Back A Yard Caribbean Grill

"Popular Caribbean joint Back A Yard cooks up some ridiculously good jerk chicken. Since opening in 2004, they’ve become a small army of five Silicon Valley locations, including a brick-walled, fast-casual spot on the Capitol Expressway, and a take-out joint with an outdoor patio adjacent to San Jose State. The atmosphere is easygoing, and it’s all delicious—try the jerk chicken, some beef oxtails, the Jamaican fried cornbread, and daily specials like ackee and codfish. With plates and combos that range from $13-$19, and snacks and sides under $10, you can (and should) try a little bit of everything." - shoshi parks

"“Back A Yard” is derived from a term in the Caribbean that represents the lifestyle, culture, spirit and aura of welcoming visitors into one’s home. Fittingly, Back A Yard has become a Bay Area destination with five different locations serving nourishing and home-style Jamaican and Caribbean dishes. Some of the most popular orders include the jerk chicken and oxtail plate, curried goat, barbeque spareribs, jerk tofu, and coconut curried tofu. The jerk sauce and marinades are all made in-house, while the braised oxtail is cooked for hours to produce a deep, umami flavor." - Octavio Pena, Cathy Park

"This uber-popular Jamaican outfit is an essential South Bay restaurant for a reason. Sure, plenty of fans head here for curried goat and jerk chicken. But only a fool would overlook the coconut curried tofu, jerk tofu, the Jamaican fried cornmeal bread, and collard greens — all of which are vegan. Don’t skip the gooey macaroni and cheese, pineapple upside-down cake, and the vegan sweet potato pudding for dessert, either." - Cathy Park, Paolo Bicchieri