Taste of Jamaica

Okay so I was mesmerized by such wonderful smells today from a restaurant I’ve never paid attention to before. A Taste of Jamaica! Hidden in a small plaza On east Chatham Street in Cary. Omgoooooood even just after now having not enough back teeth to eat a salad, I can delight in healthy seriously delicious super tender real home cooked food! I’m in heaven! The lady who helped me pick out my meal was so nice and polite and when I asked a man on his lunch break about the food he lit up like Vegas and said «oh its the Best!» And he was so right! Omgoooooood it’s so good and not to 2 spicy the food was perfect and flavorful! And the prices are excellent even for someone like me on a tight budget and the servings are big enough I could have shared! The dining area is small and diner style so Im guessing mostly take out business but who cares because the food tastes like someone’s Granny cooked it!

My first visit I had a take out order and it was great. However when I came back two days ago with my boyfriend, before we could even take two full steps we seen a giant roach run across the floor. We left.
All in all, a true hole in the wall but the food that one time was great.

This place is very close to home. I tend to go to Poole rd but this is so convenient. The food is okay depending on what you order, the wait time horrible and the portion size could improve. My first preference is still Poole Rd but Taste of Jamaica can get my bucks again. The Jerk chicken and goat is good but the oxtails not so much.

This was my first time eating here and the food was pretty good. I had the curry shrimp, cabbage, red beans and rice and plantains. They gave a nice portions and the food was overall tasty.

I really liked it. Reminds me of the islands. The spicy beef patties are a must and so are the selection of Caribbean canned drinks. The curried anything is great too.
We come almost every week. Usually for patties, but the beans and rice are just delicious with a side of the chicken curry «gravy» (I accept the terminology, but as a southerner a part of me must fuss).
A word of warning though, you may want to call and order ahead. This is not particularly fast food.

Just went for lunch. They have great lunch specials! The food was fresh and flavorful. I had jerk chicken, which came with rice and peas, cabbage, and plaintains, all for $ 6.95! They customer service was great also. Great food and supporting a small local business, you should check it out.

I go here often on my lunch break. Great food, nice people and good service. The potato pudding is excellent. I often order brown stew snapper but it’s a great idea to call in the order for fish.

We went this evening. I got the jerk chicken and the beef patty. The patty was warm and hot and delicious. The jerk chicken was ehh. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had either. The jerk chicken tasted like rotisserie chicken that just happened to be jerked. It did come with a side of sauce which was delicious! It also came with a side of rice and peas and cabbage for 9.99. Totally worth the money. While it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, we will probably go back because the women who work there are super sweet and the service was fast. Plus it was affordable. A total win for me.

Great food and very friendly service. Favorite is the curry chicken. Have never been disappointed.

Best Jerk chicken in North Carolina! Really authentic and a must eat place if your near Cary! Super nice staff as well.

We sampled the finest that Cary has to offer in the way of Jamaican food, and were thoroughly disappointed.
Our order;
Jerk and Brown Stew chicken combo, Goat and Ackee combo with Sides of Shrimp curry, steamed cabbage, plantains, Beef and Chicken patties.
This was perhaps one of the biggest mistakes we have made in Cary cuisine. Everything and I mean every dish was bland, unseasoned un-​spiced food, the patties were clearly the ones you can buy at the supermarket in the frozen isle and the hour wait for them really set the tone for the forthcoming meal, the Goat curry had barely any meat at all, I try not to exaggerate here but it was literally 90% bone. The Ackee’s only taste was a peculiar fishy taste, with the sort of smell that is present at a major supermarket chain once they clean out the fish display, clearly not fresh and had a pretty unpleasant texture. The Jerk and Brown stew chicken was odorless & tasteless. The accompanying rice wasn’t bad but nothing to mention positively.
The shrimp curry was also bland to the point of tastelessness the 6 medium sized shrimp themselves ($ 8) were cooked for at least 2 hours longer than they should have been and served in a water off yellow translucent sauce, the cabbage lacked any taste beyond the basic cabbage flavor, there was visual evidence of bell pepper if not the taste the plantain were clearly unripe with a bitter taste and texture alike to potato and I’ve mentioned the patties above.
This meal came in with a significant price for the quantity of food (portions that fit a small burger box) and priced over the $ 50 mark.
I would seriously recommend staying away from this place unless bland, old and overpriced food is your particular taste. Deeply disappointed, can only think the positive reviews here were intended for a different place and are at best deeply misleading. We would have taken the food back but clearly a place that cares so little for its food wouldn’t be interested in customer service. If you’re looking for some tasty authentic Jamaican food click to the next suggestion, you will find only disappointment and a bruised wallet here.

As someone who’s introduction to Jamaican food has been Lee’s Kitchen, Jerk Masters, and Jamaica Jamaica, Taste of Jamaica’s food is incredible dull.
We ordered a sampling of dishes including jerk chicken, brown stew chicken, goat curry, ackee, and curry shrimp. Most of this either went in the trash or to the dog. What we got was overpriced, under-​seasoned, disappointment that attempts to appeal to more inexperienced palates.
Very disappointed. Never going back. Two stars for not being completely inedible.

Nice, clean atmosphere. Professional staff but food sucks. I have never experience Jamaican food with no flavor. The rice and beans was bland and the oxtails totally unremarkable. It was a huge disappointment. Also the extras like beef patties and other treats weren’t there. I will not waste my time or money going back there.

I loved my brown stew chicken. It was great the rice and peas were perfect and my cabbage was cooked just right!!! I love the Jamaican grille in raleigh but they fell off in taste over the years. Now I have found another place that I love just as much. They are very friendly and clean also. I use to go in here all the time for patties before their grille was up and running, I’m so happy I kept my patience because it was worth being loyal. I wish their jerk chicken was more spicy and flavorful but with the sauce it’s great!!!

Well. It’s plain and simple! The best and most authentic Jamaican food in the triangle! Ox Tail Stew is off the charts! Peas and rice are great! The show stopper is the beef patties. Yup! I would eat here every day if I could!

Taste of Jamaica is a tough nut to crack. It’s located in a very business like strip mall right against the street, with a very shallow parking lot where very few cars can park on an angle. I stumbled upon this place on Unilocal and felt the burning need to try it out. I’ve always LOVED Jamaican food, and in this area of NC, it’s hard to come by. Pulling up to this establishment, I was confused… It doesn’t look like a restaurant, nor does it look «open for business» either. I fought my desire to drive away and walked up to the tinted glass door with trepidation, fully expecting it to be locked when I tugged on it. The door pulled open and I walked into the deserted room. Along the left side is a counter with various warmers, coolers and a coffee pot… straight ahead, a register. Peering into the dining room to the right for signs of life, I thought for sure the place was closed down or being renovated. The walls bare of decorations and tables neat and clean but, empty. Out from the back comes a very attractive Jamaican lady with a large smile, she swivels a piece of paper next to the register in my direction with the hand written menu on it. I look it over and quickly order the Jerk Chicken dinner platter to go. Approx 4 minutes later she emerges from the back with my order in a Styrofoam to-​go box in a plastic bag. I pay quite literally a few dollars and turn to go… I’m stunned at the weight of my plate as I leave for my car. The short trip home my car is filled with the most heavenly, mouth watering scent of Jerk Chicken, fried plantains, the coconut aroma of rice and peas and stewed cabbage all mingling and dancing on the breeze blowing throughout the cabin of my Honda Element. Five minutes later, back at my apartment, I’m READY! OMG… everything was AMAZING!!! The food far transcends the obvious limitations of the physical aspects of this restaurant. Based on the food alone, this place should have an hour wait and a line around the building. I never thought a restaurant could have this bad a physical presentation yet have such great food and low prices. What a diamond in the rough! Do Yourself a favor, push past every natural instinct to run away from this unorthodox restaurant and you will be rewarded ten fold with Authentic Jamaican fare that will delight your senses and fulfill that screaming hunger for truly spectacular bold and spicy ethnic food. Yeah, I’m in love.

Ughhh. I was excited to see a place close by so i ordered the jerk chicken dinner plate. The rice and peas taste like rice a roni the chicken was BLAND!!! It tasted like regular baked chicken. They give u a thimble size of «jerk sauce» that tastes like Sweet Baby Rays with Texas Pete in it. The only decent part of the meal was the beef patty and cabbage. Next time I will drive a little further to Jerk Masters (in the day time). Trust me if you have ever had REAL JAMAICAN FOOD you will be disappointed with this.

I want to start by saying I’m a snob for traditional Jamaican food. I come here for convenience mostly. Nice clean place close to my job and home. Sevice is ok, food is ok. I would recommend stew peas, fish (call ahead), and oxtails.

This was my first experience with Jamaican food, and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. I had the curry goat and jerk chicken, and I found both to be great. If you get takeout, do check your bag before you make the drive home (a few dumplings I had ordered got lost somehow). That won’t stop me from going back to try out the rest of the menu, though. I feel very grateful to have a place like this here in Cary.

I just found my favorite Jamaican spot. I’ve tried almost everything they have. The pockets are fantastic, oxtail s are legit and portions are big. This is the best food I’ve had since my Jamaican neighbor moved away!