Jamaica Jamaica

06/18/2008 Posted by firstdaughter

As the daughter of the late Fernando Rainford, I feel obligated to let customers of Jamaica Jamaica Restaurant know about the sudden changes to our family business. I wanted to apologize to the loyal customers of Jamaica Jamaica located in RTP for the change in quality and service. Since the sudden death of my father on November 26th, 2007, there has been and will continue to be major changes in management and food production. As a re-birth and in dedication to my father, Virgils Jamaica in Raleigh opens its doors as a take-out and catering on June 18, 2008. We hope to continue his dream throughout this new chapter in our lives.

12/20/2007 Posted by lil_miss_brooklyn

Ok so let's start off by saying I'm severely homesick. I moved to Raleigh in July from Brooklyn NY and I work in RTP. I've grown tired of drive thrus and crave some real food for a change. Fast forward to today. I hear people say "Oh try this place their food is pretty good - All I can say is NOT - I spent eight dollars for a stew chicken dinner and the chicken was PINK!!! Along with the food being flavorless I was truly upset. I don't what others are used to but this is absolutely disgusting. If I didn't work 10 minutes away I'd give the plate of food back to them!!! True yardies don't serve food RAW - Bear foolishness.

Pros: Staff was friendly

Cons: Food UNDER cooked - NOT recommended.

09/11/2007 Posted by zensampler

Jamaica Jamaica used to be one of my favorite places to eat, but it has seriously gone down in quality over the years. What I find most annoying is the tendency to cut corners, especially when it comes to the portions. They'll chop even tiny chicken thighs in two, so that their customary "3 pieces" ends up being three teaspoon-sized bits trying to compete with McNuggets in size. At least McNuggets aren't 50% bone! If you're lucky enough to be offered a whole chicken drumstick, it too looks like it came off a miniature bird, sold on special at BJ's. If it's your bad day, you may get shorted on the grudgingly offered fried plantains too. Order dinner to go, and your meal is 90% rice. Come on, guys! Chicken isn't exactly an expensive meat. Up your prices if you must, but for heaven's sake stop shorting your customers on their protein! Going cheap and petty isn't a good way to keep up in the restaurant business.

Pros: Tasty food, reasonable price

Cons: Miserly portions esp. with the meat

05/22/2007 Posted by mizztaffi

Okay, I get that cheap immigrant labor helps a restaurant's bottom line. However, some things can not be skimped on and, in this case, it is the actual authentic Jamaican cuisine I expected that is missing from this restaurant. I really wish I had known about some of the reviews out here. They are dead on. The food is unsavory at best and, at worst, is less appetizing than something I could buy in the frozen food section. Specifically, I had a really rough time digesting what they called "j_rk" chicken. They would do better to be honest and simply say that they specialize in bland, poorly seasoned food. I took 2 bites and ended up walking out with just a drink. They offered to give me something else, but after that, I was disgusted. Why would I even think to eat another bad dish. Yes, you can call yourself a "Jamaican" restaurant all day and night regardless of what kind of food you serve. People with less refined palates may be able to tolerate and even enjoy the stuff that is served. Yet, anyone who really knows real Jamaican food and expects it from this place will be sorely disappointed. Better bets I have tried are Hot P0t (which I wish I knew then was right next door) and Taste of the Caribbean (owned by a nice guy from Kenya, but the cook is Jamaican).

Pros: Server was courteous

Cons: Food is horrible. Ick

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/28/2006 Posted by jonesm01

My husband and I eat at Jamaica Jamaica once a week. It is by far the best Jamaican restaurant in the area. The food is delicious, and it has a very nice atmosphere. I love their sampler platter, which consist of j_rk chicken, curry chicken and shrimp. My husband loves the ox-tail. I would like to reply to the person who wrote about the yellow rice. I like the idea of a restaurant serving a variety of food. It gives customers an option of trying different items. Even chinese restaurants are serving none chinesse items, and the cooks are not from china. So, get with it, we live in an international world. I am an enlighlited second generation Jamaican and I eat yellow rice, white rice, etc., and I also enjoy other type of cuisine.

Pros: Great food

11/06/2006 Posted by missbootie

I went there recently and could not believe my eyes......They are serving yellow rice which is actually Hispanic cuisine....No Jamaican I know eat yellow rice...that is a Spanish dish....also, I had the 'j_rk chicken' they were serving....that is not typical Jamaican J_rk chicken....I was extremely disappointed and upset....I asked for 'j_rk sauce' and they put tabasco sauce on it....It is apparent to me that they dont know what is Jamaican cuisine because all of the workers there are spanish speaking and dont understand a word of English.....I feel like I was mocked because I know what Jamaican food is since I am from the Caribbean...I cant believe they can get away with this...they might as well have a sign up that says "Chinese Restaurant" because what they are serving is NOT Jamaican food....Also the oxtail is all curried up and again not your typical Jamaican cuisine.....the way we make oxtail is totally different...I dont think these Spanish speaking workers even know what Jamaican food is....they need to do their research

Pros: Convenient location

Cons: It is expensive

09/08/2006 Posted by ling924

I went to Jamaica Jamaica the other night with my fiancee, and was actually quite excited about it after reading the reviews. The shopping center was a bit down, but that was a good sign for me -- I love hole in the wall places. That said, I was not terribly impressed with the food -- or the service -- at Jamaica Jamaica, and probably wouldn't go back. We each had the j_rk chicken, and were really hoping for good things from the fried plantains and the rice -- but neither of the latter really did anything for us; the fried plantains were overcooked. The j_rk chicken was decent, but I've had far better at other Caribbean restaurants elsewhere (not in the Triangle) and certainly didn't do enough by itself to merit a return trip. The restaurant was also deserted, and it was 7:30 on a Friday night -- a time when it should hopefully have been hopping. Our waitress couldn't understand us; after a couple of times through, she still misunderstood our order (and brought the wrong food). I do have to give the restaurant credit for the decor and the music; it was a good atmosphere to eat in. Unfortunately, the eating itself left a bit to be desired.

Pros: Atmosphere (Decoration and Music)

Cons: Food, Service

06/01/2006 Posted by anaisfran

Jamaica Jamaica is the only spot in the area where you can get authentic and healthy choices. The staff add to the west indian vibe with accents and culture from around the world. I recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for healthy grilled and baked options as well as spicy and mild variety. I visit this place atleast once a week.

Pros: Family Oriented, Healthy, Inexpensive

Cons: Parking

02/14/2006 Posted by missltee

Visited for take out on Wednesday, February 8, 2006 and it was the biggest mistake I've made on a restaurant in a long time. Now that Trinb'ago has moved (I miss you...), good Caribbean cuisine is sorely missed in Durham. The restaurant was empty and I now know why. The best thing about my order was the patties and ginger beer (and you can't mess those up!). Rice and peas were overcooked. The shrimp curry was over-salted and would have (maybe) made good rue. The jerk was dry and unsavory. I know this seems harsh, but I took a friend there with me and he threw his entire plate away. He was glad he got some patties too or he would have been starving. May have been an off day, but I will never find out.

Cons: The Food

08/27/2004 Posted by zenmodo

Okay, my wife and i are "food snobs". We love great food and we are loyal to places that serve it and would rather go hungry than eat at a place that doesn't. We stumbled on Jamaica Jamaica one day on the way home and hesitantly went in. It's not the swankiest place around, but ignore that. We have been there probably 3 dozen times this past year alone and although the menu is a little sparse, the jerk chicken is superb as is the shrimp curry. I love this place and when we buy a hosue out of Durham, we'll trek here for the food.

Pros: great food, friendly service, dependable