Jammin Island BBQ

When the lines at the likes of Shake Shack G by Mike Isabella, and even the Nat’s Dogs, are 30+ deep, make sure to keep in mind Jammin Island BBQ as a quicker (and healthier) alternative to some of those other offerings. Jammin Island is on the second level immediately after you get off the escalator. It’s semi-​caddy corner from Shake Shack. The menu offerings are not extensive-​jerk chicken, ribs, or a combo of the two. They offer both platters and just a jerk chicken sandwich. The sandwich is $ 10 and comes with either coleslaw or Utz potato chips. The coleslaw is the creamy variety and was surprisingly tasty. The portion size of the sandwich was filling without being gluttonous. The chicken was tender, the sauce it was mixed in had a nice kick, and the bun was soft providing a nice vessel to scoop up some of the overflowing meat. They offer other sides too: red beans and rice (although they ran out when we were here), yucca fries, and plantains. The line was only about 8 people long and moved fairly quickly. I enjoyed my sandwich and I’d definitely stop back in the future to grab another!

I give jamming chicken a one star. the wait is ridiculous 45 minutes in line. With this day and age they lack technology. Wrong food was being given they don’t have great organization chaos. Hand writing food orders on trays. The jerk chicken is good. Good size portion you could share. The ribs were tough you could tell they were boiled prior to being on the grill. The plantains were over cooked burnt, the coleslaw was tasteless and stale and warm. There were wet wipes.

If you’re looking for a hearty but not terribly unhealthy meal, Jammin’ Island is among the best food options at Nationals Park.
The chicken and ribs are both very flavorful, and it’s a LOT of food. The jerk chicken or the jerk chicken and ribs combo could easily be shared by two people.

Great portions, nice taste not too spicy, just right. The jerk rib and chicken and two sides is the best deal on the stadium.

I have been here several times. Great food! And a nice alternative to the usual baseball fare. Don’t get too excited. Keep reading…
The last time I went was on Opening Day 2014. I went to get my pulled jerk chicken fix in the 3^rd inning. I stood in an extremely long line for over 30 minutes (totally understandable considering the day). However, as I neared the front, I heard one of the employees tell the other employees that they were out of rice and beans. They didn’t bother telling the people in line. No problem, didn’t want those anyway. I continued to wait and wait and wait as the food came out one plate every 5 minutes or so (super slow). I got to the front and ordered a pulled chicken sandwich with a side of potato salad. The woman at the cashier stated that they had nothing but ribs and jerk chicken left. No pulled chicken, no potato salad, no rice and beans. I informed her that that would have been nice to know 20 minutes ago while I was still in line, hungry and missing several innings of the game (there are no TVs near this stand). I said this politely and then proceeded to say that it didn’t matter and that I would just take the jerk chicken. She then proceeded to get a very rude attitude and tell me that everyone waited and I was «acting like you’re special and you’re the only one that was in line.» I said that I wasn’t trying to argue with her. I was just trying to point out that they should keep their customers informed. All I wanted at this point was some chicken. She continued to be extremely rude and talk down to and argue with me. At that point, I had had enough. I left.
All in all, no matter how good the food is, it is not worth missing most of the game and getting harassed by one of the employees. Don’t go here. Get some good jerk chicken when you leave the game. You’ll be happy you did.

Food was good but even considering its in a ballpark, the value/​quantity of a $ 20 meal (combo platter and water) just wasn’t there. Ribs and chicken were both pretty good but ribs were a bit fatty. Good flavor tho.

This is my favorite spot for great food at the ballpark. Love the ribs, pulled port. But lately they added an outrageously good jerk pulled chicken sandwich… delicious moist chicken on a heavenly tasty bun and topped with some cool and crunchy slaw… amazing!

prob the best bang for your buck at the stadium. for about $ 12 you get a half chicken and a side. VERY filling. totally worth it. chicken was moist. we were sitting near it and the smells were so enticing that we had to get it even though we already ate. haha. but i’m glad i did. if i ever go back to see the nats, this is the first place i am going!

I love this place! I started eating here regularly last season and waited all off season for another taste of Jammin Island BBQ. While the food was great on opening day the service had much to be desired. The line was easily 30 minutes long and there was no urgency by the staff to pick up the pace, which they could have done and it would have meant that I probably wouldn’t have missed two whole innings. To top it off once we finally ordered, we were given numbers but were told they didn’t use them… so aggressive customers, who don’t see the point in lines just bullied their way to food. Numbers please, they are automatically printed on the receipts for a reason.

I don’t get the appeal of baseball. Why so many people sit around watching other people stand around and occasionally run a short sprint baffles the shit out of me, especially when those other people are a lot of of the time out of shape compared to other professional athletes. The ballpark though is a good alternative where you could drink and hang out with your friends. Jammin Island BBQ at the Nationals just might have the power to convince me to go «watch» baseball more often.
Tried both the ribs and chicken and was impressed. The ribs and chicken were well-​cooked, not dry and quite tender. You get a lot of meat when you get the combo plate and it comes with plantains and a choice of plantains or rice. The yuca fries were overcooked, hard as rock, but I didn’t mind so much with an entire box of ribs and chicken in front of me. As I walked back to my seat with my box of food, I got stopped many times by people asking where I got the food from, so much so that by the third time I was stopped I wanted to shout, «Go find it yourself! Let me get back to my seat so I can bury my face in meat!»
So yes, the owner of the Nationals, you might see me occasionally, but don’t think it’s your team’s ball-​playing skills that draw me there, instead, thank Jammin Island BBQ.

Just want here at the game. The kiosk is near the red porch restaurant on the second level, small blur roof freestanding. Not so easy to find.
Unless you are really a glutton, I would recommend sharing the ribs and chicken combo. The food is spicy, but not too spicy. It is the kind that comes a little after you eat. Totally perfect with a beer and a size of their slaw. They also sell corn on the cob which was quite good. Service is not fast– if there were a line, I bet it could be slow. This is jerk style seasoning – if you want traditional southern barbecue go to blue smoke down the way.

NO WAY! They had an employees walking around the third level last night passing out samples of the ribs, they looked good, smelled great but they have so much mouth burning sauce on them I thought I would cry. They could have warned us since they were marketing them.

Love ribs. I have them whenever possible or feasible, so when I heard that this place got good reviews, I was curious. Still, there was the whole matter of logistics. You’re at a ballgame — kinda crunched up in your seat with people all around you. Not exactly the place where you can eat ribs with total abandon.
Anyways, came to the ballpark on two consecutive days, and decided to check these guys out. My devotion to BBQ in general got the best of me, and I decided to go for both jerk ribs ($ 13) and jerk chicken ($ 10). (They also offer a combo plate of both for $ 16, at smaller portions — but that defeats the whole point. BBQ foods were never intended to be consumed in dainty portions IMHO).
They were both fantastic. As folks already know, Nationals Park has a good selection of food (a shoutout to Ben’s half-​smokes that make sure you never go for a regular ballpark dog ever again) — but Jammin’s jerk BBQ is truly one of the gems. The meats were flavorful and tender, but not overwhelmed with the typical over-​salted jerk flavor. In fact, the marinade came with just the right amount of spicy kick to it. Portions were generous, and the sweet potato and yucca fries added the perfect touch without being too heavy. My S.O., who is also big into BBQ and has eaten it all around the country, also gave them a big thumbs-​up.
We asked whether they have a «regular» store, but sadly they are only in ballparks right now. If these guys decide to go full-​on retail, I bet they can make a killing — their competition just isn’t that strong right now.
Highly recommended, and will definitely return for more.

Five of us went to Nationals Park for another MLB Opening Weekend, and I led the gang over to the upstairs Red Porch outdoor back bar area to find the bbq pit beef & turkey joint that was there earlier last season. Instead, Jammin Island BBQ was in its place. No one was partaking in the jerk chicken and pork ribs that the workers were charring on the grill.
While we stood around, hemmin’ and hawin’, the owner/​manager of the place walked up to us and asked if we would like to sample their wares. Sure, why not?
SOLD. All five of us bought baskets — some got the pork ribs, some got the pork ribs and chicken combo. The ribs, the overall star, were big and meaty. The seasonings didn’t contain too much allspice/​clove flavor, like jerk marinades/​sauces often do, and the sauce was fiery yum. I was really surprised to find something with a kick like that in DC — forget about a ballpark. The baskets included a small side of yucca fries (all that you need), the heavier, starchier cousin to the potato. They had a crunchy, thick fried outer shell and pillowy, soft middles. We used them to sop up any and all of the remaining sauce.
When we had demolished it all, we turned to each other, sniffling (a good sign that the heat was just right), and agreed that we had just eaten the best ballpark food ever. Pretty much everyone outside our group who sampled the goods ended up buying some too.
Unfortunately, Jammin Island BBQ is in a kind of hidden location, but it’s also a great place to relocate from less-​than-​ideal seats to watch the game (there are rows of stand-​up counter space abutting the outfield). Hopefully there will be more traffic nearby once the Shake Shack peeps open up their 4 food stands, because I really don’t want it to shutter like the last joint that was in its place. We will definitely be back every game we see this season!
Quick tip: be on the lookout for their bottled sauce, coming soon!