CJ Cafe Flatbush

CJ Jamaican Restaurant: The Best Flavor and Value in Flatbush Location: Church Ave & Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY (Heart of the Flatbush Community) If you are looking for authentic Jamaican cuisine served with genuine warmth and incredible value, look no further than CJ Jamaican Restaurant at the corner of Church Ave and Flatbush Ave. This isn't just a meal; it's a stellar dining experience that keeps me coming back. The food here is simply amazing. Every dish I've tried has been expertly prepared and seasoned well, hitting that perfect balance of spice and savory depth that defines great Jamaican cooking. Whether you're craving Oxtail, Jerk Chicken, or Curry Goat, the chefs here truly master their craft. Beyond the flavor, the value is unbeatable. The servings are huge, ensuring you leave feeling satisfied—you definitely get your money's worth here. It's the kind of generous portioning that feels like a true home-cooked meal. What truly elevates CJ above the rest is the best customer service in the community. Marsha and Deneisha were absolutely pleasant with my order, attentive, and ensured a smooth, friendly interaction. Their positive attitudes make a significant difference, turning a quick pick-up into a genuinely enjoyable stop. This is, without a doubt, the best restaurant in the Flatbush community. I will always go back again and highly recommend it to anyone craving top-tier Jamaican flavor and service.

First time I came here after a gym session, the music, atmosphere, & service was A1 & on point! Danisha greeted me, loved her energy! I had the stew chicken with white rice and macaroni salad. It tasted like a homecooked meal. Instantly fell in love. The fruit punch w ginger was perfect to go with my meal. Definitely will be back! Highly recommend.

Ive ordered through Uber eats and each time they have forgotten an item in my order. The 1st time the gentleman offered to give me my item the following day if I came to pick it up. The second time ( which is today) the young lady offered a refund and left me on hold with no explanation to when I will be refunded. Needless to say as much as I like their food the service and inconvenience has influenced me to not patron this business again.

The young lady that helped my MIL and myself was so kind to us, despite having dealt with a problematic customer right before placing our order. The restaurant looks pretty clean and there are a few tables to sit and dine if you wish to, however, the space is kind of tight inside. Their food is really good. Usually we'll get the rasta pasta with Oxtails (half and half with the pastas), and it is so delicious.

Ordered through an app. Delicious food. They were very generous with the food and the container was stuffed!! I normally don't eat much but I finished the entire thing in 1 setting, even my friends were surprised.

I was not too keen about visiting this place late Friday night, but it was the only thing open besides fast food. From the looks of the place and I was turned off. Everything looked old, but I went for the Curry Chicken with rices n peas. When I got home and ate the food it was actually pretty good. I would definitely say that you can judge a book by its cover.

The taste of the food is EXCELLENT but sometimes there is hardly any meat on the pieces of chicken😢

Best macaroni salad in the area! The jerk chicken is so flavorful and the rice and peas have a perfect coconut aroma. I look forward to coming to the area to eat this food.

We ordered fried chicken, jerk chicken and oxtail through Postmates for dinner. The fried chicken needed more flavor, the jerk chicken was super spicy, and the oxtail was ok but had a sour flavor in it that I didn't like too much. It wasn't a rotten sour flavor - I'm just not sure what gives it that sour taste but enough for me not to want to reorder here. On a better note, the portions were good.

So I just arrived to Brooklyn after being away from my city for quite a few years. Of course I want the best food. Jet lagged I chose to DoorDash some dinner. CJ Cafe is recommended and as a non meat eater they had options for me. My sister and I both ordered the Saltfish with yam & banana & 2 Snapple. Food comes & is tasty. The Saltfish was not boneless which I didn't have a problem with but my sister didn't like the bones. It also came with dumplings but didn't have any flavor. They also didn't add our drinks so we opted for water. All in all I enjoyed the food minus the dumplings. As far as service they need to pay more attention to orders because our drinks were missing.

I did an order for pickup the rice was dry the macaroni salad wasn't good the food was horrible never ordering from the Flatbush location again

This is the worst fucking Jamaican restaurant ever. I got here at 9:54. It was only one person working, and I was making plates and taking orders. By the time I got to order at 10:08, they didn't even have what I wanted to order. No small plates, no jerk chicken. The rice and beans had a 5 min wait. I was on break, and my break was only 30 mins away. I work 4 mins away. I wasted my whole 30 min break going there for nothing. Very bad customer service. It's like she didn't care, just on the phone and taking her time. I do understand it's only her but 1st and last time being here & it wasn't fair to either person

There was mice running around the entire establishment. I called to place an order and this nasty woman started yelling at me and said that they ran out of Mac and cheese. What proper establishment runs out of Mac and cheese? The ambiance was also extremely loud and the lady had a disgusting attitude.

Waayyy too spicy. Even their rice and fried chicken are spicy. Food would be good if it wasn't so spicy. Taste like the put scotch bonnet seeds in it.

I'm giving C & J 5 stars based on my recent Uber eats order. Everything was packed neatly and my food arrived in good timing. I ordered a large jerk pork with a side of their famous macaroni salad that they are known for. The jerk pork was really good. It had a good jerk flavor and some nice juicy portions of pork. Slightly too much bone for my liking but all in all still very good! The macaroni salad is also really tasty and was packaged separately which was great since I don't like cold and hot foods mixed.

Food was okay order late the food wasn't hot and the macaroni salad was expired ! They need to move the food into a working fridge or not out as much in the summer time. It reeks a bad smell on the other side everything else as the peas and rice and stew chicken was decent.

Note: Review only of desserts ordered for delivery via Grubhub Service: Delivery took quite a bit (which was unexpected as none of the ordered items are made-to-order) and on top of that they were at least 10min late. Desserts: Did not know what to expect but was not pleased with 4/5 of the sweets. -greater cake: essentially just shredded coconut with sugar. -gizzarda: okay. tastes mostly of nutmeg. -plain cake: flavor is pretty much as it's named except has a basic white frosting and some middle filling which did not have much flavor; I did not expect nor liked these since I expected a plain cake -red velvet cake: mild red velvet flavor. Same basic white frosting as the plain cake, not the traditional cream cheese frosting found on red velvet cakes I have had. -jack ass corn: very good! A hard crunchy "cracker" type thing with a touch of coconut flavor (even from someone who isn't a fan of coconut-flavored things) and a general sweet wheat flavor. Recommend.

Nice little spirit on Flatbush. Some might just walk by but they got some good food. They have 3 tables in case you want to stay to eat. The fridge is stocked with all the DG sodas, water etc. Curry goat, excellent Rice and peas, yum Cabbage, excellent Oxtail, ok, too tangy Prices weren't too High, so I actually got a small plate to go. I would revisit this spot, especially since half of Flatbush is closing down

I really used to love this place because of the great quality food for a low price, and super sweet staff! The people lately though have made some uncomfortable comments that felt borderline inappropriate. I used to be a frequent customer, but I've stopped going because I don't feel comfortable being treated differently than the other customers. Multiple times I have went in there when it's busy recently. I watched multiple people order in front of the food, but I was told to go to the cashier. That's fine, I'm not going to make too big of a deal of that but it's fairly odd to be scolded I can't order there while I watched others do it before me. Then, I went to the counter and was asked what type of gravy I wanted. I heard them say the "white lady wants oxtail" and laugh to each other. I didn't even end up getting gravy anyways lol... I honestly wouldn't have cared this much if I really didn't love this place. Get better staff and I will come back! I used to love the older ladies working behind the counter, as they were always so kind. If you don't want to serve everyone just say that please.

Food be amazing! CJ CAFE never misses when it comes to the flavor of their food! Customer services is a work in progress, however there is one guy who goes above and beyond, I wish I knew his name! But the food is too good to go else where! The flavors be banging!!!!

The food wasn't Bad at all with this restaurant, it was really the service that was horrible. The young lady at the front appeared to me and my friends to have a serious attitude and in the mood to not want to work. I wanted to ask more questions about the food options but due to the attitude it Deterred me away from even saying much at all. Then what turned me off more was the fact that the food was, to me, a bit overpriced for Mac and cheese, fried chicken and a side of vegetables. I wouldn't return here again because I know for a fact that there are MANY other great Caribbean places in NYC that have food as good and the service is far more to anyone's liking.

I've been going here for year the food is great nothing is overcooked all of the food is amazingly delicious. I have no complaints about the service I've stayed there once the ambiance is decent . Do not hesitate ordering here or eating here you won't regret it thank me later.

I have always had one qualm with this restaurant. The long wait after placing an order. Well that has since changed along with their decor changes here and there. But when there is good food - who cares about the decor! Stew peas and white rice or oxtail and white rice are my faves, but I have serious appreciation for the liver and fried dumplin in the morning. The staff is friendly enough, no attitudes, and you get your order just the way you want it. A friendly neighborhood staple that is on track to be there for a very very long time.

I remember being in this restaurant when they first opened years ago . I hadn't been back here in years and Fast forward to now and not much has changed besides their absence of the usual long lines. Definitely is not a good sign for business . Why the 3 stars is well I felt I wasn't informed properly as to what I could and couldn't order as a meal . Keep in mind there are nooooo menus in this restaurant which is absolutely ridiculous . You have to ask the servers and endure their thick accents which I can deal with and sometimes bad attitudes which I can't deal with . I asked the server before hand " Can I buy a small meal with Mac and cheese and jerk chicken server responded with a yes . So I get to the cashier who's wearing an angry face and I notice I'm charged 6 dollars for a small jerk chicken and 2 dollars for a side of Mac and cheese . Didn't mention anything in the restaurant as I was already annoyed . Not having any menus in the restaurant caused this and I felt sorta cheated even though it's afew dollars .I just didn't like the backwardness that C&J now operates with. Maybe I would have ordered a medium or maybe I would have ordered rice or something different had there been a menu giving me a better value . So , as my pic shows , I ended up getting charged 8 dollars for two pieces of chicken and the smallest cut of baked Mac and cheese . Tasted good but it'll likely be awhile before I return to this area for their food and I'll most definitely look up their menu online beforehand . You should too !

Ordered through grub hub a large bbq chicken dinner for $18 and got a container full of rice and 4 tiny pieces of chicken . Disgraceful!!

The customer service is horrible. The lady that was taking ppl orders were talking negatively about the patrons right in front of them with the other staff. The food is not the same. The Chef needs help in the back.

This place used to be good. The fried chicken had no flavor and the mac salad wasnt like before. Prob wont ever go back unfortunately.

What you see here is an $8+ "meal" ....Ohh boy, I really try to support the small local business, especially West Indian business but when I mean I just keep getting disappointed to the point that I am just turned completely off. On my last visit it was the staff and their disgusting behavior and the way they talk to the customers on top taking so long to give you your food that ALREADY is cooked and stored at the buffet station in from of them. Now this ....the unfortunate meal that I paid $8.

DANGEROUS!!!! IM still in such shock that this happened to me I'm glad it didn't happen to my son but I'm Soo disgusted and bothered this happened to me. I ordered two meals one for my 3yr old son fried chicken and rice and one for me jerk chicken and rice. I ate the entire plate of mines and with my son having a smaller stomach since he's only three he didn't eat it all and I saved the rest of his food in the fridge until he got hungry again. The next day while my son was in school since I was hungry I decided to eat my sons remaining food for lunch and buy us both dinner when he came home from school. Smh AFTER MY SECOND BITE I FELT I BIT SOMETHING HARD AND IT GOT STUCK IN BETWEEN MY TWO BACK TEETH. I instantly felt something nudged in between my teeth and tried to get it out but I just couldn't I tried for almost 15-20mins but nothing and at this point I started getting nervous because it was sticking into my gums I couldn't see what it was in the back of my mouth and it felt like glass I started freaking out because it was partially sticking out so I couldn't close my mouth down smh. I had to get one of my tools(tweezers) and slowly move it around but any way I turned it the thing would hurt and feel like I couldn't move it that way. Finally after 30mins being home alone and freaking out trying to get what ever this was that I bit into from the food from CJ Cafe I finally was able to pull it out. I was bleeding my tooth was bleeding and to find A STAPLE DUG INTO MY GUMS FROM IN THE FOOD I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. When I pulled out the staple it came out with a piece of my gums and some blood smh. All I could think about was what if this was my son it happened to because it was hit food I ate...THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I called the restaurant 3 times told them what happened the person who answered said wow she is sorry but just offered me free food but since my order was from Uber said I would have to place a dollars worth of a order on Uber of like water or something to get them to deliver my food with that order. I could not believe what I was being told. So I just ate food from CJ cafe that had a staple that dug down into my gums and made me bleed an all and I have to go on Uber order a bottle of water pay for it and the extra delivery fees and taxes just so a company who is at fault can give me free food as a solution. Smh this is crazy me being a business owner i would have apologized I would have invited them in I would have asked if I can personally bring them the food I would have been Soo sympathetic to the fact that my establishment just caused harm to a customer. I instantly asked for eh owner or manager and they took my number and told me they will have one of them call me back it's been three days and me eating there food and finding a staple in it that pierced my gums making me bleed and now my mouth hurts is not of importance. Smh who would want to have to search in there food completely every time they eat with the fear they would find something that can kill them in there food or there child's food. Look I know things happened I figured maybe someone was stapling the brown bag that they package there food in near my food that was being prepared for me an it went in my food but to not get a call back smh. I usually order from the restaurant peppas a few blocks away because they are very good and popular and wanted to give this try a spot but with this happening after the second time ordering and the first time the food not being so good. Smh Now I have to go to the doctor to get my mourned checked out because metal in ur mouth can be poison established when it pierces in the skin and my mouth burns smh. I don't like to put up reviews and speak down about any business but this is serious it could have been my son smh and they couldn't even have a owner or manager call me to inform them of my experience

Who: party of 1 What: (Deets) jerk pork (in lieu of stewed pork). Tight, because the jerk was too spicy Hot to even enjoy, and 1/3 of the meat was bone. WTH?! When: 10:15pm-ish 3/16/17 Where: take away Why: hunger pangs How: public transportation/ car Q18, M/R trains Bathroom: roomy (2 stall, separate gender) Service: cordial. The line is usually long, but moves pretty quickly. Bottom line: this is a convenient spot (Corner of Flatbush & Church Aves), so I go to this location for the "might as well, it's on the way" of it when I'm hungry. Plus, sometimes they have stewed pork, which is life. Tip: the macaroni salad is always a winner. If you are able to get to their Utica Ave (Church/Linden Blvd) location, that's my go-to. I rock with the stewed peas, fried chicken w/tomato sauce, and stewed chicken.

I can't lie this is my spot..now unfortunately for me I'm a fried chicken connoisseur and not just any fried chicken..Caribbean fried chicken..so I usually judge how good a place is by the fried chicken and I can tell you it's delicious and much better than everywhere else I've tried for ex. fishermans cove footprints, banana boat just for ex. trust me there's a lot I didn't get to mention but I tried it there as well..the only other spot that has been just as good is a place by Avenue J and Utica next to my old barbershop but that spot doesn't have delivery so no competition there..Overall amazing food big up to Cj I love this place everything on the menu is great not just the fried chicken

Food was absolutely delicious, I had delivered and it was still great . I highly recommend this place if you are in the mood for some good oxtail

The fact that this was one of the best Jamaican restaurants in Brooklyn and it fell off soooo hard .. the rice mushy.. the food overall sloppy with no taste.. I'm so disappointed because I still support these patrons but every time I think to give them another chance , it's another fail .... It's been a very long while they have exprecting to replace their chef .... Until then I think I'm gonna put them to rest because I can't lose my money for food that I know has or had so much potential

Had it yesterday after a photoshoot the director brought us some food and it was from here. Macaroni salad was out of this world, and I will be having the jerk chicken again.

Food was ok. This restaurant is beyond overrated. Took almost 45 minutes for my food. Waited 20 minutes online and another 15 to get my food only to have items missing from my order. I can only see myself returning if every other place is closed and I'm starving.

I ordered the oxtail with rice and peas and a side of cabbage. The cabbage was more of a salad than steamed or stewed cabbage that you typically get. Rice was on a mushy side and it was stuck together in chunks, and there were only a few peas in the rice. Oxtail was flavorful, and it wasn't fatty. While, the oxtail was tasty, unfortunately the sides fell short. My favorite spot on Washington Avenue closed down, and I'm in endless search for properly prepared oxtail and jerk chicken. Would I come back? Yes, the oxtail was delicious, but I would get a different side.

I would only come back here for the macaroni salad. My brother bought me a small curry goat a few days ago. The goat tasted too goat-y. The macaroni salad was good. They ran out of oxtail when he ordered it. Again, only come for the macaroni salad. It's excellent.

Came here really unexpectedly as I was walking to a friend's house, can't say it was a bad experience. The place is really small and there aren't any menu boards (that's why I had to take a point off), but the food didn't disappoint. My friend got the baked macaroni and oxtail while I got the oxtail with a spicy shrimp pasta. (Tip: not every item that is served for that day is on display. For example, the macaroni was not on display and I would not have even known they were serving it if my friend didn't ask for it. So if you're in the mood for a specific item, like the baked macaroni, tell them and see if they have it in the back.) Now, there's two options for the pasta: one is mild and the other is spicy. Me taking "spicy" as an understatement, I ordered the spicy. To my disbelief though.. the pasta was ACTUALLY hot. Next time I will definitely try the mild one. Though the flavor was awesome and it was really filling, I think eating the pasta was very hard because of the spice. The oxtail on the other hand was delightful. It was mild but had a bit of sweetness which I loved, very tender too. When I go back, I'll definitely try the jerk chicken like everyone mentioned and the milder pasta! It was yummy.

This is my favorite Jamaican restaurant! Despite the rude attitudes of the workers, I go back time and time again because the food is just SO GOOD! So I put up with the attituds for a few minutes for some delicious food. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING ON THEIR MENU EXCEPT THEIR FISH! I'm very funny about eating fish outside so I stick to meats. They have changed the workers so the new workers attitudes aren't so nasty as the prior workers, however they still need some social butterfly classes, lol. Seriously thought, if you're in the area and want the BEST JAMAICAN FOOD EVER, THIS PLACE IS A MUST HAVE! I PROMISE YOU ITS WORTH IT !

My order came to $9.71, not $10 so Renee wouldn't let me use my card. Food is alright, not great and greasy. Service is absolute shit. Go elsewhere.

Their oxtails..... with the white rice..... and a side of the macaroni salad.... I was in heaven. I can't wait to return. Thank goodness that I have family that live within walking distance, because I don't.

This place use to be so good 4 years ago now the food is just okay. They have really good and cheap food. I liked their stew chicken but I think the last time I ordered this they gave me fowl and I swore off this place. I'm Caribbean so I know the difference between fowl and chicken. The only reason why I gave them three stars is because I really like their salads, particularly their macaroni salad.

Man oh man this restaurant has the best oxtail I've ever had. If you want authentic West Indian food this is as good as it gets. Also the macaroni salad is like crack. You won't want to stop eating lol. The only problem I have with this place is.. It takes a little while to get your food. The reason is because it's always crowded and it is located on Flatbush and church which is def a busy area.

Why isn't 0 stars an option?!? I just paid for a plate of rice and oxtail bones covered in gristle and fat. Disgusting! My Bf's curry goat was also all fat. So either you all don't know how or don't care to clean your meat before it's cooked. All the "meat" you served us should of been trashed. You guys should be closed down. Serving ppl BS! Never Again!

I always order their delicious curry chicken! It's Seasoned to perfection! The Lunch special is $5 for curry chicken & stew chicken. The lunch special for Oxtail is $7 I believe. Nice set up. Clean restaurant.

I was very disappointed with the service at C & J on Flatbush Avenue & it just continues to get worst! I went to place an order & expressed that I do not eat rice & would like to have a substitute possibly double veggies or macaroni salad & veggies which I was blatantly told NO, not only was the cashier popping her gum in my face but then had the nerve to turn around & say "we dont have enough to give you".. I was in total shock! Not only was the macaroni on FULL VIEW but it was a large tray totally full. I was not asking for the whole entire tray! I was asking for a spoon full.. I guess it was too much for C & J to make a customer who does not eat rice happy & I will never patronize them ever again.. Too bad you can not give a rating of negative a star!

4 stars is for proper escovitch fish I ordered for my bday shingding! Back in the days, I use to visit this spot, but haven't lately. Anyway, my moms put the order in Friday and paid in full. It was suppose to be ready for pickup Saturday evening. When I went there, it was not ready...they didn't even start it. They asked me to wait for it, which I refused to do and had to come back Sunday morning, which was inconvenient, but whatever. The fish was GREAT! and the price was right. They really need to organize themselves a bit though. Imagine if I had a function the Saturday night and REALLY needed it?!

I had the oxtail w peas and rice & regular salad . My friend ordered the shrimp pasta but after we opened our food he only found 3 shrimp (it was a medium) so he decided to ask them for more shrimp. The guy behind the counter called the lady who works on the register and she took it, threw it out (I didn't agree w that, they could've given it away to someone right outside) & gave him a whole new medium meal. So he copied my meal and for the oxtail w macaroni salad instead and we were both in awe of how good it tasted . The foods great honestly I just didn't like how they threw out perfectly good food.

The food is delicious and made fresh daily . The only disadvantage is the seating arrangements. There is not enough seating for the amount of customers that frequent there. When you make your order and your seated,,,the people are standing over you while you eat. So I don't dine in. My orders are USUALLY to go

Their food WAS always good but I don't know if the pandemic got them in 2021 because it sucks now. The plantain was dry. So dry and hard you couldn't even break it in half and when you finally did it was gray on the inside. Got 3 pieces of chicken; all bone. I always loved their Marconi salad. Ordered through Uber Eats and it was missing!!! Big disappointment!!! I don't even want to give it a star

Their food used to be good back in the day but now it's just not the same. I ordered a med oxtail with rice and peas. They give you a medium portion of everything BUT the oxtail. Rebranding didn't help. They need new chefs!

Found a piece of plastic in my food yesterday!!! Have yet to hear from someone regarding this!

Oh lawd the pasta!! Yes!! The macaroni salad!! Yes!! I don't even eat macaroni salad but I eat thisss!! Just yessss! Only the lines are an issue sometimes but you have to expect lines when it's good! Decent prices too.

Came here late one night with a friend, I ordered the fried chicken with macaroni salad and it was heavenly! Haven't gone back recently, but it was a great experience.

Worst restaurant in the chain. I first asked if they're were taking cards. She said no they taking cash. And I reconfirmed. Then the woman in front of me uses a card. Blatantly lying to a customer. And when I followed up about an order I wanted to place, I was told there would be no more of the food when I asked for what I wanted. I ordered something else and when the time came more food than they anticipated was available. Not only was I not allowed to get my original request every one was super disrespectful about it. I have no problem supporting black owned West Indian businesses but this was just disappointment to say the least. As a manager, your staff has got to do better. I work in healthcare and I would never let my team be disrespectful to anyone regardless if it was a patient or not. I'm just so disappointed. Safe to say I won't be coming back to this location.

I am NEVER going back.. I didnt get what I paid for. And, instead of consulting with me, the employee plated whatever he felt like sharing in exchange. To make matters worse, the dish that was shove unto me cost less than what I paid for. They didnt have the decency to reimburse me which is unprofessional and unethical. Check your food before you leave because they are crooks. I tried calling and no one picked up. I am highly annoyed and disappointed.. Never going back.

This place use to be really good but they fell off bad the rice is bad the chicken is ok the only decent thing was the Mac and the guy on the register disrespectful