Jerk. Modern Jamaican Grill Reviews

10/10 would eat every day. Restrooms are clean, I'm picky about that.

What a weird location for a restaurant (the Halsted flyover intersecting Chicago Ave) but definitely worth going out of your way to eat here. The chicken quarters were all juicy inside and crispy outside with uniformly delicious jerk seasoning. The coconut rice was slightly mushy, but the taste was delicious. The biscuit/nugget was crispy and slightly sweet. The staff are all friendly and helpful. Good tunes. Fast casual service, no waitstaff. I will come back.

UPDATE APRIL 2019: Try the scotch bonnet hot sauce on the jerk chicken sandwich. Great balance of spicy, sweet, and savory -- delicious. I heard they may be bottling the new orange colored hot sauce soon.

This is one of my favorite spots in Chicago. The wings are unreal. Mix the sauces up and you ll keep coming back. Whenever someone comes and visits, I bring them here.

The food was great. Staff were very friendly and nice, they just forgot our food, but they were busy for lunch.

Food is good and the concept is appealing if you like island food. Prices and food portions doesn't add up. (Overpriced)

Very flavorful you get big portion only with the half chicken they didn't have the coconut rice when I was there they ran out. But the other sides were good the meat was very good and juicy.

I wish I could give this place 5 stars. The only reason it's not getting 5 stars it's because everything was spicy. I mean even the sides! They tasted amazing, but for someone who doesn't eat spicy, I had to down each bite with water. Now, if I'd be a spicy food fan, this would get 5 stars. Food is tasty, staff of friendly. Place looks good. I really liked it. Wish I could have more options thou for food.

The food is okay. They need to add white meat or the whole chicken for variety.

If you like jerk style meat you will enjoy this restaurant. The menu is quite limited featuring jerk marinated chicken, beef, or pork entrees which come with cole slaw and a side, as well as a choice of sauce on the meat(spicy, mild, or aioli). The sides are more numerous and all appropriate for the theme, my personal favorites include plantains, the jerk seasoned macaroni and cheese, or the black bean and corn salad. The main entree can either be served as an open faced sandwich with a corn fritter on the side, or on top of a salad with a vinaigrette dressing.
Other than those options there are chicken wings, or a beef or veggie patty. If you're looking for a drink they have a decent selection on draft and in cans, but honestly the after work atmosphere is a little lacking as the neighborhood isn't residential enough to support a real bar scene.

This place is some bs I ordered here hungry spent $47 and $5 dollar tip for the delivery driver and I was wondering why she rushed my food and ran this what I end up getting listening to the large portions reviews I'm trying to post the pic of my food but don't know how to upload it

Just ate here tonight. Chicken thighs were delicious and with perfect tenderness, and I liked all three sauce options. Mac and cheese was good, beer selection was good, and the atmosphere was comfortable. And everyone that worked there was very friendly.

Thanks to Jose Courtney and Miguel sooo nice and the food is always great

Food is amazing, drinks are awesome. It's fast, easy and a great experience.

The jerk chicken portions are the biggest bang for your buck and come with 3 standard sides along with a choice for one. I recommend the jerk fries for comfort food.

Good jerk chicken, decent amount of meat. It offers basic jamaican foods but doesn't have the feel of a mom and pop store, otherwise they'd sell oxtail and curry goat among other things. But the food they do sell is good

All the meats are great, but the chicken is my favorite. The coleslaw is okay, but the other sides I've had are very good, especially the mac and cheese.

Good... First time having Jerk Chicken. Spicier than I was expecting, they should have warned me because I told them I didn't want spicy

Great brisket, wish there was dedicated parking for quick in and outs.

Small portions, confusing and awkward self-service and options for ordering. The food wasn't bad but the overall experience felt like a confused mix of McDonalds and BBQ joint with limited seating that was adequate for neither dining nor fast food and felt cheap in a group... a bad option for a date or business. Adequate alone for lunch or with kids.

The cole slaw tasted like bleach .. We were told it was the vinegar... Expensive for the type of food

The food is great. Love the chicken thighs and sauces as well as the fries. But the service is crazy slow. It seems like the cashier is completely out of it. I just started working right around the corner and would love to be able to eat here a few times a week but the 2 times I was here it took 15 minutes to pay and get the food and there was only 2 people in front of me. Today the food was ready right away so the the food had already began to cool off by the time I was able to pay for it.

The jerk chicken, jerk wings & jerk pork were seasoned to perfection.
The rice & peas, plantain & festival were great, I enjoyed it all. The beautiful cook also gave me a bottle of sorrel. #blessings

Always extremely friendly staff and especially Devante and 'aunty' Hyacinth. I've tried most things on the menu and LOVED all of it every time!!! By far the best dumplings I've had in Chicago!

This is the worst tasting jerk I ever had. The chicken taste like it was baked and not bbq. The sauce is horrible. The food lack jerk flavoring. Especially on the chicken. Decided to come here while I wait on my mother train. I'm typing this as I am parked by the restaurant. Waste of money. Especially for the portion and taste. OMG the coleslaw is disgusting. My child said the sliders sucked.

Was interested in tryi.g this place. They really do a good job of selling the meal without pressure to buy. The food was ok just priced a little more than what I wanted to spend.

Awesome food. Quick preparation. Little messey, but what good BBQ isn't?

Great Drinks! Strong, flavorful, and well made with great presentation. As a bartender, I was impressed with the Rum punch especially.

The Jerk seasoning left something to be desired. Certainly a good amount of heat, but not a great balance of flavors. As a Caribbean gal, I think a teeny bit more sodium would have balanced the other spices nicely. That being said. It's clear the meat was marinated, as the flavor emminated through the entire peices of meat, not just the surface.

Small portions for the price. It's probably not owned by an actual Jamaican, as they tend to pile food on plates. Lol. But I can understand that the atmosphere of the place is more social than most authentic Jamaican joints, so I'm sure portion sizes are not the focus.

The Mac and cheese was very good and had a bit of heat itself. I'm not usually a fan of slaw, but this slaw was pretty decent as well.

Ideal for small groups of friends who want good drinks and decent eats.

Not only is the food great but the staff goes out of their way to make your experience there is just as great.

I crave this amazingly delicious place every time Im in town. Cool atmosphere at night. It comes alive along with cool music.

Amazing hospitality. A gentleman at the bar on a laptop (possibly the owner?) Offered to grab me the spicy sauce from the back and explained everything on my plate. Would come back just for that interaction

For every Meat, its seasoning is refreshing. From a proportion stand point may seem decieving at first site but it fills you up. Shocker (fingers up), the salad isn't all that great, almost a processed feel. It lacks being on the creative side as an entree. The staff is really productive and jolly. Godspeed

Please order the cafe con leche and try the yuca fritas / the owners are amazing and know how to provide service!!!! Kudos

Incredible flavor with a bit of a kick! I had the brisket, plantains, and jerk mac n cheese. Great BBQ with the jerk flavoring.

Pretty good mainstream Jamaican spot. Nothing too out there (i.e. no snapper, ackee and saltfish, etc.), but still good

Good was good. I'm going back to try more on the menu.

Melt in your mouth chicken and amazing side sauces. Do try their mac n cheese.

Jerk chicken was very tasty! I ordered on Uber Eats and the delivery was quick and food was hot - half of my order was not delivered however and I've contacted Uber Eats customer service with a pending result. Next time I would try and eat in the restaurant physically to avoid this.

Yummy! The sauces on the table make the meal even better.

Miguel & Nicki were amazing! Even through Covid our experience was awesome! We will continue to come back! The sauce is amazing as well!

Meh I'll stick to Mr. Brown's loung and Good to Go for an authentic experience. The patties here are dry af so are the rice n peas, over priced too.

Best jerk chicken ever - very flavorful with interesting heat smoked in.

I honestly loved their food and customer service, fantastic area nearby to my residence. The employees are always very friendly. Will come back again.

There is a beautiful blonde haired manager there who is a wonderful customer service provider and if you have the opportunity for her to serve you I recommend it. Please take the time to order and taste the jerk macaroni you'll love it

Rude girl sauce is nothing but black pepper. Black pepper is not spicy for anyone who actually appreciates spicy food. They added a ton of black pepper to their sauce to strike a middle ground for those with a mild pallate and to appease spicy lovers with some heat. I love spicy food but would have prefered even something extremely mild compared to this. I tried a friends aioli and fries which i liked. The bbq sauce didn't appeal to me either -too sweet and ketchupy. I had to throw away the entire jerk chicken.

The flavor was overwhelming and I could not taste the actual meat. I tried the quarter chicken, wings and briskets. Briskets were cold and the fountain drink machine had nothing but diet. Went from chicken to Mac n cheese to coleslaw and all of them tasted the same. It's not good when my coleslaw taste just like my overwhelming jerk rub burnt chicken. Fries had no flavor and I was looking for ketchup.

A different kind of Jerk but delicious especially those jerk fries

Nate and Miguel were great helps glad I came in, definitely stopping by again!

BEST EXPERIENCE!! Great food! Huge s/o to Jose, Cortney, and Miguel for the awesome customer experience. Highly suggested

Not necessarily authentic but has great flavor with their twist

Not authentic Jamaican Jerk. Served small proportion, for the prices they asked

Food ain't bad but ain't worth the price that's for sure

Juices flowing... Need I say more!

Flavor, spice, jerk everything!!! Excellent tasy food and It is a hidden gem. If you've been here already you would agree. If not, you will!!!

I discovered this place while walking the city. I made plans to go with a friend for our time the following week. (He thinks pepper is hot). He had nothing but complements.

I got to try this food truck at the Chicago Food Truck Social and I really like their jerk sauce. They have a hotter version of the sauce which isn't spicy at first, but compounds and is really hot so beware! I can't vouch for their meats because I tried it on their fries.

Fake Jamaican food. Its awful. No flavor just a lot of rub seasoning that tastes very bland. This is nowhere near tasting like authentic Jamaican food.

The food was great and great location service and food was excellent and fast

Their mac and cheese is really tasty. My bf loves the meat here, he said it's pretty unique as it seems to be a true mix of carribean bbq. I'm a vegetarian so I'm just glad there are options for me.

Quarter chicken was quite good, pork slider a bit small.

Today my Husband and I took a special trip up to Jerk Restaurant and it was Amazing from the Customer Service to the Absolutely Delicious food!
FYI: VERY CLEAN
Lastly, Miguel thank you for giving us such an Amazing Experience! You Rock bro!

Amazing food. I would eat here every day if I could!

Amazing flavors! Lots of heat as you would expect for Jamaican Jerk. Fried jerk wings are AMAZING!

The dry rub chicken wings and the plantains were really dry and unpleasant.Caribbean Mac was the cold when i received my dine in order,The soda machine was out of pop and the Line was out the door . Definitely not worth the wait or money !

If you are looking for the best Jerk wings and the best customer service then Jerk Jamaican BBQ is the place to go. The employees go above and beyond for their customers and the food is amazing. If I could have given them a higher rating I would have. This is a definite most go to when in Chicago!!

Pretty good. Always out of Wings. Lunch rush is insane

Great place to get Jamaican food. They also do trivia every Wednesday night.

Always running out of food!
Never have enough food in stock!

Yes I love this place the wait staff is excellent and after 10 o'clock that used to shut down and the bar area stays open till 12 great atmosphere good people great food and desserts can sometimes get a little pricey butt the quality of the food is worth the price

This place is not your typical Jamaican restaurant...Yes!! I wanted cabbage. lots of it and of course its not on their menu... my only let down....but the way the meat is served, reminds me of Jamaica...

I could of sworn good jerk was grilled and not fried.and its over priced.u can get a full REAL jerk dinner anywhere in chicago for ten dollars. i got 6 fried chicken wings wit seaoning salt on it,fries,3 spoon fulls of mac and cheese and a drink for like 16 dollars smh..the rude girl sauce is just terrible its like pepper paste. and the other was like bbq ketchup.NOT AUTHENTIC AT ALL.nice staff tho.

Great friendly service. The food was on point! Good jerk all around

The Jerk chicken was ok. A little spice but not overwhelming. The festival was ok but so small. I thought the macaroni was a little too spicy to enjoy. The cole slaw was ok as well, nothing spectacular or unique. The place is booming during lunch time with a constant flow of traffic. Even with the pricey menu, there's no shortage of customers. They offer Ginger Beer and that's one of my favorites so they get an A+ for that. Plus, there's free parking across the street.

Yuca on deck, tenderly cooked, nice Chicago Ave atmosphere.

Ok not great Jamaican food
Would not come back

Miguel and Nicki were awesome! They generously accommodated my gfs and my order well when they didn t have a beer that we wanted. The pulled pork and brisket were perfect and for the first time being there we were given each sauce which were all delicious and melded well with the food ordered. The cole slaw, Mac n cheeses (both) and corn mix were also very scrumptious. Thanks Miguel and Nicki for making our first time having Jerk. fun and super memorable!

All I can say about this place is it is HOT. The food is out of this world. I had the quarter chicken with a side of coconut red beans and rice. My wife had the chicken thighs with the fried plantains. We usually don't share our meals but this stuff was so good we wanted to share the experience. The staff are extra friendly and could not be more pleasant. This a bit off the beaten path but well worth the trip. As a bonus they have a small free parking lot. It is only a few blocks from the blue line. If you want authentic Jamaican food this is the place for you.

"What a pleasant surprise!" It's good to have a different foid experience, and thats6what you'll get at Jerk. I can't wait to go back. Don't forget to try the Yucca Fries.