If I read the banner correctly (we were driving by and so I might not have), The Jerk Spot Stop is taking the spot where All India Kitchen used to be in West LA.
I think the only review of the place (another location) was here?
Edited b/c I got the name wrong in my original post.
The banner has been up there for… a while.
I’ve been watching with interest… it would be the first ackee on the westside.
Oh! I had no idea. I drive by that intersection all the time but apparently never look up!
Now a brand new generic “Jamaican Food” sign has gone up two strip malls over at the corner of Wellesley, so clearly something is in the air…
IT’S OPEN!!! (I saw some flags and such outside to mark its opening)
I wish them the best of luck as the only business on the 2nd floor of that really bad feng-shui strip mall.
I think I’ve been to that mini mall once. If you try it let us know what you think!
The place is called Jerk STOP (not Jerk Spot, which is a restaurant in Culver City).
Went last night:
I have no frame of references for Jamaican food, except for Caribbean Gourmet in Alhambra.
I enjoyed it overall. The plate is ENORMOUS (wrapped utensils in the napkin were of “normal” length and provided for some sense of scale). I got the ox-tail in a “large” size (I think “small” only comes w/ one side, while large comes w/ two). Partner’s food (not pictured) was jerk shrimp.
Mac and cheese a delight, but the cabbage might’ve been my favorite (so well seasoned). Ox-tails bones were much smaller (w/ more meat to bone ratio) than I’m accustomed to. They were QUITE salty on their own (and I really like salt), but the sauce was great over rice. Apparently the festival (fried dumplings/donut) comes w/ every entree? So you basically get the main, 2 sides, and a bit of dessert w/ a entree.
The shrimp is cooked to order and took a fair bit of time (15-20 mins?). Very spicy and enjoyable. Shrimp was fairly large, too.
Caribbean Gourmet, to me, tasted quite elevated. Jerk Stop was very much like tasty home cooking. Would I drive across the city for this? No. But I’m very glad to have it in the neighborhood. Woman at the cashier (who I assume is an owner) was also very sweet.
Second visit (to go) was not quite as successful. The food (mac and cheese and curry chicken plate) didn’t have the same vibrancy, and the food gave the impression that it had been sitting out for awhile (w/o being reheated upon ordering). Partner (who did the pickup) also said that service was a bit… random.
My impression is that the owners might be pretty new to this, so hopefully they’ll work out the kinks and be able to have more consistency in terms of quality.
Haven’t been yet, so I can’t say anything specific, but Jamaican restaurants writ large (especially in LA) can be MORE than a little random.
Opening hours can seem approximate, ordering hostile, kitchens amateur… it’s kind of a thing.
yah mon
Reminds me of this:
The Jerk Store Called | The Comeback | Seinfeld (youtube.com)
Finally made it over. Thoughts…
Sound clash on Santa Monica Blvd! What’s left of my hair was blown back by their sound system (facing out into the street classic Kingston-style) from about four blocks away. They’re probably absolutely livid downstairs in fake-Canters. Never seen anything like it in West L.A. Props for authenticity, but it’s gonna get them evicted.
Got the Jerk Shrimp. It came as a composed plate with cabbage, rice and peas (beans), plaintains, and festival. Normally I would go for Ackee and Saltfish, but I decided to start with the jerk as a level setting exercise. The shrimp was very, very good. Legit spicy, but nothing crazy. Close to Mexican spice not Thai spice. The plate was $25, but it was a ton of food and the price felt fair.
Got a vegetable patty. I’m pescatarian. This was mediocre. I hope the classic beef patty is better.
Got some fried dumplings. Very dense and chewy. Oily. You get 5. I could only manage 3.
The restaurant itself feels janky and understaffed, but the server was great, and I was getting take out, so I didn’t care. The food was hot, heavy, and served on time.
I’ll definitely go back. I’m hoping they last and maintain the quality… and I’m hoping the insane sound system doesn’t get them in too much trouble.
Oy. I already found it obnoxiously loud on my one visit, but I don’t recall it being as loud as you describe. Yikes.
Great – and funny – review - thanks!
Drove past at 5:00 Friday and the amp was still set up, but turned off. No idea what the status of the music is.
I sometimes eat at the Ono Hawaiian BBQ from that same minimall #soballerIknow, and the Jamaican tunes emanating from the jerky spot are always blasting away. Not always a bad thing, it just is what it is…
