Jamaica Jamaica

I don’t mind spending money on food if it’s good and you receive a nice portion. The service I received today was unreal. The Ox tail lunch special was $25.00 and I was so disappointed. The Ox tails were sliced thin so don’t expect much meat and the beans and rice were too salty and mushy and the cabbage was under cooked. I guess I will have to go back to NJ to find some real Jamican cuisine.

The two stars are for the sweet woman at the counter who took my order. If you want anything close to Jamaican cuisine, don't come here. I had the jerk chicken and curry chicken. Both were not good at all. Very disappointing to pay top dollar for low quality and low taste.

I am going to be as respectful as I can be but blunt. This food was extremely disappointing. Literally disgusting. I had a strong craving for Jamaican cuisine. I ordered the ox tail plate with rice and peas and cabbage. The ox tails tasted like straight Mexican food. My drink was more Jamaican than my food. Not a single Jamaican spice was used at all. They were super thin, the whole thing tasted like chili soup. No gravy, just chili juice. The cabbage was full of parsley and had no flavor whatsoever. The rice and peas I couldn’t even touch after the first spoonful. I would NOT recommend, suggest or direct anyone to go here for Jamaican food.

My chicken taste old and was so salty. This is NOT a Jamaican restaurant... This is some place where Hispanics are making their play on Jamaican food .. it was not good at all. I love my Latino friends foods and I also love Jamaican food but this is false advertising at its best.. smh.. so disappointing I just wasted $16 + on this horribleness.

Mannnnnnnnn, go here. The food here is the truth. I tasted the grilled fish and was hooked. I can't explain it. The people here are awesome. Shout out to the chef. Jamaica Jamaica is my new whole foods whole check. The prices here are not bad either. You can eat lunch for right around $10 but, it's worth it. Thanks.

I've patronized this establishment since the 90s when I was in high school but that stops now. It's severally declined in taste and atmosphere. They used to throw the best reggae parties weekly, real Jamaica staff and cooks and fresh everything. This week, against my better judgement, I went to get a plate since SM ruined my new favorite Jamaican food place. When I get home to eat I bite into what looked liked a 3 day old Pattie. ( see pictures).I was so upset but I didn't want to waste my time returning the food. I figured this review would be enough. Avoid this place if you want good food.

Food was horrible. I got a side of Mac and cheese and the noodles are so over cooked it looks and taste like mashed potatoes. My boyfriend got jerk chicken, rice and beans. The rice is also mushy and over cooked with absolutely nooo flavor. Everything looked like it was warmed up and put out from a previous day

LOVE LOVE LOVE THEIR FOOD! I've been here about 30 times and have eaten the jerk chkn, rice, brown & curry chkn stew, shrimp stew, beef patties, cabbage, collards, plantains, black beans...all are fantastic and u have to pour the meat juice or stew over the rice to have the flavors offset each other..it would be too much to have flavorful meat over flavorful rice...I LOVE IT AND THEY DO HAVE A REAL JAMAICAN COOKING THE FOOD SO I KNOW ITS AUTHENTIC!

Absolutely a horrible experience..food was on verg of spoil . The cook kept leaving kitchen walking out to sidewalk cussing and fighting all infront on my young kids. Then returning to kitchen never washing hands ..touching everything outside and his face and hair . Then my young son kept poking me trying to show me that same cook was picking his nose.. all this Then returning to back to cook and not washing his hands ..just dirty and the issue with him fighting outside on sidewalk was just scary..we will never return or recommend!! Sad and true

I haven't been here in a few years. I used to love this place. But it's gone down hill. The flavors are not authentic at all. The salmon was good but did not have a strong jerk flavor. More like a typical blackened salmon. Cabbage had an overwhelming amount of oregano. Rice and peas were okay. Essentially this was a small piece of salmon for $16 At a counter service restaurant, $16 should get you more than that. I know of full sit down restaurants with much larger portions. I also got a side of Mac and cheese and it was below average. In sum, it tastes like whoever is cooking may be following a recipe but has no understanding of the soul or flavor of Jamaican food. Regrettably, I would not recommend going here for authentic tasting food and I don't think I'll be back.

Jamaica Jamaica Restaurant is truly authentic Caribbean cuisine the is the true toe recipes of Jamaica's famous food at it's best. Bob Marley would feel right at home with the nutritious vegetarian meals, pescatarian (seafood) meals, goat grabbing meats, pork meals, beef meals, poultry meals, diet conscious dieters meals, low calorie meals, and excellent beverages, served in their indoor dining room, outdoor café tables, take out meals, delivery meals, and catering for large groups. If you have never been to Jamaica Jamaica on highway 55 in Durham, NC. I highly recommend the charming restaurant which also offers live and recorded music from the Caribbean Islands, Of Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Saint Licia, Grenada, Dominica, Saint Vincent, Grenadines, Aruba, Saint Kitts, the Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy,, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Curaçao, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Turks and Caicos, and other Islands too.

I visited this restaurant after reading the reviews. I love Jamaican food so I decided to satisfy my craving for curry chicken. The cabbage was crunchy and tasty. I didn't care too much for the curry chicken. The chicken was tender, but I could barely taste the curry. I may return again for a veggie plate in the future. The jerk chicken, collard greens, and green beans looked delicious.

We've had many oxtail stews before so we wanted to try this place out. I have NEVER seen anyone slice their oxtail this thin!! They give you like 5-7 slices. Which equals to about 1 and a half of an oxtail portion that other places serves. Definitely not worth it.

This rating is not about the food but rather about the service. They say they open at 11 but they are never ready at 11 always 20-30 mins late. Change the store hours if you're unable to have food ready.

Protein (Chicken, Pork & Fish) was really good. Great flavor & good quantity. But the Rice which comes with that, felt like lacking the flavor. Really need to work on cleaning the place.

I just ordered Jamaican food from this local restaurant and the food was not good at all. The rice was pasty with not enough beans (4 total beans in all). The cabbage was salty and the jerk chicken was the worst I've ever tasted. The chicken was baked and tasted raw and looked pink. The jerk seasoning was absolutely absent and it reflected on the bottom. The plantain tasted good but the large cuts through me off. I must say tonight's carving for good Jamaican dinner was disappointing. This location will be forever remembered as a place i need to stay away from. Thanks jamaica Jamaica hope you do better in the future and somehow i try your improvements.

Never any food. Poor portions. Unfriendly service. Food taste is So-So. Not worth your time. Unfortunately

I stumbled onto this while looking for food dinner to bring back to my hotel room. After arriving to the store front of Jamaica Jamaica I saw folks filtering out every few minutes with carry out. It literally has the hole in the wall ambiance, but walk in. It's cafeteria style service with wonderful staff and it smells so good. The menu options seem to be endless. I got jerk chicken over rice with jerk gravy, collard greens, black beans and plantains. Highly recommend, I will return whenever I'm in the Durham area again.

I randomly decided to pop in right before lunch was over. I ordered a spicy beef patty and the lunch special jerk wings w/coco bread. It came with 4 whole jerk wings. I had a little wait on the coco bread but I didn't mind. The coco bread was the best part of the meal to me. The patty was okay and the wings were okay. It just wasn't that memorable so I probably won't return.

Did NOT like the food AT all. Not sure what the hype is about. Hot oxtails Mac and plantain. Just not good

Was a little skeptical at first from going in but the food was good me and my cousin came from Goldsboro NC. It was worth the drive good food nice service I had jerk chicken was not spicy at all need some spice also had some ox tails, cabbage was delicious never change that. The plantains are very tasty. My cousin has salmon, jerk chicken, and the pork chops. Salmon was kinda dry she said but tastes seasoned. Overall I will be back!

I went to this restaurant in the food was tasty however, the food does come on a buffet line and it kept a good temperature. depending on how you like your food to be prepared buffet versus freshly prepared would be my distinguishing factor on coming, but everything worked out smoothly overall

I don't have a lot of time to write this review only to say the collards were some of the best I've ever had anywhere in the world the jerk chicken was prepared perfectly and they had a lot of sides to choose from Collards worth a second mention I would definitely come back here sooner rather than later

If you want that jamaican quality and taste experience, they missed on so many levels. I had the jerk salmon that not only had no jerk sauce taste but was also burnt and dry. The curry shrimp had no curry taste and was very bland. There was a lot of watery grease at the bottom of my food, so I wasn't sure why that was. The cabbage was also plain and a lot of unnecessary water in it. The rice and peas were ok. I enjoyed the plantains but unfortunately that was it..The quantity of food was very good, just not the quality. I'm sorry to say I will not be returning to this place of business.

Had a delicious lunch here with my family. Large menu, we chose to do platters with various choices between jerk chicken, meat patties, rice and different vegetables - all delicious. Will be back!

Went here today, haven't been in yrs, due to the fact that it wasn't any Jamaicans cooking the food; but it was my lunch break and my Co-worker suggested it + Plus it's ran again by ... Well @ least 1 Jamaican. But it was tasty - I got the Jerk Chicken with the Rice & beans/ Yellow tropical Chicken Rice with Cabbage (which was hittin') and Plantains (fried) which was very delicious; I'll definitely be coming back- didn't eat it all cause I would've probably passed out once I went back to work .... Especially since I work outside. It was kinda hot inside the restaurant cause it don't seem to have Central Air, Just some fans and a window A/C unit that's near the Lavatory, that's why I gave it 4 Stars!

Jamaica Jamaica Came by on a weekday to grab lunch to go. You don't have to worry about parking because it's located in a massive strip mall. The menu was simple and was on the wall! I got the Jamaica Jamaica Sampler (jerk chicken, curry chicken, Caribbean shrimp on a bed of rice) with a side of plantains. Ambiance 4/5 Service 4/5: There is no table service- you go up cafe style to get your food. Food 3.5/5: They serve massive portions! It was enough for two meals! In fact when I ordered it to go, they gave me two sets of utensils! The plantains were ok- they didn't seem fresh. Next time, I'll probably try the cabbage instead of the plantains. The Caribbean Shrimp was great- perfectly cooked and flavorful! The Jerk chicken was ok- i wished it had a stronger jerk flavor. The curry chicken was good.

I really wanted to love this place because their menu is great, but unfortunately the food falls flat. I had the brown stew chicken, plantains, and coco bread. The bread was by far the best part of the meal -- pillowy and lightly sweet. The brown stew chicken consisted of 3 legs, which was a bit surprising but I like dark meat so I didn't mind too much. The meat was cooked well -- it was very tender without being overdone. The sauce, though, was underwhelming. Brown stew dishes should be a complex mix of sweet, savory, and spicy. This one was largely just salty. The chicken was served over rice, and the rice was also disappointing and inconsistent. There were pockets of undercooked crunchiness and other pockets of overcooked sliminess. The plantains looked ripe and sweet, but tasted like nothing and had none of the good char on them that makes yellow plantains lovely. Overall as much as I want to adore a local Jamaican spot, it misses the mark in too many ways. My second star is for the bread, the right texture of the chicken, and the friendly service, but that's about it.

When I lived in the triangle from 2011 to 2017, Jamaica Jamaica was always one of my three or four go to spots when I had visitors in from out of town. However, having moved back north in '17, I hadn't been there in three years until late August of '20 and it still lives up to every bit of the hype. I always go with the spicy jerk chicken (lunch size), yellow rice, and cabbage with mixed veggies. Extra gravy really sets the flavor off on all of the veggies and makes the leftover rice quite a joy to eat at the end of the meal. I typically to mix it up with both white and dark meat from time to time, but the one pictured below is white meat. In terms of COVID, the restaurant definitely followed all proceduers with masks, social distancing, and sanitizing. Both inside (with proper distancing) and outside seating is available. Definitely doing things the right way and I'll definitely be back.

Jamaica Jamaica is in an unsuspecting location but don't let that fool you! They offer quick service À la cart for lunch and the Jerk Chicken is arguably the best in the triangle and undoubtedly in South Durham. I also recommend their plantains with any meal. Try as I might I can't get my plantains to taste quite as good as theirs with enough sweetness to feel like a dessert but not overwhelmingly losing their fundamental flavor. The Ox tail is also really well done. I had a very picky ex girlfriend and she would always ask me to get their Ox tail (and offered no complaints every time). I cannot stress enough how much of an accomplishment that was. They also made an effort to have a nice little outside seating area in an otherwise drab shopping center. The staff is always nice. The only thing I can think of I wish they would add is a soft drink station for more options other than the bottled drinks but that's a minor thing.

Let me start by saying the food wasn't bad, it just wasn't Jamaican food. Not even Jamaican with a hint of Spanish influence, just completely Spanish. The beef patties taste like empanadas, and the jerk chicken was like greasy barbecue chicken with a slight spicy sauce on them. You could taste the adobo and Sazon in the patties, which again isn't a bad thing but I see no point to advertise this as a Jamaican restaurant when it's clearly Hispanic. There are no bold Jamaican flavors, and the rice and peas were so over cooked that it was mushy. It was a waste of time and money. I normally cook Hispanic dishes at home, and was deeply disappointed when my craving for something different was left unfulfilled. Waste of gas and money for food I could've cooked (better) at home. Actually I don't know why I was defending their Hispanic dishes at first, it's bad for Spanish food too. I could've made it better.

This place is definitely not holding on the place and for the price it is well worth it. I will be returning back here through my visit here in Durham. The food comes to you piping hot and I loved the service they have as well. It tastes like someone actually put forth some effort which is rare nowadays.

Food is good portions are huge. Always stop by this spot when I'm in the Durham area. Prices are fair for the amount of food you get.

Great food and great hospitality. Please try the jerk chicken along with the cocoa bread believe you will not regret it at all

This spot is run by spanish people. They have a different way of cooking. The wings are good however I like my wings more crispy. The food is definitely worth the money. Not expensive either.

We've heard great things about this place and it did not disappoint. We ordered the jerk chicken lunch with yellow rice and plantains. We got a big mound of rice with juice on the rice plus 3 pieces of chicken and a big helping of plantains. Great service, great serving and fall off the bone tender chicken with delicious seasonings and just enough spice.

I recently tried this place and was disappointed. Yes, the portions were huge and the service was great but the food lacked flavor. We had stewed chicken and oxtail dishes. Both dishes lacked the bold Jamaican flavors I'm used to. The ox tail had too much of the fat cooked on them. In addition, the rice and peas lacked the suttle coconut flavor. The chicken was the better of the two dishes. The cabbage and plantains were good but not memorable either.

Average food and we decided we prefer the Jamaican restaurant in Cary. The flavors here were a bit off and we expected more. It is a buffet set up and you pick what you want. They are open during Covid.

We had an amazing time on the Cool Runnings Catamaran! The DJ kept the boat HYPE! The drinks and the food was right too! All of the staff is courteous, cool and fun as well. If you want to have a good vibe and a lot of fun then book the Cool Running Catamarans. Yah mon!!

We used to eat here often but haven't visited in a while. Decided to swing by for lunch and was so disappointed. My food wasn't fresh...NOTHING was fresh. The sweet plantains where horrible, chicken was dry and rice mushy. I was unable to finish my food and won't be returning. I am not sure what happened but the food used to be delicious. Good thing the prices are cheap and you get a lot of food. It's located in a large shopping center so there's plenty of parking.

This is NOT authentic Jamaican food. I am Jamaican and recently relocated to this area. I've been looking for Jamaican restaurants and saw the high ratings and wanted to try the food. It's terrible! The oxtail is tough and under cooked. The flavors do not match anything I've ever eaten or made. The curry chicken was heavy with pimento flavors but little else. The Jerk was just bad! The ladies behind the counter barely spoke English. I felt like I was back in Miami and had to resurrect my Spanish. They had black beans and rice as well as yellow rice commonly seen in Cuban or Puerto Rican restaurants I'm familiar with in Miami. They should re-name the restaurant as Caribbean Style and remove the name Jamaica.

Grabbed lunch today. I had the jerk chicken on a bed of yellow rice with gravy, cabbage, & fried plantains. The food was smelling so good I didn't even think of grabbing a "before" picture, but after speaks for itself (not the mention it was enough for two meals). I just figured it's worth vouching for. The jerk chicken was spicy and tender, the cabbage is cooked with oregano but left with a crispness that gives the meal some contrast, then the sweet plantains balance out the spice of the jerk chicken. Gotta get a little bit of everything in one bite.

This is my first time ordering from this restaurant. I was hesitant because of all the mixed reviews. That being said, the food is very good. They're very generous with the amount of food they give you. I ordered the sampler so I was able to try the jerk chicken, curry chicken, & the shrimp. I give them all a 9/10. The spice level is very mild so if you don't like spice you'll be satisfied with this. If you do like spice, you may not be fully fulfilled. The only con is, the rice. For someone who loves rice, it was a bit disappointing. The rice was mushy almost at the boarder line of being over cooked. I ordered delivery so I cannot comment on the ambiance or customer service. Overall I give this restaurant a 9/10.

If you like jerk chicken, you have to give this place a try. The sides are also very good. You get a large amount of food for the money.

So I wrote a review a long time ago and not sure what happened to it. So I decided to write another one. I am from South Florida and I am very used to eating Caribbean foods especially Jamaican food. My wife is part Jamaican as well. This place was a complete disappointment for my wife and I. I ordered the brown stew chicken and she ordered the oxtail. The first red flag was the fact that they served yellow rice as the side. Yellow rice is usually served with Spanish type dishes but that might have made sense since all of the workers there besides (who I guess was the owner) was Spanish. My brown stew chicken was not that great at all 5/10. And of course the yellow rice was throwing it all off for me. The oxtails? Let's just say my wife took one bite and threw the entire box away. And her doing that really hurt because the pricing was so very expensive for these meals. Keep in mind that I used to order this all the time back home in South Florida. So maybe I'm a little spoiled from having better food quality down south but honestly I would not go to this place. The best Jamaican restaurant that I found in this area is Taste of Jamaica in Cary. I would definitely try that one over this. To be fair the last time I went to this place was over a year ago so he might have made changes to his menu by now

I'm completely disappointed with my food. This is NOT authentic Jamaican food. I tried the sampler and I honestly had to throw the food out. The jerk chicken was slimy and tasteless. The curry chicken was also slimy and tasteless. The curry shrimp was mushy and just disgusting. The rice was MUSHY and tasted like it had just been microwaved. Please don't waste your time or money here. :(

Prepare for some authentic Jamaica food! Taste buds watering just thinking about it. They have so many options- enough for the meat eaters and vegetarians! This spot always serves amazing food in huge portions. I am always full and satisfied. Thank you for being open during these safe and uncertain times! I don't know what my stomach would do without you guys #ThankYouThursday

If you're craving good Caribbean food with tons of flavor, you have found the spot! Our standard order: Jerk Chicken with Yellow rice. Curry chicken gravy on top of the rice. Side of plantains, and either cabbage or black beans. We've been eating here for the last ten years and it's always as good as can be! The coco bread is amazing too!

This is a nice surprise to find as Jamaican food isn't something I see very often here in the area. I did a sampler as it was my first time going and did the chicken curry, jerk chicken, and I think it was a shrimp curry as the option. All were very delicious and tasted great. My coworker had the jerk pork which made me wish I got that as it looked tastier, I was less than thrilled with the chicken curry part but that was a personal taste not an issue with the store. If I had one complaint it would be the drinks are served in cans, and with food that can be spicy that's not fun should you overdo it, you just get to sit there and feel the burn. Only been during the lunch time, it was a simple counter order and pickup and off you go. They had most of it pre-made so if you're in a hurry it's easy to get in/get out. Nice outside seating as well as indoor.

The food was awesome, the service was very quick, and place itself was adorable! I wasn't able to sit and eat this time around but I plan to return just for the little patio area and the Mac and cheese!

This place is okay. They give you hefty portions, but something about the food lacks flavor. The yellow rice is bland and doesnt really pair well with the oxtails. The cabbage had a different taste too, than what I'm used too. I don't think I would go back bc it didn't really wow me and I've had better at golden krust ‍. Btw the sanitation score is a 95 as of 10/27/2017. Update: It's been a few hours since I hate my food and I feel sick. I took tyelenol and took a nap but it made my stomach uneasy and gave me a headache. Definitely won't be trying this spot again

Ja makin' me hongry, mon. Or at least that's what I hoped for upon entering Jamaica Jamaica. Seedy strip mall, check! Dingy dining room, check! The food's gotta be good then, right? Well just say looks can be deceiving but not a cap-i-tal offense. Walk past the steam trays, past the rice, stewed chicken and veggies to check out what's on offer. But it's not a buffet at Jamaica Jamaica, you get up, stand up, order on your right. I went with the chicken in brown gravy (on yellow rice), side of cabbage and some jerk chicken wings on the side to share with my friend. A refrigerated case behind you holds some nice Caribbean sodas. Service is not spritely, but portion-size is SUB-stantial, she was jammin', jammin' a lot onto our plates. In the shared dining room (with taqueria next door) we dug in. The chicken in gravy was tender but the sauce wasn't very tasty and sorta gummy in consistence. The cabbage was decent but a bit bland. Best deal in the meal was the jerk chicken but again, not much spiciness. I admit I'm not a Jamaican food expert but I was expecting spicy, mon! Where was the flavor? All I can say while I liked the wings and ginger beer I ordered up, the rest was mostly about quantity. Sigh, no flavor, no cry. And I was hoping to get my taste-buds shocked at Jamaica Jamaica. I'd go with 2.5 stars for this place but will have to knock it back based upon expectations and other reviews. Yeah, my fire for Caribbean food hasn't been lit yet but I still have hope that everything's, gonna be alright...

THE FLAVOR IS AMAZING!!! I had the Jerk Chicken, greens and cabbage and omg I want to eat here tomorrow and the day after!! The place may be small but it's the definition of a hidden gem. Authentic Jamaican flavor, I gotta come back for the ox tails!!! That cabbage may be the best I ever had!!!

I've never tried Jamaican food so wasn't sure what to gauge this against, wanted to try it out nevertheless. We ordered the chicken empanadas and a platter that had shrimp, chicken, veggies and rice, in addition to the jerk chicken with rice. The empanadas were flavorful, but a little too greasy and the rice was a little clumpy too. I liked the shrimp they tasted fresh and went well with the rice. The chicken seemed authentic taste wise, but there was something about it that left an aftertaste, it was grilled but tasted a little fried to me (maybe it's the oil they use). Portions were large and the food lasted the tow of us for two meals. I don't think I'll reorder but it was good to try it once.

This was the worst food I've ever had. I'm from the Caribbean so I know what Jamaican food is supposed to be and this isn't it. It is clearly more Spanish than anything that should be called Jamaican, and to be clear for Spanish food it's also terrible. This place is an insult to the Caribbean and really should remove the word Jamaica and any reference to Jamaica / Caribbean from its name.

Best jerk pork And rice I've had. Generally get take out from here once every week or two.

Tried this place this weekend since I was craving some spicy Caribbean food. It's located in a strip mall of stores/restaurants which seems to be the norm here. You can carry the food out or dine in as there's seating on the other side of the building. It's actually far more spacious than I expected. The food has been precooked which is also the norm in a lot of these kinds of spots. Caribbean food can take a while to cook. So all the food can be seen behind a windowed food warming station. I got the jerk chicken dinner which came with rice and peas and 2 additional sides. My sides were cabbage and black beans. I was excited because the menu had this dish labeled as "spicy". However, while I found that it had a slight kick, I definitely wouldn't consider it spicy. The chicken was just ok...nothing to write home about. It tasted like the key ingredients were there, maybe just not enough of them. Not flavorless but not flavorful. The cabbage was cooked perfectly as it still had a bit of crunch. The rice and peas could've used a few more peas and were a little dry. This place would do if nothing else was open and you HAD to have Caribbean food.