Jamaican Me Yelpy Elite Event @ Beyu Caffé

Jamaica No Problem!
This was the perfect excuse to venture into downtown Durham for the first time! Got a little lost finding the place, but I managed to snag a parking spot directly across the street! Cha-​ching! The « Unilocal» sign that was displayed out front was awesome because it reassured me that I had the right place.
Upon entering, I was greeted by Phil — who was super friendly and welcoming (this was my first Elite Event). I was absolutely delighted to be presented with a cool tin lunchbox with goodies inside, along with a wicked sweet watch! Bling, bling!
My +1’s and I made our way to the back of the restaurant since it was a bit overcrowded towards the front, and we snagged a table. After about 10 minutes, everyone else started to pick up on staking out spots — and unfortunately there weren’t enough tables to accommodate everyone. A huge line formed for the food, but my group waited until most everyone got their food. Unfortunately, while we were getting our plates, we almost had our table stolen — even though our bags and drinks were on the table. Seemed a bit weird that some fellow Unilocalers would try to steal an occupied table. =(
The Cayman Jack Margaritas were delicious, but a bit on the tangy side. I actually didn’t find them *too* sweet, but my boyfriend disagreed — guess I’m a wimp when it comes to tart flavors. :P I found the Jerk Chicken to be a bit too spicy (as well as my other +1’s). The Cayman Jack Margaritas did not sooth the flames in our mouths — so we had to beg a waitress for some water. The vegetable medley was all right — the carrots were perfectly tender, but I found the cauliflower/​broccoli to be a bit tough.
I was a bit desperate to purchase more food. My group hadn’t eaten beforehand (we knew it was appetizers only), but we were disappointed that the only thing for sale was alcohol and not any dishes. I really wished we could have sampled more of the Jamaican dishes.
LOVED the postcard idea! I sadly was unable to fill any out due to my inability to remember my friend’s addresses (they’ve all recently moved — womp, womp). One of my +1’s joined me up on the «stage» to have some silly photographs with the beachy props. So fun and the photographer was really nice! It was also awesome to FINALLY meet Christina G. — so sweet and friendly!
The waitstaff was awesome! They were super attentive to our needs, but I found that they would consecutively drop by right after another one had — which was a bit weird. I guess they were competing for our tips?
Overall, it was a great time! Kudos to Christina G. for such a creative event!

«Jamaica Nice…
Take me home country road to the place I belong in Jamaica that’s where I’m from… take me home country road…»
Yellowman has a lot of great songs but I thought of «Jamaica Nice» when I saw the email announcing the Jamaican Me Unilocaly Elite Event. I love the Caribbean and reggae music and the totally laid back attitude of the islands so I was game for this Unilocal event (but you’re thinking I’m game for all the Unilocal parties regardless of the theme and you wouldn’t be wrong. lol.). Well, it turned out to be another great event. I definitely got a «Positive Vibration» from this «Punky Reggae Party». It was easy to come up with a costume for this theme… who doesn’t have a floral, bright beach, tropical shirt or sundress. Many Elites were decked out with sun hats and cool shades. I even picked up a new pair of Unilocal shades… take that UV rays!
Beyu Café didn’t have a glass of «Red, Red Wine» to make me feel so fine but they were offering 3 specialty drinks for us Unilocalers. Since I was driving I allowed myself one adult beverage, the Grape Elderflower Fizz, which was a no brainer for me since St. Germaine rocks. I really enjoyed this tasty cocktail. It was light and refreshing with the wonderful subtle floral sweetness from the elderflower liqueur. I had a taste of the complimentary Cayman Jack Margarita. It was tangy and a little sweet. It’s definitely a benefit that this beverage comes in a can because I can easily envision drinking a few of these at the beach or poolside listening to reggae. The Beyu Café staff were awesome floating around the crowd serving drinks and checking up on us frequently to make sure we had all we wanted or needed. They were very efficient and friendly which added to the pleasantness of the whole experience.
My husband was out of town so I was sans my +1. But that is never a problem at a Unilocal event. In addition to the free food, drinks, and entertainment, this group of Unilocalers is welcoming, open, and warm. I greatly enjoyed hanging with old friends catching up on the latest in their personal lives as well as the newest places to eat, drink, and make merry. These people are in the know! I also had the opportunity to meet some new people. I was «Feelin’ Irie» spending a few fun hours with the Elite Unilocalers at Beyu Café.
Our Community Manager, Christina G., is very creative and she is always coming up with great ideas. The party was a lot of fun and one thing that tickled me pink was the postcards with the caption «Wish You Were Here» and Unilocal paid for the postage. Cool! I can’t wait for my husband to find his postcard in the mail. lol!

With great people, good times, and free food/​drink/​Yelp goodies, how could you not give this event five stars?
As always, Christina G. put together a stellar event for us Unilocal enthusiasts! From the limbo bar (which I defnitely did not give a go) to the postacards (quite entertaining with some alcohol in ya) and to the friendly and attentive service from Beyu staff, there was quite a bit of fun and enjoyment to be had. Margaritas typically are not my drink, but call them free and put them in a snazzy glass bottle and I’ll definitely indulge. Drinks aside, the sampling food was also quite tasty, though as others have noted the jerk chicken was surprisingly spicy! Those Unilocal wristbands definitely came in handy once the heat hit. The veggies were a nice reprieve from the heat assault as they were more subtly seasoned and cooked to perfection.
Thank you, Beyu Caffe for opening your doors to us and to Christina G. for working her magic as always!

fun fun fun! i loved the margaritas, and the cute little bottles they came in. the jerk chicken was great, but way spicy. but who doesn’t need a little kick. I wish I had put the theme and dress code together, I would have dressed up a little!

Christina (and Phil) put on yet another successful Unilocal Elite event. I really appreciated being able to bring 3 of my besties and chill out with some awesome vacation themes and swag! The food was good, the drinks were great, the company was perfect, and the after party was bumpin’. Thanks for everything!

Not FTR, but always happy to review a Unilocal party!
Thanks Christina and Beyu and Captain Morgans for making it happen. I ordered the Pimms Glass along with our free Margarita and i have to say the Pimms Glass beats the Margarita hands down. The Margarita might have been better on the rocks, but straight from the bottle it’s way too sugary for me. I think the words I used when i first tasted it were, «damn!»
The food at Beyu is delicious! I’m so glad this was the location chosen for the party. I’ve heard good things about events at Beyu but haven’t been since they opened! And I’ve never eaten here, so I’m so glad (again) that we could! The only other place in Durham that had nearly as good Jerk Chicken is now closed, so I’m pretty sure Beyu might have the best Jerk Chicken in Durham! yay Durham!
I love the Elite Events. I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet more new faces or talk to the old ones much… but miss you all! Thanks again Christina!

A great evening out at Beyu Café with cute little nods towards a Jamaican theme throughout. The staff was on top of everything and really awesome. I had the grape elderflower fizz… A nice refreshing cocktail for a hot summer day!

Fun times in the charming Beyu Caffe, courtesy of Christina G’s hard work and Unilocal!Snack and drinks and prop-​tastic photography offered a little something for everyone; while I didn’t partake in the jerk chicken (or the photography; I dislike having my picture taken almost as much as I dislike yardbird!), the sauteed vegetables were done perfectly and the lobster crostini had a lovely kick of heat — perfect with the Cayman Jack margarita-​in-​a-​bottle! Everyone looked like they were having the best time! Who needs a trip to the islands when we can have a few hours in our own mini-​paradise thanks to Christina?

Another great Unilocal event by Christina G! I was able to be a +1 again and glad I got the chance. I live in Durham but don’t make it out downtown too often. Beyu was new to me but a place I will try again. It has a great atmosphere and would love to try their other food. The chicken served was extremely spicy. My mouth was on fire! The vegetables were good though as well as the margaritas.
I always love the Unilocal freebies. The postcards were a really cute idea and the koozies fit the margaritas perfectly. The photographer was fun and took some great pictures.
Yet another fun event and I can’t wait till I can go to another!

I’m glad I was able to take some of my friends to their first Unilocal event! This was our first time at Beyu Caffe and we hope to return. The drinks were fantastic! I tried the Cayman Jack Margarita and the Peach Cosmo. Both were delicious! We all wrote funny postcards to our friend in Charlotte — he will be most amused! Thanks for the laughs, Unilocal!
The chicken was very tasty, but incredibly spicy. I wish there had been something dairy-​based available to offset the spiciness. My mouth was burning for a while despite drinking iced water and other beverages. We still had a great time though and the staff at Beyu was phenomenal!

I have never been to Jamaica, but if Jamaican foods is consist of jerk chicken and chocolate cakes (did any of you actually see the dessert showcase up front? I was drooling the glass the whole time!) then it’s not a bad place to be!
Even though I only have but a few bites of the foods I can tell the flavors were excellent, and the services from the Beyu staffs was awesome for the entire night. Caymen Jack Margarita was very delicious, even though I had doubt when it was first handed to me; I thought to myself, «I told her I wanted a margarita, why is she handing me a bottled water?» Now in retrospect, I should have kept one of the bottles, because it looks very interesting.
Seem like we have a load of new elites, because i spent all night feeling jealous about the Unilocal elite swag lunchbox.
Thanks CG for another good night in the Bull City (even though someone almost made me going to the wrong place last night!)

Peachmo x2, yes please.
Loved the Peach martinis (strong, refreshing, sweet) at last night’s event and would like for the incredibly nice bartender to make them for me at my house. Kelly M. was totally correct in saying «if these were free, they’d have to carry me out of here!» The crostini were surprisingly delicious and the jerk chicken was HOT, but very enjoyable. I was a little confused as to whether either of these items are sold normally at Beyu, or if these were just for our Jamaicany-​enjoyment. Though, I’d come back for the martinis :)
I can’t wait to hear from Jay’s brother about the postcard we sent him and we had fun getting our pics taken as usual. Another great night, thanks to CG and Beyu!

Another great Elite Event! Really was hoping this could be my 100^th review, but unfortunately I am so close yet so far… Thanks to Christina G. for putting another great night together for us, even with the last minute changes it was spectacular!
The staff at Beyu Café were phenomenal, so willing to help and make sure we had everything we needed. The food was delicious, I love anything hot and spicy and I guess I have a high tolerance for it because I didn’t think the chicken was as spicy as everyone else keeps saying it was. The hotter the better, bring it on! The vegetables were my favorite though, they were seasoned to perfection. After reading Kuanya C.‘s review I am super jealous though because I never saw any dessert showcase, fail. Also, the Peach martini was out of this world! Will definitely be back to Beyu again to try some more cocktails and menu items.
My and my group spent a decent amount of time on stage with the photographer and that was great too! He was really funny, and we had a great time using all the props and taking silly pictures.
Finally got my pair of red Unilocal sunglasses, SUPER excited! Ever since I’ve seen Cait H. wearing hers I’ve been waiting for them to make an appearance at a Unilocal event. SCORE!
Saw a lot of new faces last night, excited to see that the Elite Squad is growing! Thanks Unilocal,thanks Christina for another great event, and thanks to Phil G. for welcoming everyone as we all walked in. Successful event, and as always awaiting the time until the next one!

For my first Elite event, I had a great time. I liked all of the nice touches, like the fun postcards to send and the photographer with all of the tropical props.
As others have said, the jerk chicken was surprisingly hot, even for someone who likes to eat spicy food as much as possible! I liked the rice that went with it and heard the vegetables were good (unfortunately I don’t like cauliflower and broccoli)! I was disappointed we did not get to try the lobster appetizer, but I still enjoyed the food we did get!
The Cayman Jack margaritas were a little too sweet for me, but I did enjoy my elderflower cocktail — very refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day! This was fun event and I’m looking forward to the next one. Thank you to Christina and Unilocal

Fun event!
The food was very tasty, but i agree with those who thought the jerk chicken was HOOTTT! Beyu should have supplied some cheesecake to for dessert to offset the burn :)
I’m glad Cayman jack came through for the event. They were tasty, but deceiving since I could not taste the alcohol, but I could feel it after a while.
My favorite part, was the postcards! I thought they were such a cute idea. The Cayman Jack already had me happy, but I got a little too happy writing postcards at the end.
Another great event, thanks Christina G.

«Fun Jamaican-​themed time with new friends and old»
I don’t make it to many elite events, but made it to this one, and it was great as always! A big thanks to Christina G for making it happen spectacularly despite some last-​minute challenges, to Beyu for providing a nice setting, and to Phil G for his welcomes at the door. Great food– very yummy appetizer (I think they said it had lox?), Jamaican jerk chicken (good, but so spicy that my two companions insisted we go for milkshakes afterwards), and tasty vegetable medley with cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. Some great Unilocal gifts as always– watches, lunchboxes, and sunglasses. But most importantly, super nice people– I reconnected with lots of old Unilocal friends and met some new ones (some who I had seen online but never met in person before). This epitomizes what Unilocal Elite is all about– friends, food, and fun!
I do have one regret, though– didn’t remember ’til after I got home that I forgot to leave a tip– so sorry Beyu folks!!!