Jawaiian Irie Jerk Restaurant

Wanted to try out this place when Guy Fiery gave the thumbs up for this place on his food network show. Me and my wife were here for a Saturday night dinner. The place was easy to find as I have been to the Himalayan kitchen Restaurant a lot which is in the same building.
When we entered, there was live music going on and the place was not full. We waited at the entrance for almost 20 minutes even though there were tables available. No one even bothered to come to us and ask whether we were waiting for tables. My wife felt really bad. I went in and forcefully asked a waiter if there is any open table and then we were seated after 5 minutes. Very bad. Big let down on the customer experience.
We ordered the blackened chicken bites for appetizer. It was ok. Nothing special. We also ordered the Jamaican jerk chicken and Jamaican goat curry. We liked both. The goat curry reminded me closely of Indian style curry. The goat was tender and really tasty. The jerk chicken was so soft and tender. The portions are reasonable and makes one full for sure.
I was not really wowed by this place but I liked the Jamaican food experience. I may give it a one more try some other time. Cutting down those 2 stars for that initial bad customer service.

The food was flavorful, we had the jerk wings, jerk chicken plate and the oxtail plate and the bread pudding. Everything was delicious, the food falls right off the bone.

The ambience is right but the music too loud. The service is good, the food is ok, overall, but the prices are a bit high for what they are serving.
I have given this place two tries and I like it. But I would not choose this over the many solid options nearby.
Of course, I have only had the vegetarian items. The Vegetarian Ital Stew was nice, and the Tofu (Delight?) was very good. The sauce on the latter was very nice. I really liked the rice and peas. The Ital Stew was very heavy on starch: on my plate was rice, plantain, cassava, and beans. Not that I don’t like starchy foods, I actually LOVE them, but it is not good to eat that much in one sitting. The flavors were pretty good, too. Different. And that is good. We also got the key lime pie, which they make in house, but it tasted like the refrigerator.
They also let you bring your own booze, so that is nice. No idea if they charge for corking.
The music was way too loud, sadly. We really struggled to continue our discussion once that got started. I had to block my ear and did so for awhile. In such a small place, you would think they might adjust that.
This is a pretty good place to eat if not a bit expensive. I won’t go out of my way to return.

Great hidden little spot on the island. The grub was Jamaican legit. The ital stew and Jamaican jerk were delicious. The chef cooks to order and they even made a vegan Rasta pasta for my little one. They use coconut oil which makes everything tasty. Did I mention you get a fried plantain too? Makes any Central American jump for joy! Definitely work checking out!

Good vibe, good service, good food… jerk and ital combo works! Can’t wait to get back to O’ahu, will definitely be stopping back in.

I stop in on a Monday! Service was great, fast, and friendly. I ate a light snack that hit the spot before meeting up with some friends. The ambience kinda reminded me of Bali and so did the food which is a great thing. I order their home made cut thin sweet potatoe with Ono fish tar tar. The flavor or spice was perfection. And it was a great balance with sweet potatoe. Portion size was good. The table next to me had ordered a few other dishes I had to ask what they thought and they confirmed the food was fabulous. I’ll definitely be back soon to try some other dishes!

Excellent gem in kaimuki. First time I tried Jamaican food, and I am in love! Try the Jamaican jerk chicken, you will not be disappointed

Ok… I’ve let this simmer for over a month prior to writing this… I was SO UPSET after I left this place, I didn’t want to respond out of emotion.
Positives: Wonderful environment and server was good. THAT’S IT!
NEGATIVES:
ABSOLUTELY WORSE Jamaican food I’ve ever experienced… Ok ok. You see positives reviews on here. They are coming from tourists that have never been to N.Y., FL, Jamaica, or even some one that knows how to cook. Food was not even decent!
Coconut bread was stale and tasted like the 5 day old bread store.
Ox tails. They only gave 2 and charge $ 19.00 RIDICULOUS. NOT flavorful at ALL! Rice very starchy… who can’t cook rice?
CURRY CHICKEN sent my friend to ER. NO JOKE.
Very bland! Very bland.
In closing. just because you have 4 wheels, doesn’t make you a car. Just because you’re from Jamaica, doesn’t make you a Jamaican cook! Ohh and diner guy that travels around… He’s full of CRAP!
YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!!!
THIS IS THE ONLY TIME Unilocal POSITIVE REVIEWS HAVE been 100% MISLEADING FOR ME!
I honestly think they are giving discounts for people to leave good reviews.

Dis is a must eat place for some awesome food and atmosphere. Friendly people, great music and of course the food is great!!!
Pick anything, I usually do jerk pork and chicken.

Nice change of pace for the tastebuds. Quaint little place. Good friendly service. A nice selection of meat and fish dishes with Jamaican jerk spices. The food didn’t make my eyes roll to the back of my head but it was good.
I had the Curry Goat. Goat seared and simmered in Caribbean Curry. It came like a stew and served with a side of white rice and corn fritters. Good dish with a nice spicy kick.
My friend had the Jerk Pork Sandwich. Pork shoulder on coco bread with a side salad of lettuce, grilled onion, tomato with a creamy mango vinaigrette. The salad was super good but the pork was in the dry side.
My other friend had the Escowitch Fish. Fish dry rubbed with jerk spices then sauté and served with a lite tomato sauce and veggies. Good dish. Fish light and flaky with good Caribbean flavors.
Also try their Jamaican Specialty Drinks (non alcoholic). Very refreshing and healthy.

Jamaican-​Hawaiian fusion food = GENIUS. Jawaiian and many of their neighbors are a BYOB establishment, and as such, they get pretty crowded especially at dinner. At around 12:30pm on a weekday, the restaurant was empty. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical of 4.5 stars because Jamaican is not exactly Hawaii’s strongsuit (this is the only Jamaican restaurant I’ve seen), and I figured the ratings were inflated because this was a less available cuisine. But no, Jawaiian Irie is truly delicious and I can’t wait to come back!
OX TAIL STEW ($ 19.95) — 5 STARS
It’s as good as they say it is — it’s über tender, really flavorful, and just so delicious. I really had no problem with the serving size because I left full, but it is a little pricey for lunch.
CHICKEN CURRY STEW ($ 13.95) — 4 STARS
I was worried this would taste boring but it was really flavorful and satiating. While I can’t speak to the authenticity, it was really delicious and tender and went perfectly with the rice.
JERK CHICKEN WEDGE SALAD ($ 11.95) — 2.5 STARS
A huge portion of iceberg lettuce with jerk chicken and mango dressing (eh). It’s a pretty good deal for $ 12 and tastes fine if you’re trying to be healthy, but I much preferred the ox tail stew and chicken curry.

Oh Man! This place is magical.
FOOD:
Some of the best food I’ve ever had. I have no idea how the food is so flavorful and moist. They must spend days marinating the chicken they cook. It’s fantastic!
I’ve been here 5 or so times now, and try to get something different each time. I have yet to be disappointed.
If you haven’t had Jamacian food before you should expect it to be a little spicy, and very flavorful!
BYOB — grab some Red Stripe from the 7 – 11 across the way.
SERVICE:
Very good service. They’re super sweet, but maybe a little stoney.
I might recommend calling ahead, or stopping by early, if it’s a Friday or Saturday night. They can get busy, but service is fast.
PRICE:
Very decent for the quality of food. There really isn’t anything like this restaurant in Hawaii.

I’m always down to try new restaurants, so when a friend of mine suggest lunch at Jawaiian, I was more than happy. After reading Unilocal reviews, I was even more excited and anticipated my first visit, but unfortunately I wasn’t that impressed.
My friend had the curry, while I had the jerk chicken sandwich. It came with some sweet potato chips and salad on the side. My biggest gripe with the sandwich wasn’t with the chicken, but rather the stale bread. Since it was $ 10, I wasn’t expecting the dry texture of the bread. If, lets say, they forgot the buy fresh bread than perhaps they should have salvaged it by toasting the buns. With the chicken, I found it on the bland side. It was darkened, but spices, even something as simple as salt, could have improved the sandwich ten folds. The sauce on the chicken seemed to be the same dressing on the salad.
On top of that, it was rather dark. We went during lunch and while I suppose saving electricity was nice, lights would have made the visit more appealing.

I went here for the first time on Friday. I’ve never eaten Jamaican food before so I was really skeptical. The location was hard to find and we got lost in Kaimuki for a while. When we arrived, it wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be and we got seated immediately.
The menu has a wide selection and even has vegan food (for all you vegans out there). I had a hard town choosing, but eventually decided on the oxtail stew. The oxtail stew was superb. It was seasoned just right. And the meat came off the bone easily. The dish has one big piece of oxtailI with stew surrounding it. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves oxtail! It came with a scoop of jasmine rice and a corn fritter and plantain. I didn’t like the corn fritter, but the plantain was delicious.
Our server was attentive and refilled our water a lot. She also helped with any questions we had. There were two servers, but the place is small. The atmosphere was relaxed and dark, but you can screw a light bulb in if it is too dark for your table. There is also a candle on the table. There is also a guy who comes in to sing too. When we were there he added his own twist to Michael Jackson’s songs.
All in all, it was a very pleasant experience and I would come back for the oxtail stew :)

Super yummy jerk chicken and pork. Loved all the fixins that came with it: curries veggies, deep fried something and a grilled plantain…
Kinda spicy but super flavorful!

Saw this on Food Network, been wanting to try this place. Now I can cross it off my bucket list. Great food, excellent service (best I’ve seen in awhile!), and great value.
I wanted to try the wings for $ 9, but went with the $ 15 Jamaican chicken entrée instead. I wanted to try the side dishes! The entrée comes with 2 pieces of Jamaican jerk chicken, marinated/​cooked to perfection. Peas n Rice, Ital Stew, Corn Fritter, and Plaintain. All excellent. I asked for a side of hot sauce — WOW it was hot! Fantastic meal for $ 15. Waitress was beautiful, friendly, and refilled my water several times. With the heat from the ghost peppers, having water was crucial, very rarely have I been to a restaurant where the wait staff are on top of refilling the water. Excellent service!
They are closed on Tuesdays, and no lunch on Sunday. From what I could see from the menu, there’s no lunch special here, it is pretty much all the same stuff with exception to 3 sandwiches that they offer for lunch.
This is a great spot for dinner, it is BYOB with no corking fee.
It is an open kitchen and you could see the chefs making your meal :) Great place, well deserved 5 star rating.

Yes Yes and Yes!
I love Jamaican food and this place hit the spot. Employees are very friendly and attentive. Plenty of seating inside. I love the ambiance at this place, it’s so chill. The music was also very relaxing. Complimentary bread is brought to the table. If you’re a ginger fan like me, you want to try their homemade Pineapple Ginger Brew. Try their Sorrel drink, for something refreshing and slightly tart. Yum! We tried their Jerk Chicken, Oxtail Stew, and Jamaican Curry Goat. It was all well executed. The Jerk Chicken was fall off the bone good. So tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. You can tell all their meats were cooked for hours in some amazing spices. The Johnny Cake and Plantain that came with the white rice was perfect. I love their attention to detail, pretty flowers on each dish.
Oh yea, and Guy Fieri was here: P

I HIGHLY recommend this place!!!
I would give this place 4.5 stars if parking weren’t such an issue. Unfortunately, the parking lot can be full during peak hours. Driving around looking for stalls is a pain, esp when you have to pay for parking.
That said, this place is the bomb. It is not very large but we scooped up the last open seat at about 7:30pm on a Friday night. A day of rock climbing, starving and no wait=bonus! Upon entering, the sounds of an upbeat yet soooothing steel drums filled the air. Loud enough to provide the perfect relaxing ambiance but not so loud that you must yell to hear your dinner date. It was dim and quite romantic, actually. Oh, and it’s BYOB so BYOB! :)
The selection of food was on point. I’m vegan and ordered the tofu vegan dish, (sorry, forgot what it was called but I posted a pict with the name). It included a deep-​fried, delicious fritter and was spicy, flavorful and the portion size was good. My friend ordered the Jerk Chicken which included a portion of the same vegi dish I had plus a fritter and rice. I watched him poke his fork into the chicken and it literally fell off the bone when he did. Nice. According to him, it was delicious. Word of caution though, we are both smaller eaters so don’t take my word for it regarding portion sizes. He was «satisfied», I had about ¹⁄₃ to take home as leftovers.
Timing of the food: Just after I placed my order, I went to the ladies room which is outside, right around the corner and relatively clean. By the time I returned from the restroom, the food was at our table. That was quick. The service was attentive, provided with a smile, care and it was prompt.
The bill came and they use an Ipad for your signature which offers 15−25% gratuity option. Easy and convenient=cool.
When I arrived home I realized that I’d forgotten my friends jacket there. They answered the phone promptly (even after hours) and put the jacket aside for me. I returned the next day and the waitresses recognized me right away and returned the jacket to me immediately.
Flavor, ambiance… Service service SERVICE!!! I’M IMPRESSED and will be back!

If you want to visit the Caribbean, here is your go to spot in Hawaii. This cute little Caribbean hideaway is in Kaimuki tucked in an alley next to Seed restaurant. The ambiance, the decorations and the live music makes you feel as though you are on a beach kicking back with good company… good food… good music. The whole experience «tickled» all of my senses… sight, sound, feel, taste and smells… of the Caribbean.
Loved the…
Service– the waitress was“Awesome.mon.“
Food– House bread with jerk butter was delicious and unique.
–Jerk chicken came with dirty rice, corn fritter, plantain and creamy
veggies. The chicken was seasoned well with jerk (perfectly spiced)
and tender. The sides went nicely with the spice of the chicken.
«Glad I chose this dish, mon.»
So, if you are in the mood to «fancy your taste buds» and to «explore all of your senses… go to… Jawaiian Irie Jerk restaurant.

If Unilocal Had 6 Stars, this place would get it. Definitely in the top 2% of all places I’ve eaten and reviewed on Unilocal.The entire experience here was a rich and exciting that it deserves the same VIP attention of say a Sandals Resort. Everyone should know about Jawaiian Irie Jerk! If this restaurant were located on the Waikiki strip these folks would be millionaires.
But being that it is a whole in the wall, it was featured on Food Network DDDs. As always, Guy Ferri does not dissapoint with his seal of approval for Jawaiian Irie. That being said it is a little hard to find, you actually have to enter the parking lot, as the entrance in through there.
Where to start? Well first let’s make it known that everything here is Homemade. The owner and waitress gave us a warm welcome, seated us, and treated us like special guests the entire time. the most welcome I’ve felt at a restaurant (at least in a long time).
Appetizers. The waitress brought us samples of their homeade Pineapple Ginger Brew and Sorrel Christmas brew. I’ve never had this before it was like a cold apple cider type drink with a spicy kick. Excellent!
Jerk chicken wings were just simply amazing, the meat fell off the bone when I picked it up. First time I think I ate wings that right way… like only bones were left on my plate. And I admit I sucked on the bones. And I Licked my fingers, all ten of them.
Say Aloha to their Hawaiian picked Sweet Potato fired homestyle chips, goes well together with their version of Guacamole mole mole.
Main Entrees: We ordered the Rasta Pasta for the kids but ended up all eating it! The sauce in this pasta is bar none the bast sauce ever in the history of sauce.
I had the jerk ribeye. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing all this food was. The yuka in there swimming in that jerk carribean sauce OMG the ribeye was juicy as ever (Did yiu say STEAK?), very tasty and absolutely no griscle just mest and good fat.
We also ordered, the jerk chicken sandwich and Jamaican Jerk Chicken. Like all the food made you say «ooh I should order that next time».
Dessert. Yes homemade too, pineapple ice-​cream, break pudding, and coconut cream pie. Like all of it mouthwatering good. Each piece of food I’ve mentioned here is worth coming back for just by itself. There were people in there just for the dessert or just the wings etc…
On Fridays-​Sundays they have live music I’ve heard it’s fun we’ll definitely be back to try it out with friends. It’s BYOB.
YA MON!