7 delicious Jamaican patties for a taste of the island in L.A.

The Jamaican patty, a cherished comfort food, offers savory and spicy island flavors in every bite. The pastry is most commonly enjoyed as a quick pick-me-up or light meal and eaten directly from a paper bag. The best patties are bursting with flavor and served hot from the oven. Traditionally, turmeric and/or curry powder give the crust its signature golden hue, a flaky texture is a must, and the filling is an aromatic mix of beef (or other preferred option) that’s enhanced by Scotch bonnet pepper, thyme and other herbs.

The delicious fusion of spices and flavor lead back to Cornwall, England’s signature dish: the pasty, a pocket of dough filled with diced beef and vegetables. Thanks to the influences of African and East Indian communities in Jamaica during the 17th century, the English dish was reimagined into the savory baked good we know today. Fast-forward hundreds of years and the patties remain deeply rooted in Jamaican heritage — and an assertion of cultural pride for many Jamaican bakers who’ve left the island and created a life abroad.

Your best bet when craving a patty in Los Angeles is to start in the neighborhoods with the largest populations of Jamaican people — Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, Inglewood, Long Beach. Jamaican restaurants that serve patties and other cultural staples such as jerk chicken, curry goat with rice and peas, and ackee and salt fish, are important sites of community gathering. They connect Jamaican people to one another, offer a thoughtful entry point into Black Caribbean cuisines and for decades have provided a lifeline to Jamaicans in L.A. seeking a connection to back home through familiar cultural fare.

What’s available here won’t be identical to the same glorious, flaky pastries that are plentiful on the island from places like Juici Patties, Tastee Patties, Mothers and Devon House Bakery — and that’s OK. In South L.A. and beyond, you’ll find a variety of options: wheat-crusted, soy-free vegan patties, the tried-and-true classic beef patty, remixed soft-crust patties with a famous vegan dipping sauce. Over in Sherman Oaks you’ll find a lengthy menu from a chef who’s been serving the community for more than 40 years.

Here, we’ve rounded up seven of our favorite places to enjoy a patty in Los Angeles — for meat eaters, pescatarians and vegans. This is how Los Angeles is doing the Jamaican patty.