh each day. So, the owner actually cleans the chicken that day and preps it for cooking that afternoon/evening. And then the owner is also the cook. I thought it was really neat that he oversees the entire life of these chickens/the cooking process for his own business. Where else are you guaranteed that kind of quality and freshness? I'm not sure I've ever had that in any other establishment. I just thought it was a bonus to be noted about 3 Dives.

Phil and Dee (July 2005): "From there we headed back to 3 Dives to watch the sunset. It was sensational, it was our first sunset while in Jamaica and it was everything we imagined. Well enough about the sunset, dinner was now ready. I can describe the lobster in 3 words. DEE LISH US!!! Best lobster I ever had. It was served with peas and rice and callaloo. I also had an order of the jerk chicken, it was great. Much better than the jerk that Sandals serves and Sandals’ isn’t bad either! Beware it is very spicy, but I love spicy food. The lobster dinners were all of $20, and the quarter jerk chicken was $3!! After dinner we chilled by the bonfire over near the cliffs and took in the view and then headed out on our journey back to SWH."

Kristy and Max, US (June 2005): "After Xtabi, Alfred took us over to 3 Dives. We loved seeing the sights from the Amazing Race, as this is my very favorite show, loved it even before they went to Negril. We had their jerk chicken and curried lobster, both so good we will go back. For the price, this has been the best. They give large portions and the food is awesome. We chatted with Rob from Realnegril.com who was doing the live webcast. "

Norma from the US: (May 2005) 3 Dives was definitely a favorite spot on our last trip to Negril. We stayed on the cliffs at the "Castle" and let me tell you, I can't wait for my next vacation there. We have always stayed on the main beach area, but this trip was going to be a new favorite of ours. It was great! We walked to Three Dives one of the first days there. I had the lobster and my husband had the chicken. We knew we had to go back and the second meal there was incredible. Hats off to the chef and the entire staff!. What a great place for food, drink and dancing!!!????? Oh yes! I took it upon myself to start bopping to the music, and of course since I love to talk so much, I started talking in silly rhyme. I had so much fun and probably sounded silly, but life if too short not to have fun! It was fun meeting the brothers and staff that all work so hard to make 3 Dives a great place to visit. I hope to see them all again soon! In fact, I will be there this coming April! See You There! Norma

Mark from Virginia: (January 2005) We ate at 3 Dives 3 evenings including our last night in Jamaica. The food was terrific!!! Great Jamaican atmosphere, too. One of the photos is of Anne and Lydie giving the thumbs up for "Respect", although I caught Lydie's thumb at half mast. Another is of Anne and friends we met from Texas who were also staying at Xtabi. They run a café in TX and love 3 Dives. Anyway, we had a terrific visit to Jamaica (our first) and 3 Dives was an integral part of a wonderful experience. We are in our late 40's - lots of vacations :)- and we felt Jamaica was our best vacation ever! Many thanks to Lydie and Paula!

Thom Morbitzer: A picture is worth a thousand words! The food was excellent and the atmosphere is what you would hope for, the setting sun, good food and friendly service. I hope to be back someday.

Abby: Arrived at 3-Dives, grabbed a Red Stripe, and placed our order. Then the three of us headed down to the cliff to watch the sunset. The sea was pounding the cliffs and spray was going everywhere. We got brave and stepped a little closer and watched. The next thing we knew we were drenched! We tried to back away but we weren't quick enough. Stunned, Rob, Tom, & I looked at each other in wild eyed wonder as sea water dripped from our brow. Rob, being a man of so few words said, "That was ####### AWESOME!"......and it was!

We headed back up to the table and within minutes our lobster and chicken was delivered. We both ordered callalo and rice & peas, so we shared the lobster and chicken. Rob, Susanne, and her fiance, Aaron(hope I spelled that right)sat with us and we chatted and chowed on some seriously excellent food! BIG UP to Lydie & Paula!!! Lydie came over and sat with us for a few minutes during a lull in the activity. Rob introduced us and we told Lydie the food was awesome, especially the lobster!

loops and Scotty from Maine: Couldn't pass 3 Dives without stopping to eat. No pics, but trust me when I say, the food was awesome! We had a smorgasbord of roasted fish, jerk chicken, lobsters, rice n peas and steam veggies. So so good! Unfortunately they had no granny sauce bottled for sale so we made a plan to come back the next day. Ya can't go home without your granny sauce!

Negril.com - Dana & Chip: Just returned from our trip to Negril...wanted to thank boardies for advice on place to eat lobster. We decided to try 3 Dives and loved it...huge portions (4 large halves) served w/ garlic butter, rice and beans, and callaloo. Thanks again for the advice..will remember that delicious supper for long time (at least till next January when we can hopefully return to Negril)

Rolex: I agree...been back a week and it was the best meal i had,went there 3 times...big up to 3 dives,1/2 chicken $350 with 2 sides...cant beat it )

Natalie and Barry from Illinois: On our first trip to Negril, we wandered over to 3 Dives, this was the beginning of numerous visits. We like to consider ourselves food connoisseurs, Lydie did not disappoint us. We ate jerk chicken (which was the best I have ever tasted) and lobster tails to die for. Although the food was absolutely wonderful, what we really enjoyed was the conversation and companionship that Lydie and Paula offered. They are so much more than just proprietors. We felt so at home at 3 Dives, eat if you want to; drink if you can; just come to visit with them--they don't pressure you into purchasing anything. Lydie and Paula are True Jamaicans, the best of the best!

Sharon S. from Philadelphia, PA: I was just in Negril for a whole week and let me tell. If you don't experience the food at 3 Dives you are truly missing something wonderful. I had the grilled lobster, rice and peas, and salad. I would highly recommend that anyone traveling to Negril, make a stop over to 3 Dives. Great food, friendly people and wonderful view.

Bill from Illinois: By now it is almost 5:30 looking forward to supper and we know Lydie at 3 Dives is supposed to have the best jerk in town. As you approach from the cliffs 3 Dives is almost hidden from view. Lydie is busy just getting started and explains that there will be about a 1 hour wait. In my visits to Jamaica I have learned everything is soon come. We check for the proper necessaries that are required for the wait. Let's see now 3 Dives has the coldest beer in town, check, table to sit on and the best view around and, check. Ok we stay, so here we sit thanking God that it has been days since we last saw a cornfield, smoking, drinking and watching the boats cross the horizon. How much better could it get? Let me tell you I glance off to the west about 50 yards from shore just in time to see a bottlenose dolphin leap out of the water. Now we are talking, I am a huge dolphin fan. The pod spends about 15 mins playing in view of us.

Smell that? That faint odor of pimento wood burning, the scent of jerk on a open fire, can you hear the sizzle of the chicken cooking, the subtle splat of juices dripping down into the coals? Ok wipe the drool from your chin and join us mentally as Lydie serves us a huge ½ chicken with peas and rice apiece, topped off with two cool red stripes, the dew sliding down the bottles. Now you must try Grannies sauce on your chicken, nothing better.

Muse of Fire & Just Dave: The best jerk Sauce and the best ambiance of anywhere we ate - we can't wait to go back!

Tanis from Alberta, Canada: Don't miss Three Dives. We once took a cab from the beach to there and the cab driver, when we told him where we wanted to go said "Three Dives, that's a great place - it's not fussy". Not fussy, describes it very well as it's a mostly undeveloped piece of ocean front land (great place for sun sets) with a small shack built on it. Paula and Lydie cooked us up probably the best food we had while in Negril. (That says a lot as we had some fabulous meals).

Robert from Illinois: When looking for a taste of the "real Jamaica" one need not look any further then the picturesque cliffs of the West End of Negril! That is where you will find a quiet little piece of paradise known simply as 3 Dives. For many years those lucky enough to discover this little hideaway have been treated to some of the best food and best fellowship found anywhere in Negril! Throw in some of the best sunsets found anywhere on the planet and you have one very special place! So whether you're staying at the most fabulous All-Inclusive or the simplest of Negril accommodations, make sure you find your way to 3 Dives to enjoy a scrumptious meal, something cool to drink, a beautiful sunset or just the warm hospitality of Lydie and Paula! You will quickly find out why, for myself and many other returning visitors, a stop at 3 Dives is a must!

Chet and Coleen from Iowa: "We all nested in a small circle of warmth in a stormy night - then came what C considers the best meal we have ever had in Ja (remember we have eaten at some of the best, all inclusives, Hopewell, MoBay, Ocho, many places in Negril so this is a pretty informed recommendation) for her 4 grilled to perfection lobster tails with a garlic butter sauce (Lydie sliced the garlic so thin it was like pieces of transparency floating in the yellow glow of the butter) for myself some of the best jerk chicken I've ever had (remember I grew up in Kansas City the home of bar-b-que, and I had to tell Lydie that Arthur Bryant and Ollie Gates had nothing on him)"

A revisit from Chet and Coleen: The more we go to Negril the harder dining decisions become while we are there - there are just to many absolutely fantastic dining experiences available for the number of eating times available - 3 Dives twice. That place is absolutely addictive - excellent food the whole sunset on cliffs to table experience is a study in time.

Anonymous reviewer: One of our most memorable Negril moments: Wandering the cliff road, dodging traffic mid afternoon. Hubby and I - first timers - in search of a place I had read about on the boards that made the journey out from our haven at the Caves a must-do. Finally come across a wood "shack", some picnic tables, several large kettle drums and some hand painted signs that let us know we have arrived at our destination.

Greeted with a smile, we placed our orders and sat at a road-side table to watch and sip our stripes. Soon come...platefuls of chicken arrive, hard bread, the works. Our eyes widen...Who ordered this much food? Ah well, we'll have leftovers. Silence as we both take our first bites...we look up at each other at the exact moment of revelation, in complete amazement...nearly weeping with joy...Jah has truly blessed us with 3 Dives jerk chicken.

Jake from Ohio:: .just wanted to say thanks for telling us to try 3 Dives sauce! This being our 12th trip, I haven't had any better anywhere else!! I told Lydie we'd be back next year for more sauce!

Jackie & Peter, New Brunswick, Canada: We discovered 3 Dives while staying at Xtabi next door. Paula and Lydie are great hosts and the atmosphere is very laid back and fun. Peter would wander over and put our order in for the best jerk chicken you can find....and we would stroll over when we were ready for the evening. They also serve the best grilled lobster that we've had in Negril. We were also entertained at night down at the cliff bar by Lydie's magician friend who puts on a great show....lots of laughs! We've spent many nights there during our stay in Negril...and look forward to repeat visits every year. 3 Dives gets a Five Star rating from us!

David (aka Scotchbonnet): "I've been to Negril 4 times, and I've eaten at 3 Dives at least a 6 or 8 times. The best jerk in Negril, especially if you like the pepper--the scotch bonnet, that is."

TC & Becca: ..we decided to grab the gang from the hotel and take them to my favorite place………3-Dives. Lydie & Paula are simply the best hosts there are on the cliffs. The food is outstanding and cooked fresh every night. His grill is cleaner than my teeth after a visit to the dentist! When we arrive at 3-Dives, our friends are there eating. Seems they got a little hungry on the walk (they got a long way to go too). He always turns me on to some killer old-school reggae that I haven’t heard. A lot of local stuff too. No doubt, though the star here is the food. Our friends had chicken this night (with lots of granny sauce, hot hot). Lydie even drove to the store and got us some callaloo to go with the rice & peas. Some like Rocky’s sauce the best but I’m a granny man all the way (we just made pork with it last night here at home! mmm). They are such great company too (you must go and hang out for at least three hours). I had fresh snapper and Bec had the lobster. I can close my eyes and taste it. I thought seriously about licking my plate. Note: We rarely eat at the same place twice on vacation but we wound up at 3-Dives two more times!

"Little Mermaid": I can't remember the number of times we ate at 3 Dives. The food there was excellent and the beer cold.

Liz and Philip from Ohio: We headed up to Three Dives, next door to Xtabi on the cliffs. This was to become our Negril home away from home. Paula and Lydie are fantastic hosts. Nothing like sitting down for good conversation and a great meal with the owners of the place you're in. We had some of Lydie's excellent jerk chicken...Philip finally did the dive the last day we were there. If you can dive Rick's you can dive here easily but there's also a (long) ladder to the water if you just want to swim or snorkel. We did sunset at 3 Dives most of the days we were there. Great view and VERY laid back atmosphere. Everything on the menu is great but don't miss the lobster with garlic butter or the chicken (we get both and share)! Also ask for the granny sauce and the marinade to take home...when we run out we know it's time to go back!

Dave W from Ohio: Monday night, Pat and I head to Three Dives. This place is a shack. A shack with 4 tables outside. I have never eaten at a better shack. Lightie, the owner/cook/manager/bartender/farmer/butcher/chef is the man. I respect his work on the chicken population with great "mutual respect" mon. He turns them into Jerk Chicken: some of the tastiest grub the island had to offer. The next night, a crew of about 40 of us ate there. I bought a liter of his jerk chicken sauce for my home use.

"j" (Jan 2002: The food in Jamaica is awesome - after Mexico last year the kids were skeptical but our first dinner at 3 Dives won them over. We had lobster, kingfish, jerk chicken, callilou and rice and peas. The callilou was our first and was the best at 3 Dives. We did not make it to sunset. We enjoyed our meal so much. I had been advised on the board that the food can generally take a long time in Jamaica as nothing is prepared ahead - so we were not surprised to wait. When we arrived a girl was cutting up the ingredients I later determined were scallion-types for the callilou. Everyone must eat at 3 Dives - in retrospect a trip to Negril would not be right without this. A fellow played a rickety guitar and sang the entire 2 1/2 hours of dinner with 2 short breaks for recorded music. He sang continuously from song to song - his repertoire including "How much is that doggie in the window."

Roman from Detroit: My wife and I stopped by 3 Dives on our honeymoon in Sept 2003. We have been coming to Jamaica nearly every year since we started dating and met Lydie on our first trip there together. The food is excellent, the prices are more than reasonable, and the portions are generous. What we like most about 3 Dives is the hospitality of both Lydie and Paula. We consider them part of our family.

queenb from New Jersey: We decide to get fortified with some decent food. I had told a friend that I would pass a message to Lydie at 3 Dives, and I'd never been there, so that's where we decide to go for dinner. We hop in a cab and go to the West End. Lydie is as nice a person as I've heard, and his food is to die for. He has round picnic tables to eat at, which I liked. You can sit there and everyone you like is right in your field of view, so conversation flows. And so did the beer and booze. People who complain about how long it takes are crazy. If you are with a compatible group of people determined to drink all the alcohol in the place, even if you’re starving the alcohol holds off the hunger pains for just about the proper length of time. Just as we were beginning to wonder about dinner (uhh, did we eat yet?), Lydie and crew began to crowd our table with the most enormous platters full of lobster. My friend took 3 halves, and passed the platter to my other friend before more platters arrived and she realized that the whole platter was hers! Bowls of rice & peas, and calaloo appeared, and we began to throw down. We were all determined to finish everything there, and we did. (Did your parents tell you about the starving children in China?) We could have fed them all with the food on that table; even sending for more rice & peas. Hard to believe that we could finish, but we did.

Ben and Cheryl from Austin: We went to 3-Dives our 2nd or 3rd night at Samsara. It was great, even better than last trip. Somehow we did not try the granny sauce on our first visit to 3-Dives – this time we did and realized why everyone raves. It is the best! Very spicy, but not too much. Great consistency.

Jake & Nattie: Three Dives jerk chicken fresh from the fire pit along with a ting, and a liberal amount of granny sauce (which I paid dearly for consuming so much of, boy is it spicy!!)! Their granny sauce is so good and I found it is often imitated, never duplicated during our stay. On one our several stops at 3 Dives, a local restaurant owner even had us pick her up a jerk chicken dinner and bring it back to her, so you know its de bomb. We spent many hours there admiring the beautiful sunsets. Give them a try if your up on the cliffs, you wont be disappointed,very nice people, my kinda place!!

"Rolex": ...got to eat at the 3 dives restaurant and all i can say was excellent the best deal in town, the lobster was fantastick...and the owners are so relaxed and really just great people...any trip to negril ..it is a must eat, and the food is worth the wait...

Dawn: Went to 3 dives.. the only meal I ate away from my yard.. WOW! real good..we went too early and had to wait but well worth it... I love their granny sauce, so much I carried some home..

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