Irie Vybez

We love Caribbean/​Jamaican food… so, when we recently learned of the Irie Vybez Restaurant, we planned a stop there, for some takeout food. The restaurant was easy to find, on the main drag of Central Avenue in Albany, NY, close to other restaurants we visit. Public parking is on the street or in a public parking lot close by. Weekday parking before 6pm is metered & will require a small cost but, weekend parking was free on the street.
Now to the restaurant… Upon entering, we noticed a sign out front that offered their specials for the day. We visited during mid-​afternoon, on a Sunday. Having already visited this restaurants web site, we had viewed their menu online and had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to order. I ordered the Jerk Chicken/​w Rice and Peas/​Cabbage. My wife was originally going to order their Oxtail, until she saw the delicious looking tray of their Honey Toast Chicken, which she ordered, with their Rice and Peas/​Cabbage.
They offered 3 sized meals… small/​medium/​large. My wife ordered the medium and as I observed the huge amount of food that was being squeezed into the Styrofoam takeout container, I decided that their medium size was a lot of food and I also ordered the medium instead of my typical large size, which I would have ordered anywhere else.
As the counter person filled our takeout containers with the food, someone from the kitchen brought out some of their fried chicken to replenish their display case behind the counter… I couldn’t believe how large each piece was… they were without a doubt, the largest pieces of fried chicken I have ever seen in my life… I will be returning and their fried chicken will be on my list, one day!
While we were waiting for our food to be packaged, the very friendly young lady that brought the chicken from the kitchen, mentioned that we could sample anything that they had, if we’d like… So, we both took her up on her offer… We each sampled a few of their foods and each was delicious.
I was amazed at the quantity of food we received for only $ 8.00/$ 9.00 per dish… something you don’t see very often… and the quality of the food was superb & the taste was delicious!
When we returned home, our food was still warm and delicious! My Jerk Chicken was flavored well and was plentiful. The meat was soft, tender and had the perfect amount of moisture so it wasn’t dry tasting. Although I like really spicy-​hot food, the Jerk seasoning was really delicious but, not real spicy-​hot…
My wife’s Honey Toast Chicken was also flavored well and plentiful… She doesn’t usually order chicken, out, because it is usually dry… but, this Honey Toast Chicken was not only too good to pass by without trying, it was extremely moist, flavorful & delicious!
The Rice and Peas that we both ordered was really delicious with a wonderful hint of coconut flavor and the Cabbage, too, was delicious.
We now know that we will be returning to this restaurant for some more of their creations! Every bite of everything we had, was really delicious. We look forward to repeating our same meal as well as their other dishes!

I am a lover of West Indian food, I have many friends that are Jamaican and are kick ass cooks. I am from Brooklyn and where I grew up there were spectacular Jamaican spots. Okay so I have a point :) my point is that I hold Jamaican restaurants to a very high standard. I have ordered from irie a few times, I love the food. Their smoothies are AMAZING! Delivery time is good. The lack of star is only because the plantains are not sweet enough. The last time I ordered the rice was mushy, which was not the case when I ordered the first few times. I believe the food is made with love and the delivery person is pleasant. People will say the place is loud… ummm? Okay? That’s just how it is. If you know West Indian spots you know what’s usual. So, enjoy the food and culture.

Food and service were both great. They didn’t have one of the items we ordered and so they threw in an extra side of fried chicken and jerk chicken. This was a good idea on their part because the fried chicken was excellent. Will definitely be ordering that soon. Very tasty Caribbean seasonings. By far the best fried chicken you can get delivered in this area. We also had curry goat, which was very well seasoned and tender. The baked macaroni had a great cheesy flavor and was not overcooked which is often a problem when you order that from other places. I know there are some negative reviews here, but that was not our experience. It’s great to have a new delivery option in the area.

Straight forward good Jamaican food. Definitely check em out :) Try the jerked chicken fried rice!