People’s Choice

The customer service at this restaurant is absolutely horrible. They never are open on time, they are very very very very very slow and they hardly ever have what’s on the menu. It is extremely overpriced for mediocre so called Jamaican food. On the positive side their fried dumplings are amazing, and they have really really great cornmeal porridge.

Solid food for the price. there are a few options around that are cheaper and give you more for your buck but no necessarily as tasty. Cash only and if you come late be prepared for food items to run out

We arrived at 10:30 am and owner said only porridge was ready. As we were about to leave, she then said oxtail was ready. We ordered a medium one for $ 14 where it came with white rice and some cabbages. Pretty good flavor but only 4 small pieces of oxtails. Friendly owner and very limiting seats (3 chairs). We finished eating at 11:15 am and saw most people came in to buy ‘take away’.

Jerk Chicken, Patties, Soup, Cabbage, & fried chicken are all amazing. I always come here for Jerk chicken, you can’t lose with that. The Staff is cool too.

Some of the best take out in NYC. Don’t be put off by the bulletproof glass and fluctuating health report rating. This place is a gem.
My fave: chicken with brown gravy dinner. The beans and rice! The plantains!
Only drawback: Sometimes they run out of menu items.

Oxtail with Rice, Jamaican style.
Among the best Caribbean spots in the area.
There is a reason why this place is here since years.
CASH ONLY

Try the chicken party & tofu patty. They are savory and well price @ $ 2. Try the stew beef roti. It’s huge, comes w/​lots of beef & sauce. I will not say it’s the best., but it beats everything around this neighborhood. Don’t expect the best customer service, because you’ll have to wait a while & get attitude from the cashier. I would also recommend to keep an eye on the letter grade from the Health Department. Currently it’s an A, but in the past it’s been a C. The grade is on the store front window, SO BUYERS BEWARE. It’s a shame, they have potential if they try

Best Chicken soup I ever had hands down. I have eaten here for years since I was a little girl one the best Jamaican Restaurants in Harlem

I would stay away. They have a «C» rating from the health department. They have had it for months. I think the grade said it all

This is not authentic
I came here and had the jerk chicken with rice n peas
Chicken tasted like it was cooked in an oven not grilled. But worse the food was bland as ever!!!
The only reason for 2 stars is the macaroni pie!

I tried the Jerk Chicken with Bread on Tuesday! I must say I enjoyed it and it was delicious!!! My husband had the Curry Goat with Rice and Peas and Sweet Plantains, also delish! I also had Spinach Patty which I devoured! Overall, I enjoyed it! ;)

If you choose to eat here, don’t expect them to move with any urgency. The food is alright for Jamaican. You may have to check the staff on their occasional attitude and check your bag before you leave to make sure everything is there that you paid for. The Price point is a bit hi for the satisfactory level of customer service.

Got the oxtail today. It was okay but I wish there was more of it for the price. Don’t get me wrong, I was stuffed after finishing the meal (I ordered a small), but that was mainly due to the heaping portion of beans and rice that comes with the entrée. The veggies are mediocre.
Next time I’ll try the the curry goat, but for oxtail I think I’ll stick with Jacob’s Restaurant down the street.

Came here with my best friend one night! In the area and had a hankering for some oxtail and rice n peas. My best friend always eats here as she lives a few blocks from here and she swears by this place. Telling me its good stuff as we wait on the line, this food must be some good stuff, because she is not easy to impress. I wait and place my order which is a large oxtail rice n peas, gravy on the rice no vegetables. My best friend gets the jerk chicken which looks good! Can’t wait to get to the house to dive in! Twenty minutes later and stuffed like a pig, already planning my return visit! The oxtail was cooked to perfection with an exceptional gravy. The rice n peas were standard, as my container was filled to the brim with oxtails n rice n peas. They are generous with their portions which is a plus. The jerk chicken was good too and worth the trip for as well. Basically The Peoples Choice, is the right choice for Jamaican food when in the area.

Rules:
Cash only.
Ask what’s on.
Get the small.
Enter food induced coma.
Porridge, ox tails, curry chicken, beef patties… all so delicious.
You’ve probably walked by this place countless of times but never bothered walking in… Go in! A culinary cruise to Jamaica awaits you.
$ 7-​$ 9 (depending on what dish you choose) may sound expensive for a «small» sized entrée… But I assure you that you’ll have trouble finishing the small in one sitting.
Today, I indulged on a small order of ox tails with rice and peas and veggies… It was divine! The ox tails were rich, moist and smothered in delicious brown gravy (not greasy). I was pleasantly surprised to find huge pieces of yam or sweet potato mixed in with my cabbage and carrots. The rice was perfect too! Not too soft, mushy or clumpy… rather it was cooked just right!
I will definitely be back for the ox tails again.
Oh, be prepared to wait at least 10 minutes for your order… It’s worth it!

2.5 stars
Ive been walking passed this place for close to five years now, but today I decided to finally give it a try. In retrospect, I wish I had continued walking.
I ordered the $ 6 lunch special of curried chicken– it came with a choice of rice (beans and rice or just white), the vegetable (cabbage, carrots n peas) and two pieces of fried plantain.
The chicken– was forgettable, other than the fact that it had more bone shards in it than Jenna Jameson in the 90’s.
Rice n beans– were okay, I guess.
«Vegetable medley” — was overcooked to say the least.
Plantains– were definitely the best part.
I may go back to try their fried chicken lunch special– I mean, its pretty hard to fuck up fried chicken…

From behind bulletproof glass you’ll get more curried goat and rice & peas in a styrofoam box than you can eat. Seriously. The small is good. The medium is massive. The large… well, 3 of them could probably feed 6 – 8 people.
Don’t bother too much with the menu. Ask the lady what’s on. Then get it. And eat it. Expect about 4 dishes most days.
The curried goat is some of the best I’ve had. The oxtail is fabulous. With this food they could hire a front-​of-​house manager, move into a resto, and charge double.
But they won’t. And that’s why it’s so good.

This is the only spot in Harlem that I know of that sells Jamaican food, and it’s probably for a good reason. No other place can compete? This is a straight take out operation so there’s no need to speak about décor other than it always clean and the fact there’s always at least three or four other customers ordering food regardless of the time I get there. I’m thinking the number of customers in the store is cause there always between a five to ten minute wait for your food regardless of what you order. I can’t put my finger on what exactly factors into the wait time, but I’m pretty sure it’s a combination of the cook in the back putting together the food with a meticulous hand and the slow paced movements of the cashier. The cashier doesn’t move slow cause she’s lazy or doesn’t care; She reminds me of a pleasant older aunt that saunters around the kitchen as she takes your order and helps to prepare your food. The wait doesn’t bother me much cause the food is always good. I’d always confirm my order when receiving my food cause there tends to be some confusion at times as to who ordered what and who’s food is who’s.
I usually get the Medium Stew Chicken which is always on point and always well seasoned. The only downside is I always seem to get the chicken back or other not so meaty parts of the chicken. I’ve never gotten like a nice piece of the leg, breast or thigh. It may be me just being greedy though cause I’ve always finish the meal feeling full and content. Their home made punches are pretty good as well. I prefer the fruit punch over the pineapple punch. The ginger tends to overpower the pineapple punch and is not as enjoyable to me.
If your looking for a good Jamaican food in Harlem, you can’t go wrong with The People’s Choice.

Yummy!
Just yummy!
I just moved in to this area of the city, so I’m getting in the habit of picking a direction and just walking to see what I find. Yesterday, I got sick of leeching horribly slow wifi off of my neighbors, so I walked in the direction of the Starbucks on 145^th and Bradhurst. After spending a couple of hours there, it was time for dinner.
I ran a search and found out that People’s Choice was literally around the corner. I ordered the medium oxtail dinner plate. The medium place came with three side dishes: beans and rice, vegetables and yams. Yummy.
It was $ 10 even. They only serve food to go, so it was packed up nice and tight. It survived a grocery store run, a bus ride and walk home. Once I got back to my place, I enjoyed a great dinner.
It would be great if they opened up an area where you could dine in. But having Jamaican take-​out nearby that’s this good is great. I’ll be back for sure.

Because I’m moving out of my Harlem apartment soon, I figured I should try some neighborhood spots before I leave. People’s Choice is right around the corner of my apartment, and according to the 3 previous reviews on Unilocal and others on Menu Pages I thought I should try it. I ordered their jerk chicken with bread and ox tail over rice, peas and veggies (major fat girl moment… but at least I ordered the small plates: P). The ox tail was great, perfectly saucy and tender, and the rice and veggies went really well with the meat. But for $ 8 I would have expected a slightly bigger serving. Think of the smallest styrofoam take out box you get at a restaurant stuffed with mostly the rice, peas and veggies. with just a few pieces of the ox tail. The pic I posted probably makes the serving look a lot bigger than it actually is though.
$ 6 jerk chicken & bread was more worth it. The bread was pretty dense but was fine after I stuck it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it. The jerk chicken came in a larger container, but was mostly filled with bones. I’m thinking it was a lot of the chicken breast and some parts of the dark meat that was cut from a whole bird. There were sooooo many little bones in there I spent most of my time picking out bones from my mouth and the plate than actually eating the food. Bummer. Taste of the spices was a little over powering in some bites, but fine in others.
The food was really filling. I was able to have 2 servings left in tupperware from my leftovers. The service was friendly and fast. I got there at about 330pm on a weekday and there was no wait at all. It’s a small spot with no tables so don’t expect to have a sit-​in meal.