The Jerk Pit

The Jerk Pit is a gem around the corner. I’ve always gone to the College Park location but this DC girl who doesn’t like to leave this city is ELATED for this location. The place is vibes! Food is 😋, music is great (definitely takes you back to the island) and service is phenomenal - Dirty Harry provided us with such a great experience when we sat at the bar. Live band on Sundays from 6pm - 10pm. The location is multi level and they have “The Jerk Pit Oasis Lounge” which I look forward to checking out in the future. They have TVs at the bar which is 😍😍😍 for this football fan. They also have a happy hour from 5pm-8pm 7 days per week. Definitely will be a regular at this place.

If you follow what I do, there are certain places that get a lot of grace. Well, I pulled out truck load full of grace. Perhaps 2 semi truck loads of grace. I will start with the most offensive and that's the baby piece of sweet potato cake that tastes like carrot cake. And it's waaay too sweet. And seemed a bit old and yall charged $5. That's crazy. You're called the Jerk pit and you were out of Jerk chicken before 1pm. It tasted okay for brown stew chicken. If you're not going to be authentic then new customers will stop patronizing you. Not hot or spicy about it. When people try ethnic foods they want it with both barrels. They can buy baked chicken with seasoning on it anywhere. I'm a tourist, but I don't mind going back again and again. Unfortunately, I won't visit this place again. The plantains were the best thing going. Rice and peas should you know have peas in it. My hope is you take my advice, put heat where it needs to be, take all that sugar out of the cake and focus on focusing on your food. Also, you had a 9.95 lunch special and I paid like $23.85 for a quarter piece of chicken, rice and peas and plantains and a baby slice of cake. I didn't realize there was an automatic 20% service charge on all checks so they got another 20%.

Sooooo there’s a new Jerk Pit location at Adams Morgan. The good- I love any and everything that celebrates my culture. The brown stew snapper was on point 😋🤤 The bad - patty was cold, their solution was to microwave 😑 now, anyone serving patty should KNOW not to microwave because it becomes soggy. They did a shift change at some point. Sever didn’t close out or mention it and clearly didn’t do a hand off so the incoming staff were confused, creating a new tab instead of continuing my existing bill. On the plus side, the next staff finally checked the status of my entree. I had to request the SAME cocktail SEVERAL times and repeatedly not get my drink. They are hiring, so if you have hospitality experience, go help them out! Anyway, if you’re in the area, stop by because the brown stew snapper was worth every the inconvenience.

I attended the grand opening on October 5th. It was a small, intimate turnout for the grand opening. They had WKYS radio station there playing nice reggae tunes. The owner had samples of jerk chicken and coco bread, bread pudding, and fruit being handed out. There's a small seating area downstairs, but they also have an upstairs area. And they have a bar. I originally wanted to order brown stew fish, but I was informed by the server that seafood items would take 30 to 35 minutes to prepare. So I settled for curry chicken, with rice and peas, and plantain on the side. The chicken could've had more curry gravy. The rice had some pepper in it and tasted a bit scorched. I've eaten at the location off of Rt1 plenty of times, and their food is normally good. I think the chef may have rushed the food preparation that day. I would recommend this location and would eat there again if I'm in Adam's Morgan area. They are open until 3am, on Friday and Saturday. There's a parking garage on 18th Street. Parking is $20 and up. Street parking is also an option if you're lucky enough to find a space.

I can’t invalidate anyone else’s experience but I will say, YOU BE THE JUDGE - don’t take anyone else’s word for it, come to your own conclusion. Because if I had let the bad reviews deter me, I may not have come. But when I say GOOD ASFFFF. I will most certainly be back! <333

Absolutely delicious! The food is ultra fresh and made to order (so be prepared to wait a bit) and great value. Excellent service as well. Fellow vegetarians will enjoy the delicious jerk tofu and other veggie options.

I tried this place for the first and ONLY time. I don't normally do reviews...this is my first time ever doing a review. I have to say I ordered ox tails and jerk chicken...won't do that again! The chicken was dry like it was made yesterday and the ox tail gravy was the only thing with flavor, but it was SALT. If you like salty and your blood pressure can take it, then go for it . Fool me once shame on me you can't fool me again at the amount of $ we spent! Oh, I forgot to mention the patty was "buy one, get one". Well, we got one and it was overly spicy (hot)...I guess mild is not an option. Is there an option to leave no stars? 🤔 (Adams Morgan location)

As someone who has been visiting the original Jerk Pit in College Park for years, I’m deeply disappointed with this DC location. It fails to live up to the high standards set by the original. Every time I’ve ordered from here, they’ve called me back to substitute my meal because they’re out of stock. The food quality is noticeably inferior, and they frequently don’t have items they advertise online. It feels like they simply used the name to open a location in DC, but they’re doing a disservice to the reputation of the Jerk Pit. I know the owners personally, as they’re part of my family, and being Jamaican myself, I can confidently say this location doesn’t reflect the authenticity or quality the brand is known for. If you’re familiar with the College Park location, don’t expect the same experience here. Be cautious when ordering because it’s likely to fall short of your expectations.

Yum!!! Brown stew chicken Steamed cabbage Great service Great size portions Soooo happy this is in my neighborhood Haven't eaten yummy brown stew chicken since The Pepper Pot was open! Wonderful menu, so many choices Go there!

I can't, in good faith, as a Caribbean who has had THE BEST OF THE BEST Jamaican food, endorse this spot with more than three stars. And I'm being generous. First of all, when I visited, there was a horribleeeee sewage smell in the restaurant. No! Not appetizing. Food: Ackee and salt fish: ackee was good, not overcooked and in big chunks. Minimal saltfish... with bones Callaloo: please, sweet baby Jesus, put the black pepper down. This is callaloo, not Greens. Jamaicans don't go heavy on BLACK pepper like that in callaloo. Too muchhhh. Cornmeal porridge: BABY! This was the best item on the menu! I could eat this on repeat. Rice and peas: STOP PLAYING WITH ME. I couldn't eat what they served. Dry, very bland, no coconut flavor. Service: good. Nothing outstanding but not bad Worth mentioning: they were not serving soup On Saturday, the day we went.

Basic mediocre Jamaican food. I had heard of the OG Jerk Pit location in College Park, but never had a reason to try it because Just Jerk in Lanham exists. I decided to bite the bullet today and give the Admo Jerk Pit location a try. When we walked in around 5:30 pm, the restaurant was basically empty. I ordered the combo platter with jerk chicken, oxtail, rice & peas, and plantains. The first thing that I noticed was that none of the food was hot and fresh -- it was lukewarm at best. For an empty restaurant at the start of the dinner hours, I was expecting some freshly made dishes. I assume that everything had been made in advance and just reheated. The jerk chicken was ok - not much flavor other than the taste of char and salt. The "jerk sauce" that it came with tasted like spicy Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce -- not impressed. Oxtail was mediocre and mostly bone; I really had to work to get some meat out of it. Plantains were probably the best thing I had, but they weren't crispy and caramelized -- mostly just sweet and limp, but at least they were warm. The rice & peas were a total waste of time, as the peas were like dried little dog droppings and the rice had no flavor. Not even mixing in the oxtail sauce could save those rice & peas. There is a mandatory 20% service charge on all dine in orders, so keep that in mind when it comes time to tip. For me, if you're charging me 20% for service already, I am not tipping a second time. Looking at the OG Jerk Pit's reviews, this location is largely on par with that -- 3/5 on Yelp. If you're looking for some elite Jamaican food in DC proper, look for the Wi Jammin food truck. If you can make the trek out to Lanham, Just Jerk is the best Jamaican in the DMV area. Skip this place unless you are in Admo and fiending for some Jamaican food

Yes yes yes. It has been a few years since I have had good Jerk. The Jerk pit hit the nail on the head. Great flavor, tender and the peas and rice were spot on.

Coming from a family of Jamaicans, I am very critical of Jamaican food. This food was delicious. Hot, fresh, flavorful. I highly, highly recommend.

New location....now, in DC and the food does not disappoint!! I came here during the grand opening last Saturday and must say, I left with all smiles.The food and vibe was excellent! I've been to the College Park location many times and this location falls right in line with their food and actually, better-faster service. The vibe is a sit down restaurant, with a local bar feel downstairs with casual dining upstairs. . I remember this place formerly being Mello Mushroom Pizza but you can't even tell they even existed here once, with the vibe and decor The Jerk Pit has. There's three floors of seating, a roof top and a full bar area. It was crowded on the night I came here but the customer service was exceptional and fast. Casey, the head bartender assisted me with my order and introducing me to the place. She was great and made me feel right at home...not to mention made a mean rum punch to start things off. lol. I placed my order to-go because it was crowded and thought it would take longer for full-service but to my surprise, my order came out fast. As I received my order shortly after ordering, I was planning to race home so that I can dive in on the food and enjoy the Steelers game. But, those plans changed quickly. The food smells coming from my takeout bag had me at full attention and I couldn't resist. I politely asked the bartender for some utensils and dived in on my meal straight from the bag! It was some of the most delicious oxtails, jerk chicken, mac & cheese, peas n' rice and steamed mixed vegetables that I've had in a long time from a Jamaican joint in the city.....And, these are strong claims because there are many in the DC area to contend with. I can honestly say The Jerk Pit can hang with the best of them. My jerk chicken was excellent....so tender juicy, full of flavor and finger-licking, bone sucking-crunching good!! The jerk sauce on the side was addictive and had just the right kick. Next time I know to definitely as for extra sauce. Shout to the mac n chesse also...it was good too. Honorable mention goes out to the oxtails tho'. They were tender and seasoned to perfection. I also like the way that they cook their oxtails, in that they stew and cook them with added favorites like carrots, butter beans and dumplings! I mean, do you hear me!?? Yes...Dumplings!! You don't find this often at most Jamaican spots in the DMV. This takes me back to my childhood days of enjoying my Grandmother's oxtails. And, I will not say here which is better. lol. Just know that they both are on point and The Jerk Pit way of cooking them reminds me of her every time. In all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time here vibing at the bar over good eats, music, the Steelers game and great conversation. Kudos to Casey for the excellent customer service. I left feeling full and happy from both the libation and good eats I most definitely will be back and recommend you get a taste for yourself.

- good wings - entrees are large - spacious 3 floors with rooftop and outdoor space on bottom level each floor has different bar and different music - great dj - great ambiance music - bottomless brunches ftw! - amazing service - good patties I had jerk chicken, and also beef - patties ($3) sell out fast, but they restock every 30 minutes or so

I was impressed with the service and quality of this late-nite spot. My friends and I stepped in because I was getting hangry before our night out in AdMo. I split my meal with a friend and ordered a pomegranate margarita. The food came out quickly and was hot. It was seasoned well and just what I needed! The ambiance-- the music was nice but the patrons seemed out of it. The staff, however, was very friendly and accommodating. I was too focused on satisfying my hunger that I forgot about the drink. My friend went to check on it and apparently they ran out of the pomegranate mix. We were refunded without question. Thanks for the welcoming experience!

Just ordered from here on uber eats and only one item came. They don't answer the phone save yourself the time.

The waiter told us they were out of Jerk Chicken and Jerk wings. Then they said they were out of Mac and Cheese.

Ordered oxtails, curry chicken, cabbage , red beans and rice. Only received 4 small oxtails and only a very small portion of curry chicken. It didn't taste that good and the food was very bland. Bad customer service and the food was priced very high. I hope they go out of business. Please stay away from....

Nice portions, fast service, decent price. I'll definitely try them again. Parking wasn't too bad but it was also a Sunday.

Wow am I glad they opened a second location and it's in my neighborhood in DC! My boyfriend and I split two takeout entrees and both clamshell boxes were packed to the lids. The jerk white chicken (they were sold out of dark) and curry goat were standout meats as well as the Mac and cheese. Both great recs by Kaci who couldn't have been more helpful. Looking forward to trying the cabbage and oxtail next, tho this is enough food to keep us going through another meal or two lol.

My family took a car service to the restaurant today based on the reviews. Once we started to order we were told that they were out of Jerk Chicken & Wings. After switching to Ox tails w/ Mac & Cheese -- we were told they had no Mac & Cheese. This was at 3pm - if you do not have the staples of the business - why are you open. We were very disappointed to say the least.

The Manager stole money from me!!! Horrible customer service and non-empathetic and non-truthful Manager. How can you steal money from a patron and not even try and compensate her back? That's foul & i cannot support an establishment that is not honest.

I cried literal tears of joy when my friend told me The Jerk Pit was opening a second location in DC. I ordered delivery last night and we ate in complete silence. Everything was delicious (just as I expected based on college park). This city finally has jerk chicken that is actually jerk chicken

Friendly servers and good oxtail. Don't sleep on some chicken or beef patties on a late night - better option than empanadas or jumbo slice in my opinion

This place will be closed in 2 weeks. Staff is just rude....food tastes like some store purchased reheated things, and. Again...the staff is inexcusable.