Oceano Jamaica

Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards judge Kadean Vendryes continues her review series of Marketplace restaurants with Oceano Jamaica.

The term ‘Oceano’ often refers to the ocean in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. Oceano Jamaica, a Japanese-influenced restaurant and sushi bar in The Courtyard at the Marketplace, has curated every detail of its décor and menu to highlight this immersive multisensory dining experience. It has absolutely nailed the oceanic theme with tranquil waterfalls and lighting that perfectly sets the mood.

Dinner reservations for two on Sunday evening, April 19, 2026, was a smooth process made via the website. Approximately 24 minutes after making the reservation, I received a text message requiring information such as full name, date/time, contact number, email address, number of guests, area desired for dining (outside, terrace, main dining or sushi bar), and a notation stating, “once we have all the necessary information we can confirm your reservation”. As soon as the information was provided, confirmation was delivered with a thank you message for choosing the restaurant, grace period details (15 minutes), cancellation policy, etc.

My guest, lifelong friend Melissa Rattray, and I arrived on time to celebrate her upcoming birthday. We were pleasantly greeted, seated at a table beside a waterfall in the main dining area and served by waitress Claudine Chambers and busser Tajay Griffiths, when Claudine had to leave at the end of her shift. This was Melissa’s first time at Oceano but certainly not mine. My first disappointment was the lack of the usual QR image menu which no longer exists and the fine print on the physical menus that was extremely fine and barely legible. Waitress Claudine was very empathetic and suggested taking a photo of the menu then zooming in for better viewing. Kudos to Claudine for her quick-thinking ability on the spot! Secondly, the normal sushi bar staff complement was missing, and the sushi bar was empty like a ghost town. What is the point of going to a Japanese restaurant and not feasting your eyes on an Itamae – skilled sushi chefs positioned at a sushi bar or a Shokunin – an artisan, craftsman, or master of a profession, often used to describe the dedication of a high-level sushi chef?

Despite not being a regular visitor to Oceano Jamaica in recent times, Melissa trusted my recommendations for our dining experience. We ordered fried calamari with wasabi mayo and pan-fried chicken gyoza for appetisers; pimento Teriyaki, shrimp stuffed shrimp and BBQ eel roll for our entrée and three lychee mocktails for our drinks.

For the appetisers, the fried calamari with wasabi mayo was enjoyed more than the pan-fried gyoza as the gyoza’s outer part, which is a dumpling, was not well-fried. The texture was more steamed and barely crispy. The pimento teriyaki, which is pimento-infused pork ribs slowly cooked and glazed with Oceano’s signature teriyaki sauce, was very good and the sauce exceptional. The ribs could have been more tender. I personally love my ribs tender to the point of falling off the bone. I would, however, give it a solid 9.5/10. The shrimp-stuffed jumbo shrimp, shrimp mouse, sriracha gratin and shiso bearnaise was delicious — 10/10; however, if spicy is not your thing, avoid or proceed with caution. Finally, the BBQ eel roll, which is primarily eel and cucumber, was scrumptious. The lychee mocktails had a tasty buzz, and we certainly had our lychee fruits from the mocktails at the end of each drink.

Overall, Oceano Jamaica offers an elevated dining atmosphere with decent food and good service.

Total cost — $27,000.00 including GCT and 10% service charge — justifiable for me for the special occasion!

Address: The Courtyard, Marketplace, 67 Constant Spring Road, Kingston 10.

Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday: 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Weekends: 12:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Reservations: 876-665-6512, 876-395-5021 (WhatsApp)

Menu: http://oceanojamaica.com/menu/

Email: info@oceanojamaica.com

Instagram: @Oceano

Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards judge Kadean Vendryes (right) enjoys the BBQ eel roll, chicken gyoza and fried calamari with wasabi mayo with lifelong friend Melissa Rattray. (Photo: Kadean Vendryes)