Tropic Island Chicken

Don’t try their Jamaican beef patties. It’s mostly dough and it’s very bland. It took them too long to service me. I saw a sign that said they had to cut staff, but they are extremely slow. I’ve never had to wait longer than 5 minutes for beef patties that are already baked, to be reheated smh.

Very good good I highly recommend this place the chicken and fish are excellent the sides are average but they do the trick

I wish i could give NO stars… cabbage mushy, rice and peas had no flavor– probably sat too in that make shift cafeteria style warming table/​bullet proof glass. And not to mention i paid for 6 wings but traveled 10 miles back home and had ½ white meat instead. Yeah I won’t be back!!!

The food here is not bad. The customer service is ok.

I tried them for the first time today and I wasn’t impressed. The rice wasn’t all the way cooked still hard. The oxtails didn’t have a good flavor and the plantain were soggy. The only thing good was the cabbage. Uncle Joes is still better. I may go back and try the chicken.

I really enjoyed the Jerk chicken and cabbage! The greens were good But too salty and the mac n cheese tasted like kraft delux from the box… over all because the chicken was really juicy and had the proper level of Heat is why i gave 4 stars! Would try again

The jerk chicken is the best feature of this restaurant, that is probably why chicken is included in the name. I think this place has one of the best jerk chicken and catfish in the area. Other dishes I have tried but not a fan of, the chicken is the only reason why I go there. Most Jamaican restaurants I have been to are slow and have a ‘your food will be ready when ready’ no hurry attitude, this place is the same. You have to have plenty of patience going in the restaurant. Other ethnic restaurants seem to understand what is needed to maintain good or improve the customer experience but not this place.

First time here today as a walk in. Service was phenomenal, food was exquisite and wait time wasn’t unbearable, and great prices! Goodbye uncle joe’s, jerk city and everyone else.

I drive in from the city to eat the jerk chicken, curried goat, and oxtail. I can’t think of a better place in Chicago to get it. I’ve been to Uncle Joe’s in Hyde Park, and feel this is a step above. I love this place, even though it looks like a dump. Their sides are great too. Love the yams, the mac and cheese, and the steamed cabbage. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Delicious! Loved the Cabbage and Sweet Potatoes! The Jerk wings were good too! I have to try the Mac and Cheese and Jerk Catfish next! Be sure to get gravy on your Rice and Beans, I didn’t want any but my friend suggested it and I’m glad she did. It was a great combo! I wasn’t expecting for the food to taste so good but they fooled me. The service wasn’t bad either! I wish she threw a little more cabbage on my plate lol, but overall it was a good experience! I’ll be back!

Best jerk chicken! Chicken is moist and tender. The skin is smoky and flavorful. The owner is often there. She uses seasonings from the old country. Cabbage is crisp, yet tender. It is lightly seasoned and mixed with bell peppers. The sweet plaintains are fried just right. The candied yams are cinnamon flavored. The jerk catfish is also delicious-​it is topped with grilled onions. They have Ting-​grapefruit flavored soda and ginger beer.

No damn star!!! Just left there 4 lunch! Food has no taste & they have grandma fixing plates!!! They didn’t have any singles & we waited over 30 minutes just to get lunch!!! I won’t be going back! They have a sign saying we cut our staff I don’t c why it’s always crowed. From here on out I’ll b on look out for another good jerk!

I just discovered this place. The owner is actually Jamaican unlike the prior at uncle Joe’s do that a huge plus. They had veggie patties and they were decent, a little over cooked but good. My mom said her jerk chicken was of the glass. She is a pretty good cook and said the yams were almost good as her yams. And they had ting which I was excited about.

Seriously, this is the best Jerk Chicken that I have ever had in my entire life. The food is always on point and the service is good. They now have an area to sit down if you like and you can bring friends and family.
They are helpful if you are a first-​timer, as well.
No place has been as perfect as Tropic Island Jerk Chicken.
They have been in business to long to get it wrong. It’s RIGHT every time!

This place is the best! I love the greens and the chicken is just priceless.

I don’t know who is reviewing this place if they are a real customer and not a person that owns or works here, but if you know me or don’t I will give you the run down.
Ok so I was craving some jerk chicken and I looked on here and here is Tropic Island Chicken with a lot of stars, I also seen that they have delivery so I called and a male with a Jamaican accent picked up «E-​lo Tropic Chicken» I then mentioned to him over the phone I wanted to make an order for delivery he respond with «oh no no no he no work here no mo, he got tired of doing delivery» then he abruptly hung up on me without seeing if I wanted to order or not. But no my fellow Unilocalers I was persistent so I got my boyfriend to wake up and take that drive to 79^th just so I can taste the food and get a dinner for my mother. I get there and the place looked clean, the food was set up in like a steam table without a cover (but I guess steam tables don’t come like that). they had a nive array of items but they looked sort of dried out or limp looking the chicken was in the back. I ordered 3 white chicken dinners at $ 34 each came with 2 sides, red beans and rice, and bread. we rushed home to see what we would get… and to our disappointment this is what we found:
Jerk Chicken– had no jerk at all!, tasted like some ok BBQ chicken I could have made at home, the chicken was dry there was barely any chicken skin to have that jerk flavor I was looking for, the chicken looked good but didn’t make the mark clearly wasn’t worth my money or commute out there.
Mac and Cheese: My boyfriend liked but I didn’t tasted like butter and kraft mac and cheese hell deluxe tastes better than this mac they have
Steam cabbage– I love cabbage with all my heart but it has to be seasoned well with onion, and other seasonings and can’t be too hard, this cabbage was tasteless and too hard like it was poorly under cooked I wanted cabbage not coleslaw like cabbage leaves damn it!!!
red beans and rice– hard and not fluffy, dry, they poured gravy on it that didn’t taste to good either
Yams– were ok not syrupy tasted like cinnamon was on there it was alright
Bread– Yes I judge the bread because with jerk hicken I like my bread to be like a pound cake in taste and how thick and dense it should be, this bread was like a regular white bread slice!
Overall all of our dinners were bogish, subpar, mediocre messes and I wasted my Honey’s money on this find another place to get jerk chicken and not here! I meanwhile is going to try Uncle Joe’s on 47^th

I grew up on the spot, but lately they have been a bit stingy on their chicken and sides. I mean if I pay $ 10 for a Jerk Chicken Dinner give me more than 2 pieces of Yams! They have def. been downsizing, and although I preferred them over Uncle Joe’s, due to them offering rice and beans with an additional 2 sides, at least Uncle Joe’s gives me enough of my sides!

When a friend and I went here about a month ago, they were about to move to a new location. The jerk chicken here is very flavorful and well spiced, but not spicy. I also got yams and garlic potatoes, which were both super tasty. The chicken is served with rice and beans and a hard dough bread, which is A+ (see my review for West Indies Bakery). It was a little hot in there. I couldn’t be that hot all day, but luckily they are moving to a new space, so hopefully it will be a bit cooler there.

I am AMAZED.
I can not believe this place has not been reviewed yet, seriously.
There is no other restaurant in the entire city that I will purposefully and regularly drive so far out of my way for.
I love jerk in most any form. However, I would elope with the Jerk chicken from Tropic Island. Unreal.
I love that unidentifiable and satisfying feeling you get from good juicy greens, sweet potatoes, and rice and beans.
I really can’t type fast enough to express my love for this place.
Black bean salsa, out of this world. Ting soda, satisfying, refreshing, goes great with vodka. Also good at putting out that smoldering fire in your mouth and belly after finishing the black bean salsa.
Don’t be freaked out by the less-​than-​inviting exterior of the restaurant.
I’m a northside white-​boy with a severe penchant for down-​home cookin’ and I go to this place regularly at all hours and its not a problem. Not to mention how nice the guys are that run the place. They are from the caribbean and are totally cool, even though one of them looks like he could be a body guard for DMX.
Go and enjoy.

Next time you’re in the hood, stop by for some of the best jerk chicken you will ever try. These guys are Jamaican and know their stuff. The dipping sauce for the chicken is out of this world. All sides are good – greens, macaroni & cheese, rice, etc.
This ain’t free range chicken! But it tastes so good that I don’t think about it.
They only take cash.
I have always gotten it to go and would probably loose my appetite if I ate in. *insert jab to Northsiders for being scared to come down to the South Side*