Ocho Rios Jerk and Tings

My daughter and I traveled to this restaurant Easter Sunday. We were expecting delectable Caribbean food such is served at Caribbean Flava, Soul Sistas, Caribbean Creole Cafe and Taste Like Home Caribbean in Salisbury, Maryland. The location was quaint. The waitress/owner danced to the music after taking our order while walking back to the kitchen area. WE were the only patrons in the restaurant and it took a while for our food to be served. When the food was served, the waiter cracked a corny joke that we did not find humorous. The food was very plaintive for the price. Actually, the oxtails were extremely bland, tasted like roast beef and well below our expectation. The waitress/owner said our oxtails would be served with rice and peas. The oxtails actually had lima beans in the sauce. There were no peas. I HATE LIMA BEANS. The food was lukewarm, instead of being hot. The oxtails needed more oxtail seasoning, allspice, and a pinch of brown sugar to make the taste exceptional and more Caribbean. My daughter requested hot sauce. The owner brought about a teaspoon to the table in a small dipping dish. We were charged $1.50, plus tax for barely a dollop of hot sauce. The homemade ginger drink tasted carbonated and was not freshly made with ginger and honey. The prices and portions were extremely expensive. The waitress was inattentive and never came to the table to ascertain if we needed anything. I do not recommend the oxtails or homemade ginger drink. Last year, we traveled from Salisbury and tried this restaurant and it was awful. This was our second visit. We will not return because the Caribbean cuisine and drinks do not taste genuine.

One of our fave places to stop by when we are in town. Everything is authentic and so delicious. The oxtail is great, Pattie’s are great, jerk chicken is great and the stew chicken is great. The plantain are perfectly cooked and the Sorrel is delicious. The ginger lemonade is also really good. We’ve eaten there and we’ve done take out before and haven’t been disappointed. Don’t go in there with any attitude. Be kind and try it out!

I am not a Jamaican food connoisseur so I can't say if it's authentic but I can say that we loved the oxtail, jerk chicken, and curried goat. I actually expected it to be a bit spicier. The fresh juices are delicious (we had Sorrell Ginger and Pineapple Ginger) but they are expensive. The setup is quaint and a no frills presentation, but the atmosphere with the music and service was great. Food took a little longer to come out but was worth the wait. Given that it is early in the season they didn't have everything on the menu available so we'll have to go back and try more. We're adding this to our "will try again list".