A Taste of Jamaica

I went flying over to Gardena to discover this place went out of business 4 months ago.

The food here isnt exactly great… its edible but I’ve had better
The service is great, everyone is friendly but the food could be better.

Overall: So good it made me homesick.
Coming from NY and a caribbean household, I’m used to a regular supply of beef patties, sorrel, jerk chicken, etc. easily available from my local Golden Krust bakery. This place is like a little bit of that in south LA.
I went there with some co-​workers this week. Right off the bat, I know you’re legit when your menu has stew chicken, ackee and saltfish. I went with the lunch combo jerk chicken. Out came a ¼ chicken jerk, red beans and rice, cabbage and carrots, plantains and festival (all for just $ 5.95). I washed that down with some homemade sorrel and grabbed two beef patties to go.
HEAVEN!
Now, if only I find out that they make porridge on Saturday mornings, and you’ll know where to find me. Oh my god, definitely what I’ve been searching for. Those other jamaican places I’ve tried around town have either been severely overpriced or lacking in depth of authenticity in their menu. This place has got it all!

Every time I go there, I am greeted by a nice Jamaican man. Each time I’ve visited, I ordered the curried goat and mmmmm it is so good. It’s just spicy enough where you can taste the curry, thyme, bonnet pepper but are not scramming looking for some milk to cool your mouth down like I’ve had to do at other places. The goat was falling off the bone, the rice and beans were well prepared, the plantain (3 pieces, yah man) were sweet/​soft, and you even get festival bread which is rare.
The chicken and beef patties are well seasoned and not too bready. I just tried the brown stewed chicken last week and although it was good, I have had better. The gravy was too thick for my taste.
It is very clean «A» grade, has flat screens to watch TV while you wait for your food. The booths are comfy.
I gave them 4 out of 5 because it’s a cash only restaurant, so I have to make sure I have cash if I want some Jamaican food. Who does that in 2010?

Simply a deliciously wonderful Gem! As far as authentic Jamaican food goes, around here this has been the best.
I’ve driven a few times now with my beautiful gal about 15 miles to get here simply to order enough food to eat there or take it to go to enjoy later. If I’m close by and hungry or even to eat later (when I’m hungry) i’ll stop by. Been here about 14 times now, I’m sure it would be waaay more if we lived close by.
As far as price unlike previous comments I frankly think the price is right for the amount of food you get, we always order the large (dinner) portions which are always more than enough to enjoy again later.
The place is small, love the bright yellow and green décor accented with framed pictures of Jamaican athletes aswell as BreadFruit pics. It does make one feel more comfortable since like mentioned before the neighborhood is not the best. The one man show is always pleasant and greets you with a smile and a welcoming feeling to enjoy his food.
Food — Curry Goat has always been full of flavor, moist, rich and plenty to enough to eat. We like to request to add a bit of the sauce on top of the Rice n Peas since it enhances the mild coconut flavor in it a bit more. Oxtail has always been wonderful, tasteful and full of meat. The Brown Stew Chicken & Curried chicken have never been one to let me down, the seasoning in it always perfect and aromatic. Ackee & Salt fish was not my favorite dish, I love seafood but this one dish just wasn’t the one but will try again on a diff day.
Appetizers — The Patties all (chicken, beef and veggie) have been delicious, might not be piping hot fresh outta the oven nonetheless still great. Rotti will definitely be something to eat again. Plantains always saved till the end to enjoy their sweet, moist flavor.
Drinks — Ting or Ginger Beer always go well with the food here. Always buy and extra one to :)

This place serves quality Jamaican food but is located in a not so attractive vacant strip mall. Most entrees are overpriced for the LA area. The biggest drawback is they serve you way too many complex carbs. They skimp on the meat and poultry way too much!

Great price for good Jamaican Cuisine!
I’m a huge fan of their Lunch Specials. For only $ 5.95 you get plenty to grub on and a drink.
I will be a regular as long as I live in the area.

It’s ok; It’s not the worst. All I’ve ever tried was the Jerk Chicken dinner. The Jerk chicken is great, and the plantains, peas and rice, vegetables, and festival bread is decent as well. It is a little too pricey, but you do get a lot with the large.
I also like the patties, but they’re not always fresh. I also agree with one poster, that the dude that behind the counter is cool.

If there’s anything I’m certain of, I’m absolutely certain that a restaurant with «authentic», «affordable» Carribean cuisine with great service does not exist in the state of California. Taste of Jamaica is certainly not the worst or what I believe the best to be but I have no complaints whatsover. I’ve had the curry goat, jerk chicken, ox tails, curry shrimp & fried plantains… oh wait, my mouth just watered thinking of the Festival Bread. The prices range from $ 9-​$ 15. The owner is hard-​working and is such a sweetie. Not that someone’s work ethic and disposition replaces the quality of food but it’s a great effort and seriously c’mon Khalilah…“pumice stone”…not even!

Four stars… yay, I’m a fan, but like the original poster said, it is a little pricey. I was laughing when I read her description of the goat meat and how she wanted to use it on her feet like pumice. I’m not expert on the flavor of Jamican food, but I want her to know I went last week and had the goat curry. The goat meat was flavorful and moist, so maybe she hit it on an off day? Anyway, the goat curry was actually pretty good… especially the curry sauce. I ordered the «small» which was about $ 8.99. I also ordered a large plate of jerk chicken for $ 12.99. It was pretty good, but I always thought it was supposed to be spicier? Anyway, they had some other things on their daily specials menu that I still want to try. Yes, I will be back. The fella behind the counter was cool cat and the customer service was good. There is ample parking in their parking lot. They are also open 7 days a week. I’ll probably be on a quest to try out some other Jamaican food joints in LA to make comparisons.

I really, really wanted this restaurant to be good since it’s in the city I grew up in. However, after trying it out I was left dissatisfied because the quality of the food was just wacktacular. Not to mention the prices are a little too expensive for my taste.
A friend and I tried the restaurant about a month ago. I had the curry goat and oxtails with plantains, peas, and rice. The goat was dried out. I mean, It was so dry and tough I probably could have used it in place of a pumice stone to scrub my feet. The plantains tasted like they were cooked in old grease, and my friend’s oxtail dinner contained very few pieces of oxtails and the one’s that she did have were burnt! Ri-​damn-​diculous.
[attempting to soften the blow]On a better note, the staff was very friendly[/attempting to soften the blow]
I have yet to find a Jamaican food spot that I really like. A Jamaican lady from one of my classes told me about a place named Sunshine’s and Jucy’s that are pretty good. I’ll be checking them out really soon. Until then, I’ll be on the prowl to scoop me up a fine Jamaican man with exceptional cooking skills that he can’t wait to show off to me. ;)