The Real Jerk

Came back here for about the millionth time, this time with some friends who have never been before. Very pleased to share that they both enjoyed everything that we had ordered very much. We started off with the usual dumplings with oxtail gravy and some cod fritters. My friends both had the oxtail dinner, one of whom had the oxtail and fried chicken combo. Again, they both liked them very much!
I decided to try something new this time around so I ordered the JA Stew Chicken which was absolutely delicious. Was served with dark meat which was also very tender so no doubt this has been stewing for a very long time. ⁵⁄₅.
Service as usual was wonderful. I’d like to add that one of my friends is Jamaican so for her to absolutely love the place is a huge compliment. She’s not one to also eat out often but after she had one bite of everything, she kept saying that she’ll keep coming back until she has everything on the menu. Again, huge compliment coming from someone born and raised in JA and who has a mom who can cook up a storm with the JA classics.

When I lived in Lower Riverdale, the Real Jerk was a staple… we’d walk down at least once a month (at that time they were at Queen/​Broadview) and converted many a friend to the joys of the Jerk. We’ve both moved out of the old neighbourhood, but dining at the new location is like visiting an old friend… you know things are different but you hold on to the way it was.
Anyways, we ventured down yesterday for lunch. The place was quiet when we arrived (around 12:15pm) but within 15 minutes it started to fill up.
I got my usual… Jerk Chicken (white meat) with coleslaw and rice and peas. A dumpling was thrown in for good measure.
Jerk Chicken — dry, dry, dry. Couldn’t eat a piece without washing it down with a swig of Ting. It was a bit disappointing that it was so dry, but it was flavourful. I have a Jamaican friend whose jerk chicken has this place beat hands down.
Coleslaw — WTF… huge pieces of cabbage that were far too big to fit in my mouth. Come on, at least attempt to shred the cabbage.
Rice & Peas — smothered with oxtail gravey. Holy hell it was good.
Dumpling — I could make a meal out of these alone. Delicious.
Our waitress was fantastic… prompt, attentive, polite.
In a nutshell, I’ll continue to go back as I haven’t found any place better… if I did, I might not make the trek down anymore. Some friendships aren’t made to last forever.

Once you walk in you feel like you are in the Caribbean. Decent décor. Old furniture, but has a warm feeling (and no, i’m not from the islands).
Don’t get me wrong, its a nice big place.
The chicken roti was a meal on its own. Big portion. Good taste.
Will go again and try other menu items for sure.

I really enjoy the food. The service is a bit slow. Also, the hostesses are very rude. All my friends that live in the Riverdale area think the same. I am writing this in hopes that maybe they will change the staff to more personable employees.

I had the chicken roti — I liked it alot :) flavorful. I also couldn’t get enough of their fried plantains. They accidentally gave us a second plate and then gave it to us on the house for the error. No complaints!
My friend had the oxtail dinner and he complained it was 80% bones. He said taste was good but disappointing that he paid for bones.
I’m rating this place based on my experience!

This used to be our go to place for several years. Before they moved to the new location, I heard microwaves buzzing in the kitchen… not cool. Now that they are at the new location things have truly fallen apart.
Firstly, they’ve lost the chic island feel. Now its a mismatch of colours on worn out furniture and cheap building materials (look at the bar)
My last and final experience there, my fish was partly frozen, the roti tasted rotten. As though the filling had been sitting out on the counter for days. The rum punch was truly the most vile concoction either one of us had tasted. You know it’s bad when you can’t finish a glass of alcohol.
Oh and can we talk about over priced! No Sir this place has lost its cool. I’ve spoken to a few people who have decided to walk away as well for similar or worse experiences. Caribbean food is supposed to be cooked with heart and soul. Seems like the chef is in a coma (figuratively speaking).
Good bye Real Jerk. Let me know when restaurant makeover visits… or when your establishment has a pulse again.

I have been a regular customer at The Real Jerk. My friends and I come out for Irie-​Okee once in a while (which is always so much fun, great MC) and I often grab takeout. I have never been disappointed with the food, and I have had a lot of different items from their menu. I am currently addicted to the red pea soup (which is actually with red kidney beans and is vegetarian), which i pair with a fried dumpling.
Some nights they seem to struggle to keep up with the volume, as take-​out gets busy. Calling ahead does help. Occasionally I have waited quite long but most times i get my takeout in 10−15min.
I do hope they work out some of the customer service issues they seem to be having, but you cant go wrong with their food!

Had chicken roti wrap from here twice and it tasted pretty good, but found a strand of hair in it both times. Wish they were more careful when making food. The food itself tasted pretty good, until of course I saw the hair and had to throw it all out. Until I have a better experience at this place, I can only give it 2 stars, based on the fact that I found hair every time I’ve had food from there.
At least if it was once, I understand, mistakes happen. But twice doesn’t seem like a mistake.
Taste-​wise though, it’s a pretty nice restaurant.

Ambiance: very casual, has music in the background.
Food: There were 3 of us: we ordered
chicken roti: very good
pork jerk appetizer: extremely good:
goat roti: below average, it came with large pieces of bone.
½ chicken jerk: very good
Side of plantains
We also had 3 Trinidadian beer and 2 New Castle beers.
The total cost was 100 $ including tax and tip.
Service: the waiter was funny, and served us well, giving us updates on when we will get the food…

I like the Real Jerk. There’s nothing fancy about their meals — Just good portions and tasty options. We always order the banana fritters (they taste better than they look), Jerk Chicken with Shrimp (or Oxtail) combo plates and goat or chicken Rotis. I enjoy taking my out-​of-​town friends here, especially ones from my homeland of Down Under as we don’t have carribbean food there!

Love the chicken roti

I went for dinner last Saturday with a huge group of people. I will go back once more as I want to try more menu items.
I wasn’t too hungry so I got 2 appetizers.
The jerk shrimp was good. The shrimp were not too big and not too small. They came on a wooden skewer with veggies. Nice and spicy. I will definitely order it again.
The cod fritters were good. Greasy but good.
I was disappointed with the cocktail. I can’t remember the name of the cocktail but it had no alcohol in it at all. So if you are ordering a drink I suggest you get a beer, rum or wine.

I was impressed. Had an order of jerk wings, cod fritters, then I had the beef Roti. The food was all fantastic and came out fast. Washed it down with a boneshaker beer.
The real star of the show was our waiter Troy. Wicked awesome personality, cracks jokes, sense of humor, checks in but doesn’t linger. Quite possibly the best wait staff that I’ve ever had. Also, a shout out to the other waiter who took our plates even when it wasn’t his table – sorry, didn’t get his name.
Mind you it wasn’t too busy this night, but I would visit again.

A friend took me, he loves the place. I had classic jerk chicken and everything, especially chicken, plantains and coleslaw was delicious!
Nice location, cool server, very relaxed on a Monday night!

I never had the chance to visit the original location before they closed down. When it was announced that they were re-​opening in a new location, I had to check it out and see if it was worth the hype. A few visits later, it’s safe to say that I’ll be a regular!
I always start off with the dumplings and gravy. They’re priced at $ 4 for two dumplings and gravy and is great for sharing. I remember my first visit, thinking they’d be similar to the Asian variety of a steamed dumpling filled with some sort of minced meat. We initially ordered 3 per person, but after our server explained what it was (fried dough with oxtail gravy), we were advised that one each would be sufficient.
As for the entrees, I usually go for the oxtail combo with either jerk chicken or jerk pork. The combos come with your choice of sides; rice and peas and (creamy-​style) coleslaw are the default options. The chicken and pork have a nice char to it and a light kick. They bottle their own hot sauce, which I tend to add to my meal to give it a bit more of a kick. The oxtail is always the star of the meal. I salivate thinking about the tender goodness!
Each night I’ve come, there seems to have been a different event (rum tasting, karaōke). And as mentioned above, I’ve been here a few times now and anticipate that I’ll be here every month or two.

I grew up close to The Real Jerk’s original location, mesmerized by its giant bright sunshine mural draping over the façade, a landmark of my neighbourhood. Ate there a few times. And then they got kicked out of their building, caught in an ugly real estate dispute; a blow to the Riverside and the city’s Jamaican communities.
Eventually they found a new place to set up again in a dilapidated plaza in a corner of Gerrard and Carlaw. It’s not Queen Street Riverside, and there’s no giant sunshine, but close enough. The requisite and unavoidable big yellow signs sure brighten up the block.
The bar where the regulars always be found still commands the whole place, and there’s an additional dining room fit for a private event. Washrooms are tiny (and likely kept as-​is from the previous tenants-​certainly not wheelchair-​accessible either), and the hand dryers are old and loud as a lawn mower.
The happily pleasant staff seems to be a mix of new and old, and the dining rooms brighter than ever-​a mix of simple classy and Jamaican vibe that makes this place a decent choice for a date or a fun dinner, with brand nostalgia covering everything from the tables to the walls. The menu is stripped down from their old place, but from what I heard, you can always get them to make something else if nostalgia strikes your palate.
I love their oxtail. It is blubbery tender, it is bloody delicious! I usually have it with the jerk chicken dinner combo; the chicken has a good tasty mix of spicy and sweet tang. Not mindblowing hot if that’s what you are into though; my crazy chilihead friend insists it’s not as hot as the stuff you can get further northwest in Little Jamaica.
{TTC: take the 72 or 506 to Gerrard/​Carlaw. There’s no way you can miss this place, or not notice the tiny plaza parking.}

Finally went back and had a vegetable roti with chickpeas. My companions had a potato roti and a vegetable entrée plate (coleslaw not vegan). Super delicious and fresh.
Our server was fantastic (they all are) and had suggestions for the hot sauce and jerk sauce which I purchased. Staff are happy to answer any questions you may have as well.
Takeout is also pretty fast if you call ahead.
Note: While the building is all one level, the restaurant is not wheelchair accessible. There is a step from the parking lot/​street to the entrance. Washrooms are on same floor but are very narrow with no grab bars. People who use canes may be able to manage okay, but those who use walkers (even folding ones) may find it challenging to use the washrooms if they need their devices for leverage as the stalls are too small to accommodate.

I took my client there for lunch. He got a lunch special. I asked about the pasta dish I knew about from years ago. She said: sure no prob! When I got the bill I almost died. $ 17.50!!! Highway robbery.

I am dropping this to 1 star. I got a chicken roti there — it was wildly expensive and there was no chicken in it. The staff are just hanging out with friends at the bar… customer service is low. We live very close… it is really too bad… will not be going back.
The Real Jerk must be paying exorbitant rent as I found their prices to be very high when compared to value for money in the neighbourhood and for the type of food on offer.
The unique flavours are undeniable and a good experience, but paying high prices while watching staff fawning over inner circle regulars, friends and family– kind of feels like you are subsidizing everybody else.,

Dropped by with 3 friends because I was craving jerk chicken.
What we ordered:
ting x 3
pepper shrimp
¼ jerk chicken w/​rice and peas, and curry potato
jerk pork w/​rice and peas, and coleslaw
jerk oxtail and pork w/​rice and peas, and curry potato
jerk chicken and pork w/​rice and peas, and curry potato
pepper shrimp: very flavourful but pricy for 8 pieces of shrimp.
jerk chicken was good. dark meat is pretty juicy. but pretty small portion
jerk pork was good. wasn’t dry. wasn’t full of fat.
oxtail was tender. delicious.
portions of the sides were good but would have preferred slightly bigger portions when it came to the meats. you can taste the jerk but i prefer my jerk to be a bit stronger in taste. ok, that came out wrong. you know what i mean.
friendly staff but our server wasn’t around enough being that it wasn’t too busy there. albeit she did say she had a larger group in another room.
we needed another moment to look at the menu, but it took a while for server to come back to take our order. she also forgot to bring us water twice but finally did the third time around. some of us were thirsty.
overall a pretty good. i’d come back. there are items on their menu that aren’t on their website, such as pastas and more.