TopTaste Restaurant
Jamaican restaurant · Kingston ·
Jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtails, plantains, Jamaican groceries.
Jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtails, plantains, Jamaican groceries.
"Jamaican spot Top Taste is where you’ll find the best and most affordable meal in Kingston. For $15, you’ll get a hefty plate of moist jerk chicken or rich oxtails, buttery plantains, brown lentil rice, and green slaw. They largely do takeout, but there are a few small tables inside if you want to watch some local news while digging into tender, spiced curried goat and sipping ginger beer. It takes some planning to eat here since they often close with little notice, posting on their Instagram stories whether they’re open for the day. But it’s worth checking their socials daily for a chance to sink your teeth into that jerk chicken." - anne cruz, clare lagomarsino, keith hernandez, chanize thorpe
"Come hungry to this unassuming Jamaican spot located on a quiet corner in Kingston that has garnered local fanfare over the years, and even a James Beard nod. Every entree comes with a heaping pile of rice, beans, and fat, fried plantains, along with a generous portion of meat, like a classic jerk chicken or the fall-off-the-bone-tender oxtail. Top Taste also stocks many hard-to-find Jamaican pantry staples, like flavored soup mixes, Easter bun, and hot pepper sauce." - Emma Orlow
"Jamaican spot Top Taste is where you’ll find the best and most affordable meal in Kingston. For $15, you’ll get a hefty plate of moist jerk chicken or rich oxtails, buttery plantains, brown lentil rice, and green slaw. They largely do takeout, but there are a few small tables inside if you want to watch some local news while digging into tender, spiced curried goat and sipping ginger beer. It takes some planning to eat here since they often close with little notice, posting on their Instagram stories whether they’re open for the day. But it’s worth checking their socials daily for a chance to sink your teeth into that jerk chicken." - anne cruz
"Top Taste is a casual Jamaican spot with the best and most affordable meal in Kingston. For $15, you’ll get a hefty plate of moist jerk chicken or rich oxtails, buttery plantains, brown lentil rice, and green slaw. It’s the kind of lunch you’ll openly rave about while paying after the meal. The staff will probably respond with something like, "Yeah, we get that a lot." We can feel that confidence in the cooking and the service, and the food easily backs it up. They largely do takeout, but there are a few small tables inside if you want to watch some local Hudson Valley news while digging into tender, spiced curry goat and sipping ginger beer. Either way, making the trip here takes some planning and tenacity since they often close with little notice (they post on their Instagram stories whether they’re open for the day). But it’s worth checking their socials daily for a chance to sink your teeth into that jerk chicken. Food Rundown Oxtails These oxtails are rich from their long bath in peppery gravy. Each piece yields a surprising amount of meat, and the rendered collagen gives the sauce a slippery texture that gets soaked up by a heaping pile of rice and lentils. photo credit: Lisa Nichols Goat Curry There’s enough turmeric in here to dye a grand pyrenees bright yellow. The goat falls apart at the gentlest nudge with a fork, and the curry has a fragrant heat that coats your mouth. It’s hard to say whether we like the oxtails or the goat curry better, so just order both. Jerk Chicken The jerk chicken at Top Taste is now our barometer for great jerk chicken everywhere. It has plenty of smokey heat, and the meat practically explodes with moisture in every bite. photo credit: Lisa Nichols" - Anne Cruz
"A Beard-awarded spot open since 2014 at 446 Hasbrouck Avenue (near the Empire State Trail), Top Taste serves top-notch jerk chicken, escovitch fish, and curry goat." - Robert Sietsema