Kool Runnings Jamaican Restaurant

I’ve been here a few times and haven’t had an entrée I didn’t like. Oxtails are amazing — but be warned you don’t get a whole lot of meat for the money. Goat and chicken curry are very good as well.
One interesting thing is the dessert chef is a pro. Give them a try. It’s not just some store bought garbage thrown in a case.

Excellent Jamaican food in Northeast Atlanta. Kool Runnings is located in the Goodwill Plaza at the corner of Spalding Drive and Peachtree Parkway. The menu includes traditional Jamaican chicken dishes (jerk chicken, curried chicken, stewed chicken), several fish dishes (salt fish, snapper, tilapia), wings, roti, and barbecue dishes. There are lunch specials during the weekdays and a brunch buffet served on Sundays. I went on a Sunday and opted for an entrée from the menu instead of the buffet.
Highlights: My regular sized jerk chicken dish came with three juicy pieces of chicken, rice with peas, cabbage, and fried plantains. My friend ordered the large sized jerk chicken dish — in retrospect, I’d say it’s worth it to pay a few dollars more to get a large. The waitress warned us that the jerk chicken was spicy and asked if we wanted the sauce on the chicken. There was a mild to moderate level of spice, but it wasn’t anything overwhelming. My plantains were cooked perfectly. I wished that more came with my regular dish. The rice was lightly seasoned and the chicken had a lot of flavor. Great service — our waitress gave us complimentary fruit cups after we finished our meals. The restaurant wasn’t too full, so we were allowed to choose where to sit. Also, there is a performer playing music on a synthesizer in the dining area.
Critiques: It’s not the best Jamaican food I’ve ever had, but I still think it’s worthy of five stars.
Overall: I had an excellent Jamaican jerk chicken platter at Kool Runnings. Great atmosphere and tasty food — I would return for more.

This is the best place for authentic jamaican food. Prepared and to be exspected from a graduate from the culinary institute of america. i recommend this place highly.

Everything we have eaten is delicious. And the price is excellent. Lots of yummy food. However, this place is a real diet buster! We will be back but not too often.

My 1^st time at Kool Runnings. I was inspired to try Caribbean food & this is where I ended up. I’m so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone & let the owner /​fearless leader, guide me in what I should choose. Let me emphasize I was calling in a to-​go order around 9:20pm — by the time I got into the restaurant, (less than 5 minutes later) my food was boxed, prepped & ready to go! Amazingly fast service :)
And even more amazing service — the phone order taker (the nice gentleman may perhaps be the owner) graciously helped me navigate a world of unfamiliar dishes, flavors, etc… I’m a virgin to Jamaican cuisine, so I needed all the advice I could get!
I asked for the oxtail w/​cabbage, rice n peas & plantains.
I then confessed my uncertainty w/​my selection & desire to get a 2^nd back up meal in case I didn’t like the oxtail. He assured me I would like them. I liked his confidence! I also got the stew chicken (as suggested), w/​turnip greens, peas n rice & plantains.
I must say — the meat of both dinners (oxtail & stewed chicken) was AMAZING!!! Tender, fall off the bone, full of flavor — delish.
Another 1^st outside of my comfort zone — The rice n peas were plentiful and very tasty — very filling! Not too mushy, good consistency, nice flavor, large portion.
I really love greens but I’m learning perhaps I prefer a traditional Southern preparation (cabbage, collards). So while I ate the greens here, they weren’t my favorite. I could’ve done w/​out the vinegary taste found in the collards. No worries — I’ll get those from grandma!
I could kick myself that I didn’t get bread pudding with rum sauce or Jamaican rum cake! Or a specialty drink! But my sweet tooth was satisfied with the fried plantains — stupidly, dangerously good!
Not sure which was my favorite: oxtail or stew chicken? Both are to die for!
Even better, again, the service! You guys keep doin what you do, we’ll be coming back!!! Thank you!!! Unilocalers who haven’t gone, what are you waiting for? You won’t be sorry & they’ll help newbies work through the menu & you’ll soon discover the next dish you can’t live without!
Thank you Kool Runnings! I look forward to visiting again, & again, & you get it

I will keep it real. I have been to Jamaica about 14 times and have had friends/​boyfriends who are Jamaican. I cook Jamaican Food. I know good Jamaican food and Kool Runnings has it.
I went for brunch and they had an all you can eat breakfast buffet which I was unsure of at first, but they had Ackee and Saltfish. I LOVE ACKEE AND SALTFISH. Therefore the 19.99 price was worth it because I believe I had three (large) servings of it. Add in the boiled dumpling, fried dumpling, boiled banana and callaloo and you got yourself a traditional Jamaican breakfast and it was all good. All. Of. It. Oh and the plantains WERE THE BOMB! I had probably… a lot of them!
I have to admit the majority of the items on the buffet were fished based, which I actually prefer. There was Ackee and Saltfish, Saltfish and veggies and Mackeral. I had both saltfish dishes and they were great. There was an option to have a made to order omelet, but you had to ask and really who wants eggs when you can have cooked food!
I was with a group and others ordered stewed chicken and I also got a taste of the curry chicken, which was good. The portions are huge! A fellow table mate ordered I believe the snapper and I love it because it was the whole snapper (be prepared if you don’t want to see the head) and he cleaned it right off the bone. Looked delicious! Someone ordered some patties and I should have asked if they were house made or bought. If there were Juicy patties I need to go back but now that I think on it, they didn’t look like it. They didn’t come with cocoa bread though, and I am not sure if that is an option. After the heavy meal we got some fresh fruit which is always a nice way to end the meal.
I definitely need to go back for some oxtails and goat and I want to based on my first experience! Otherwise what I had was great. The service was good especially for a large group. The price is fair for the large portions, I mean most people had left overs! And the buffet is worth it if you are an Ackee and Saltfish lover like me especially since off the menu it’s 12.99. Definitely give Kool Runnings a try! And speak up with any questions or concerns, the staff/​owners were more then helpful.

Kool Runnings may be the best Jamaican restaurant in metro Atlanta. It’s certainly the biggest with a nice menu, live music, and a warm, welcoming staff. The restaurant has been around for over 20 years, so you know they’re doing something right. Originally located on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain for 19 years, the business moved to its current location in Peachtree Corners (Norcross) in 2013. They’re in the big shopping center with Goodwill at Peachtree Parkway (SR 141) and Spalding Drive.
Unlike other Jamaican restaurants I’ve been to in metro Atlanta, Kool Runnings is very spacious. They have plenty of seating and can easily handle large groups. When we visited for brunch, which is served every Sunday from 11am-3:30pm, there was a musician playing a keyboard. He sang, as did the owner. I liked the music. It was relaxing island music. Oftentimes, live music at restaurants can be obnoxiously loud, but not here. I enjoyed it.
The open space is clean and casual with brightly painted walls (green, yellow, red), faux tropical trees, and TVs. It’s all table seating (no booths). We received sit-​down service during our brunch, but it looks like counter service may be available in the back.
The menu includes foods like Jamaican patties, various types of chicken (e.g. jerk, apricot, stew), curried goat, ackee & saltfish, callaloo, beef stew, oxtail, «rasta pasta,» various fish (e.g. kingfish, snapper, tilapia, salmon), roti, wings, BBQ chicken, ribs, rice & peas, fried plantains, and steamed cabbage. Beverages include homemade tea, lemonade, and other juices like sorrel (a tea made with roselle) and Jamaican D&G brand soft drinks such as Ting. Aside from the patties which are only a couple bucks each, expect to spend at least $ 10 – 12 per entrée. In addition, they offer daily $ 7.99 lunch specials.
The all-​you-​can-​eat brunch buffet is $ 19.99, which is a little pricey for what you get. When the restaurant first moved to Peachtree Corners a couple years ago, the buffet was only $ 14.99. During our visit, the buffet included jerk chicken and curry chicken, ackee & saltfish, beef liver, beef kidney, callaloo, collard greens, fried dumplings, festival dumplings, boiled dumplings, boiled bananas, fried plantains, mackerel rundown, ham, and rice & peas. There was a dessert table with fruit (e.g. grapes, sliced pineapple) and cookies. There was also what looked like an omelette station, but the station was unmanned the entire time we were there.
I tried everything on the buffet. Here’s what I thought:
* Hits: Jerk chicken, curry chicken, fried dumplings, festival dumplings, fried plantains.
Yum. Technically, the jerk chicken and curry chicken weren’t on the buffet. Instead, we had to request them from our server and she brought them out from the kitchen. I like that. If the chicken sat on the buffet, it would dry out. I thought both the jerk chicken and curry chicken were tender and flavorful. They were served bone-​in and did have several small bones which is normal. The jerk chicken came with sauce on the side.
The fried dumplings and festival dumplings were delicious. The festivals are addictive little suckers. Crispy and sweet. They sort of remind me of cornbread. One of my tablemates ordered an entrée off the menu. It came with a fried dumpling. Unfortunately, it arrived undercooked, still gooey and doughy in the middle. The server replaced it with dumplings from the buffet (the same ones I was eating).
It’s hard to go wrong with fried plantains (a.k.a. maduros). Sweet and succulent, they’re almost like dessert to me.
* Not Bad: Ackee & saltfish, callaloo, collard greens, mackerel rundown, ham, rice & peas.
Ackee & saltfish is a traditional Jamaican dish made from ackee fruit, which is boiled, and salted cod. Mackerel rundown is slices of mackerel and coconut milk. Both are flavorful, salty foods that should be eaten with dumplings or rice & peas. The ackee & saltfish contains no bones while the mackerel rundown contains tiny bones.
Callaloo is a lighter green colored leafy green vegetable. To me, it’s kind of like a mix between turnip greens and spinach. I thought the collards were more flavorful than the callaloo. They were prepared similarly to Southern-​style collard greens. The slices of ham were savory, but tough. The rice & peas were fine.
* Misses: Beef liver, beef kidney, boiled dumplings, boiled bananas.
Yikes. I’m a fan of liver, but both the beef liver and beef kidney here didn’t jive with me. Texture was okay. I just didn’t find the flavors of the sauces and organs very appetizing. On the flipside, the boiled dumplings and boiled bananas lacked any sort of flavor. I know they’re supposed to be eaten with other foods (there’s a sauce you can pour atop the bananas), but I didn’t think taste nor consistency were good.
Service was terrific. Our server was great and the owner, chef, and another employee greeted and checked on our table.
In the end, I give Kool Runnings 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

After church (I got baptized on December 13^th, 2015! Yay!), my sister, Angela H, her husband, and I went to Kool Runnings Jamaican Restaurant. My sister had her UYE here.
It was my first time and some Unilocalers came late but everyone made it! Some Unilocalers had the brunch buffet (I didn’t get that because that’d be too much food for me).
The brunch buffet was $ 19.99
I’d say my favorite dish was the Jerk Chicken but the sauce was very spicy. I wasn’t expecting the sauce to be very spicy. I also really enjoyed eating the fried plantains and collard greens. The rice was also very good. I had the rice-​n-​peas. YUM!
I would have given this place a FIVE STARS but our waitress… she kept forgetting to bring my drink. I asked for it twice. and still nothing. and I was almost done with my meal and then she brings it. Ohhh and just letting you know, the drink I ordered was the BEST ginger beer I’ve ever had! Jamaican Ginger Beer! You should try it out for yourselves! It’s better than the Australian Ginger Beer… seriously delicious!
I’d come back to eat here for the ginger beer and the fried plantains!

My favorite Jamaican food so far! I would say this is the closest thing to home made. Been here several times and ive had the curry chicken with cabbage, plantains and rice n peas.
The chicken is cooked to perfection and so are the plantains and rice n peas (not too mushy and not too hard). There’s always hot sauce for an extra price (2 cents) if you want it a little more spicy (i do).
I always get it take out and my food is always ready when i get there. When you call they tell you what your take out order # will be. The person that takes the order has always been pleasant and they are very nice when you get there. There’s ample parking in the lot also. So far so good!

I have visited the plaza in which Kool Runnings is located many times, but I have never noticed it until it appeared in a search of nearby restaurants while I was waiting at The Forum.
I visited during lunch hours and ordered their lunch special; at $ 7.99 including a beverage, it is an good value. The lunch special can be configured from the available selection however, I ordered rice and peas, jerk chicken, cabbage and plantains.
Everything was good. The rice and peas were good, not overcooked and I could taste the coconut milk that was used to prepare them.
I requested a small amount of sauce on the jerk chicken. The cabbage was prepared with vegetables and the plantains were cooked perfectly.
I requested lemonade as my beverage and could taste that it was fresh squeezed and made in-​house.
I plan to visit again.

I came here one weekend day to join some friends. It’s in a shopping center and is actually pretty large inside. Very clean and hospitable place! On Sunday’s they have an all-​you-​can-​eat brunch for 18.99 or 19.99. I opted not to go for the buffet since they didn’t have jerk chicken on it which is what I wanted.
I ordered the Jerk Chicken ($ 10.49 regular entrée) with rice & beans, plantains, cabbage and a Jamaican Beef Pattie ($ 1.99). I had the jerk sauce on the side and I’m glad I did because it was suuuppper spicy. I like spicy don’t get me wrong but it was on fire that day. I just dipped my chicken in the sauce and it was great! I even dipped the rice & beans in the sauce, also yummy. The cabbage was not my favorite. It was a little too tough for me. Of course they gave a huge heaping of rice and beans but that’s a West Indian thing. The plantains were amazing! So sweet and not too soft. The texture was perfect. The pattie was pretty good, it was freshly cooked which was a plus! I wish I had tried the macaroni because I saw someone else with it and it looked amazing.
The owners came by and spoke to us which was very nice of them to do. Apparently they have been in business over 20 years, the friendliness and ambiance says how. They also have live music playing during the brunch which was really nice, it wasn’t too loud or anything. We were still able to enjoy our lunch conversations.
I would come back if I’m ever out in Norcross area and craving Jamaican food. Not sure how soon that will be since I live in Cobb County. P. S. they have a lunch special as well!

Wow this is pretty good!
I’d seen Kool Runnings when it was in stone mountain and passed by it for years without going in, so i’m glad I gave it a try today on a Sunday Afternoon.
So right up front, you have an immediate choice to make if you’re here on a Sunday: Buffet, or order off the menu? The brunch/​buffet sets you back $ 20, but gives you a sample of all you can put down of the following dishes:
Eggs
Jerk Chicken
Omelettes (including build your own)
French toast
Sweet potato pancakes
Juice
Ackee and salt fish
Liver/​kidney (beef)
Callaloo
Porridge
Fried dumplings
Mackerel Rundown
Escoveitch king fish
Boiled banana
and they’ll bring out sample plates of chicken that you’re interested in as well.
I decided to go off of the menu instead, and ordered the Curry chicken for $ 9.99 (you can make this a large meal for $ 2 more), and two Jamaican patties (beef and veggie, both for $ 2 each). The Curry chicken order came with a heaping order of rice and peas, as well as a side of cabbage, both of which were seasoned great. It says a lot when I don’t have to reach for a bottle to sprinkle or pour something on my meal.
The actual chicken was fall off the bone tender, juicy, flavorful, and almost absent of any bone fragments like i’ve found at other Jamaican restaurants (but still, be careful before biting down hard, as I did find two small fragments in one mouthful). I did mention earlier that you can make this (and most entrees) a large meal for $ 2 more, but unless you’re starved or have a bottomless pit of a stomach, I think the regular will do you just fine, and send you packing with leftovers. Fried sweet plantains also accompanied the meal and they were some of the better plantains i’ve tasted, almost being a dessert themselves. .
The patties were hit or miss for me. On the one hand, the beef patty was delicious, soft and bursting with flavor. The veggie patty however, was kinda doughy, bland and disappointing. There is a chicken patty that I didn’t try this time.
Customer service was great, as multiple people stopped by, including the chef, to ask how we were doing. Granted, i’m not sure if that’s normal or if we were just in a big party, but I like the friendly nature. Live music played on, but things were never too loud to stop a conversation.
Great meal, great portion sizes, lots of variety and good customer service. Hard to ask for more than that!

I absolutely love this place. Me being from Latin America, growing up with these style of dishes was very common, hence why I enjoy coming here so much. Reminds me of home! Glad they moved it closer to me as there is nothing in the area that remotely compares to it. You get the true authentic Jamaican vibe that i’m used to as soon as you walk through the door — no fake accents here! And you can tell by the food that they know whats up. From Curry Chicken to the delicious Jerk Chicken, can’t go wrong with it!
Some of the Specials:
Fridays — Stew Peas
Sundays — Brunch Buffet for $ 19.99, with Live Music! 10−3pm
Daily Lunch — Mon to Fri 11−4pm is $ 7.99
Come try some of this delicious food whenever you get the chance, won’t disappoint!

«Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! Cool Runnings!»
Here’s what we ate:
Escovitch Wings: Fried wings topped with a pickling sauce of vinegar, onions, and/​or chili peppers. These were good and I loved the pickled onions. It’s all about the escovitch topping.
Oxtail Combo: The oxtail was surprisingly good in that it’s full of flavor and tender. This was the first time I had oxtail Jamaican-​style. For each meat combo, you have a choice of white rice or rice with peas (beans), and then the choice of collards or cabbage, and plantains. If I had known that peas = beans, then I probably would have gotten it. Collards were ok. I would’ve liked a little more. The plantains were cooked just like you get them at a Cuban restaurant.
Goat Curry: My boyfriend ordered this and I had a bite of it. The flavor just wasn’t there for me but I’ll say it doesn’t have that goat/​lamb gamey-​smell. He seemed to enjoy it and instead of plantains, he was able to substitute with a additional cabbage or collard greens.
Service was slow on a Saturday Halloween night, and it’s weird because there wasn’t even that many customers, but a lot takeout orders. I might come back to try the Jamaican patties, but to me so far, if I craved Caribbean/​Jamaican food, I’d pick Kool Runnings over Caribbean Fiesta. Although, it’s a little more expensive.

You can find Kool Runnings at the corner of Spalding Dr and Peachtree Pky. This is the same shopping center anchored by Goodw