Since arriving in Trinidad for our extended warranty haul out something that's become part of the weekly routine is visiting the Central Market in Port of Spain. It's a fantastic Trinidad food market that sells a huge range of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, herbs and other goods. Here's what it's like!
Getting to the market
For us getting to the market was pretty easy as there's a cruiser run bus that does the round trip from the shipyards to the market every Saturday morning. It started long before we arrived and is organised by a cruiser in collaboration with local drivers, Larry and Earl. They're a lovely pair of guys who are full time taxi drivers, working 10+ hours a day. Earl lives in the nearby village of Carenage and is heavily involved with improving his local community, while Larry is from further away in the central part of the island.
After a few months in Trinidad the ladies who'd been organising the bus, Edi and Erika, both flew out so I was asked to run the trip. I ended up doing it for the rest of our stay with the support of other cruisers who also used the bus. It left at 7.30 am on Saturday morning from the Power Boats security gate.
Food court with traditional Trinidadian foods
As you enter the Central Market the first section is a Trinidad food court. It serves some of the best street food in Trinidad, including roti, aloo pie, doubles and curry.
Roti = Roti bread folded around a curried filling
Aloo Pie = Fried dough stuffed with a spiced potato filling
Doubles = Fried flat dough filled with curried chickpeas and chutney
Curry = Usually a goat or chicken curry made with Trinbago spices
Here's a 50 second video showing the best aloo pie place! It became the Saturday morning breakfast staple for many of the liveaboard cruisers hauled out in Chaguaramas.
Fresh meat and seafood
After walking through the food court you go through a set of double doors to the wet market. Here you'll find fresh chicken, beef, pork, seafood and shrimp. For the entire time we were in Trinidad the quality of what you could find at the food market was significantly better than the average supermarket.
My first stop was always the shrimp! My preference is Stall Number 8 which was usually run by Brian. After a few visits I discovered that Brian is a Trinidadian fisherman who's part of the crew that catches shrimp off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. The market stall is part of a family business that has a history going back at least 3 generations.
Since it's based on what they can catch, the stall has limited stocks and during certain times of year like Christmas and Easter they can run out! The shrimp is sorted and priced by size, and like everything at the market it's a standard price for everyone based on pound weight or quantity.
After the shrimp I'd head to my beef guy. Each week he'd hold me a whole tenderloin to pick up, which was always so tender. When it comes to the meat vendors just be upfront and confident with what you want and they'll see what they can do for you. The only cut of beef you won't find is ground beef but that's easy enough to make yourself by partially freezing diced meat and blitzing it in a food processor.
My last stop would be Jessica and Jerry at Jerry's Chicken. They're Trinidadian chicken farmers who bring a set number of freshly butchered chickens to the market each week. As a cruiser I can not praise their service enough. The taste of the chicken was excellent, you could ask for any cut and you could leave your bags at their stall and come back when you were done to collect your chicken order and pay. Add to that Jessica's friendly, bubbly personality and you have a winning start to your Trinidadian farmers market experience.
The open area market
Stepping outside the wet market there's a large, rectangular, open air structure ringed with small stalls operating out of portable shades and the backs of trucks. I usually started by doing a lap of the outer perimeter before visiting the stalls inside.
At the market I'd buy all of the fresh produce I needed for the week ahead. What's available is generally quite consistent, although there are a few local products that are seasonal like mangoes, oranges, lemons and sorrel.
One of the greatest things about Trinidad's market is the fixed pricing. You don't need to worry about haggling, it's one price for everyone. That is a welcome thing early on a Saturday morning!
The other thing I loved was the connections you start to build the vendors after going for a while. All of the cruisers end up having favourite vendors who they go to week after week. For me, I always went to see the same people to get garlic, spring onion (called chives around here), potatoes and carrots, and of course Jocelyn.
Jocelyn has a stall with her daughter and sells a little bit of everything, including free range eggs. We discovered later that her husband works in the boats yards in Chaguaramas and as a thank you for the positive effects of our YouTube video on the market, she gifted me a recipe book called The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago by Naparima Girls School. This book is instantly recognisable throughout Trinidad and Tobago with many people having a copy at home.
We allocated an hour at the market which was just enough for first time visitors but not too long for those of us who knew where everything was. At the end, Larry and Earl would return with their maxi taxis and collect us for the drive back to Chaguaramas.
FAQ about the Trinidad market
Here's a couple things I've been asked about the fresh market in Port of Spain.
Is the Central Market in Port of Spain safe?
Personally I have never had a problem at the market, nor have I felt unsafe. I always observed the usual safety precautions that I would most places I travel, such as being careful with my money and phone. There are two security posts at the carparks and I saw police around almost every visit. Plus, the market vendors don't put up with nonsense and antisocial behaviour, they will tell people to behave.
Are there tours that go to a Trinidad food market?
There may be people who run a tour or food tour of the Central Market but to be honest I would just visit it yourself and if you have any questions smile, be polite and ask the vendors.
How do I get to the Trinidad farmers market?
To get to the market in Port of Spain you can drive (there are 2x carparks), catch a yellow maxi that's going the right way or get a rideshare through the TTRideshare app. The location is marked on Google.
What is the cost of food in Trinidad?
Food prices in Trinidad fluctuate but here's an example of what I was paying towards the start of 2024.
Shrimp - 30 to 40 TTD per pound for shrimp depending on the size
Beef - 30 TTD for budget cuts and 55 TTD for premium cuts (per op
Chicken - 30 to 40 TTD per pound for most cuts.
Free Range Eggs - 40 TTD a dozen
Tomato - 9 TTD per pound
Herbs - 5 TTD a bunch
Spring Onions (Chives) - 10 TTD for a medium bunch
Oranges - 10 for 20 TTD
Garlic - 20 TTD a pound
Carrot - 5 TTD a pound
Potato - 10 TTD for 3 pounds
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I saw the video about this but it was good to read the extra insights here. I've heard people say this is the best market in the Caribbean.