Other reviewers have got it exactly right: the food is delicious and the wait is ridiculous. Â So, plan to order when you're not quite hungry yet and everything will be good. Â
The jerk chicken is really amazing and all the sides are good too. I've also had the curry goat and it was good (but not as good as the jerk chicken, which is really the start of the show). Only food-related complaint is that the beef patties aren't that great but I still order one every time, so they aren't that bad!
I have an addiction to everything Jamaican..the men...the food..the men.... wait, what am I talking about again? Oh, right, this restaurant.
I like to think of myself as someone who knows what good Jamaican food taste like, and it taste like this!
The Oxtail...OMG! Very tender and delicious and saucy and amazing. I honestly think this is the best oxtail in the city and I've had quite a bit of oxtail in the city --- may or may not be a true statement. The rice and peas were amazing as well. I really like the cabbage too. I'd go the extra mile and say they use a bit of coconut milk in the cabbage as it had a slight creamy consistency. Very very nice.
All was not well with this place, however. The stewed chicken. It wasn't very moist and it had NO GRAVY with it. I wasn't exactly sure how they pulled this off. How can you manage to serve stewed chicken with NO GRAVY?!?! A tad bit confused about this... The plantains weren't riped, as such, I assume they had to double fry them. Fine, however, i think they were over cooked. And lastly, the customer service. One particular chick seemed as she was a little perturbed about serving folks their food. I suppose she was since she was going on about her personal life with another young lady behind the counter. Whatever!
One thing fellow yelpers got correct? The wait is RIDIC! I will need to find work at a Jamaican restaurant so that I can find out what in the hell takes so long. That ish is already cooked!
In conclusion, I understand the stewed chicken thing was a one off as this wasn't the first time having it from this place. As such, this will be a go to spot for Jamaican. It's in a convenient location and the price is right. I'll be looking for consistency the next time I visit.
First, let me say I find it HARD to believe this place has not been reviewed yet. I did all sorts of searches to see if I could find this place. I know plenty of people who talk about it and goodness, I see what I've been missing. On to the review:
I technically give this place a 4.3999 because the food is awesome! Awesome, awesome, awesome. So let me set the stage, so you can go and manage your expectations.
Ambiance: This place is all about the food. There is no glitz and glamour or even pleasantries, so to speak. Â You order from through a plastic window and the place is ridiculously hot. If you call, they probably won't answer, because they are busy perfecting your food. The lady behind the window isn't the friendliest.. which sucks because that could keep some people from going or coming back.
Food: I had the jerk chicken dinner with steamed cabbage and rice and beans. I waited about 20 minutes. When it arrived, I noticed my box was heavy. I opened it up to ensure it was right and this fantastic aroma filled my nose. I almost dug into my food standing up. When I finally got to taste it.. it was such the experience. Everything was seasoned to perfection. The perfect blend of marinated spices. The rice and beans were amazing and the steamed cabbage... I'll have 2 servings of that next time. Finger Licking Good!
In short, I'll be back with a book for the wait and a healthy appetite for the kill!
Enjoy!
This rating is based on service, since we never actually got any food. Â Ordered food at 12pm and got a 1:30pm delivery time. Â At 3pm we are still on the phone trying to get our food delivered. Â In the end, all we got was starved and a bad attitude from the person who told us our food was delivered to the wrong address, TWICE! Â
After waiting 3 hours for our order, I'm sure whatever their food is really like it would have tasted Great. Â We just couldn't wait another 30 more minutes. Â
Finally when I did eat lunch, the taquito I got from 7leven was delicious!
I ordered this restaurant via Grubhub. After they were 30 mins late I called and they said that their delivery person had called and we didn't answer. I checked the call log, nothing.
Then the woman said that they would send our food back out, fresh. After an hour we called again and they said "ten minutes". 30 minutes later, still no food.
We called grubhub and the restaurant on a three way phone call because there was so much confusion.
Jamaican Jerk villa delivered our food to the wrong people. They delivered it to people who already had food. Â We placed our order at 12pm and figured out at 3pm that we weren't getting our food any time soon.
They were rude and unhelpful. The woman THEN asked if we wanted our food in 30 mins. We all go home by 5. Why would we want our food from you when you gave us the run around for 2 hours?
How could you not realize that you're delivering a different order to the same damn building?
Grubhub gave us a $25 credit plus refunded our money.
I never got a chance to try their food but no food was worth that much stress.
I highly recommend calling ahead so you don't have to wait in line. However, when you pick up your food, I strongly suggest you listen to make sure other people don't pick up your order. Yes, that's from experience. Waited 40 minutes, they gave my order to someone else, but made it up to me by giving me a bogo deal.
Review Source:I tried this place finally after driving by and wanting to try it for quite a while. Â First the food was awesome. Â We had the white jerk chicken lunch plate and catfish lunch plate, with sides of mac and cheese, callalou, plantains, and red beans and rice. Â Everything was authentic and tasty as I expected. Â The only thing I wish I would have done different would have been to call in my order. Â It took about 20-25 minutes to get our food, and the waiting area actually feels like you are in a smoker with the chicken. Â It is extremely smokey in the waiting area and I had to step outside several times while I waited. Â I smelled like smoke the rest of the day and got some weird looks at work when I returned from lunch. Â Take out only and try not to be put off by the bullet proof glass that seperates the counter.
Review Source:I love this place because the food has been consistently good. I usually get the jerk dinner , with cabbage and red beans & rice. Delicious!...only reason I didn't give it 5 stars because they don't deliver before 1p.m during the week. And working downtown we Like our lunch at noon. So to me they miss out on a lot of money.
Review Source:I may have an addiction. I think I need a Jerk Villa IV drip. I eat here like twice a week. Its sad. They give you so much food and the prices are right! I always get the jerk white dinner with cabbage and red beans with an extra side of mac and cheese (and two extra sauces). I'm hooked. This place is consistently good and they take Debit cards! When can I own stock?!
Review Source:Looks like we've got a caribbean joint that may stick around a while. I got wind of it and next thing you know, I'm a jerk fiend, ordering take-out almost every week.
The jerk talapia is stellar , as well as the steamed cabbage. I also get the jerk wings that are well done like I like 'em. The only thing is that they're so hot, I literally feel as though I'm harming myself while I'm eating. Mouth is on fiiiiiiyaaaaaa and lips are tingling for the rest of the night. It hurts so good.
Two things, though: I recommend calling ahead, as the orders usually take 20-30 min. Secondly, after my first encounter with "we ain't got no more chicken", I preface every order with , "Ya'll still got chicken?"
It's not a place to dine in as the clientele can be a little sketchy, but  that area on Cermak is on the come-up. It's not too much of a hassle to find street parking while you run in.
This place is a game-changer. Most of my friends have heard me use that phrase to describe this place because it seriously affected me. I love taste. It's my favorite sense. The Jerk Villa tickles my buds in a serious way.
Cheryl and Diana are right on, this place isn't the best for a dine-in experience for most people. A few high tables, a counter and that's it. That is not a problem for me at all but I'm sure it would turn off some. To me, I think it adds to the experience. They focus on one thing here, and that's delicious food. What it lacks in ambience, it makes up for in authenticity. The chicken is tender, full of flavor, spicy. I never even use the sauce they provide with every order. The chicken has more than enough going on already.
They're super friendly, too. The first time I went, they gave me a little paper boat with a dollop of beans and rice, steamed cabbage, and a chunk of chicken. The beans and rice were just good, not great. The chicken was great. The steamed cabbage rocked my world. I hate cabbage. I hate it I hate it I hate it. Like I said before, this place is a game-changer.
Perhaps the best thing I can say about this joint is this: I live in Highland Park, and I drive to this place just for the wings. (they're so good, I even caught myself nibbling the little flappy part that no one eats.)
This is a two-pronged review.
First, the food. Â The food alone is a 4 star review (I am very begrudging of awarding anyone 5 stars) I first patronized this place because I would walk by almost every day and the smell is amazing. Â I swear, the guy cooks on real wood. Mixed with the smell of the jerk spices, I am amazed it took me so long to go here. Â The jerk chicken is incredible. Â Very spicy, moist, on the bone and messy. Â The catfish I had was the same, on the bone, wonderful flavors. Â The sides are virtually all of the slow-cooked variety, a incredible melange of flavors. Â Which leads me to the second "service" part of this review - slow food.
This is not a dine-in restaurant by any means. Â It is a typical "old" south loop counter, replete with 1" thick glass between you and the register. Â That is good, because you will want to jump through it and assault someone after you have been waiting 25 minutes for the food you ordered to carry out an hour earlier that they told you would be ready in 20 minutes. Â This is, of course, after you finally get to the counter, because it will take them 15 minutes just to take the orders of the three people in front of you. Â
This will happen to you every time, regardless of how much extra time you allot them before even bothering to leave to pick up said food.
Â
I do not know how a place that has been around over a year (AND they have another franchise on 79th that was open first) cannot know how long it takes to serve a quarter chicken with rice and beans. Â The people, to their credit, are not rude, and have given me a free drink on occasion after a particularly long wait. Â I weight quality food higher than great service, which is why I only knocked off 1 star for what is probably the worst counter service I have even encountered in terms of time.
If you are patient or have time to burn, give the place a chance, because the food is that good. Â Otherwise, maybe they will have finally gotten it together in another year for me to revise my review.
Not a "dine-in" spot, but definitely a primo 'take-out' joint. Â Awesome, spicy, tender, flavorful, genuine JERK chicken....no Americanization here...this is all Carribean baby! Â Recommended to me by a client, its grab and go ecstacy.
Your choice of sides might include steamed cabbage, rice and beans, corn or sweet pan-fried plantain (~delicious~)! Â This location is two blocks from McCormick place in the up-and-coming area of Bronzeville....yet it still has a long way to go. Â Though I felt very safe.
Call ahead for pick up, otherwise the wait can be rather long. Â Everything about the food here is 100% authentic, right down to the Jamaican sistah's accent (though you might have trouble seeing her through the bullet proof glass).
Oh and they have very inexpensive catering available. Â Delivery is listed as available on the website, but I'll bet only on the weekends. Â I tried on a Tuesday evening to no avail.
Ambiance - Forget about it....unless bars on the windows is your thing. There are like 2-3 tables with stools and a counter by the wall.
Just got a 1/2 mixed jerk chicken to try. Comes with sauce and bread. Smells so good. Chicken was good and spicy and you can taste the spices. The jerk sauce was ok, but I think I like the chicken just by itself.
Will go back and try the curry chicken and some sides.
jerk villa  on 8 e. cermak-oohh!! sooo gggoooodd!! fresh made to order, so waiting is a given. worth it yes. plumb, well chosen catfish and chicken. sauce is awesome!! candy yams-just ok. cabbage nice. but,  whaaatt!!! no plaintains!! not good. a little too much salt( for me). still good. pleasant service, parking, tough, street corner, tough. take a friend with to jump out and go in-best parking near bus stop. nice food-please try it. i will be back to this delicious place!!
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