YardieTing

I've always been a fan of ethnic food. From Chinese to Thai, Vietnamese to Indian, Italian to Greek. While I have had a lot of Caribbean food, it does differ from location to location. And Jamaican is a new one for me I've been wanting to push myself into trying Ox tail for a while. But...I mean, it's ox tail, so a part of me was always like "no way dude!" My wife and I tried Yardie Ting yesterday for lunch. She had a the spicy fish sandwich. Me...the loaded Ox tail fries. It was SO good. The meat was tender and had the perfect amount of spices. One food off my bucket list and a new place in Portland to and to my Must Go Back list. I will say the atmosphere is...lacking but the food more than makes up for it.

Ordered the chickpeas with three sides. Hardly any chickpeas, almost no curry/gravy. They gave me lots of the white rice side but very little of the entree. Taste was far below average. The coleslaw and the steam veggies are basically the same, but one is raw. Neither has any taste. I know what Jamaican food is more or less supposed to taste like, but this wasn't it. Terrible for cost. P.S the Jerk sauce might have been barbecue sauce with spices added?

Such great Jamaican food. So many options including vegan ones! The sweet plantains are probably my favorite, with the jerk tofu, steamed veggies, rice and beans. My friends who like meat love it here too. Probably only place around here with authentic Jamaican food. The staff are all so nice, i’m so glad they got a bigger spot on the first floor

I’ve given this place about four chances, and each visit has been disappointing. The customer service is very poor no greetings, no smiles, no effort to make customers feel welcome. As a Jamaican, I expected the food to at least make up for it, but it didn’t. I had the jerk chicken sandwich, and it tasted bland and inauthentic, like it was seasoned last-minute and baked in the oven. It lacked the bold, smoky flavor jerk is supposed to have. The patties were also dry and flavorless. To top it off, the prices for the grocery part were made up. I went in recently to buy syrup and was charged almost $30 way too much. Overall, it’s been a bad experience every time. If you’re going to offer poor service, the food should at least be good. I’m sorry but this place fails at both.

This Jamaican food place surprised me with its great flavor. I tried the chicken pattie, and it was delicious, with good seasoning and a perfect crust. I’ll definitely be back to try the jerk chicken, which I’m sure will be just as tasty. Recommended!

The food was beautiful and delicious, the service was quick and welcoming. I almost didn't find this place located on the second floor of the Public Market House, but I'm glad I did. You have to go inside the main door, to the back, up the stairs and YardieTing is the last section of the room. They also had a great selection of soft drinks in the cooler. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in Portland.

Been coming here for years because it is one of two places in a couple hour radius that sells Jamaican food . If it wasn’t out of being one of the only places people would not come here. Service is bad all the time. 80% of my visits I get skimped $40 for 2 pieces of oxtail in person. when I order online the plates always are so much fuller, even if and when I get a smaller size plate. The restaurant is closed more often than not and continues to keep online ordering up even when closed so if you’re ordering DoorDash or online ordering , call first annoying to wait a hour when hungry to find out their closed (also happens more frequently then not) The food quality also is not consistent you can taste they have different people cooking it and it is so over priced for how little portions you receive.

I was visiting Portland for my very first time for 🦞 of course but my husband and I decided to switch it up this particular evening for dinner. My husband found this quaint spot by doing a Google search and just WOW! Who knew! I now have a reason other than lobster to visit! The flavors of your curried chicken was sensational and the cabbage was 🔥 (that means 😋). My husband said his jerk chicken was so on point! I also had a curried chicken patty that I froze (because I was stuffed after eating my meal) and ate 3 days later once back in Michigan that was still very tasty! Thanks for the food experience, I thoroughly enjoyed 😉

First time.. first time in a long time anyway, that I'm posting two reviews in a day. I intended to go to the Frying Dutchman, but I guess I got to the market house during the high school lunch rush so it was busy. Decided to try Yardie Ting instead. I was intrigued when they first opened and I think the menu must have expanded by quite a bit since then. My fish sandwich was delicious. The fish itself was hot and fell apart like butter, and paired well with the lettuce, tomato, and spicy sauce (not very spicy - not as spicy as I think I expected for this type of cuisine, but good). The sandwich was large and filling and just what I needed. I'm excited to go back - but maybe I'll go a little later in the day.

I really wanted to like this place. We have been to Jamaica a few times and were spoiled with some really great jerk chicken. I can't say that this ranks up there in that category. Granted, it was half an hour or so before closing, but I was not impressed with the food or service. First, I did a Yelp check in that had a 5% off coupon. The girl behind the register had no clue how to process it and didn't try to figure it out or take anything off, which was a bit annoying. I ordered jerk chicken entree and hubby ordered loaded onion rings. Server pops open the freezer next to her, pulls on a bag of what obviously was frozen onion rings and says that they are frozen together rock hard and she won't be able to serve them that night. Ok...my first thought was if you have old frozen together onion rings you can't serve, why are they still in your freezer and why not just throw them out then and there?? Fresh onion rings are not hard to make, tastier, and cheaper than Sysco anyways... The chicken came with 2 sides and they were out of a few such as pineapple salsa. I got cole slaw and fried plantains. The Cole slaw, seemed fresh, but lacked any flavor. I wasn't even sure there was a dressing on it. I expected the chicken skin to have spices. It was fall off the bone tender, but lacked any spice or flavor. It came with a small cup of spicy sauce that was like a bbq sauce. This sauce was best part of the meal. You had to use the sauce for any spice jerk flavor. The plantains were pretty good, but a little on the greasy side. Overall, a lackluster meal with not the best service. This is in upstairs of Public market house, so ambiance is like dining hall seating if you choose to eat there.

I was so excited to try this place! Back in California, down in Santa Monica, they have the best Jamaican food! Overall this place was good but the meats are super fatty and they don't cook with chicken breast. I ordered the port tacos and it was literally just bitting into chucks of fat. I can't really say I enjoyed that. The fries were good! Macaroni and cheese was good! My husband ordered the jerk chicken and loved it! He isn't has picky as me when it comes to his meats. Will I return? For the fries yes!

This is one of my favorite quick lunch spots in Portland, and healthy too!! I usually get the jerk or curry chicken with plantains and steamed vegetables. Well priced and well portioned with exceptional flavor. If you don't want to be "healthy", the oxtail cheese fries are TO DIE FOR!!! Highly, highly suggest.

A solid 3.5 stars. I was REALLY excited about Yardie Ting. Coming from South Florida, where Caribbean food is just a staple, I was thrilled to find Jamaican food in Portland, Maine. We placed our order on their website, which was quite user friendly, and picked it up at the Public Market House, their official location. I don't know if it's because it was the end of the day, but the food wasn't entirely what I expected. We ordered the Oxtail Mac & Cheese and the Oxtail with a side of rice & beans and fried plantains. The Oxtail Mac & Cheese was delicious; it was such a unique and creative dish. The portion was huge - you get a lot of pasta AND oxtail, so win-win. The oxtail with a side of rice & beans and fried plantains is what let me down. The rice was soggy, almost wet, and there were no signs of beans. The portion was small, and I don't think I got my money's worth. There was barely any oxtail, just a handful with barely any meat on them. Sadly, the best thing about this dish were the sweet fried plantains. For over $40 in total for both items, I was expecting more in terms of both quality and overall portions. Will we come back? Most likely yes, probably during a different time of the day to see if the food is better. I do have to say that service was top notch, and it was a pleasure chatting with the staff as we picked up the food.

I don't know much about Jamaican food except this: it's the spice I crave that I haven't been able to put my finger on until recently having it! First of all, the owner is an INCREDIBLE human being. Ask Shanna-Kay about her journey to Maine when she was just 18 years old, her efforts organizing the Jamaican Independence Day Festival (a celebration of culture and cuisine) annually, and the work she did - and still does to this day - advocating for immigrants here in Portland. Just. Wow. Now, Yarie Ting serves Jamaican dishes with a modern twist. It isn't at all heavy, but rather aromatic and fresh. And it's super plant-based friendly: all of the sides - with the exception of mac n' cheese - are actually vegan (my favorites being the pineapple salsa and the rice and beans!). I've had both the Jerk Tofu and the Coconut Curry. The Jerk Tofu has some nice heat, and features tender pieces of tofu along with lots of black beans. But it's the Coconut Curry I like the most. It's FULL of veggies like sweet potato and red peppers, but the beans used are what make alllllllllll the difference here. If you were to order online it looks like she makes this with garbanzo beans (and maybe sometimes she does), but when I had it, it was with enormous butter beans. Full of flavor, a touch of sweet from the coconut, a touch of heat from the curry, and lots of interesting textures make this - and probably everything being served here - unlike anything else in the city!

I love Jamaica, it's food and people. That said, Yardie Ting makes some first rate Jamaican food! Beautiful chicken with perfectly spiced crispy skin! I loved the nicely spiced additional sauces on the side Amazing festival, beautiful slightly sweet fried dough knots and just about the best fried plantains I can recall having! Yum!

This place was amazing. Super quick and kind service. Jerk box was so delish! Prices were also really great for the amount of food given. Only thing is the pork was a little too tough and big but still tender and very flavorful.

I was having a hell of a week and these guys completely helped refresh my body and spirit. The way the jerk chicken fell off the bone along with the pimento-wood aroma sent me straight to a warmer climate, where music fills everything. I know it is kinda futile ordering fried chicken when it is a 20 minute delivery drive, but even that was a "omg" at every bite. Oh, and they called me to make sure it was ok to replace one type of veggie-pattie with a different veggie-pattie. So the food is amazing, but the most important aspect for me is that everything, including even the way my carrots/cabbage were laid in tray, is done with pure jah-love...

Excellent Vegetarian options. I got the large Jerk Tofu with rice and beans; mac and cheese; and pineapple salsa; as well as a veggie patty. It was all absolutely delicious. I love the large portions and the selection of sides available.

This place knocks my friggin socks off every single time. It's the restaurant equivalent of Tom Brady, in the fourth quarter, 90 seconds left, and he has the ball... you just know something amazing is about to happen. This place, always wins. Now, I've been here before, a few times in fact! I love the food, the vibes, the people, the location (minus parking) and the prices. And the menu continues to grow! Now, I have reviewed on the jerk pork and tofu before, during an elite event, and allow me to quote myself now: "I ordered the Jerk Pork (legit is like heaven, soooooo good) and an order of Jerk Tofu for my wife. Both were just amazing! Accompanied by some deliciously peppery carrots and cabbage, peas and rice, and the Festivals (think donut but way better), it made for an overall amazing meal! Just simply divine." - Karac N. an hour after waking up from a delicious food coma But this time, they had some new things on the menu that we couldn't wait to try! My son went right for the fried chicken, what teenage boy doesn't? And my wife went for the jerk pork tacos this time. What an amazing choice... Now, looking back on my original jerk pork review, I made it sound like one of the best foods on this Earth, and it IS. However, you pile it in taco form, with some pineapple salsa, and guess what? It just got even better. I can't explain it, but everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, tastes better in the form of a taco. Breakfast taco? Choco-taco? Fish taco? Heck even Bahn mi taco's, doesn't matter what it is, slap it in a tortilla, and I am down. This follows suit, it was amazing!!! My wife ordered three of the tacos, and I was only quick enough to get one bite. And she's a woman who doesn't really like pork, but this pork? She fiends for it, she randomly brings it up, I would even venture a guess that it makes appearances in her dreams. If you take nothing else from this novel, just try the damn Jerk Pork!! The fried chicken with cajun fries? 16 year old boy ordered it... I would have lost my fingers trying to get a taste. But he described it as 'way way better than Popeye's', so that tells me it was, as he would say, pretty bussin! I love the public market house, have yet to find a place in there that doesn't just kill it, and this place is no different. It's a Yardie Ting, but its now my Ting too!!

I come to Portland to visit on a monthly basis. I always look forward to eating at Yardie Ting! If you are visiting Portland you should definitely go! Everything is delicious, but I highly recommend the Yaadmon Ting burrito! Their spice/flavor game is on point!!!

First time here and I paid 38 dollars for a cold fry fish that was supposed to be escavished not fried with cold onions and carrots on top of the fish that was already cold Caribbean taste was way better and FRESH!!!!!! I dnt understand why this place has so many ratings must be the location

Dry Jerk Chicken Plate w/no jerk sauce on the chicken or on the side why yal do me like this ? I drove all the way from Windham for this. When I called they didn't offer any resolution at all and were pretty flippant about it. For a tiny restaurant tucked in the corner upstairs at Market house you'd think they'd care about customer retention, I'll never go back.

What a great lunch! Loved the food (Mom and I shared jerk and various sides). It smells amazing, looks amazing, and tastes amazing. AND the people are friendly and hard working. Give them a try when you're looking for something delicious. We need to support our small businesses, so they'll be able to stick around for a long time.

Always delicious! Large portions. I meal prep their food for lunches lol. Never had anything I didn't like from here. They are most kind when talking with them over phone. Great customer service.

Jerk chicken with a side of plantains and steamed vegetables

I had a craving for some beef patties and was desperate enough to drive hours if need be so you can guess my surprise in finding a Jamaican place right in Portland! The setup: It's nestled in the far corner upstairs at 28 Monument Square. It's a cute little booth with cafeteria like seating. The food: I really wanted to try everything on the menu (oxtail and curry, stew chicken etc) I limited myself to just the beef and jerk chicken patties with cocobread (who gets Jamaican patties without cocobread). The cocobread was sooo soft, warm and like biting into a delicious cloud. The beef patty was flaky and well seasoned. Good amount of filling despite what my picture looks like. Cons: The patties were warm but not hot enough to my taste hence the 4 stars Pros: Discovered Grace Jamaican hot pepper sauce! It will be my new go to hot sauce as soon as I find out where to purchase it by the gallon Overall: Good food and plenty flavor as expected. I'm coming back to try out the rest of the menu and will come by to get my Jamaican patty fix.

It's a little difficult to find, being inside a food hall of sorts. However, it was very good. We had the Jamaican chicken and ox tail, both were cooked very well and very tasty. My wife loves jerk chicken and this meal definitely scratched that itch. For those visiting Portland, getting tired of eating lobster, this is a nice change of pace.

Finally got around to trying yarrow ting, and man do I feel stupid for not going sooner. Jerk pork is SO good. And the loaded onion rings were incredible. Will most definitely be coming back for more.

With only being open for a month, this new Jamaican spot (the only Jamaican spot in Portland) is a little bit on the pricey side for lunch but the portions are large! They have daily specials and if you come on Friday and Saturdays they serve oxtails and goat. Granted those meats aren't cheap especially market price. Don't be discourage as they offer 'Jamaican treats' ranging from Jamaican patty's(veggie,beef and chicken) to Gazzeda which are $4 and if you don't want a ton of food they have a small jerk chicken plate for $10!

Went here at the suggestion of a friend. There were several options in this building, but we wanted something we don't normally get so we went with the Jamaican place. Lots of good stuff going on here. Workers were polite and kind. Variety of foods was appreciated. The food itself tasted great. Reason for the 4 stars: they put everything in plastic containers. For such a hipster place, I'm shocked this place hasn't been boycotted. Thicker plastic containers is how they serve the meals. There is no option for a paper plate or a reusable plate or a compostable plate. Another vendor next to it had compostable containers. There was also no where we found for us to recycle them. And they put stickers on them to brand them so most recycling places won't probably be able to recycle even if we take home. They should change their serving containers. I had jerk chicken plate. It was really good. I recommend the large. I think I would have been hungry still if I got the small and it was only $2 difference. Two pieces of chicken, rice, plantains and boiled cabbage. Friend got the Goat Curry. Tasted good and had peppers and carrots in it so was more pleasing. Lots of bones, so be careful! Will totally go back, but might bring a paper plate with me.

I was sad when Federal Spice left Portland . I was equally excited to see portland has another option for authentic Jamaican fair. They are upstairs in the public market. They have the standard jerk meats and stiffed patties which are all delicious. But today was Friday and that means ox tails and curried goat!! I chose the goat and was not disappointed. It came in a huge portion along with rice, beans, potatoes, a nice slaw and salsa like salad. I finished it all because it was so good but it could have easily been two meals. I will be back! And you should go too!!!!

Yardie Ting is that gurllllllll. I've been coming to this place since they opened at the Market House. That curry goat? Life changing. That jerk chicken? MOIST! That stew pork? In my belly. The staff? SO FRIENDLY. They made me wanna be a regular. It's so hard to find AUTHENTIC Jamaican in New England let alone Maine. I love it here, and knowing I'm supporting a family black owned business makes it even better. I'll be back

Truly great authentic Jamaican food! Finally got my fix of outstanding Oxtail and Ackee with salt fish. Great Jerk Chicken! Smiling good service.

One word: delicious!! Gotta pop by if your are anywhere near the area. Jerk flavor is out of this world and mouth watering and the taste of the ingredients is top notch. Great vibes and taste

Food was amazing. We tried a variety of items and they did not disappoint. The vegetables were surprisingly delicious to all of us. The spices and sweetness were perfect. We will be back.

They make the best tings here. I really love the fact that they gave me a side of their hot sauces when requested. They were really spicy and well flavored. Their Jerk chicken was very flavorful and moist, as well as their ox tail. I can't wait to eat here again because everything surpassed my expectations. This is by far the best Jamaican food in Maine. I'm so glad to have found this gem. This will sure be my to go to place every time I'm in the area

Was really excited when I found out Portland was getting a new Caribbean restaurant as I am new to the area & have missed authentic Caribbean food so badly since I moved up here. The first time I went I got a large jerk chicken plate. I was extremely disappointed with the lack of jerk flavor in the chicken & blandness of the rice. The greens I got on the side had some pretty tough pieces in them. I decided to give them another try with a different dish this past weekend & ordered a "large" oxtail plate & beef patty for $20. I was hoping the LARGE would actually be filling but the plate was mostly rice & six oxtails (I counted all the bones in the end). This plate was more flavorful outside of the bland cabbage & rice (I asked for more stew hoping it would get soaked up by the rice for flavor but I don't think it helped much) I really want this place to do well as they are the only Caribbean restaurant in Portland & have such friendly staff but the inconsistency of flavor & portions for that pricing these past few times have thrown me off from wanting to try again soon.

I got a fried fish sandwich on coco bread and it was really delicious. I loved how simple it was, but every component was good. I also got a beef patty which was excellent. Well-seasoned meat, the dough was really flavorful too. Recommend!

Best Caribbean food in town lol. The owner is super nice and personable. I've eaten here twice in one week and I'm coming back next week

Sooooo good. Reminds of eating oxtails with a movie on the weekend with my mom. (Except Yardie Ting is better, shhhhh) Got my food to go and so disappointed I didn't try anything else. These oxtails are amazing. The serving is a large helping and makes the price super reasonable-- thank god I'll have leftover overs of this delicious food. The two women working were also very nice butI would not have cared because the food is so good! I will DEFINITELY be back.

This is the only carribean option in Portland and it is solid. I liked the patties and the jerk tofu. So glad they have patties too, there is no other place in town or probably the whole state to get legit Jamaican patties.

My new favorite food spot!!! I tried their Friday special which includes the curry goat with rice and it was delicious (best curry goat I've ever eaten)!! I've been here a couple of times and each time I wasn't disappointed. The staff here is so friendly and always up for a good conversation. It's nice to have a Jamaican food place here as there isn't very many in Portland and I love supporting local businesses. I definitely suggest for others to stop by and try one of their specials of the week (or ANY of their food in general). I will be coming back and spreading the word about this amazing spot because they definitely deserve the hype! - a happy customer

This food was seriously AMAZING!!! We got the jerk chicken and pork and I still can't decide which I loved more! When you first walk into the building there are a few other shops with food as well but all you can smell is delicious jerk spices I ate my food so fast I wasn't even able to get a picture! Definitely one of my new favorite spots to go too! Oh and don't sleep on the Mac n cheese !!!!

Oxtail plate was pretty good to me since I'm a big fan of oxtails the meat was nice and tender and feel right off the bone. The one reason I didnt give them a 5 start is because there portion, if I buy a LARGE plate I expect atleast 8-10 pieces of oxtails I'd say I got around 6 I can't imagine how much u get in a small plate ($13.95)

REAL SPICE? IN MAINE? They really did that. I dream about the jerk chicken and festivals. Ordering online was easy peezy and they were so incredibly kind when I was picking the food up. Truly a great experience, give these people your money.

Stopped in for my first time today. Had not been to the portland public house in forever. The Yardie Ting sandwich is excellent. I haven't tried anything else yet, bur fully intend to go back and try their other offerings. The owner was super pleasant and took the time to talk to me about the bread (which is delicious). I would highly reccomend this place. One of my new favorite sandwiches in the Portland area.

Five stars is not enough.This should have a Michelin star! I was born in the caribbean and I grew up eating some of the most amazing food on earth. Yardie Ting has now become a little piece of home for my family and me. The portions are very generous, the flavor authentic and perfectly balanced. The service is warm and welcoming from the charming staff. This has become our new Saturday tradtion, well worth the 40 min drive. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.