Yah Mon

Came to Tampa and wanted some local flavor. When I left they had redefine what a restaurant experience should truly be. Service was amazing food amazing without getting into too much detail every piece of food that I taste it was amazing. If you are in Tampa visiting or live in Tampa you have to try this place out you will not be disappointed. There is a reason why they are 5 star.

Visited on a recommendation and I was a bit skeptical at first having had authentic Jamaican food. It is a very inviting environment and because its family owned the attention to detail isn’t lost. Food was delicious although I didn’t try Tofu anything i was told it was good. :)

Food was absolutely delicious! We stopped by one evening because we are craving Caribbean food after a day of fun at Busch Gardens and was surprised to have stumbled upon this place after finding them on Unilocal.The dining atmosphere is very elegant and the service was top notch. I ordered the Organic Jerk Chicken entrée and the chicken was tender and moist and very flavorful. We will definitely be coming back next time we’re in the area.

Yah Mon! Dining doesn’t get any bettar dan dis, mon.
From the moment my girlfriend and I walked in, we were pleasantly surprised by the elegant layout of the restaurant «Yah Mon»: With such a playful name (even the menu has little gems written out that will make you chuckle), we were not expecting such a classy, clean layout and ambience of the place. My girlfriend and I work in the restaurant industry– we love to eat– and in our week-​stay bouncing between restaurants in Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Tampa… Yah Mon is likely to be the BEST experience we have had, possibly at any restaurant we have ever been at. Let me explain:
Layout: Simple and clean. Once you walk in this place you will know EXACTLY what I mean.
Drinks: Great selection with some handmade drinks made both virgin and relaxed (you know, alcohol). I had two of their relaxed drinks in both soursop and tamarind (they offer passion fruit and coconut along with other flavors) and they were delicious. I HAD to order two. Of course, they’ve got Caribbean soda and juice for the kids (They have Capri-​sun! Everybody loves Capri-​sun! It’s so good and just happens to fit the cuisine too!).
Appetizers: Delicious precursors to the entrees and the fantastic desserts they offer. Get the jerk chicken wings. Do it. They have the best jerk chicken I have ever had. Chips and Caribbean-​themed salsa are a great pick too.
Entrees: I believe all of their entrees come with a small spring mix salad with some vinaigrette, a little freshness before you get to the real goods. We got a sampling of their snapper, oxtail, goat curry, and another helping of their jerk chicken. Good Lord. Every little morsel is delicious. I was in heaven. My favorites were the snapper and oxtail; every item was succulent and there was something for every palate.
Dessert: Their rum cake just wrapped it up perfectly for me. A little drink, a little appetizer, a LOT of food (they don’t play around with portion sizes), and then a slam dunk of this delicious rum cake with ice cream and sliced strawberries. Seriously, just perfect.
I might have layered this review on a little thick but seriously it probably saved our restaurant experience in the bay area and at the same time taught us a thing or two about what a 5-​star dining experience should feel like. Great job, y’all. Keep it coming: We are definitely stopping by the next time we’re in the area.

The owner Andre is very nice, polite, and welcoming. Restaurant is very clean and has a very relaxed atmosphere. I was in Tampa for 4 days on business. The first time I went there, I had the spicy meat pie and the sampler plate that included jerk chicken, stewed goat, and stewed oxtail. The second time, I had just the stewed oxtail. Both times, the food was absolutely amazing. I will be back in Tampa next month and will definitely be going back.

Absolutely fabulous!!! You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
Our dinner party of 8 arrived Tuesday night for dinner. We we’re greeted immediately by the owners. While our online reservation wasn’t received they quickly assembled tables to accommodate our party. The décor is elegant and the ambiance was superb. The reggae inspired music playing in the background really set the mood. From the moment we walked it we began to relax following a very long work day.
I can’t say enough about the owners. They were so attentive, pleasant, warm and welcoming. All the food is prepared fresh and they communicate the preparation time of the various entrees ahead of time.
Now for the food… AMAZING! The mango salsa was great. I had the islands of Caribbean. It was so delicious. I had goat for the very first time, it was so tender and flavorful. The jerk chicken is on point! Everyone was extremely pleased with their dinner. So pleased that a sampling of dessert was a must. We shared the chocolate cake, rum cake, cheesecake, and coconut cake. All were oh so good, though the rum cake was my absolute favorite.
I highly recommend. Next time I’m in Tampa I will be back.

I would like to give the review in 2 phases.
Phase 1: We were at Tampa Riverwalk. Searched a decent restart nearby. Checked the closing time — 11 pm. Walked 0.4 miles to get there. Reached at 10:20 pm. The attendant said, we close 1 hour before the actual time and keep open only for take-​aways. First impression — 1 star.
Phase 2: The lady asked where we came from. The rating started changing from here. Hearing we came from a long distance, she offered to have dine in. Truly speaking, we thought that this half hearted offer will turn them being rude to us. But OMG! True professionals. Never thought that our experience will be so amazing. Served nice n hot food (oxtail, jerk chicken and goat curry were amazingly tasty). Gave us complimentary chicken n veggie patties. A perfect dine in with family n friends; n great hospitality. Will definitely go everytime I hit downtown. Jennis and Andrew, you guys are just awesome.

My wife is from Jamaica, so a good Caribbean restaurant is particularly important for our family. We were so pleased to learn that Yah Mon had opened and even more delighted to find that it offered elegant dining, absolutely delicious food, friendly service and all at a reasonable price. For us it all starts with the Escovitch snapper. We like it hot, so if you want the strong scotch bonnet flavor, make sure to ask! If not, they default to an excellent but safe taste.
We have been back enough to try other dishes and begin to experiment and look forward to continuing to do so. We like the small plate/​large plate offerings depending on how hungry we are and whether we want lunch the next day (usually do). The patties were great too. I would describe the food as a nice balance between traditional Caribbean with a personal flair that makes each dish all their own too.
Yah Mon is family owned and we felt so warmly welcomed there. The décor is wonderful and it works perfectly for a romantic date night all the way to a bring-​the-​kids-​family-​night.
I know we will be back often!

I had dinner last night, party of 7–
The ambiance was great. The service was better than the ambiance and the food was better than the service. 5Star. The rum cake was best I’ve ever had.
The island platter was delicious– brown stew chicken, ox tails, jerk chicken– All so good I will make it my business to return.

Order the Taste of the Island dinner. Generous portions of tender, flavorful, fall-​off-​the-​bone oxtail and goat. Moist chicken. Fluffy rice with a kick. The soursop shake was sweet and creamy. Friendly service. All my colleagues enjoyed their meals as well. Two thumbs way up!

Comfortable little restaurant in a convenient location. Easy parking and great service.
The food though is out of control. Stop reading and get over here to try it.
Oxtail — A+
Sides — delicious
Prices — just right
Another mom and pop restaurant I had the pleasure of eating at during my trip, I’ll definitely be back when I’m in Tampa.

I had the tofu, curry, vegetable, the tofu left me bland even with the curry spice and the vegetables were overcooked. The restaurant has a lot of problems. They had a huge party (14) for the size of the restaurant and the waitstaff was woefully disorganized and discouraged me from ordering the seafood (it would take too long to cook with the large group). The waitstaff mannerisms and tabletalk was juvenile. I had three people come to take my order and the bus person sat of tray of dirty dishes directly in front of me while he bussed my table.
The dining area is modern and elegant except for the four flatscreen TVs around the restaurant, Each tuned to a different sports channel. I wasn’t sure whether they wanted to be a sports bar or elegant restaurant
The glass of unknown (all they knew that it was red) wine and the bread was good.
In their heart they wanted to be first class. I’d like to try them again but I’m a bit scared…

I wish I could give this place 5 stars. But I just can’t.
The food is really good! My husband is Jamaican and he said the curry chicken, oxtail and goat were all better than he gets at a get together with his family. I had the veggie patty which was surprisingly spicy and tasty. They use a lot of organic meat and fish which I love!
The service and wait time was not good! We waited almost an hour for our food. The staff seem to be confused, inefficient, and very slow paced. As a manager myself, I found myself cringing watching how slowly they moved and how impatient people were around us. We totally get there is only one cook (Andre the owner explained this) but sometimes you just don’t have time to wait an hour for your food.
The prices are high. $ 6 for macaroni and cheese?! 6.99 for a Budlight?! There were no wine options. There was one liquor option and it was 10.99!
We would probably consider this place for take out when my husband is craving it but I wouldn’t eat in again!

We came here because of the amazing reviews on Unilocal.I don’t know what happened the Saturday night we were there, but it was a completely different restaurant from what is described by these reviews.
Arrived at 7 pm with a reservation and there were only 4 other tables with diners. The owner was friendly and introduced himself. I was excited to be there as I love supporting family businesses. Unfortunately from here, everything went down hill.
My husband ordered meat patties, and I ordered sides because I don’t eat much meat. 30 minutes in and we still hadn’t received our beers or even a glass of water we had asked for. At 30 minutes we did see someone go into the meat patty case which is in the dining room, take the patties our and serve them to my husband. Again we sat for 30 minutes along with the patties that were in the case ten feet from us but they never made their way to us.
At the 60 minute mark, we receive our chips and guac appetizer. The guac was ice cold, like it was just taken out of the fridge.
Then 90 mins in, I kid you not, we receive the sides I ordered– veggies and mac and cheese. My husband had already finished eating his food almost an hour earlier.
We were actually the lucky ones, because the tables seated just after us still did not receive any food by the time we left at 9pm. The table next to us, four older folks, did not even receive water and I actually joked to them I would give them mine, which I would have if I hadn’t drank out of the glass. They said they were leaving if they didn’t get their food in the next 5 minutes, as we left.
At no point during our 2 hour ordeal did anyone come to us at any point, to check us on, ask if we needed another drink or a refill etc. I told my husband to ask for the check immediately because I knew it would and did take almost 30 minutes and three asks to get the check. The most bizarre thing is that there were only 7 tables total ever in the restaurant from 7−9pm. It was not busy at all and the service was so bad. I even asked my husband if he thought he were on a hidden camera show.

This hidden gem is a «must go to». It’s tucked away behind a dry cleaners but once you step inside you forget about the location. Every guest is warmly greeted by the chef’s husband. The décor creates a soot hinging atmosphere. All food is prepare to order by the chef. Every bite is sinfully delicious. Save room for dessert because you won’t want to miss out on the coconut cake. The food was incredible but it’s the personal touch that knocked it out of the park for me.

I found this place on Unilocal and suggested to my co-​workers that we take a trip here for lunch. When we walked in, it was nothing like what I had expected. The restaurant is set up in a very upscale looking manner. Clean well-​organized, and looking downright fancy.
We were greeted by a waiter who came by and took our drink orders. After a few minutes he came back we asked a few questions about the menu and each of us ordered one of the lunch specials. The lunch specials are price right and provide plenty of food. We also ordered a couple of hand appetizers, that I only can only describe as «empanada like.»
I had the curry chicken over brown rice and it was out of this world. The Empanada like item, was filled with some type of beef, and that too was exceptional. I don’t have enough words to describe how good this food tasted to me. My colleagues had the same impressions of their meals, and I was lucky enough to take a taste of each of theirs, and I have to agree that every morsel provided to us was nothing short of delicious.
The owner came by and chatted with us for a few, he was very nice, very genuine, and seem to be very concerned about everybody’s opinion. This was nice and refreshing.
The only drawback to this establishment, which we did share with the owner, is that if you order refills for tea or soda you will be charged for each refill. This is explained to us and it is due to the sodas and teas are single serve rather than from the fountain. I’m not sure this is actually a drawback, it just is uncommon and was a bit of a shocker when the bill came. I will say that the owner removed the charges for the additional drinks, although we did not ask or expect for that to happen.
If you like this type of food you have got to try this place. The lunch is exceptional, and on the day we went it wasn’t that busy. Get here soon, before this place becomes packed every day, as this is a lunch time gem.

My boyfriend and I wanted to see what this five star hype was about. Five stars and over 100 reviews on Unilocal?We were definitely curious. Wow, just WOW.
Our hostess/​waiter (who we later found out was the owner) introduced himself to us and shook our hands upon entering the restaurant. He even pulled out the chairs for us as we sat down. Talk about hospitality!
The space is very lovely! We walked in and it felt like we had entered a fancy restaurant. There’s an all-​white aesthetic going on along with some Caribbean music playing in the background. However, it is still very casual.
The food was AMAZING. My boyfriend ordered their organic oxtail and I ordered the organic brown stew chicken. The meat was so tender for the both of ours that it practically fell off the bone. It also came with a side of rice, cocoa bread and plantain. The presentation of the food was nice and the portion size was filling!
Overall, I think what really tied everything together was how we didn’t have to wait long for the check to come. We could immediately pay using his mini iPad that he carries around to take orders with. However, we did pay with card so I’m not sure how cash would work. I would highly recommend and I would definitely come back.

I would said this restaurant is unique in many ways. The cuisine, the setting of the restaurant, the attention of owner make the place great to eat. There are gluten free item and grass feed beef as their advertisements of the material of the food.
I like to mention a little about their sound system. It is front row seat to the concert. The restaurant invest a very good sound system that is pleasure to the ear. They also hide their speaker very well. Imagine they play the Star Wars music. May the force be with you.
We have order the taste of the islands and the blacken mango salmon. The taste of the island include curry goat, Ox tail and jerk chicken. The goat is a bit heavy smell. The jerk chicken is great with the seasoning they have. The best is the Ox Tail. The Ox tail with Caribbean spice make this dish special.
The blacken salmon is prepare with Caribbean blacken spice. It is very nice. It serves over cook pineapple sauce. The fish is tasty. This dish accompanied with a side salad. The desert we have is the coconut cake. The coconut cake has layers of coconut cream. It is guilty pleasure.
The greeting of the owner from the restaurant make this place special. The decorations is modern and it is gear up for upper class power lunch or dinner. Nice touch. Service is great and the cook is the owner wife. It is family run with attention to the details.

Just amazing!
Such a cool hidden gem! The food is outrageous. The flavors are awesome and the portions are great.
Try the goat… Simply wonderful!
The staff are supper friendly and welcoming!
I would say it’s a perfect place to call in an order as well. They did a great job with the décor/​style as well.
Will be part of my regular restaurant-​rotation… Just so unique!

James Bond would feel at home at this secluded and beautifully decorated Jamaican and Caribbean restaurant tucked away behind Walgreens off Platt Street and Plant Street near downtown, Davis and Harbor Islands and SoTa.
It’s a black and white affair with scintilating desserts including bread pudding and rum cake. The banana fritters and Jamaican patties are worth the trip. There are also especialities including escovitch, callaloo, jerk chicken, and ackee saltfish.
Relax and enjoy. Your new fav getaway is here in classy comfotable fun luxury with down home island cuisine. Jah Mon, jam on, and make it Yah Mon.