My husband and I couldn't believe how good this food was! We enjoyed chicken and fish entrees. Our side dishes of sweet potatoes, rice and peas, collard greens (meat and no-meat options) and fried plantains were delicious. The hibiscus drink was too sweet for us, but everything else was EXCELLENT, including the service. We have a new go-to restaurant and will be back as soon as possible!
Review Source:It was the first time I had Jamaican food and I am most definitely a fan. My date and I had goat curry, plantains, cornbread, and jerk chicken. All of it was delicious though I was sincerely in love with the curry. The portions were a bit smaller than we expected but the restaurant was clean and service was prompt and friendly. I will definitely be going back.
Review Source:The best thing about coming to Jamaica Jerk is I can always catch up on current market prices from all the drug dealers standing outside the doors.
Also after I eat the food Im sure Ill have an opportunity to do some extensive TP testing later in the day. Oh and for this lovely after effect Im not even being served true jerk chicken. I dont know what to call it but this aint real jerk.
And yeah the 'yoofs' standing outside is a nice touch.
This place needs to be shut down.
As one review said "I'm not sure how this establishment is getting 4 & 5 stars". Thus place is the absolute worse west indian restaurant ever. I live across the street & I drive 25miles south to get real authentic west Indian food.
The only people I see patronizing this venue clearly have never had good authentic Jamaican food. Do yourselves a favor & save your money.
The beef patties are great (but I'd expect that seeing that the patty bakery is down the street), rice & peas are great but again how can you go wrong.
Now the jerk....Smh. Don't get me wrong the chicken part of the jerk chicken is good but there is no jerk in this jerk chicken. Call it something else put please stop shamming your guest ! Â
I wrote this review because I couldn't in good conscious allow my fellow yelpies to continue to be bamboozled, hood winked & led astray.
I enjoy this place when I am in that part of town. HOWEVER, they have absolutely no sense of urgency and will take 3 minutes to bag your order while your standing there!
Another thing that I have found with this place is that they are very CHEAP with their sauce. They will only place ONE container of sauce in your bag even if you have 2 or 3 orders! You would have to specifically tell them that you want the sauce. But, if they did give you enough sauce and you ask for more - they have no issue with charging more for it!
For instance today... I went there and got 2 orders of chicken. I especially remembered to tell the owner that I am driving from about half an hour away and was excited to eat there again. Well, I got there, got my order and went home. Once I got home - to my dismay found that they didn't give me any f'ing sauce!! Its insane because how can it be considered JERK chicken without the JERK SAUCE!!
However, now that I am more familiar with the South Side of Chicago, I found an AMAZING Jamaican Jerk place: Jamaica Jerk Villa on 79th and Halsted!! Love it! They are consistent with flavor and ALWAYS give you the sauce!
What I want to know is how this restaurant is receiving 4 and 5 star reviews?There are alot of people who either don't know what really good food taste like or you've just never had good Jerk Chicken before.
This restaurant is kinda well just average imo.The Jerk(if that's what you want to call it)is just ok.I personally wouldn't call this authentic Jerk.It's not cooked on the grill which is a Jerk staple.The Chicken is however tender and flavorful.The Jerk sauce is weak imo.It's just not hot or savory enough.The Yams are horrible.Yam's are supposed be candied i.e. sweet but they just taste like cinnamon.I don't know about you people but "candied" Yams shouldn't just taste like cinnamon.The Plaintains were just average also.Not sweet enough for my taste.
To conclude,this restaurant is just average.Nothing really stands out imo.I probably wouldn't dine here again because I know far better Jamaican joints.Uncle Joe's come to mind right off the bat.There's a reason Southsiders claim that Northsiders don't know what good Jerk is and this is a prime example.If you know what good Jerk is,you should probably pass on this place.
Jerk Chicken - 3 out of 5
Plaintains - 3 out of 5
Yams - 2 out of 5
Macaroni - 2 out of 5
Three friends (with dietary restrictions) and I came here on a Thursday evening for dinner. The interior was clean and cute, and Jamaican music played in the background.
The food was fine and reasonably-priced ($10-15), although the jerk chicken was on the dry side. The service mediocre for several reasons:
1) They ran out of a number of items on their menu, and rather than telling us upfront, the waiter would wait for us to pick something on the menu before telling us it was out.
2) The waiter was not knowledgeable about the ingredients in the food; he had to go to the kitchen staff several times to ask.
3) Once we got the food, the waiter never came back to check on us, even though we were the only people in the restaurant.
I'm from the south side of Chicago and honestly while the food is okay/decent I hardly call it authentic Jamaican. Â I like the flavor but again not authentic. Â Today I watched them pull the chicken right out of the oven. Â On the south side they cook it on a grill which is the best way to cook jerk chicken. Â While I would give the food alone more stars the customer service is what caused me to write this review. Â
I like their festival bread. Â However, four out of five times when I call they are out of it even though I have called right when they open. Â Today they had festival break which is really really good. Â In my mind if you keep selling out month after month then it would seem like you would stock more of a selling item. Â
Today, I brought a dozen of wings and they give me one packet of sauce which is what they give me when I order the snack size four. Â I asked for one more and they said .70. Â For me if you order a large and they are not willing to give you more condiments then when you ordered four this is a place not worthy of my business.
I work in the community, not sure about all the dangerous in the hood lingo....and I have heard community members talk about the customer service but I love patronizing minorities. Â However, after trying to be pleasant beyond poor customer service this is my last time patronizing this restaurant.
04-19-12
This place is great. I had the salmon rundown dinner along with the collard greens and macaroni and cheese. I also ordered a side of cornbread and beef patties. The beef patties were okay. The salmon had a semi-sweet taste but overall the flavor was good. The collard greens (with ham hocks of course-sorry vegans) Â and macaroni and cheese were delicious as usual. I think she adds a little love to every dish. LOL. The macaroni and cheese was good because the chef does not try to add too many ingredients too it such as too much cheese, salt, sugar, or anything else to take away from the dish itself. If you are new to this place you have to try the cornbread. It's sweet but not too sweet and very moist. I could have eaten the cornbread without anything else.
March 27
I enjoy trying new dishes so I had the curried goat. If you never had goat then you are missing out. It has the texture of beef and tastes like lamb. Once again, the chef hit the nail on the head. It has a spicy taste to it and the potatoes go great with the goat. I also had collard green and macaroni and cheese. I did try the steamed cabbage a while ago and it was good. Next time I will try the jerk chicken.
Note:I used a Groupon with both these orders.
I've been to this place a few times now, and I have yet to see a rude waiter/owner. Â The guy in the plaid shirt (he ALWAYS wears a plaid shirt) is quiet but not at all inconsiderate...
The chicken is ridiculously delicious, and I think the cornbread consistency is just right. Â I would highly recommend this place to anyone interesting in trying Jamaican cuisine!
We had been meaning to try this place for a while, but man, Howard is kind of a hike away even for Northsiders.
The place is no thrills. Definitely reminds me of Caribbean Islands. The server is most likely the owner as well. But he was friendly enough. Towards the end he was more conversational.
The Beef Patties were very good. The pastry was light and flaky yet had a nice crisp. The filling was delicious. They have this banger hot sauce! It's so good. We put a nice big dent in that bottle :D
We tried the Jerk Chicken, of course, and the Negril Seafood Combo w/ sides of rice and peas, mac and cheese, greens and cabbage. All the sides were really good. The standout was the greens for me. The Jerk Chicken had a nice spice crust on it. I like my skin a little crisper but it was still good for not being as crispy as I like. The seafood combo came with coconut shrimp and fish and a crab cake. While the crabcake wasn't bad, it was ok. It did have a lot of crab so that's a thumbs up. They did a great job on the coconut shrimp and chicken.
The jerk chicken is to die for. The meat literally falls off the bone and both the marinade and sauce are among the best I have ever tasted. For next to nothing, you can get basically a whole jerk chicken with two sides (also tasty...I had the collard greens with small bits of pork belly and the beans and rice) and a side salad (mango vinegarette was tasty). Their lunch and takeout specials are worth checking out, but given their low prices, it is also a viable option for an inexpensive, savory dinner. Carry-out service was polite and fast. Rogers Park is full of gems, but this joint stands out among them.
Review Source:I thought the food was good but my boy friend disagreed. He said his curry chicken had no flavor. My jerk chicken was good and fell off the bone. The sides were good and seemed homemade. The waiter was very nice and seemed like he wanted to make our experience perfect with the timing of the food being brought out and we could tell he wanted us to be pleased. We were the only ones in there at the time and it was very quiet, while waiting for the food we could hear in the kitchen the microwave going off several times, possibly warming up our small sides of mac and cheese collard greens and other vetables, which made me question the freshness of the food.
Over all the food was decent, not that great. Friendly service. But a very large drawback is that i felt the food was very over priced for the quality
We decided to try this place because of a Groupon, and it was the WORST EXPERIENCE ever! Â
The owner made my pregnant wife cry because she had to go to the bathroom before we actually ordered. Â The owner actually called the police! Â We could not believe it.
The owner is a mean spirited woman (or man - not sure). Â The only person who I would really see spitting on food just to be mean. Â Â Looking thru the reviews here more carefully, I see that other people got the same treatment. Â
There are tons of good places to eat around here, there is no reason to risk going to Jamaica Jerk.
The best Mac & Cheese in town. The Jerk Chicken literally fell off the bone, when I tried to lift it off the plate & to my lips. Â Corn bread was moist, the plantains were fried to perfections, etc. Just a wonderful dinner. Neighborhood is dicey, but this restaurants are just about 4 doors east of the Howard 'L' CTA stop. Friendly staff & chef; decor is simple (very simple) but reminiscint of a beachside cafe in the Islands.
Try it; you'll like it! Â We came from 2 1/2 hrs away to sample. Â We were glad we did.
This will be our new place to go whenever we're really hungry.
+House made ginger beer and juice
+Conch Fritters - so yummy
+Entrees are big and include two sides and a house salad.
+Jerk chicken O MY GOD taste heaven
+clean and comfortable atmosphere with classic reggae music makes you feel like you're on a tropical island during a Chicago snowstorm.
+Currently a "well-kept Chicago secret" - That's fine, more jerk chicken for me.
This place is amazing! Â Homemade and family run, everything is great. Â The jerk chicken is perfect, with peas and rice and plantains it's heaven. Â Well worth every penny! Â One time, I saw the chef pulling a tray of crispy jerk chicken out of the oven and I almost passed out ! Â It's that great.
You know that briefcase in Pulp Fiction that had a mysterious glowing contents? Â It's full of their jerk chicken.
A very tiny spot, but they have some unbelievably tasty food. This was the place of my maiden voyage into Jamaican food, and I am more than pleased.
We got here a bit early, but the owner ( I assume) let us into the dining room, where we were seated around a gazebo structure in the back of the room, which was very cozy and quaint. We had ample time for all of us to pursue the menu and choose meals and appetizers.
To start with, I had a tropical ginger punch that was really flavorful. I'm not quite sure what it was made of, but the flavor of ginger and coconut was a great mix. For appetizers, I chose the conch fritters, which were little fried bits of seafood goodness. The coconut shrimp were also a crowd favorite. We had also wanted to try the crab cakes, but unfortunately they were unavailable on the day we went. (Which is only an excuse for me to come back!) My main dish of salmon covered in a mango coconut chutney sauce was very tasty and very filling. Served with some cornbread, I was in heaven. I also sampled some curried goat. Not my favorite, just a little too tough.
Our service was stellar, and made for an overall wonderful visit. I will be back.
mmmm mmmm
WOW, no words can describe how great this place is. Â Everything was perfect from the food, service, and hospitality. Â What a nice couple that runs the place. Â The food was da BOMB. Â It tasted like home cooked Jamaican food in a restaurant. Â
We were there for a surprise birthday party. Â The restaurant was very accommodating. Â They even have BYOB. Â
We had sweet plantains, rice & beans, white rice, Jerk chicken, oxtail & beans, goat curry, and salad. Â Lots of food but I couldn't get enough. Â I kept going back for seconds and thirds. Â It was just too good to stop. Â But of course, I can never say no to dessert. Â We had Rum and Raisin Ice Cream for dessert which was quite different from other cakes I've had but good nonetheless. Â
We were definitely there past closing time but the restaurant didn't rush us or made us feel pressured to leave which I really appreciated.
We got turned on to Jamaica after reading a TimeOut Chicago article. Â The article stated that Jamaica Jerk was struggling to stay afloat but yet they offered excellent, authentic Jamaican cuisine. Â It's a little bit out of my usual 'hood, but it's an easy drive north from my neighborhood, and I found street parking literally right in front- I was literally out my car door and through the door leading me to a Jamaican Wonderland ;-) Â It's different than what you would expect- no pumping reggae or faux rickety beach bars. Â A nice seaside mural is painted along one of the walls, and the room is filled with small 2 or four top tables covered in white tablecloths. Â Very nice and unpretentious. Â
Our waiter was charming: very soft-spoken with an accent I originally could not place (duh). Â He spent time to go through the menu with us, and explain items we were unfamiliar with. Â The house salads came out very quickly, with a yummy mango house vinaigrette. Â The food followed soon thereafter... we tried multiple appetizers (deep-fried of course) Â all around the $2 price range. I ordered the jerk chicken, which was amazing tender, so tender that if in dire straits I probably could have also eaten the bones. Â I was not blown away by the seasoning, I thought it might be a little more complex. Â My side was rice and beans, Â which were just OK. Â The prices were great. Â It came to $20 a person for a literal buffet of food, and it's BYOB. Â
During our 2 hour Friday night dinner, we were the only table serviced. Â At one point a nicely dressed couple wandered in to eat we presumed. Â No, they actually only wanted to use the bathroom... Â I would recommend supporting this local business which is obviously struggling to stay in business. Â As I discussed earlier, this business is easy to reach by car, and the Howard Red line is less than a block away. Â You will be treated like a king and get some tasty Jamaican food.
i really hope they do a lot of take out business because I hardly see anyone eating in here. Â Actually it's shocking because the food is very good. Â
I ordered takeout and the food was ready within ten minutes of the time it stated which was quite acceptable. Â Got an order of the Jerk Chicken and Curried Goat and sides of plantains and collard greens.
Ok, wow, the Jerk Chicken was delicious. Â I wanted a bit more heat, but I could deal without it because it was just so tasty. Â The plantains were good, and I'm not a plantain fan. Â The collard greens were just ok. Â However, the star of the meal was the Curried Goat. Â Wow, that was delicious. Â I would definitely come back just for that.
Got the rum cake for dessert and this just kept getting better w/ each bite. Â Loved it. Â
I will definitely come back and I hope others do too to keep it open. Â Not much else around there so I hope it survives. Â Please check this out if you haven't.
Being a jerk is a bad thing, unless you're a chicken.
Jamaica Jerk definitely met my expectations when it came down to the jerk chicken. I'm no expert but jerk chicken is one of the first dishes that comes to mind when I think of Jamaican cuisine so I was definitely pleased with this part of my meal.
NOW, if the chicken wasn't as awesome as it was, I might have had to bump a few stars for the rest of my meal.The plantains were good not great and the peas (kidney beans) and rice seemed kind of dried out. I would be interested in checking out some other items and maybe thinking outside of my safety net (aka the jerk chicken).
Many people might find the walls a bit tacky but if you stare at them long enough you might actually start to feel like you're lying on white sandy beaches looking out at the beautiful water in Jamaica.
Definitely worth checking out.
Chocolate is not my friend. Â Death by chocolate? Â Well, that doesn't apply, but I do break out in a nice, uncomfortable rash. Â So when the server set down a carob colored mass of cake in front of me for desert, I apologized for ordering it, and said that I couldn't eat it. Â "That's not chocolate cake," he said to me, "it's rum."
I figured he was just shorthanding Rum Cake. Â But the tingle in my throat, the extra juiciness in the raisins, and the buzz in my head told me, no, he just meant it was rum. Â Jayzus, that, sir (or mon), is one cake with kick! Â But, I think it was tasty. Â In fact, I'm pretty sure. Â Those brain cells, unfortunately, might not have survived the trip to the top of the city. Â In fact, I might still have been drunk yesterday!
That's pretty typical hospitality I would think. Â Jamaicans are a pretty friendly people from I've heard. Â Except, that is, when it comes to their vegetairian food choices. Â Jamaican Jerk, though, provides a welcome exception. Â They even have a Veggie Jerk (not me), on the menu. Â Very irie!
I, however, went a slightly skewed route though and still did the usual vegetarian option of ordering sides. Â The rice and peas (which are actually kidney beans) - while I was really nicely given an extra large side since the server considered it my main course - were so bland I had to put the ever-ready on the table hot sauce on them twice. Â The homemade macaroni and cheese (a heart attack inducing hard shelled blob with a gooey center) was incredible to make up for it though. Â I also got Festival which, while sweater and more fried than a normal bread still lacked a certain something at this restaurant.
Now, being hungover from the night before, I almost didn't accompany Johnny T. and company to the end of the Red Line. Â But one item on the menu lured me there - vegetarian collard greens. Â And this is where the stars start dropping from this place like a two-tone beat! Â They were out of them. Â They were also out of the drink I wanted (limeade). Â I tried to remain upbeat (and enjoy the island riddims coming from the kitchen) and thought to myself that it was just making my bill a bit less. Â However, being out of so much of the menu is never a good thing in my mind.
Also, the cooks and servers definitely run on island time. Â If I go back, I will be prepared to wait a long time for my food. Â Patience is a virtue, after all. Â Or, maybe a better option, I'll just order the desert first and I won't even care how long it takes with my pleasant buzz.
Jamaicans might hold the world record for the 100 meters, the 200 meters - Usain Bolt, respectively 9.69 s and 19.30 s in the 2008 Beijing Games (no, it wasn't all about Michael Phelps), they are first and foremost Caribbean.
"Antillais", peeps.
Translation = they enjoy life, food, and (wo)men at their own pace. Sloooooow is goooooooooooood. For many things. Right?
The owners of Jamaica Jerk would definitely agree with that. I can say without a doubt in my mind that not one single member of their loving staff was on the relay team with M. Bolt in the aforementioned Olympics.
Because our lunch lasted quite a while. A delicious way to spend a meal in my (French) book.
It started with members of our small adventurous group arriving late to the party (I decided to be gracious and won't give any name but YOU know who you are), went on with a chaotic seating (they wanted to keep us separate....how dared they?!?) and culminated in an indolent-paced meal.
Raggae was not even involved.
Highlights:
- "Could you be loved" more than conch fritters?!? I dunno....these are pretty darn tasty...
- "Get up, Stand up" for the favorite item of the day, saltfish. National dish of Jamaica, it's salted cod sautéed with boiled ackee, onions, Scotch Bonnet peppers, tomatoes, and spices, such as black pepper and pimiento. So good.
- "Buffalo Soldier"?!? Heck no. I am a goat keeper, and I like them in curry please. Very spicy but oh so delish, tender and flavorful - it comes with two sides that you can choose from an impressive list.
- "No dessert, no cry" I didn't order any but still got to steal from my neighbor's rum cake............
Sinful.
And nap inducing.
So yeah....service was slow but I wouldn't have it any other way. In the tropics you take your time. I like that.
Maybe we just came on an off day, but on Saturday, they were practically out of our first and second choice dishes, including some of the fish entrees. Service was a little lacking, though there seemed to be the only one soft-spoken guy working the counter and serving.
Had the lunch special with the Jerk Pork Tenderloin, which was REALLY good, but the portion was not enough. I also must question the guava and tamarind sauce, though. Lunch special came with two sides, which (after being told they were out of other items) I ended up having plantains and candied yams. Plantains were good, small. Candied yams were good, and decently portioned.
All in all I probably wouldn't complain about the value of price, but we left still hungry lol. I don't think I'd come back, keeping in mind the service, portion and area, since it is in a tough-looking neighborhood.
So here's what I knew about Jamaica before visiting JJ:
1. Â The little island was the birth place of reggae and gave us legendary stars like Bob Marley and Shaggy. Â Okay, okay, Shaggy may not be quite as legendary.
2. Â The tropical nation charmed us by sending a bobsled team to the winter Olympics. Â Cool Runnings, mon.
3. Â Jamaica produced more than its fair share of talented sprinters. Usain Bolt - need I say more?
4. Â They have a damn good cricket team. Â This I have heard but cannot confirm as I really don't give two hoots about cricket.
Here's what I know about Jamaica after visiting JJ:
1. Â Jamaicans make an awesome goat curry. Â
2. Â Their conch fritters are to die for.
3. Â Their ginger beer is so potent it'll leave a burning sensation in your mouth. But, I loved it.
4. Â I could eat Jamaican rum cake for dessert every day.
Zeen? YAH MON!!! Jamaica Jerk is where it's at, mon!
This "mom and pop" restaurant might not be located in the best of the Chicago neighborhoods, but the quality of food and service is out of this world.
I went to this place yesterday with a friend of mine who is allergic to shellfish. We told the wait staff about his allergies. They took his allergies very seriously and cleaned all the dishes and utensils used to cook his meal. I have never experienced such level of meticulousness in even very expensive restaurants.
The food was amazing. I would recommend trying out the extra-spicy version of the Jerk Pork for people who have a higher capsaicin tolerance.
Impromptu Sunday lunches are sometimes the best. Â You know, catching up with the girls, enjoying their company and sharing some gooood food. Â What's better?
So, this past Sunday, Jamaica Jerk was our destination of choice. Â To our surprise, it opened at 1pm. Â That meant that we had 30 min to kill before we could even step foot inside. Â If you find yourself in this same bind, step inside the Korean-owned athletic wear shop next door and the 'dollar' store across the street. Â Great time killers!
Anyway, Jamaica Jerk has a great vibe to it! Â It's family owned, cozy, warm and lovely. Â The tropical scenes on the walls definitely add character to the place! Â Our waiter was super precious and I think he was amused by my friend who kept exclaiming that she was 'on a diet'. Â (Really, on a diet? Â While the rest of us eat collard greens and plantains? Â Oy!)
Fabulous food - made with love! Â Jamaican patties ($2) were my favorite! Â They're filled with beef, semi-spicy and served up in a crispy and non-greasy pocket of dough. Â I was craving Jerk Chicken Wings ($6.50) for some reason, so I ordered that as my meal. Â They served it up with collard greens + hard dough bread. Â Perfect compliments to the wings! Â Delicious flavor and pretty big portions, too. Â Thumbs up from me, for sure!
The other menu items that caught my eye were the conch fritters and the oxtail and beans. Â Goin' on my list for next time...Authentic and yummy food...for CHEAP. Â Good job, Rogers Park! Â Represent. ;)
The sign on the door said we will open at 1pm today...its 1:45pm why is the door still locked? I need some Curry Chicken!!!
The service is slower than molasses's but its well worth the wait. They serve Sorrel Pineapple Punch which is really a Christmas drink but its oh so damn good!!!
Curry Chicken is awesome, so fresh, and the chicken falls off the bone. Rice and Peas were a little on the dry side but still good.
Cornbread was awesome!!!
Coconut Shrimp ...make you slap yo mama!!! it was so good!!!
Our server was so sweet !
We got the lunch portion and it was still more than enough to take home for dinner.
Dining Area Clean!
Its super cheap!!!
Cant wait to go back!!!
Holy crap! God Damn!!! I am still exclaiming those exclamations nearly two hours after I have finished eating my dinner there.
Yes service is on the slower side but Stanley, our server, who is from Kingston made us feel like we were right at home. They were out of a few things but I am willing to forgive as everything was OUTSTANDING!!!
To drink I Â had a ginger beer which was a little stronger than I expected but tasty and refreshing nonetheless. We had a seafood sampler for an appetizer and the coconut shrimp was very good and the crab cake had a nice kick to it. My main dish was curried goat and it was also delicious. It had some spice to it but it did not immidately overpower every other flavor in the dish. After a while the spice started to build up but it was not so bad that I was not able to enjoy it. For desert we had the bread pudding. It was drizzled with a sauce that had a slight citrus flavor to it.
My biggest problem with this place is that I could only eat one entree before I became full. Lara and I are looking forward to our next visit. Iknow that his place in way up in the nosebleed section of Chicago but check this place out as it will be worth it.
They get five stars simply for dealing with me and my friends being asshole customers. Â We roll in here at a quarter to 8 on a Sunday (and they close at 8) expecting to be fed.
Mama Bear (as we will affectionately call the Boss Lady in the kitchen) looked at us like she was going to shank the three of us jive turkeys for making her miss her Sunday night episode of Desperate Housewives. Â
Thank the good Lord she took mercy on our shop-weary souls and decided to feed us. Â Our server (who we affectionately will call Pumpkin...aww pumpkin, he was sooo cute and kind to us...and subsequently nervous as hell because Mama Bear was ready to beat all our asses, his included) was both gracious and quick with our orders. Â We all ordered the jerk chicken (since it was easy) and some sides. Â I had rice and peas and the hushpuppy-like festival. Â I also had a simple salad of diced red pepper and shredded iceberg lettuce, but that mango vinaigrette they server with it is on point! Also the cornbread is warm and delicious. Â
Now about the chicken.
The chicken will make your forget your children's names. Â It was broiled just right to where it falls off the bone. Â Dip it in the jerk sauce and you feel like you're ready to go fight crime (which might be necessary considering the area of town...)
Oh....my asshole friends decided it was a good idea to keep ordering stuff even though Mama Bear made it clear they were closing and the way she was talking to Pumpkin made it clear she wanted to beat the living saltfish out of us.
Anyway, the chicken was phenomenal, the sides delicious, the service gracious, the server was a total cutie pie (if you read this I just want to pinch your cheeks)! Â
You MUST make the field trip (it is all the way in North Bramble**** on Howard), but don't go 20 minutes before closing. Â I don't want Mama Bear to have to pull a knife on ya.
Go. Â Eat. Â And tip big. Â After our shenanigans, we left a huge tip to apologize for our terrible behaviour. Â Maybe if we change our ways (go at an appropriate time) we can make it back into their hearts (we hope). Â It really was phenomenal. Â (And I should stop writing reviews when I'm half asleep)
Gave my order online for a pick up in half an hour, a time specified by the site itself. Â I was super excited because I'd never tried jerk anything before, and even without the fanfare from friends, the name in itself gave me cravings.
When I got there, my order wasn't ready because they'd run out of the jerk chicken that I'd ordered and had only enough for an appetizer portion. Â Neither did they have any jerk pork, curried goat, curried chicken, or Jamaican Johnny Cakes - they'd run out? Â I had to check the time just to make sure that it was, as I'd known, no later than 7 PM on a Saturday.....
There was no one else in the restaurant when I got there, and still no one when I left 20 minutes later with my food - JJ's underestimate in this recession is the epitome of its self-perpetuation, but I'd give the place just one star even if this was the 90s:
In the end got to try just a little jerk chicken, Brown Stew Chicken, Fried Plantains, Conch Fritters, Saltfish and Bammy, Festival, and perhaps more that I can't remember right now - but I was so disappointed with the tastes that my boyfriend had to reassure me that this wasn't all that Jamaican cuisine had to offer..
But with Jamaica Jerk's positive ratings so far, I'm afraid to try jerk chicken from any of the other recommended restaurants on Yelp!
I really loved my experience here - brought my brother-in-law along and arrived about an hour or before close; we were the only people there. Also, this place is super easy to get to off the Howard stop, even in driving sleet and snow.
First on the food - I had jerk pork and the meat seriously melted in your mouth. At first bite, i looked down because i thought it was all fat as it was impossible to fork, but it was meat...sweet, delicious, tasty meat. The sauce is out of this world. A perfect blend of heat and sweet.
I had a fresh ginger beer too, and if you love ginger, this drink is for you.
The sides were great although I did think the 4 or 5 plantains slices were a little skimmpy...isn't that the cheapest thing on the menu ?!
I don't know what is it with Caribbean food, but I cannot get enough of the stuff. A place I plan on returning to.
Finger licking good... Â I will be going back again and again to try the delicious foods here...
I had the jerk chicken with rice and peas.. the sauce is to die for =) Â Â
Also had the johnny cakes.. YUM!!
Will write more after another visit. I can't wait.
OH yah.. BIG portions for not so big price..
To be honest, I wasn't too happy with this place, I had the fish special and wow do these people take their sweet time to make the food, truthfully I think me and my friends waited around 30min, for the food. The food was not bad at all, I really liked the battered coating on the fish.
Apart from the wait, not bad at all.
It is places like Jamaica Jerk that make me so happy to live in Chicago. Â I spent way too much time living in little po-dunk towns on the East Coast that had little to no variety of cuisine at all (seriously, my mother's town recently voted Burger King as the Best Area Restaurant - no joke).
So anyway, this tiny restaurant serves up some seriously bad ass Caribbean food. Â Spiced perfectly and well-priced - I highly recommend the take out option for a couple of reasons: Â 1) some of the other reviews lead me to believe that dining in is a problem, service-wise and 2) the online ordering offers you more choices than you would get if you were dining in, like little snack sizes and whole chickens.
I highly recommend the Jerk Chicken, the plantains, the hard-dough bread and the curry goat. Â Oh my lord i cant say enough about the curry goat. Â Delicious, tender meat, mixed with potatoes in this succulent, slightly spicy curry sauce. Â It is truly a delight. Â it gets even better if you save some and eat it the next day. Â
The ginger beer is hard-core. Â This stuff is so potent it tastes exactly like someone pureed fresh ginger in a blender and added a few tablespoons of water. Â If you thin it out with some lemonade or water, it is really great, but I cant drink it straight. Â But you gotta get it just to say you did. Â
The rice and beans as well as the collard greens are just OK, kinda basic, they improved dramatically with some Louisiana hot sauce though. Â
Very conveniently located off the Howard Red Line stop, this is a great way to pretend you are in Jamaica without actually buying a plane ticket. Â
Get the Curry Goat!
First time I went, I wasn't too impressed.  I didn't care too much for the  Escoveitched fish and jerked wings.  It took a long time to be served.  The only thing going for the food was the cornbread and mango vinagrette. Â
  However did a takeout order  of the jerk chicken trio which had 6 thighs and 6 drumsticks and side of red beans and rice.  I walked out within 5 minutes.  It was enough to feed 3-4, and this time the chicken was on par.
The Jamaica Jerk restaraunt definitely has a unique flavor-set going on that is hard to get back here in Colorado. The sort of sweet + savory mix was refreshing.
The menu selection is good, the location is decent (right off the Red line at Howard), but the service was slow, especially since we were the only people in the place.
Still, this joint definitely has a family business atmosphere which  I like, and a pretty strong take-out service.
The place was somewhat cold, and the vegetarian options were iffy at best.
But this place is still worth a visit. 3.5 stars is more appropriate.
I love the food here.  I was surprised that a vegetarian friend recommended this place since there aren't any veggie entrees, but she loves to put together the ton of sides they have  as a meal.  That way she gets to try a bunch of things. Â
The jerk pork is not the smoked pork I had when I was in Jamaica, but rather is very tender with au jus. Â It's quite tasty but might be disappointing if your were looking for something smoked.
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