Smokey Jerk
Caribbean restaurant · New Cross Gate ·
Smoky lamb, pork & chicken w/ hickory smoke & hot sauces
Smoky lamb, pork & chicken w/ hickory smoke & hot sauces
"The establishment formerly known as Smokey Jerkey is now Smokey Jerk. The worn, hand-painted signage of this New Cross go-to has been replaced for something altogether shinier. Although there are now a handful of tables inside the stripped-back Caribbean spot to eat in, the jerk chicken and lamb isn’t quite as good as it once was. The chicken is no longer fresh off the grill, but the lamb is still tender and smoky. That’s the thing to order. The sauces are a bit hit and miss. What was once an enlivening homemade pepper sauce is now more like Turkish chilli sauce. None if it is bad, but nor is it the best jerk in town anymore." - Jake Missing
"Even if Smokey Jerkey’s pale blue signage has faded over the years, the flavours of its jerk have not. Owner Louie MacPherson has been at this New Cross institution for 15 years, and the care that goes into every aspect of the meal is seen from the custom-made furnace that thrives on hickory wood smoke and the long marinade in cayenne chillis, to the house-made Bajan pepper and Trinidadian scorpion sauces, with the former burning slow and long on the tongue and the latter piercing right through it. Jerk here is restricted to chicken, pork and lamb: the first two are as good as any other version in London bar Tasty Jerk, but the lamb is untouchable." - Jonathan Nunn
"One of very few genuinely first-rate jerk joints in London, this ramshackle spot in New Cross can be smelled from twenty feet away thanks to the smoke swirling from the back. The jerk has plenty of sweetness to balance the heat and spice and is powerfully present, unlike so many sterile imposter versions. Don’t forget the hot sauces decanted into unmarked plastic bottles on the counter." - Helen Graves
"Unlike most Caribbean takeouts that attempt to sell the entire catalogue of island favourites, Smokey Jerkey is a real rarity: it has focussed on selling nothing but jerk lamb, chicken and pork for the last decade. Cooked on owner Louie’s self-designed furnace that burns on hickory wood, there’s a smoked profile not found on most jerk on the capital. Be careful of the seeming tomato ketchup on the counter: it’s actually a house scorpion pepper sauce. Not for the faint-hearted." - Riaz Phillips
"Smokey Jerkey’s meats tend to command long queues, even before opening. Oxtail, curry goat, and stewed chicken have been added to the menu, but the three jerk meats are the main draw. Large hunks of lamb, pork, and chicken are slowly smoked over hickory on a custom-made furnace, with far more focus on smokiness than many local venues. The lamb is easily the best option, whose fat is particularly complemented by the smoke, marinated in cayenne chilli rather than Scotch bonnet, but it’s also quick to sell out. If that’s the case, the pork and chicken are also great (or order a mix of all three), embellished with a kiss of jerk sauce, or scorpion pepper sauce for added heat." - Jonathan Hatchman