Stone’s Grocery & Market

Ok, so I was visiting this place because I really wanted some Jamaican patties and here I met the most evil and worst lady in my days of shopping. She would not even respond when I said good afternoon. She was so evil and had a terrible attitude like she didn’t even have joy in what she did. Do not! I repeat DO NOT come here to spend your hard earned money here I will definitely will not come back here. The lady I’m talking about normally works in the back cooking the patties.

My parents been coming here before I was born my Dad is Jamaican we LOVE this place. If you want true Jamaican food I suggest you take a visit to STONES.

My father used to take me here in the 80s. I have fond memories of men speaking Patois sitting on barstools, waiting extraordinarily long for THE most delicious curry goat, oxtail, rice and peas, plantain, and spicy beef patties that left grease spots on the paper bag they were served in. Suffice it to say, those days are long gone. The facility hasn’t changed, but the food is abysmal. Almost shameful. I only got a beef patty, bun, and hard dough bread, so the rest may not be horrid. The patty had the unmistakable taste of freezer burn. The bun was dry and flavorless. The hard dough bread was also dry and lacked the density I remember. It broke my heart. Two stars only because I didn’t visit the store or have any other dishes, and it didn’t take forever to get service, although I did have to hunt for someone to help. But I would have waited hours for the quality product they used to be known for.

Been going here for over 20 years but I think the cooks changed hands about a year ago because the goat wasn’t as flavorful as it had been for years. When I noticed the change about a year ago, I gave it 2 more times to see if it was my imagination. It wasn’t. Then I didn’t go for 6 months until recently and no, I won’t be back not because of the goat because this time it was ok but the rice is now sweet! Maybe they cooked it in coconut milk/​water but I’ve used coconut milk w/​o that result so I think they’ve added sugar to the rice and for me It was a distraction. I stopped going to my fave chinese restaurant over 15 yrs ago because they started adding sugar to the rice. When I asked them they said, yep, just a little bit of sugar. I can’t.
Other than that their food isn’t bad except for the patties which to me are terrible but everybody’s taste is different. And the jamaican buns are commercially made so they’re not as good as they used to be years ago.

Been coming here all my life and I usually get the beef patties and carrot juice which is yummy. The jerk chicken and curry goat are fabulous. Only downside is that it’s cash only. :-(I love that you can get fresh coconut juice from the store next door.

Stone’s been here for years! Back in the day when there wasn’t any Jamaican markets and restaurants! Its a small little hole in the wall with a simple menu and ok food. When it comes to the jerk chicken I pass too saucy but not that much flavor. Its one of the few places you can get cowfoot stew on friday and cowfoot soup on Saturday. The oxtail and curry goat is ok and every so often they serve fish! You can always go and get hardough bread or jamaican bun but Im going for the beef and chicken patties! Service blah until you get to know them, then they are friendly!

I just stones I got the oxtails rice & peas, it was soo good & I must say the lady that was working was really nice, I yse to come here all the time, when another local place opened
I started going there recently, I started going back to stones I will definitely go back !!

This used to be the number one Jamaican restaurant in Los Angeles and back in the day you would see Reggae Superstars here on occasion.
Stones Market is in the HOOD and the parking is terrible but don’t worry no one will bother you, Its really laid back around stones market just park at the Mexican restaurant across the street.
I don’t eat here as much lately because of the nasty attitudes of the cashiers out back and the quality of the food.
These women suck at customer service and they don’t give a Rats A. how they treat people and it’s not personal they treat everyone nasty!
We wanted Jamaican food and decided to give Stones a FINAL CHANCE to get it together.
I ordered two large dinners with rice and peas, fried plantains, boiled banana, dumpling, lettuce and a slice of tomato.
Oxtails
They were tender but the portion is smaller because they cut them in half which is ridiculous, the oxtails lacked flavor and spice tasting very bland. I added more seasoning at home and they tasted much better but I shouldn’t have to do
that!
Rice and pea’s
The sweetness of the coconut milk was rich and the rice was over cooked. I added a little salt and it helped to balance the flavor and an overnight stay in the refrigerator helped the rice to firm up.
Beef patties
My daughter bit into one and said it was horrible I had a piece and they were bad the filling was thick and pasty and the crust was tough without the flaky tenderness they are known for. I tossed two into the trash.
My daughter said the food was underwhelming and that she wasted calories.
I wasted a lot of money today.
$ 26.00 for two dinners.
$ 8.00 for four beef patties.
$ 3.00 for Ting and pineapple sodas.
$ 8.00 for two pieces of salt fish.
For a grand total of $ 45.00 not including tax.
Overall the food wasn’t as bad as my daughter thought it was but the quality really isn’t as good as it used to be.
I’m officially over it and I’m moving on.
I’ll find another restaurant in Los Angeles on my Unilocal app.
The owners had better wake up and smell the coffee… Unless money isn’t everything!

Excellent oxtails… I really enjoy them with extra gravy… One of my favorite places to eat for lunch.

very good curry goat and oxtails as well as their patties. good place to get plantains, salt fish, pepper sauce, ginger beer. You have to be in the know to get food since they don’t advertise the food at the little white shack over in corner.

pretty good oxtails and curry goat, the patties are some of the best. It is a good place to go to get authentic Caribbean foods and products like Matouks. Sometimes the place can be a little shady looking so just go in get what you need and get out.

My family and I have been coming here since the mid 1970’s.Since we are from the Dominican Republic, this is has been our go to place for carribean produce/​food etc. I love the vegetarian patties aka empanadas that they sell. Only $ 2.00. They are always hot and ready. Can’t wait to go back… I am gonna try the jerk chicken dinner my next visit.

If you don’t know about this jewel in the hood let me put you up on game as Elise H did me. Each one reach one and teach one as they say. The beef patties are slammin’!!! Super affordable at only $ 2. They are the main reason I make the trek to Stone’s. I only wish they served them with warm cocoa bread. Jamaica Queens style yo!!! That would just take them up another level. For those who don’t know A Jamaican beef patty is like a crsipy flaky pastry pocket filled w/​ground beef and caribbean spices. Bomba!!! The cowfoot soup is good. The broth is loaded with flavor. I’m just not a huge fan of said foot. Reggae and Dancehall CD’s and DVD’s are available in front of the market. I’m sure on the day I was taking pictures for my review the crew at Stone’s was probably saying Babylon come to me door no more! Chase dem crazy bloodclot baldhead outta here! But contrary to the thought of some that I look like a probation officer or detective, the popo I definitely am NOT. I’m Just a brotha that loves him some beef patties and wants to spread the word. Oh the things I do for Unilocal in the hood!

The spot for Beef Patties. Their jerk chicken is also a favorite, rice n peas, large portions, great jerk sauce. Basically, an unmarked (no sign) shack in the back of the grocery market. not easy to find. Worth a trek to get some «to_​Go» jamaican.

I love the food here… It’s just the customer service sucks!!! I always order the jerk chicken and the ox tails. The meat pies are the best… if only the service was better.

I went in there with my uncle. We stopped at the store first to get some curry. We saw a mouse scamper across the counter and the man behind the counter did not even bat a lash. We left the curry and the store.
BEFORE THIS I have eaten at the food shack. It alright.They stingy with the meat for the price and there patties are no IRIES.

The first time I ate at Stone’s was in 1979. It was my first exposure to Jamaican cuisine and I was hooked, in spite of the unfriendly service. Over the years I’ve given up red meat and even went vegetarian for a number of years, but Stone’s remained a staple in my monthly takeout meal plans. They used to serve curried vegetables with generous helpings of carrots and cabbage to go along with their delicious dumplings & festival bread. I stopped in today for some jerk chicken. I am disappointed. The food is very spicy (as in hot), but not very flavorful. Everything on the plate tastes the same (cabbage, chicken, rice & peas, dumpling, steamed banana, plantain). I am hoping it’s just a bad day. Oh, and the stoic service seems to have been passed down to the new generation. I will return to give the patties another try, but I think I’m going to have to pass on their jerk meal.

So I went to Stone’s today Monday Labor Day and I have to say… it is definitely a shack on the corner of the street and no parking. The grocery is pretty shady and is not well stocked but I did pick up some hot pepper sauce (Matouk’s, my fav). They also have Jerk Seasoning and marinades as well. Overall pretty sketch.
Next door in an unmarked shack is the where the hot food is served. its a little like soup natzi. You cannot go in there and ponder on what to get when you get up to the counter, you just need to know. I experienced the girl behind the counter and I truly think she was having a better day today then you all have experienced. Do not expect service with a smile however. She did crack a smile believe it or not when she gave dude the wrong change. Anyhoo — I ordered the oxtail because I had been craving it for months and let me tell you it was good stuff. cooked well, rice and peas were good and my 2 pieces of fried plantain were perfect.
No complaints from me on my first visit.
PS. Girls, be friendly to the annoying men that hang out while the reggae plays outside. Its a west-​indian thing. They’re typically harmless. Just smile and keep walking :)

Ive never been to the store so this review is simply about their cooked food which they had at a festival i went to today.
yuck and yuck and yuck… i didnt try the patties though that seems to be good from previous reviews. I ordered the jerk chicken dinner and it tasted like barbeque’d chicken and even worse it was on the certain parts of a piece of chicken where it had a strong barbeque sauce flavor and the rest just tasted like burned barbeque. I couldnt believe it, i was like what is this? i thought maybe they ran out? as they were at a festival and tried to pass off the barbeque sauce, i was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt but then i decided if you knew you were going to be here and offer jerk chicken why not come prepared.
now I am no way a jerk/​jamaican food expert but I know barbeque sauce when i taste it. If i want barbeque chicken i would have ordered that (which they didnt offer so dont mistake that for they simply gave me the wrong item) the rice and peas .dry but where the chicken was had a greasy barbeque saucy ooze over parts that made the rice and peas in those areas soggy. veggies… meh they were ok. I wish i would have just ordered the veggies and patties that seems like a better choice. or better yet as the festival was in Leimert wish i would have just walked across the street to Ackee Bamboo oh well, lesson learned.

It’s been at least a year since I was here, but I just can’t believe no-​one has ever posted a review, so here this is. This joint has been in business for at least 30 years, they must be doing something right. It is a tiny market with an annex that sells Jamaican breads, meals and drinks. Patties, soursop, bun, and hard dough for sure. Jerk or curry chicken, fish, goat too, I think — they have dinners that I haven’t tried and can’t remember.
A tiny market on Crenshaw with a butcher case stocking ethnic meats and seafood, some staples and produce. A bit like a third world neighborhood shoppe.
A side building off to the left is where the hot food and breads are sold. They have a few tables, but this is basically a take-​away joint. They have a counter to place orders, no wait service.
They have patties in a warming case to satisfy your urgent needs, but you can order larger quantities cold (ask-​depends on stock) to take home/​freeze and devour when you get an uncontrollable urge. Buy early, they do run out. These are lovely orange turnovers with either chicken or beef filling. The beef is slightly spicier than the chicken, but they are both quite mild in terms of heat and the filling is basically unidentifiable but tasty. Don’t expect a lot of filling, but I do love their beef patties. Pikapeppa or calypso sauce is a delightful enhancing addition.
I warn you, the locale and ambiance are not for everyone. If street food is your cup of tea, then Stone’s is worth a try.
I never had their dinners, but the breads, soursop, and patties are tasty. Been going here since the late ‘70s when my Jamaican friend first took me here. I’ve introduced other friends and my daughters to the wonder of patties at Stone’s with all in agreement that the trip was worth it.
I admit I’ve never had patties or Jamaican breads elsewhere, so all you patty lovers out there can let me know if someone else does them for better bang/​buck.