The Little Grill

I adore this place. It is such a free spirited, friendly environment. The staff are always nice and kid friendly. The jerk chicken is usually so tender that it is falling off the bone.

I have lived here all of my life and never knew about this place. I’ve been to Jamaica and the chicken is very good and comparable to the islands. I will be returning to try more of the amazing food

First time there I had the chicken bob sled burrito and my wife had the pork version both were awesome we also had red beans and rice with it Mmm service was superb will definitely go again and try the rum punch

Appetizer was brought with meal.
Loud sort of atmosphere but they had live music which is fun!
Food was goods jerk ribs I enjoyed…
Seafood jambalaya was great
And shrimp pasta was great lol
Red rice and beans… Little bland for me but its me ;)
Drinks were strong! (except the punch)

Great place to come and enjoy live music and great food with island drinks. My husband always gets the jerk chicken with red beans and rice and loves it! I have tried the fish and chips, stuffed mushrooms, jerk chicken, and jerk pork, all of them are really good and I would recommend them all. I would have to say so far my favorite is the jerk chicken with their home made hot sauce and red beans and rice and jerk chips!

It’s a cute little place that has live music sometimes, but the food was mediocre in my opinion.

The Little Grill is a really cool restaurant nestled north of Tuttle Creek. Eric R. and I went hiking in Fancy Creek State Park which is west of Tuttle Creek State Park. We built up an appetite and drove around the Big Blue River and over Tuttle Creek, arriving at the newly repainted (yellow) restaurant. Inside there are some tropical touches and the tables have bamboo print on them. The bartender turned on the basketball game for us on the TV, and gave us samples of the famous Rum Punch!
Our server was really friendly and chatted with us about the restaurant and the menu. She encouraged us to get more tropical drinks so she could «live vicariously through her customers.» I ordered a large Rum Punch (small $ 4.50 9 oz, large $ 6.00 12 oz) and Eric R. got the Trip To Paradise which was really good (coconut rum, lime, orange juice, other yummy stuff). I do not usually booze it up at lunchtime and try not to before eating, but I was getting Caribbean-​ed away,
We ordered 3 things so we could try more. First, the Jamaican-​style gumbo (chicken base with beef, crab, chicken over red beans and rice) served with a festival (fried corn bread log). Eric R. got the pulled chicken sandwich with red beans and rice on the side. I got the 2 piece jerk chicken (which came with 3 pieces) and jerk chips (made to order potato chips with jerk seasoning).
Everything was tasty, and I was impressed that the server knew how everything was prepared. I don’t eat pork and wanted to make sure the gumbo and red beans and rice did not have any. She was a vegetarian and was aware of what ingredients were in the dishes. I would definitely come back as the atmosphere is fun, the drinks delicious, and there is live music in the evenings.

Outstanding service and food. We ate here regularly when we lived close and have never been disappointed! The jerk chicken is wonderfully smokey and has just the right spice! It’s a must if you’re in Manhattan.

Marvelous Jamaican chow in Manhattan. Manhattan you say? So what? No, no, Manhattan KANSAS, not New York.
A venue so improbable people probably don’t believe it exists. Drive into the country about 3 – 4 miles away from the North end of the Little Apple and dive back to the East out by the end of the dam on the lake and there it is, surrounded by… nothing. A sizable oasis of a watering hole with smoke pouring out of the chimney that’s going to deliver some of the finest, smokey, jerk chicken I’ve had. OK, OK, right… Kansas is not really a destination of Jamaican cuisine. It’s true.
But… good food is good food and now that I’ve dined here probably 4 – 5 times over as many years my mouth starts watering at the thought. My latest: jerk chicken, smoked rice and beans and a side of deep fried shrimp with sauce. Good gawd o’googly moogly but it’s good. The chicken is absolutely fork tender, falls off the bone, moist and succulent. Some spicy, slightly vinegar red sauced sprinkled over the rice and beans and you have my recipe for a mild case of heartburn on the drive back to Lawrence.
Heaven.
So what brings me here? I do an occasional music gig with the guy that’s the Wednesday night house duo. When the main partner in his duo can’t make it I sometimes get the call. The gig itself is nothing to write home about although the pay is fair. But the food… Worth every mile of the 90 minute drive from Lawrence.
If you go:
— Yes, the owner and cook really is Jamaican.
— Sizable bar, a drink slingin’ kind of destination.
— Outdoor seating/​tent for the warmer months.
— Walls decorated with odd bric-​à-​brac.
— Gravel/​dirt parking lot.
— If you think you’re lost on the way there, that’s the correct way to feel.
— Very casual. Nothing fancy. The way it should be.

My single biggest complaint about this place is that it’s so far away from town, you can’t really do any drinking. But the food is good, and if you have a student ID, you can get cheap jerk chicken on Tuesdays. Worth it.
On a side note, the owner is in a band called Muzizi and they play at different locations around Manhattan regularly. If you get a chance, check them out. They sound amazing.

They was ways have great food when I go there. It has a great atmosphere, and great live music (owner plays to and it is great).

A group of six of us visited Little Grill on a Thursday evening. We were given a choice of a booth in the corner of the bar or a table in the dining room. We chose the bar and were immediately seated.
Our server came over right away and got drinks and appetizer orders. Our drinks were delivered almost immediately and the appetizer was quick, too. We got the nachos, and oh. mah. gah. They were the best nachos I’ve ever eaten. The salsa was amazing and the jalapenos were really spicy. My margarita was delicious, too.
Unfortunately, the rest of our meal was not as quick as the drinks and appetizers. Obviously, six meals takes longer to make than six drinks or an appetizer, but we felt we were waiting a tad bit too long for our meals to come. When they did finally come, two plates were left behind in the kitchen and not brought out until about 5 minutes after the rest of them. When all the plates were finally delivered and we dug in, we were all very satisfied. Everything was delicious.
The bill took a long time to be brought, and we had to wait yet again for the change to be brought back.
The walls are painted this beautiful shade of green that I absolutely loved, and made the place feel really authentic. The dining room, from what I could see, seemed to be pretty Jamaican-​inspired. There was live music in the dining room the night we visited, which is why we chose to sit in the bar, and although we could hear the band just fine, it was not overpowering the conversation.
All-​in-​all, I will definitely return to the Little Grill if I ever find myself in Manhattan or one of the surrounding towns again.

Service is always wonderful. I love how every wait staff cares about everyone, even if it isn’t «their» table.
The jerk chicken is amazing and their catfish is super fresh! Enjoy the rum punch on the patio :)

First several visits were fantastic, best food in Manhattan. My last visit, for my graduation dinner, was not so great. I got sea bass and excessive water/​juice on the plate was really sloppy.

Holy salt. It’s nice to have the Jamaican/​Caribe option in the middle of the continent, but the menu is more «inspired by» rather than mama’s home cooking’, mon. The chicken I had was undercooked. OK for beef items but not cool for poultry. Don’t forget your blood pressure meds.

Not terribly, terribly Caribbean-​y judging from the menu. No conch fritters and other regional specialities beyond the aforementioned rum punch (which your reviewer did not sample — ouch). The kitchen really _​does_​know how to grill a piece of meat and the mango salad dressing was also a big hit. Fries were ok, I guess. The place is a little oasis in the backroads and would no doubt be a good place to hang, especially if you wanted to talk about K State sports.

I still remember the first time we went here, it was so surreal. It really didn’t feel like it should exist.
Just went back recently and the place is doing great. Food was tasty and reasonable, beer was cold, service was good, music was nice. I like the patio area.

Great food, fun atmosphere, kind staff, and caring proprietors. It’s worth the little jaunt it takes to get there as it’s off the beaten path from the rest of Manhattan.

This place has the most friendly staff I’ve ever seen. Their food is very delicious. The price is right on target. A perfect out of the way place to go to get away from the troubles of main town living.

«This place is out in the middle of nowhere. Don’t worry, I’m not going to rape you.»
The above (or something like it) was said to me on the drive to The Little Grill. Not sure how that has any relevance to my review, but I just thought you should know.
First off, the Rum Punch is delicious. Not alcoholic beverage delicious, but delicious delicious. You can’t taste a single drop of liquor, but trust me, there are several drops.
I had some new pasta dish because the waitress really sold me on it with her excitement. It was good, but for that kind of excitement I was expecting much better … let’s be honest. The Jamaican Jerk Chicken did get high marks from my dining companion/​potential rapist, though. Just found the relevance of my first statement.