Jerk Center

Oh my! Hands down the best authentic Jamaican food I’ve EVER encountered. The oax tails were simply off the chain! The curry goat out of this world! The wings my daughter ordered she devoured them, they even accommodated her making them not spicy. The music was great, it’s a hidden jewl! I dont know how I’m going to stop myself from coming here everyday! I’m so excited I don’t have to go into Tampa to get this kind of food… Now that I found this AMAZING place I’ll be a lifetime customer…

Loved it — all of it!
Growing up in Miami and living all of my life in S Florida, as well as having travelled extensively in the caribbean, I have eaten the best and most authentic island food that there is.
Jerk Center is one of them.
Eat there, you will not be disappointed!

Finding good Jamaican food as I found is not as easy to find as when you live by the jerk center. I now realize I am spoiled. The food is great. Actually love bringing it to people who have never tried Jamaican food and watch the pleased faces. I recommend and love to pick up on the way home it’s a great treat when you don’t want to cook.

I haven’t had much Jamaican food, but do I know that this place is better than the ones I’ve had. Located in a seedy-​looking plaza, this place is small and run down looking, but the food is terrific. My bf and I have been here several times and it has been good every single time. We’ve only had the Jerk Chicken (I get dark and the bf gets white) and the Curry Chicken. I know there are other things on the menu, but we just haven’t the chance to try them because we really like the 2 we always get. There’s a sauce that comes with the Jerk Chicken that is so good! I love to dip the chicken into it and pour it all over my rice. The prices are so reasonable (cheaper than Jerk Hut for sure). I’d be eating here everyday if I lived near Tarpon Springs.

This place is amazing! Ordered the brown stew chicken a beef party, and the fried plantains and it was all delicious. Perfect amount of spice to the chicken, rice and cabbage were prepared perfectly. Patty came out fresh. Plantains were fried nicely. Not a bad thing I could say about the food. The service was phenomenal. I got in 10 minutes after the lunch prices. They still gave it to me. We’re verbally gracious for me coming in to their establishment and for that alobe, I will definitely make the trip up from Largo to dine here.

The goat curry and the oxtail were two of the more delicious dishes I have ever had. The jerk chicken white meat was very dry… though I believe that is a style… but delicious. But, to have such amazing delicious goat curry in Tarpon S. was a surprise. BTW, if you didn’t know it was goat, you might think it was leg/​thigh chicken meat. Try it. Don’t be afraid.

It had been 20 years since we moved out of South Florida. And that was the last time that we had good jerk chicken. This was the best we had ever experienced. But it paled in comparison with the brown stew chicken, which was savory and tangy and all sorts of wonderfulness. This is one of the finest restaurants I have ever experienced, in extremely unassuming premises. The peas and rice were perfection. Everyone loved their entrees, from the fish to the goat. One hint, ask for the jerk sauce on the side, as the rub stands up well on its own.

My husband and I had the oxtail and jerk chicken both with rice and peas and cabbage. The oxtail was very good, it was tasty and the gravy was rich and savory. I loved that they use dumpling in their oxtail instead of butter beans like most Jamaican restaurants. The rice and peas were good but I found the portion of cabbage to be kind of small. Now on to the not so good… My jerk chicken was flavorful and topped with a nice tangy sauce but it was extremely dry and overcooked. The jerk chicken did not taste like it was just pulled off of a grill the way jerk chicken should taste. It taste like it was cooked earlier, refrigerated and then reheated in a microwave. The temperature was also not very hot. Because I also got white meat chicken, it being so dry made parts of it very very hard to swallow. Would have given it 4 stars if the review was based on the oxtail dish alone.

Delicious!!! Great sauces to put on the jerk chicken!

Best Jamaican food hands down! Patties are perfect on the way to Howard beach, or get an entrée to go on the way back home, the jerk seasoning is the perfect blend of delicate & heat. Prices are reasonable too!

As an Island girl a well prepared goat is very important because if you can smell the goat then its not cleaned or prepared right and this place does it RIGHT. My Boyfriend absolutely loves it here, he says the goat melts in his mouth and he has been going back since our first time here. I love their Jamaican patties because it actually authentic and has meat in it. I’m so glad Unilocal helped me find this place because we hated jerk hut for their overpriced food. we always get the oxtail, curry goat, and Jamaican patties. This place is a must try!

I tried goat for the first time about a year ago. I prepared it myself, and it was not very good. Thank goodness I gave it another chance at a place that knows how to prepare it correctly.
The Jerk Center fits the definition of a hole in the wall establishment. The floral chairs may not have you coming back, but the food darn sure will.
The goat curry was equisit, and the JC jerk wings were not too shabby either. The seasoning really stands out, and I have now tasted the full potential of goat.
Fast, friendly service, great food, and fair pricing. Worth checking out of you’re in the area and craving something a bit different.

4 stars +! I lived on Jamaica for several years, when I moved to Florida I was happy to find a nearby place with a taste if the island… Curried goat (awesome) oxtail, Jerk Chicken and Red Stripe — home cooked by charming and friendly Cliff! It feels like a home away from home, pull up at the bar have a pattie and a red stripe! Awesome place, never fails me!

Can’t believe there is an authentic Jamaican place in Tarpon Springs. Seems like a a family operation from son to dad, mom and grand dad. It looks like a little shop you would find off the street in Montego Bay with some nice reggae playing in the background.
I am very particular about my Jerk chicken, and I have been disappointed more than once with some of the places in Tampa. The seasoning they use here reminds me of the days I spent in Negril eating jerk chicken almost everyday. It was not as spicy as I wanted but I was told later that if I ask for it spicy they will gladly make it «Jamaican style» so I came back a few days later and they did not disappoint. I also tried the curry goat which was good, but I like Indian curry goat better, but still it was not bad. great place, will definitely be back when I’m in the area for a quick lunch.

Really good food! We had the jerk chicken and ribs and both were delicious although the chicken was a bit dry. The ribs were amazing! The rice and beans were a great side dish

If you like Jamaican food this is the place for quick takeout, if you like goat try it, chicken ribs plantains it’s all the real deal, highly recommended for a different type of lunch

I’m a lover of Caribbean food and I can say that the food is good here. I’ve tried everything on the menu except for the pork. Not always a big pork fan, period. The dishes I like best are the curry goat and chicken. The side dishes are great. The rice and peas is always moist. Good steamed cabbage, festivals, etc. I like spicy so I always ask the owner for the homemade hot sauce he keeps in the back. It’s extra hot so be careful. The only thing that is a hit or miss for me here is the Jerk chicken. The flavor and the sauce is great, but sometimes the chicken can be on the dry side, but when it’s moist, it’s really good. Besides the food, what I also love about this place is that they serve beer. and one of my favorites too, Guinness extra Stout.

Finger-​lickin awesomeness. Try everything!
Pause.

Didn’t expect such a nice place in this little town. I am from Miami and I’d say this place is superior than most I’ve tried back home. Friendly service, flavorful dishes. Even the cabbage side is so delicious we ordered an extra plateful of it. We love the curry goat and the jerk pork the best, but nothing is bad on the menu.
Definitely a gem! And a nice change if you get tired of all the Greek food.

Since the close of ‘Rasta Express’, it has been months I haven’t had any jerk chicken. So, when I found Jerk Center at Tarpon Spring, I’ve got to try!
The Jerk Center is on Alt 19 few blocks away from downtown Tarpon Spring. Simple diner interior presents a neat surrounding. Cliff is the owner and chef. He is from Jamaica. The shop has been opened for 3 years. Most of his business are take out. Price is reasonable. A set of Jerk lunch is around 6 dollars, including Jerk chicken, steam cabbage and rice peas. Dinner costs $ 7 to 8.
We ordered 1 pound of Jerk pork, and one jerk chicken dinner to go. We sat at the bar while we were waiting, we ordered 2 red-​stripe beers and had good chat with Cliff. The total bill was $ 28 (one third is the cost of the beers). Since it was our first visit, Cliff gave us a piece of Rum Cake to try. Home made no doubt and the real thing it is!
Jerk pork is delicious. Meat is tender and full of flavor. We asked Cliff to give us extra Jerk sauce. It certainly add the punch. Jerk chicken is authentic! Dark meat is the best. Jamaican food is spicy! Although Cliff had tuned it down, but to customers who are not used to hot spicy food, you are forewarned!
They serve fresh made fish dish on Friday and Saturday. Quick fried whole fish covered with Escoveitch sauce is a traditional dish in Jamaica. Great flavor for those who loves fish, but if you don’t know how to eat fish with millions bones inside, I suggest you to pass. Cliff also serve oxtail soup, curry goat, brown stews chicken. Judged by the Jerk chicken I’ve tried, I have no doubt the rest of dishes are as authentic as I had in Jamaica. You may not familiar with those dishes, but I tell you, they are good and rich. Once you give them a chance, you will get hooked.
Well, the football season is approaching. I am thinking to throw some surprise to the accustomed food when hubby’s buddies come to the house watching games. 2 pound of jerk pork and chicken will keep the boys well behaved!