Mama’s Caribbean Grill

It’s all about this oxtail right here. From there,
I’ll be eating my way through the menu. Excellent all around.

We ordered stew chicken and curry chicken with Mac well the mac and cheese was spoiled it made the whole up its a wrap won’t eat there again now I know why I stopped before

I have been craving Caribbean food for the past two weeks and this place hit the spot. The space is cozy and comfortable. The service was good considering there were 20 of us… I don’t think they are use to large crowds. The patties were yum and the food was extremely flavorful. I would definitely visit again if I am in the area.

We got some food for take out and it was pretty good. They were out of beef patties but the chicken pattie was delish! Curry shrimp was good, but Caribbean Hut still has the best. However, their jerk chicken was spicy and tender. They messed up on one of my sides, gave me yams instead of cabbage… so be sure to check your food before you leave if you get it to go. I will be back for those patties though, they are addictive!
I am giving them one star because I actually came back for the those beef patties on Sunday and they were not even open on time (I came early on a Sunday at 12pm and waited an hour)…now that’s TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!

Two stars are for the waitress and Mama. Unfortunately not the food. Not the worst I’ve had but definitely disappointing.
Where do I begin? This was a recommendation from a friend of a friend. She said it’s better than Caribbean Hut over on Tryon street (which is far from me). I thought great… there’s nothing like having a favorite restaurant closer to home. So I met up with three girlfriends. We got there on a Saturday around 12:30 PM. Turns out the restaurant doesn’t open up till 1 PM. Fine. we’ll just stand outside and talk for a few. 1 o’clock comes around and the young lady who’s the hostess/​waitress opens the door. Before we even sat down, she begins to tell us that they have no brown rice. just white rice. They also have no curry chicken, no brown stewed chicken and no black beans! I mean seriously… you are just opening up, and it’s a Saturday and you don’t have all those menu items? Come on now! That alone should’ve been a red flag but we were all gung ho for Caribbean food.
We were the first ones there so we sat down at a table and was brought over menus. I already knew I wanted oxtails and my other friend knew she wanted oxtails also. The other two looked over the menu but only took a minute or two to figure it out. One ordered jerk pork, the other fish. So we sat and we sat waiting for her to come back to take our order. Now, remember the place just opened up. It’s really not that busy. But there were a few people at the bar getting to go orders. After waiting possibly 15 minutes, the waitress comes back and takes our orders. At this point of time, she was the only waitress there. Maybe as the day gets busier, they have another one or two. She was nice. She seemed kind of cold when we got there but warmed up later. Finally our orders arrived. I think it was Mama herself who carried them out. She seemed like a very nice older woman. I had ordered plantains for an appetizer, but they didn’t arrive until after the entrée. They were fine but plantains are plantains. It’s kind of hard to screw those up.
Now I love me some oxtails, and I was so looking forward to ordering another order or two to take home, but these weren’t worth the wait or money. Usually the oxtails I’ve had at Jamaican restaurants have been so well seasoned and fall off the bone tender. These were just OK. I found the white rice kind of mushy. The sweet potatoes weren’t good and definitely from a can. I knew as soon as I saw them, they were from a can. The collard greens were nothing special. My friend who ordered the fish seemed to like hers. She wanted dessert, but guess what? They didn’t have any dessert.
After all is said and done, I really wanted to like this place but there was nothing there that would make me want to go back or recommend. I think I’ll stick with the other Jamaican restaurant. It may be further from me, but definitely worth the drive.

Truth be told I was on my way a HIGHLY rated Gastrolounge, down the street, but on a Friday night it looked like a Mardi Gras Frat House from the outside and I didn’t need drama.
On my way back to the car I was looking into the windows of the shops, and there I saw a direct portal to the Caribbean.
I was on the phone with with my wife. I told her, I was gonna go in and I hoped I didn’t get stabbed.
Ordered a drink. Sitting at the bar. Still isn’t here.
They are CRAZY overwhelmed.
Phone rings.
There’s a man drunk man saying to the bar keep that another man has a knife. (No, I’m not kidding.)
A customer calls and the bar keep sets the phone down. She didn’t want to ‘deal’ with them. Later I hear the busy tone.
Drunk people drama in the restaurant.
Still no drink.
But the bar keep make HERSELF a drink.
Food comes.
It’s not good.
I’m wasting my time.
I should have gone to that Gastrolounge.
***I Really hope this was one big comedy of errors or this place is not gonna make it with service and food like this. ***
I wish the owners luck and hope this review helps to refine their customer experience.

Outstanding Caribbean food! We tried several dishes and everything was outstanding. Jerk chicken, brown stewed chicken, curry chicken and veggies. We have 2 small girls and they loved it also. Our waitress was zahra and I don’t have enough space to write a review about how awesome she was both in service and being sweet w our girks. She learned their names, referred to them every time she came to table, and she asked for hugs after we were done and the girls talked about her a lot. Please do yourself a favor and check it out. We will be back soon;)

If you go, remember telling them how hot you want your jerk. The cook seems to like it very hot!!! Nice simple place! Have a red stripe and ask for reggae music!

This Caribbean restaurant is definitely serving some authentic dishes. The jerk pork and curry chicken was delicious! Cabbage and peas and rice took me back to Jamaica. This place is a must try and we will return!

Perfect. Absolutely delicious, can’t say enough. I was desperate for really good Jamaican food after leaving Florida and my favorite spot in Sanford. We literally stumbled on this little gem in the center of Plaza. The Brown Chicken was amazing, just like I remember and the plantains… oh my, like candy with just a hint of fried delicious crust… oh yeah. The man had the jerk pork, also perfection… just enough heat to make you notice but not uncomfortable. They have Sorrel which I didn’t get to try but for will next time. Staff was awesome, place was clean. Great little spot.

I ordered curry chicken withe rice and peas along with cabbage. The taste was good but the wait was like over a half hour. I recommend to call ahead.

My sister and I took our vacation to Jamaica a couple weeks ago, and we’ve been dying for some jerk food since we got back. We found this place because someone we met in Montego Bay actually recommended it, so our expectations were high… but they were met! Had the jerked pork with Mac and cheese and it was great. Service was also good, Patricia was super nice as well as the owner. Only thing missing was the festival. Will definitely be back though!

I absolutely love this spot! The atmosphere is enticing with the bright colors, good music and great staff. The food permeates the air and it’s great! We started with jerk wings, anticipating small entres … My first time I ordered a small curry shrimp with sweet potatoes and it was larger than I expected. I love leftovers being that I’ve been too busy to cook lately. Anyway everything is fantastic. Oh and try Mamas Jamaican tea. Every time I come to Charlotte I visit.

My family and I had a great time here. Our waiter was nice and the service was quick. It was also kid friendly even though reggae music was playing in the background. It was also a really good place to go for Jamaican food and being a Jamaican family we really enjoyed it. I would recommend this place to anyone who loves Jamaican food.

We just moved to Charlotte and are so excited that our daughter found this place on Unilocal!We enjoyed the friendly environment and great food. Everyone was pleased, even my picky four year old! My husband had oxtail and curry goat. I enjoyed roti with curry chicken. My daughter loves the spicy escovitch fish. My youngest had sides of rice, macaroni and a bit of curry goat! My teenager opted for a more simple meal of a beef patty, plantain and coco bread! We will be back! Yum!

Food is great… WHEN they have, that is. Came on a Saturday around lunchtime and they did not have any sides except the collard greens (which is not exactly a Caribbean dish). On another occasion, placed a phone order for 2 dinners and arrived 20 minutes later only to be told they never prepared it and I would have to wait another 15 minutes (forget that they tell you it will take 15 minutes when you call in the order).
Right now I’ve been standing waiting for 5 minutes on the order I called in 25 minutes ago which I was told at the time would be ready in 15 minutes. There are 2 other patrons in the restaurant and 2 people working the counter/​serving. So it isn’t an issue of understaffing.
The ONLY reason this restaurant is still in business has to be because competition for decent, relatively authentic Caribbean food does not exist in Charlotte.
It is such a shame because I love the island-​like, Caribbean feel of the restaurant and the food is really good, but you have to have a lot of patience to deal with them and definitely not be hungry when you decide to dine at Mama’s Caribbean. Too bad they choose to limit themselves in this way.

Im a fair person, but I’m also honest. this restaurant was terrible. as a fitness fanatic, i was extra disappointed because i picked this place for my cheat meal which i only allow myself to indulge in once a week. therefore i take my cheat meals very seriously! it had an unpleasant odor when we walked in. i don’t have a great sense of smell so i didn’t notice the odor but my husband did. he just didn’t say anything until after the fact because he knew i was so excited about trying this place and he was too. once we were seated, the server never brought us water. we had to ask about it. she finally brought the water with meals. in other words, we sat there that whole time (prior to them bringing our meal) with no water! as for the food, it was not fresh. the beans amd rice tasted like uncle ben’s, the yams tasted canned (or if they were from scratch they certainly weren’t fresh), and the meat was gross. again im a fair person. im not fussy about food. i just like GOOD food. so for me to bash this place it has to be really bad. ive had good Jamaican food so i know what it’s «supposed» to taste like. for example, stir it up (Jamaican restaurant in ATL’s little 5 points area) is fantastic… local, quaint, homemade, fresh and AUTHENTIC. is mama’s edible? yes. is it good? no.

Awesome authentic food! Great service too. Came in 15 minutes before they were closing and they took care of us like kings and queens.

I don’t know a lot about Jamaican food but the jerk chicken I had tonight was excellent albeit, very messy. The place looks a little sketch from the outside and the owners kids were in the front screaming the whole time but the food was too good to complain.

What’s with all the 4 stars? Jamaican me crazy, mon!
I’ve live walking distance away… been meaning to try this place out for 4 years. Tonight I finally got my chance. I’ve had the real deal in Jamaica and this took me back. The jerk chicken is perfect. Just enough spice to keep things interesting. Rice and beans included and the small comes with an additional side. I got 2 small jerk chickens, one with mac and cheese and the other with sweet potatoes (or yams?) Both were great, but I’ll be getting the yams next time.
If ya cravin’ real Jamaican jerk chicken, no problem mon. Ya found it here.