Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill

Their food is… OK. Got my tummy aching though. The portion amount nor the quality of the food matched the prices & to top it off, the customer service was no bueno! We ordered curry goat (which sadly had not a kick of spice) and the jerk chicken. My Husband wanted jerk wings and I wanted jerk pork, but they «didn’t have any». :-/​So in our opinion, this place is over-​rated. And the next time we are on the Southwest side & want Jamaican food, we’ll just stick with Island Sizzler.

I’ve been to this cool, quaint place about 3 or 4 times already. I’m actually going back tonight! I suggest calling your order in so that as soon as you arrive they make you a priority and fix your plates first over everyone else who ordered in-​person.
I highly recommend the brown stew chicken. It’s beyond amazing. All of their plates are humongous portions and it’s tasty enough to spend $ 11 – 12 on. It’ll last you for dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast.
The service is quick and friendly. They seem to be a strong staple in their community. I travel 20 minutes or so to get to them and they never fail to amaze me. Five stars!

Possibly one of the best places in town for Jamaican food. The food is simple but takes no short cuts with flavor. I started with the beef patty and I wish I could have taken more to go, they were delicious. My main dish was a half order of jerk chicken which came with rice and peas, cabbage with other veggies and plantains. Also tried the jerk fries which look plain but the flavor is kind of sweet. Had friends who tried the curry goat and chicken along with ox tails. I would highly recommend you check this place out if you like Caribbean food. They even have their own spicy jerk sauce in a bottle which was empty by the time we finished our food. The price is very fair so you can get a lot of food for a decent price. Everything is made to order.

Jerk chicken was NOT hot, not even a little. It came like it had been sitting out all morning.
Roti is not wrapped roti, it’s just said meat dish with roti skin, super disappointed.
Caribbean Cuisine has much better food and their roti is AMAZING.
The roti wasn’t hot either… and I’m almost certain they cook their chicken in the oven… you can’t even smell the Jerk or see smoke.
Won’t come back, I live 30 mins away… but I’d travel to eat at Caribbean Cuisine… ijs.

cool runnings was SO good. i had their jerk chicken. great portions and amazing quality. will definitely return!

Went on a sunday and ate fro the buffet. Whole everything was flavorful it tasted as if it had been sitting out there for a while. Chicken was dry aND everything else soggy. The best part was the mango team which was out of this world good. When I go back I will order off the menu not the buffet, because everyone who ordered off the menu looked like they enjoyed their food alot more than I, so I’ll give 4 stars for that.

You have to come to Cool Runnings if you love authentic jamaican food… the employees may not seem friendly… however; they are only trying to get every order completed (they are always busy). Try to jerk chicken or the ox tails… either one; you can’t go wrong!!!

In Short: HUGE portion, great Jamaican flavor, Reggae music, fast service, cheap, nice people
In Detail: I come here alot for lunch, it’s really a new employee initiation where I introduce them to the hot (under statement) Jamaican sauce. The store looked small upon entering but there’s a full service area on the right side that for a second looks like a hall way to the restroom. nope. Honestly, where else can you have lunch AND enjoy Reggae music on this side of town? If you’re a first timer, I would recommend SMALL Jerk Chicken with beans and cabbage and Chicken Patty. My favorite part is the side of plantains. They’re sweet and savory at the same time. It’s consistently good. The only downside? You might risk a chance of falling asleep after all that delish food. Worth it.

Nice atmosphere, I ordered a beef patty which was delicious but my plantains weren’t the best I’ve had. Next time I’m planning on ordering the oxtail which looked really good.

I’ve been coming here since I was 14 years old. I’m 34 now… Its gone through a couple of name changes in my 20 years. But 1 thing is fa sho. The Food/​Flavors are incredible. Everytime I eat here I shake my head in disbelief, its so damn good!!! Thanks Cool Runnings for always hitting that nostalgic sweet spot in my stomach.

This place exceeded my expectations. I love trying new things but sometimes it’s a hit or miss. This place did not disappoint. I ordered oxtail and it was so moist and flavorful but sadly I didn’t get a good size. My friend on the other table did… we were with family so we ordered different dishes such as the shrimp curry, baked fish and of course the jerk chicken wings! My husband ordered a goat dish but I couldn’t hang with that. Just like most restaurants, if you go to an ethnic place to eat and you see ethnic patrons… it’s safe to assume that place is off the hook! (*hint asain restaurant, if you don’t see any asains… run!) lol jk not 100% true but 99.99% factual. Not! Just my 2cents

Came here on Saturday, April 30^th. After much convincing, my coworker and I met up at Cool Runnings. We both ordered the jerk chicken.
I was very pleased with the amount of food given in the box. Lots of rice, chicken, cabbage, etc! You basically get your money’s worth. The jerk chicken was tasted great, and that’s coming from a guy who’s first jerk chicken came from Buffalo Wild Wings.
I came when they were redecorating, so I can’t wait to see the final result. I will definitely return.

Honestly, the women at the counter always seem overwhelmed and have a generally bad attitude. The jerk chicken is at best mediocre. The best thing they serve here is the Rasta Pasta and steamed vegetables which is why I am giving them two stars. People in Houston are desperate to find that flavor they once experienced while in Jamaica. One of my best friends is Jamaican. If we lived in the same city I would have never come here, I would just go to his house. Its not worth the money. I have been here three times. Every time they are playing Barris which really sucks.

This is the place to go for meat pies! Yes I order them by the dozen every time I go. They have chicken, beef and I think vegetarian meat pies, but I always get the chicken meat pies. The beef one has a different kind of crust that I am not fond of. But anyways, they are still taste good even after you refrigerate them; I just pop them in the oven and the crust is still crispy. I do warn you it is a little spicy, but who doesn’t love a little kick of spiciness? I’ve had the jerk chicken a few times and that is pretty flavorful too. It was a very generous portion and it came with rice, plantains, and cabbage. I am definitely a frequent customer here!

Ate the tilapia and it was fantastic. I loved everything about the dish, the seasoning, the quality and quantity of the fish, the sides and the plantain. The portion was huge. I ate to satisfaction, shared with my friends, and still had a big to go box full of food. Our group was huge and filled the entire dining room. Two waitresses handled the unexpected large crowd very well. If I lived in Houston, I would be a weekly customer. My friends thoroughly enjoyed their food as well.

Just got out of church, and stopped in for lunch today. This time I ordered a small jerk Wayne dinner, with cabbage rice and peas. Everything was delicious hot and fresh also had a soursop juice. Thanks cool runnings love the service this time!

This place was a stop on the «Taste of Black Houston» Bus tour.
Though our visit was truly in and out, the jerk chicken and beef patties were delish! When we re-​boarded the bus, it was super quiet as everyone enjoyed the samples we picked up. Will definitely be back for a true visit.

My company caters lunch for us every day, and Cool Runnings is one of our absolute favorite vendors. We only get them once a month, and it is by far the day we all get super excited about.
The jerk chicken is superb — just like what I had in Jamaica. Smokey, with perfect spice and fall off the bone tender. Paired with the rice and peas (mmmmmm) and cabbage — you can’t go wrong and you’ll be craving it for days afterwards. The escovitch fish is so delish I had to start making it at home, but it’s never as good as they make it. The coconut shrimp curry is my other favorite — it’s so hard to choose just one main dish.
If you’re a vegetarian, which I used to be, you won’t be disappointed by the vegetarian rice and veggie chunks curry (even though the name needs some work). Not to mention the fact that they know how to cook some tasty veggies perfectly and never make them soggy.
We love them, I hope they are always around!

I Love this place! From north Houston to Southwest this on of the best Jamaican restaurants in Houston. On the weekends if you aren’t dining in call your order in, you might still have to wait but it’s less of a wait.

When a girl has a craving for jerk chicken, you know you need to hustle to get it quenched! Even if it takes you an hour to get there o_​O It’s worth it!
I came here yesterday with 5 friends & we were all impressed. When I walked in, there was a lineup at the take out counter which is usually a good sign in my opinion. The dining room is much nicer than the entrance so don’t let that dissuade you. The staff were inviting & helpful. Our waitress was attentive & funny.
We started off with the Jamaican rum punch & let me tell you they weren’t cheap on the rum… extra gold star for that!!!
We each got our own dish & so we were able to try a great variety of the delicious food. The jerk chicken was fall of the bone delicious as was the slightly spicy curried chicken & goat. The house specialty is the coconut curry shrimp & it was definetely worth the order. We were all starving so we got the large plates & figured we would take the leftovers home, needless to say no one had any. We all polished our plates off! They manage to balance the spice & flavor very well.
Only complaint is that I wish the jerk chicken was spicier (just personnal preference). I realized after we were finished eating that they have a jerk sauce on the side but we were not given the option.
I really want to try their roti, the oxtail & patties but I’ll try them next time I come. The meals were served with a side of rice & beans, boiled provision (cabbage, carrots, corn & green beans) & plantains (only 2 small pieces). I could seriously see myself shanking someone to get some!!! We ordered an extra plate of plantains cause everyone knows you can never get enough when they are prepared as well as they do it here.
We finished off with an order of the rum cake for the table. It was huge, moist & reminded me of spiced cake, everything we could ask for to conclude a scrumptious meal. The prices are competitive for the quality & quantity of food you receive.
They have a variety of Jamaican sodas, lemonades & other non alcoholic beverages. They do not have fountain drinks or refills, it’s bottles only.
Overall, am I going back? Hell yes!!! I’ve missed eating Jamaican food & I’m happy to have found a great place to go to in the Houston area. If you do decide to go with a group of 10 or more, I would strongly suggest calling to make a reservation.