Reggae Hut in Houston transports you to an island oasis

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Step inside Reggae Hut off of Almeda Road, and you are traveling to an island oasis in the middle of the Third Ward.

"I like the atmosphere, the music going on in the background," diner Justin Gonzales said.

The restaurant is serving up Jamaican flavors the Houston way.

"Oh my God, I could eat all of this," diner Sherol Adkins said, with a laugh.

You may know owner Marcus Davis from The Breakfast Klub, an H-town institution just down the road.

"I tell people all the time, Caribbean food is soul food," Davis said.

Here at Reggae Hut, Marcus is cooking island soul food favorites with that same southern charm and an infusion of African, Latin, Asian, and European flavors.

"It's an amalgamation of people that make up the Caribbean, and it's an amalgamation of flavors that make the great food," Davis explained.

On the menu you will find a variety of large-format dishes: garlic shrimp, oxtails, and jerk chicken, which Davis describes as Jamaican barbecue.

Marcus says just like Caribbean cuisine is a mashup of international flavor, he sees Reggae Hut and Houston as a melting pot of international cultures.

"I think it's a beautiful thing," Davis said. "I think it paints a picture of our city, I think it paints a picture of humanity."

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