Jamaican Joe’s Famous Jerk Chicken

Way too sketchy in there. The employees were talking in code around the customers, and not about basket ball games or the pretty girls walking by but about someone getting arrested and some other stuff. One person, who looked like he may have been the owner or investor, was sitting at the door like a bouncer eye-​balling everyone that walked in.
I cannot put my finger on it, but something did not feel right about the place.
The food was good, ordered chicken and plantain that was cooked OK. Ambiance is shady though.

We had a half a chicken and a chicken sandwich. The sandwich was good, but the chicken was dry and the sandwich contains mayo, which I don’t like. The coco bread was good.
The ½ chicken wasn’t as dry, for some reason, and had great flavor even after removing the skin.
I think they needed to change their oil, because the sweet potato fries didn’t taste very good and were very brown, perhaps due to old oil.
The plantians were excessively greasy but quite good.

I was sad when Tropicana closed. The jerk chicken was hot, but edible and the portions were generous. When it closed, Jamaican Joe’s had just opened, pretty much across the street. I took it as a sign that I should transition. So I did, and it has overall been a slight disappointment.
The food is ok. It’s all a little too dry. When it first opened, I felt like it was authentic because the chicken was marinated and grilled (both of which are important for the authenticity of jerk chicken). But it is rarely tender or moist, though it is fairly flavorful. The dryness is pretty consistent with many places though, which is why they usually offer to put curry gravy (or another sauce) on the rice. I would pass on the festival and fries… they are usually out of festival by late lunch anyway. The jerk chicken wings, I agree are rather small and seemingly overpriced for a take-​out place. The sauce they serve with it is unremarkable, but needed in light of the dryness of the chicken, rice and peas, and cabbage. Perhaps I should order plaintains instead, but I feel like rice and peas and cabbage is what it «has to» to come with and plaintains are appropriate but comparatively «extra.» The jerk chicken sandwhich is pretty good, but there are better sandwiches in the price range on U Street. But if you really want Caribbean food and arent driving, Jamaican Joes will suffice, for the most part. I have yet to try their fish entrees, but the availability is inconsistent, as are the prices.
Disclaimer: I’m a bit of a flirt. That is just to say, my experiences might be slightly biased –it is difficult to factor out «flirt freebies» and the eventual falling out. But generally, they are slow but have decent, somewhat friendly service — the women that I have encoutered here seem genuinely pleasant and helpful.
The bathroom is nice and clean.

Wow Unilocal,you guys failed me on this one!
Maybe I’m a perfectionist when it comes to customer based business, but I think regardless of what time you come to get food at an establishment, both food and service should always be good. The guy at the register was completely lethargic first off, which wasn’t much of a problem. But when he yells at one of the guys in the kitchen to wake up, you know its going to go downhill from there.
I order a quarter jerk chicken meal with fries. My other friends order the jerk chicken sandwich with fries. Expect to wait a long time for your food if you guy at night, considering there was only one person working the kitchen. After waiting a good 40 minutes for my food, I open my takeout box to realize that the quarter chicken was about an ¹⁄₈ of an actual chicken. All bones and little meat. The chicken itself was cold and had no flavor. None of the jerk I was hoping for. The fries too were soggy and undercooked. My friends all complained that their chicken sandwiches were cold and flavorless as well. I shouldve went with a sandwich considering at least they had the chicken!
Terrible experience here, I’m not sure how these elite Unilocalers loved this place. My experience as well as my friends was complete garbage. Save yourself the trouble and walk to JJ’s!

I used to rave about the jerk chicken here, but after stopping in late one night last week and ordering jerk chicken that tasted nothing like authentic Jamaican jerk chicken, I’m sad to say I have to turn my back on this place. Customer service is non-​existent, especially with the nighttime staff. The long waiting time to get your food (30+ minutes) while the person in the kitchen cooks your chicken is unacceptable! They need to do a better job of anticipating the flow of customers so they can have food ready.
My daytime experience has been slightly better. The daytime cook does a better job preparing the food, but having inconsistent service is no way to run a business. Jamaican Joe’s needs to get it together!

What happened??? Quite a difference since when I first review this way back in August of last year. Jerk chicken wasn’t jerked enough and worst of all was the white meat quarter was really dry like bone dry. The legs and wings were moist and not too bad but still different from the first time not enough jerky kick. Sweet potato fries again very dry, what’s up with all the dryness? Apart from that the staff working there that day seemed a little on the lethargic side with me having to repeat myself many times when ordering and everything just moved at a snail’s pace. I don’t know maybe it was because of the hot day or maybe they were too busy looking at the football (soccer) on the tele or maybe it was just an off day. Whatever it was I hope they get back on point.

Being a Jamaican I can honestly say this is probably the best jerk chicken I have ever had… and the coco bread practically melts in your mouth!
My new favorite spot!

C’mon, now. T-​shirts that say «wanna get jerked?» would sell like hotcakes.
Skip the jerk chicken sandwich, it was okay but heavy enough on bread that it was clearly meant to sober you up. Flavors are muted in its white meat, as well. I also wouldn’t get the festival again, mealy and on the bland side. Pretty happy with the sweet potato fries, they didn’t get overly starchy in texture as they cooled so they were good until the last bite. Plaintains get a neutral thumbs up, a good accompaniment to the dark meat. I was hoping for a spicier kick, but flavor-​wise I was still pleased with the quarter; next time I’d upgrade to a half-​portion. They’re good at fielding obnoxious drunkies, and the single-​occupancy bathroom is pretty luxurious. I’ll be back, def.

I’ve had better jerk chicken, but not at 2am!
Very friendly staff, sketchy peeps hanging around the counter.

3.25 stars. One only need to rewind to 2008 to mark a time where U Street was so barren of late night offerings that the rat and roach infested Manny and Olga’s was actually considered an acceptable place to eat post 2 AM. Thankfully, Fast Gourmet, Black & Orange, and Jamaican Joe’s have more than filled the gap with clean, delicious places to eat after the city of DC has dictated that you can no longer imbibe in precious alcohol.
While I did try the Jamaican jerk chicken sauce, I parried from the signature dish and instead ordered a curry chicken. Mildly spicy, this dish used thick cuts of chicken still containing the bone to allow the curry to absorb the meat’s flavor. The potatoes and carrots were soft to the touch and provided necessary flavors to the meal. The sides of cabbage were a bit dry and didn’t pack much flavor. Overall, it was a slightly above average meal.
If you happen to be anywhere between 9^th and 12^th on U St, this is probably going to be your best bet. However, if you want the best late night option in the U Street area, Fast Gourmet is still the king.

adding to the many good late night options on u st is jamaican joe’s jerk chicken. now i’m all for a greasy burger or a half-​smoke from ben’s to satisfy my late night cravings after a night of drinking and debauchery, but i think i’m growing more and more enamored with the idea of something that is not oily yet extremely flavorful. and the jerk at joe’s is perfect. i’ve been a few times now and have gone with both the half chicken and wings. and i would definitely pick this over a jumbo slice any day. but if you’re not a fan of spice, then beware because the rub definitely packs a bit of a punch.
overall, i’m adding this in as an alternative to ben’s or late night ethiopian.

Well priced with a bit of a kick, Jamaican Joe’s isn’t a bad place to wash down the booze of U st, then perhaps go back our for more booze.
My one regret is not trying celebration, which they had run out of.

I came here for a quick dinner before going to a show at the 9:30 club. Ordered ¼ chicken and plantains. The spice level seemed pretty mild for jerk. I was a little worried it would be too much for me. I have a very low tolerance for spice and it was fine. My chicken was a little over done and dry but the bbq sauce kind of offset that, wish the sauce was warmed instead of cold (prob right out of the fridge)
good quick spot. seems like a lot of their customers call and order take out which would prob be a great option too. Worth a shot but not sure if I’ll make it back, unless I’m going to another show and need a quick meal that isn’t fast food.

Great place to grab a bite to eat late night on U Street or right before/​after a show at 930 club. It’s a standard chicken spot and is very clean inside.
I got the dark chicken and found it a little bit dry for my liking. The sides were great — I would recommend the plantains. They also have a solid ginger beer.

The chicken is damn good. It has a nice heat and flavor, it was super tender and juicy too!
The sides were generous, and the staff was friendly. Maybe it’s because I went with a Jamaican co-​worker. She started talking in Jamaican-​ese (Patois) to the chef and that’s where I lost the conversation. She said the chicken «was good!»
It was still pretty new, so there were some logistics that they were still ironing out. I called in an order for 6 coworkers on a Friday, and we had to wait a little bit. They were out of their ice cream, but I hear it’s good.
I would say that you should get the plantains for sure. Fries you probably shouldn’t get for carry-​out (you shouldn’t carry them out from anywhere really). The festivals were very good (think big cornmeal breadsticks), and the salad was meh.
Also, the music will make you move. Everyone I saw was bouncing or tapping their toes. Even me!
I’ll definitely go back, and I think you should try it. Hopefully they have ice cream the next time I go! Yeah mon!

I stopped by Jamaican Joe’s on a Friday afternoon. Its cute in a childlike, treehouse kinda way. I didnt get a Caribbean feel when I walked in. None of the staff looked Caribbean or had accents (not that it mattered but it really does). They were nice though.
I ordered jerk wings and sweet potato fries. Not even close to the best I’ve had. The chicken wasn’t tender or hot. The fries were mushy and tasted hand-​me-​down. At 6pm, I was the only customer and I could taste why. Honestly, I’ve made better wings in my outdated, amateur kitchen.
When I think of jerk, I think of seductively, addictive. This place was miles away from that feeling. Overall, Jamaican Joe’s does not compete with some other authentic, Caribbean places in the area. Here are a few:
–Tropicana (Several DC locations)
–The Jerk Pit (College Park, MD)
–Island Flavors (Laurel, MD)
Unfortunately, I just didnt get «jerked.
Rita

So good.
We ordered a whole chicken, french fries, fried plantains, and two Jamaican colas, and it was only $ 20. The chicken was spicy, tender, and juicy. It wasn’t fatty at all, and I didn’t feel weighed down after I devoured it. I’m not normally a french fries person, but these were battered or something and… wow. And the fried plantains — hot, crispy, sweet, salty — perfect. Plus, the employees were very friendly! I can’t wait to go back.

What’s better than their motto, «I got Jerked»…their jerk chicken sandwich at 3am :-) That hits the spot nicely. Not only did they have some amazing authentic jerk chicken, they have a late night DJ to keep the party going after the bars on the U St. strip have all closed down for the night. F*** jumbo slice pizza, that’s played out. It’s all about getting your Jamaican food craving on for the night.
Me and my friends came here, for what was clearly a better decision than going to a diner for breakfast. We walked in, not a long line at that point, but the wait was harder since it was late night and everyone else wanted to be «jerked» as well… with that being said, I would have been annoyed, but the staff was EXTREMELY accommodating and even gave me and my girls free fruit smoothies on the house while we patiently waited for our chicken to be done (since we took this to go). How thoughtful and nice! I am listing this as a late night spot, but I know for a fact that during the day it’s also amazing to have.

Hol’up, hol’up, hol’up, hol’up, hol’up, hol’up, hol’up…
This is some legit jerk chicken!
I should have felt some shame eating chicken in my parked car on the corner of U Street and Vermont. I’m pretty sure I smelled like chicken the rest of the night. If only I had some shame.
Considering the fact that just a few weeks ago I was eating from a roadside jerk pit in Hanover, Jamaica I was ready to be critical. After all, my taste buds were now *seasoned* and in tip top shape.
I pulled up right in front of Jamaican Joe’s, where there was a prime spot with a meter (after 6:30pm I believe it’s free.) I strolled into a modest but cute restaurant, that has a casual dining space as well as a counter for carryout. I wasn’t too hungry and was more curious, so I opted for ¼ chicken that comes with one side. I chose festival for my side, which not too many places seem to offer around here. If you are not familiar with festival it’s fried, carby goodness made from flour, cornmeal, a little salt, a little sugar and a touch of vanilla. It’s just the slightest bit sweet and is a nice compliment to the savory jerk.
My chicken was chopped and tossed into a nice, brown box for me to take on the road. The chicken, side and a cola champagne brought my total to around $ 8 and some change, which is in my opinion a great deal. The staff was incredibly friendly and even offered me a complimentary tropical ice cream (limited offer during opening week) that I foolishly declined. (Don’t judge me — I had Italian for lunch and was feeling guilty about it!)
I couldn’t wait to get a taste of the chicken, so as soon as I climbed into my car, I dug in. I was pleasantly surprised to find how tender and flavorful the chicken was. Oh my goodness, I was tearing it up like my mother never taught me manners.
What’s even worse… just a few hours later, I was already craving it again. I haven’t had a food-​crack experience like that since Luke’s Lobster.
Anyway, what’s even better is that this place is open late night. And since I’m swearing off Ben’s, I would happily take a hike down the block to get jerked.

Walked in here a day after their grand opening and I could not have been more pleased with both the food and the people working there. The prices were fair and the chicken was delicious. Being new to jerked chicken I wasn’t sure what to expect, and so it was a pleasant surprise of mildly spicy mixed seasonings and delicious low fat chicken. Right on the corner across the street of the U street metro, it is readily and easily accessible.
I got to meet and talk to one of the owners and she was a sweet, nice, and interesting conversational partner as we waited for our meal.
While the menu may seem a bit skimpy, (hopefully they will be adding more soon) the half chicken was delicious, as well as the fried plantains and the sweet potato fries (yum!). We even got free tropical ice cream — of which the mango was delicious.
In short, a real pleasant experience with pleasant people and delicious food.
Definitely will be coming back for more, and will readily recommend.