Caribbean Chicken & Fish

I was really looking forward to having some food here since hole-​in-​the-​wall joints are my fave things to check out. This place is right on the way to Dekalb Farmer’s Market, and I have always drove past this place.
Now, after finding out that this place have four stars on Unilocal,I could no longer contain my curiosity. So, I have finally decided to swing by and decided on what I thought would be the most popular/​successful dish from this joint: Jerky Chicken
The smoker in the back is constantly billowing, and my mouth salivated while we waited. This small joint was packed with different people from different walks of life — so I thought to myself, «this is so exciting…» The place is very small and as soon as you walk in, there is a small window where they display most of their side items and some other meat entrees. If you have a faint of heart when it comes to things being very neat and tiday, I suggest to toughen it up a bit.
But then, everything else went downhill. The «7 Minute» wait time turned into 30, some dude who came later than us got their order before we did, and when we finally got the food, we hungrily dug into the chicken only to be smacked in the face with its blandness. Now, the outside/​skin part of the chicken were quite seasoned, but beyond that, it was really bad. I’m guessing maybe the chicken did not have enough time to marinate and penetrate past the skin? The white meat part of our chicken tasted like boiled chicken. Moist, but flavorless.
All in all, I am really disappointed. I was really looking forward to eating here for a long long time now, and it has left me disappointed. I just cant understand where the hype was coming from.
Now, the only reason why it is not only one star is that the lady behind the counter was really nice.

My wife is a Trini, and we’re always on the hunt for authentic Trinidad cuisine. This place has it. The food is the reason — the only reason — to come here. It’s not in a scenic part of town and the restaurant itself is the very definition of «hole in the wall». You won’t come for atmosphere, that’s for sure. But, the food is good enough for us to trek from Winder, GA to Scottsdale to pick up some roti. The curry chicken that we get with our roti isn’t super-​seasoned and has less curry than what I’m used to, but the chicken itself is VERY moist and flavorful and they don’t try to load you up with a bunch of potatoes — lots of meat! You get your money’s worth. They also make a pretty damn good pepper sauce that’s a little different from the classic scotch bonnet pepper sauce that I’m used to, but their sauce is very good and has a bit of garlic in it that pairs very well with the roti/​curry chicken. They also cook the usual sides like caliloo, macaroni pie, chana, etc. They smoke their own jerk — you can see the smoke rolling out of the smoker when you pull up. Smells good.
This place is close to the Dekalb Farmer’s Market, so if you’re going to the market, swing by here. It’s good!

Simply amazing. Great flavor on the jerk and great portions. You can’t beat the ½ chicken jerk chicken lunch special for $ 9.

This place is awesome. Fresh homemade food. Wasn’t sure if I liked Jamaican food until now. Their prices are really cheap and the quality of the food is much better than what you would get at any chain restaurant. They are a little hot spot too so get there early and order some smoked chicken or fish before they get busy. Wings, whole or partial chicken, fish, tons of side dishes and a lot of other stuff this place is amazing.

Though the food was cheap and in large quantities. The ambiance and hygene level at the place seemed pretty bad. The taste itself was just ok, not tasty enough for me to finish the entire thing.

Finally got to try this spot this past Saturday–
I got a combo plate of the following:
Jerk chicken (with jerk sauce that’s really spicy) — pretty tasty… but the flavor doesn’t get through the whole chicken– mostly just on the skin. I shouldn’t’ve said yes to the jerk sauce– a bit too hot for my tastes– it reminded me a little bit of the Taco Mac Three Mile Island Sauce– tasty, but just a bit too much heat for it to be enjoyable throughout the meal. (3.5)
curry goat– Not bad… just too much bones, not much meat– (3)
stewed vegetables– These looked like they’d be pretty flavorful, but ended up just okay (3)
Caribbean brown rice– Didn’t look brown to me, but I tried it anyway– also kind of pedestrian (3)
Fried plantains– not bad, standard fare (3.5)
$ 16 with a small tip for lunch is quite pricey for take out. I’m not sure I’d do this again.

Rudeboy/​girl dem gotda best jerk still in Ga whole bird is a must made jerk chicken salad wit de leftovers dem @ lost for words thanks chef and Momi

Holy smokes. My husband and I have seen this place on the side of the road every weekend when we go to the farmers market. We have vowed to go there for awhile but usually eat before we leave the house (having forgot about this place).
We finally made it there this weekend and it might become a new tradition. The small location looks more dumpy than what we are used to going to (as far as restaurants are concerned) but I’m convinced that there is just so much flavor packed in, that’s why everything tastes so good. My husband and I split a «small» box. It was chicken (jerk) with two sides (collard greens & mac n cheese) and they threw in some fried plantains. The chicken was fall off the bone amazing. The collard greens are not something I care for (my husband’s side of choice) but he loved them. The mac n cheese was just the right hint of creaminess. We also split a coco-​roll and while I thought it was going to be like a sweet treat, it was more like a yeast roll– but hot and awesome.

Just moved to the area from Miami and looking forward to a local authentic Caribbean spot being from the islands!!! While the service was pleasant the food was horrible… Bland bland bland no true islander prepared this the brown stew chicken had no flavor and the jerk chicken was just as flavorless… The macaroni and cheese (I can’t) how do you under cook and have no flavor in a yam… Ma granmadda nah cook wit no salt and I can still make out every spice and seasoning… Dis na Mek it man… my friend called back to ask if we can get something different which we never do but it was just that bad from thinking to recook it ourselves and add some flavor or take it back and get something else to give them a chance for redemption… They denied us the option … Musta been a bad cook or something today but won’t be returning even Mangos downtown and island Café was better… Only reason it has a star is because it wouldn’t let me proceed

Located very close to Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market, I’ve thought about trying this place out for YEARS. And I finally did!
The Atmosphere:
Truly a hole in the wall; it feels like a shack. Which I’m 100% fine with. You walk in and are immediately standing in front of a display case of hot food, which all looked AMAZING. I had such a hard time picking out my combo. The woman behind the counter helped guide me, loaded my styrofoam carton up, I paid and walked back to my car. There’s nowhere to eat inside and there are a couple little tables outside the front. I was super hot, so I just cranked up the AC and ate it in my car.
The Food:
I got the jerk chicken, which was freshly smoked and it was AMAZING. Such good flavor, so juicy, and it didn’t need any extra sauce. I also got a side of the friend plantains (can’t go wrong there!) and Jamaican rice, which was like a more flavorful version of a traditional Asian fried rice. She poured a little «gravy» on the rice and I used a little of my side of jerk sauce to spice it up some more.
I paid about $ 11-​$ 12 for a HUGE portion of delicious, hot, fresh food. I felt it was a great deal for the money. My go-​to Dekalb buffet lunch now has some stiff competition!

Ok so maybe It was a bad idea to order curry chicken, because it was some of the worst that I have ever had. I got there when they first opened so they didn’t have everything ready yet, which was fine. The employees were very friendly and I really liked how they interacted with everyone. The macaroni and cheese, plantains, and coco bread was great. The curry chicken had no flavor and maybe that’s because it didn’t stew long enough. The price was great and parking was a breeze.

I was excited to have a little Caribbean shack near my new house to try out.
On the day we arrived I ordered a half chicken. After my order was announced they announced they had no more chicken, but assured us we’d be ok. 15 minutes later i was given a hacked apart chicken breast and a leg and told to enjoy myself. It was kinda weird. Probably the lady should have offered me an alternative. Also I should have maybe given her a good wtf as I watched her while she did it.
It was less jerk and more cooked to death chicken with a lot of carcinogens for flavor.
I’ll go back and try again, maybe it was an off day.

The definition of a divey food shack, and I mean that in a good way. Divey food shacks are the best.
Parking exists — it’s behind the shack using the driveway to the left (if you can squeeze in past the smoker and wood piles), over by the barber shop and even in the next-​door garage lot (I asked about parking in the garage lot because that’s where my car was. Apparently the garage people are OK with it).
Super friendly people, eager to tell you whatever you want about the food.
Really, really small inside where you order. Small enough that with just me, I had to move aside to let the staff come in and out through the front door. One other customer came in and it was like a crowd.
Jerk chicken is really good and perhaps unlike anything else in the city. I ordered it with jerk sauce but was offered bbq sauce. As others have said, I could eat this stuff … often. The curry chicken is maybe a notch below the jerk in goodness.
Callaloo side is wonderful, so I’m glad the collard greens — one of the sides I initially ordered — weren’t ready yet. Mac & cheese is pretty standard.
I also asked about the ‘homemade healthy drinks’ and after learning about their most popular — Irish Moss, a peanut/​agave concoction — I went for it. Not bad, but you need to like peanuts. I think I’ll try more varieties in coming visits.
They’re open at 10AM but I don’t really think it’s a good idea to show up that early. Shortly after 11AM, when I arrived, the jerk chicken was not quite ready and the sides were still being prepared. Can’t imagine they would have had much ready to go at 10.

So, this restaurant has now become one of my favorites… I am absolutely addicted to the jerk chicken (grill wood-​smoked chicken with an amazing jerk sauce). Notable sides include the fried ripe plantains and the alluring callaloo which seems to be done w/​a touch of coconut. The patties and various bread options are also yummy. I haven’t done the stew goat or stew chicken or the roti but I want to, I want to bad.

My wife and I came here for the first time today and we where both unimpressed. We ordered our food and waited half an hour to get it while other people that came after us ordered and got theirs right away. The lady serving the food had very poor customer service skills and she have us scraps of jerk chicken instead of a real serving. THe rice was dry and had an odd flavor too it, and on top of that there was no gravy on it. The macaroni and cheese was salty and just awful, we threw it away after 1 bite. The jerk chicken and plantains where good but nothing special. My wife cooks wayy better Jamaican food at the house so from now on we will just stick to that.

Pretty bomb jerk chicken. Looking forward to trying to peas and rice, fried fish, meat patties, oxtails and Mac and cheese.
The menu was much bigger than I expected. I was a little overwhelmed/​intimidated since it’s order at the counter style and I couldn’t understand the guy working the line very well.
Good food, prices a little high but portions are really big. Can’t wait to stop here more in the future.

Customer service is top notch, but I find that the jerk chicken is drier than other spots I’ve tried. Their version of the biscuit is absolutely delicious — I love the crust and the hint of sweetness. Unfortunately the rice and peas also isn’t my favorite. What keeps me going back is the amazing folks that run this place.

My favorite jerk in Atlanta. Mainly for the nice smoke on it from the big grill out front. Jerk can be flavorful and portions are big. There is a sauce you can put on top for extra spice.
The place can look sketchy and intimidating to some but they’re putting out pretty delicious fare. Some items can be hit or miss at times like their patties. Not too crazy about their pastry but the fillings are good. Especially the callaloo.
Just walk up, close your eyes and order. Don’t try to look in the back at the chaos going on. It is literally a little hole in the wall/​shack. Say a prayer and keep it moving.

I’ve driven past this place a thousand times on my way to YDFM. It always looked like a perfect hole in the wall establishment that made genuinely authentic Caribbean food. My suspicions were correct. And the people working here were all very welcoming, and downright cheerful. Indeed, even other guests who came through had happiness to share.
For a fleeting moment, I really did feel like I was no longer in-​country. If I had closed my eyes, I could’ve sworn I was in the islands. The smells of the spices, an of wood-​burning cooking, really did momentarily transport me. Memories of India.
This is wonderful, no-​frills dining. The food was outstanding. It’s clear their very cheerful energies are going into their food. And you’ll get Plentiful portions with a not-​too-​large price tag.
I had the curried goat with some mixed veggies and collards. And some plantains! (How could I forget the plantains? The plantains were as sweet as the lady who served them.) The only complaint I had about my meal was the goat. It was delicious. The curry was a good one, but as a spoiled American, I have problems with the whole bone-​in experience of eating goat. All those bones just get in the way! But as I said, everything I had was delicious. Even the bony goat.
Next time, I’m just going to give in and have the jerk chicken. It appears to be a real crowd-​pleaser. Holler if you’re coming with.

A hole in the wall if I ever saw one.
The jerk chicken is absolutely amazing. They have a giant smoke cooker in the back which cooks the chicken with an amazing smoky flavor and the chicken is never too dry. Their jerk sauce is probably the best I have ever had with a nice kick to it. For most it might be too spicy, but I always appreciate a nice kick. One whole chicken is around $ 13, but it is enough to feed at least 3 grown adults. They also have beef patties and a variety of other hearty side dishes. If this place was closer to me I would come here for lunch quite often. Definitely will have to come back to try their other entrees.
They do accept most major credit cards FYI.