Back A Yard Caribbean American Grill Review

This place has been around for a while, and it's still great. It's a hole in the wall, there's only a few things on the menu, but it's still fairly inexpensive. There's no alcohol anymore, either, which can be good or bad. Keepin it real, although the couple that used to run it doesn't seem around much any more, whoever they have taught is doing a great job.

I been here 2 times and they re doing super slow. Maybe wrong timing but the 3rd time we come back to them, they are more worse, very bad customers service here. Finally we have to give up on them because we can t accept it when the restaurant are slow but we still have to wait for 50 minutes for our foods

The food was great and the service was wonderful. The price for the food was just right, the range that I expected to pay for Jamaican food.

Wow! Ox Tail with Jerk Chicken??? Fabulous! I wanted the Curry Goat but they were out... in the words of Schwarzenegger; "I'll be Back"

Omg, the chicken dish here is to die for (as well as any other dishes here) but be prepared for a food coma afterwards.

Jerk chicken is amazing. Beef patties are just like the ones I love from Jamaican Delights! I always order a bunch to take home. Jamaican fried cornmeal bread is so good too. Tried the collard greens, definitely will get them again! Planning my next trip already!

The Jerk Chicken was the best the rice was awesome it was so good I forgot to take a picture because there was nothing left small best Jamaican food in Palo Alto

Jerked chicken, red bean rice and plantains. Delicious!

I dream of this place! Oxtails, mac n cheese, yummy

If you've been to Jamaica and had some Chicken from a Jerker on the side of the road, you'd know that this was the next best thing in the states. If you haven't tried Back-A-Yard, what are you saiting for?!?!

Cheap yet crazy delicious, my two favorite things. It's a bit of a drive and to get a table you have to get there a little early (for dinner), but wow. It's the best jerk chicken I've ever had and I've been to a few Caribbean countries. You cannot beat the quality of ingredients we have here in the bay combined with the epic cuisine. Oxtail is a must try and order a 2nd to take home.

Food is awesome. Service is now terrible. After an hour and a half of waiting they didn't even know what happened to our food... Was always a bit slow but not this ridiculous.

Our go to place for over 15 yrs! Even with the pandemic.
Ta k e out was great.

Jerk chicken lacked in spice, but the curried goat was very flavorful.

Quick friendly service and yummy food. This was a great place.

I think they must have a better organization to deliver the food, too long to just deliver the food ready

Never had Jamaican food before and this place lived up to the hype. Jamaican food is amazing! Definitely coming back here!

I am a Jamaican and this is the best Jamaican food in the Bay Area. I go to one of their locations weekly. The only place that has more authentic Jamaican food that I have found is Sweet Fingers in San Leandro. But the quality of food at Back a Yad is just as good. Their festivals are some of the best I've had in my life. Go here!

If you're socially thin skinned, you may be turned off by the local "goings-on" of the immediate surroundings of this spot, however...the food is unmatched in terms of spice, price and everything nice! Definitely a must-try if you've never been!

PS...check their daily specials which would make this place a 6 out of 5 star rating if I had the option

Good food, good music, good env. I like the spicy dipping, it seem sweet but surprisingly hot.

Great food. Service has also improved over the past year. The only thing is that seating is very limited and can get very crowded.

Great food, and good for takeout in the time of Covid19. There was a line, so it's worth ordering ahead.

nice food ..tasty well seasoned .. rice was tasty , patties were great especially the jerk patty.. will most def. visit again

Fast and tasty, but a bit expensive. Very limited seating, so going on off hours is probably better

Very flavorful and the serving size is just right!!!

Jerk chicken & Oxtails are always my go to at this legendary Spot

This little place can easily be overlooked driving by but it is so good. I have only been here twice but I've been to other jerk chicken places even a nice Caribbean restaurant in Seattle and they cannot compare to the food here. You know when you take that first bite of food you never had and don't know what to expect and the moment your taste buds kick in you will think mmmmmmmm! Wow. Got to try it.

When you first walk in there are beautiful murals on wall. First time here so we didn't expect the line to get long in seconds while deciding what to eat for our first time. We ordered the jerk chicken plate with rice, BBQ spareribs with fries, and the jerk salmon. Let's just say we finished our plates! Food was just like the name "A" plus! We will be back for sure!

If not for traffic, the food is SO GOOD there, I'd go twice a week to eat it.

Always good. Can't go wrong here. The food is amazing.

Catfish plate. Was ok. Fish was soft and moist but not sure I would get again. The key lime pie was ok. The mango passionfruit juice was really good. I think next time I will try the chicken or something else. Pretty basic. Gets to be a line at lunch and tables fill up, but not so busy theres a long wait.

Ok, so I've heard a lot of good things about this spot and I can't believe this was my first time trying them out sice we moved to RWC. I think I overestimated our hunger because I ordered way more than what my son and I could fit in our tummies. I got a special of the day: curry goat and jerk chicken combo plate with a side of fried plantain, french fries and a house salad. Talking about huge portions, wowza, extremely generous and the price amazing. All the flavors top notch. While I was there the spot made me feel like I was on vacay in a Carribbean country, not many places can pull me out of my ordinary and give me this feeling. The attendance was great, the time we waited from when we ordered to the time we got served - bomb. I ended up getting a to-go combo plate for hubby: jerk chicken and ox tail and as seen in the picture below it's all gone. I wish I would've taken a picture of all the plates as they came out, steaming hot - but the hunger was so huge I didn't even think about it; now I regret it. This is a must spot if y'all are in the mood for authentic Jamaican/Carribbean food. I can't wait to go back and I'm sure I'll become a regular hahahaha.

This is where I bring friends from out of town to eat.

Kinda slow service but it's worth the wait. Blessings @ibadatea

Jerk, daily specials, coconut rice and beans, spicy sauce, cornbread, oxtail, curry goat, all of the above and more...

As a jamaican who is quite familiar with jamaican cuisines this is the closest I have come to good food from jamaica in the bay area beside food from my relatives. I am unsure if this is ran by jamaicans I may ask next time. As the staff were clearly not jamaicans or west indians.The one thing most jamaicans like myself may ask is where is the boil food like boil bananas, white and yellow yams dumplings etc. Regardless of that aspect the food served is quite excellent. My wife and I had brown stew chicken and ox tail with rice and peas with plantains. They have an extensive menu sorry I did not take a photo of either my meal or the menu, 1 month old baby in the mix. The only other place in California which tops this franchise exist in San Diego a far stretch from San Francisco. That place is called rock steady jamaican restaurant. If you are like me and reside in or near San Francisco fortunately back a yard is your place to go, real tings happen there. You won't be disappointed.

Great and delicious food, I liked the mood this place has, and the employees were nice. Will surely eat here again.

Let me start by saying the food here is absolutely amazing, and definitely worth trying once, BUT:
It's very expensive for the portion you get, very loud and noisy and forget about any kind of service whatsoever. Not one person even came to our table and asked us if we need anything, if I'm spending that much on a small meal that's the least I expect. Nevertheless, go try them out and for sure sit outside since inside is just annoyingly loud.

Delicious!
I am from The Bay Area but lived in Austin, TX for a long time. Needless to say, one on the hardest things to leave (other then my friends) was the BBQ. I got the ribs, my dad got the chicken and mother got the boneless pork. All delicious! Loved the fried plantains too! Thanks so much!!!!

Ordered a Jerk Chicken meals and it taste so good! I never tasted a Caribbean food before, and this meals were beyond my expectation! My friend ordered a chicken & ribs, the ribs were also delicious!

So good! Been to some of the places in Oakland but nothing can come close to this unpretentious place. And for a person who has lived in Barbados, this is close...

Staff were polite and professional. The Jerk Chicken with Plantains and Rice & Beans is a well balanced meal! gQQd lQQking...

Surprisingly a vegetarian can easily find food here. Meat eaters rejoice though. Family feel tiny restaurant - it's easier to get it to go during their peak times than find a table.

Basic ambiente but food is very good (and superior to their more upscale Coconuts location)

Jerk chicken, salmon, and goat are delicious. The rice and macaroni are bland, with hardly any taste. Might come again, if I'm craving some meat though.

Fantastic ox tails. The jerk chicken was loaded ewith flavor, not heat. They were accompanied by some of the best red beans and rice I've had outside the Caribbean. And Malta. I'll be back.

Excellent jerk chicken and pork, and their jerk sauce is perfectly authentic. The oxtail is fall of the tail-bone tender and the sauce has all the flavors to match. The goat curry is Jamaican style, not Indian or Japanese... Also delicious. Grab a beef Patty to go with your meal!

Really tasty, authentic, and nice service. Not much space to sit, so most people order to go

Simple Caribbean restaurant with a pleasant, locals-only feel. The food was full of flavor, with a nice touch of spice. We enjoyed sitting outside

I love this place, the food is great, along with the service

Pretty good! Sometimes they give me a bunch of fat tho and that's not cool. I usually order the jerk pork and oxtails combo. Sometimes you get a rude person taking your order but not all the time. Cut the meat better, please!

Perfectly cooked Jamaican/Carribean cuisine! Crowded space but it is a hidden gem in East Palo Alto. Definitely a must visit!

Love it. Only problem is not enough seating. So I do take out.

There's a reason why this place is always packed. Definitely worth checking out but be warned, seating and parking are both scarce, especially during lunch time when the techies come in swarms.

The best Caribbean restaurant in that area. 100% for the quality of food.

The food the food the food is really good the service is excellent the prices are a great deal oh and did I mention the food

Makes me feel at home. Love the oxtails and festivals. My wife loves the jerk salmon salad.

Maybe the best food in Menlo Park. Make sure you get the Jerk Chick (white meat). It all tastes really good.

5* this place is a Menlo/Palo Alto icon. Total hole in the wall spot off the 101 in Menlo/EPA border area. Better jerk chicken and pork here than anything I tried when I visited Jamaica. YES it is that good. I love the plantains also, and the rice and beans with the meats is perfectly coconutty. This is the kind of place I'd drive down from SF to get when the cravings hit

Tall African American guy working cash register is disgustingly rude, makes me never want to come back. If you guys are going to close a half an hour early, at least tell the unsuspecting people coming into order that in a nice respectful way. How are we supposed to know? Ill take a break from this spot

Best Caribbean food in the Bay. Their patties are amazing. They also sell them frozen to cook at home.