A friend of mine brought us here and my siblings are a bit of picky eaters and they ate almost all their serving. Food was definitely delicious, I got the jerk chicken, oxtail, and salmon, tried the beef patty and left my mouth watering, as well as the corn meal bread they gave us. Music was awesome, they played great ethnic related music. All in all it was a definite "save it" kind of place. read more

Back A Yard - Family and friends - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

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Food is always on point! Love the variety of dishes priced fair, and the recent workers have great customer service. So glad I live nearby

Tried the new location and was less than impressed. New, clean and so inviting until you get to the order. One staff member was friendly and helpful, the other, not so much. She was bothered by me asking what name she called because it wasn't clear. It wasn't just me, no one knew what she said so I asked and got a delayed response with an unfriendly face. No skin off my back so when the food came, I was ready to eat. Unfortunately, the jerk chicken did not taste the same as the downtown location. Maybe just a bad day or did they change the flavor? I don't know but overall a real average experience. I will keep eating at the downtown location, unless this is the new norm for them. read more

Back A Yard - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

Got there on a Tuesday during the storm no one was there and then as soon as we ordered several groups came through. Ordered oxtails meal, jerk chicken and the pork meal with sides of greens and Jamaican corn bread. Everything came out in to go containers while eating at the restaurant. It was delivered to a couple that ordered after us. But then was brought to us. It was all so good! Be sure to get extra jerk sauce it has a kick and a tiny bit vinegary but Mel's so well with all the food. The Jamaican corn bread had a consistency towards beignet not cake like. The Oxtails I got are a bit smaller then if you cooked them yourself but with them being smaller of course they are super tender. Plantains were tender still had a bite not mushy. Sorry no pic.. too hungry. read more

Wow Every time it's a treat to my taste buds! Best food in San Jose hands down! Thank you Back A Yard you guys never disappoint! read more

Great spot, Absolutely Amazing food, great customer service. This Business deserves more recognition.

Back A Yard is never disappointing! Since the downtown location closed and replaced with a smaller takeout delivery, was quite relieved to see one in San Jose offering indoor dining option! Ordered the oxtail plate, which comes with big, juicy pieces of super tender oxtail cooked in a rich broth infused with aromatic spices. Red bean rice and plantains complemented nicely with the protein. The service was fast and the two ladies behind the counter were super friendly. Can't wait to return for more! Maybe will try the goat curry next time. read more

Back A Yard - Entrance - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

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Salad anyone? While Back A Yard is famed for their mouth-watering proteins cooked Carribean style, their salads stand strong against the beautifully crafted jerked-meat plates. For approximately $10, you get a hearty dose of protein on a full portion of colorful cobb salad. I have to admit, the cubed protein were a little dry (but heavily seasoned with a bit of heat). Coming at 11:30 will save you the hassle of waiting in line and food. As an alternative, one can always place orders in through phone. Attentive and friendly service with nothing but pure love. Will be back for the oxtails and salad! read more

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Food is absolutely delicious. Chicken is divine as always. The salmon was good, first time I've tried it. I feared it would be overcooked, but it wasn't. The people are nice and offered suggestions as I asked about the salmon. The plantains are so good. Corn festivals are yummy. My only complaint is the atmosphere at any of the back a yards is a bit lacking. It's like fast food. Wife and I came on a date night, because we know the food is good from years of going to the Menlo spot, but I'd never take a date here if I were young and dating. The food was served in plastic togo containers. I think they did a fancier one downtown SJ, but it wasn't the same delicious jerk food. read more

This place really lives up to its 4 1/2 ratings, the place is solid! I'd give this restaurant a 4 1/2 stars if I could. My go-to is the jerk chicken plate with plantains and rice w/ beans. I've also tried their BBQ combos here and there but I keep coming back for their jerk chicken. Portions are huge! Now for the food: -Jerk chicken: tender, juicy, meat slides of the bone, and packed with authentic flavors 5/5 Jerk chicken (white meat): a little dry, will probably pass on this one 2/5 -Rice and beans: perfect side for your jerk chicken. It's buttery and full of flavor 5/5 -Plantains: probably my favorite side and the best plantains I've had in the bay! It's nice and charred, and not too heavy 5/5 The only con I could think of, if I'm being super picky, is that the sauce that the jerk chicken comes with is pretty small. The sauce to chicken ratio is off, but they do offer more sauce if you ask for 27 cents. Besides that, I highly recommend to give this restaurant a try. I'm sure you'll keep coming back after your first visit! read more

Back A Yard - Jerk chicken - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

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Was just in the area and not sure what to have for lunch. Decided to give this place a try, wasn't expecting much. Well, if you haven't, do visit and give it a try. Had the Jerk Chicken, Beef Oxtails, and Pork pieces. All 3 were good, very tasty. The meat were all tender too, including the oxtails. I was really surprised at how tender it was. Good-sized portion for each. One note, if you are not into spicy food, ask for separate sauce if you order the Pork or Chicken. Not so much spicy spicy but more like very peppery spicy, I think. I was fine with it, my younger kid was struggling, but she couldn't stop eating it either. She's usually a very picky eater with no qualms about giving negative feedback, so that's a special thumbs-up from us. The only negative was the bread that came with the Jerk Pork pieces order. Same daughter loves soft white bread. She took a bite and basically ignored the bread afterward. I ate the bread and those (King's Hawaiian sweet rolls?) were fine, but as mentioned, she is very picky about food. read more

When I went, their front restaurant drink cooler was out, I found out after I stepped in the huge puddle of dirty water pooled all over their floor by the register. This was the one day that I decided to wear sandals after getting a wound on my foot almost healed, and my feet were totally soaked, so gross. Their internet service went down mid payment, they had to restart the router and attempted processing my payment 3 times. It was times taking, there was a line and no AC on a warm day. Ultimately my significant other thought it was my card and said he'd pay for it, only for his card to also suffer the same issue twice. Eventually payment was processed. While waiting for the payment to process however, the worker is there pushing and shoving the pooled water all around the floor in attempts to spread the water for faster drying, but that meant sloshing puddled water all where I was standing too?!? Lack of consideration. AC wasn't even working and we were all waiting there, my two hungry toddlers, my teen and my significant other and I. Also, they ran out of the beef empanada, and served us two pork dishes (it was pork, bread and plantains and one jerk chicken dish, when I ordered 3 chicken dishes. We returned the two pork dishes to let them know it was the wrong order, but when they replaced it, they still gave us the two pork dishes again but this time replaced the bread for rice. My fiancé just about had it and said forget it about the dishes. I honestly wish I could leave a better review because their food, when given the right orders is good, but so many things gone wrong this time! read more

I caught this on Check Please Bay Area. I like Caribbean food and what was shown looked yummy on T.V. I did a Yelp bookmark hoping that one day I'll be in the South Bay so I'll be able to eat here. That opportunity came a couple of days ago. There are several outposts but we went to the one closest to Morgan Hill where we finished playing golf. The GPS took us to the strip mall. Then we looked and looked. Where the heck is this place? We had to call the restaurant. It's next door to the UPS store. A very narrow storefront. We went into the restaurant. The menu is posted above the counter. Place your order; pay the cashier; take your number; and your food will be delivered to the table. Both hubby & I ordered the same combo - the jerk chicken with the oxtail stew. Comes with two scoops of red bean rice and plantains. My oxtail was lukewarm as was the chicken. Food was good and plenty. 3 1/2 stars due to the lukewarm items. The rice was steamy hot. read more

Back A Yard - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

I can't get over how good this place is! I came here to eat with my family on thursday afternoon, and I've had jerk chicken in Jamaica before so I wanted to check this place out since I have been craving for it. For appetizers we ordered the corn festivals and a beef patty. This was SO good, I ate 3 whole corn festivals by myself and had to order another. It's super fresh, slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside without being greasy. As for the beef patty, I swear this is the best thing you can ever eat. The dough is flaky and buttery, and the meat filling was super tasty. I can't wait to come back for this! For entrees, my brother ordered the jerk chicken w/ oxtail combo, my mom ordered the jerk chicken and jerk pork, and I ordered jerk salmon with jerk chicken. I also wanted to try their other sauces, mango habanero and hell fire. Between all 3 sauces I recommend eating the mango habanero and jerk sauce. I couldn't stop eating the corn festival with the mango sauce! This was my first time having oxtail, it was super tender and packed so much flavor. I will definitely order this the next time I come! I am also a huge fan of the jerk salmon here. It goes really well with the mango sauce + rice. Back a yard will be my new go - to spot. Theres no other place in SJ like this one! One last thing...the plantains are on a whole different level of deliciousness. Its sooo good! Perfectly caramelized. read more

Back A Yard - Brother's photo of corn festivals - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

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Great variety and very tasty, great way to try something new and exciting! Service was good

Love back a yard. Been to a few others and the food is always great. This one was the cleanest/newest one I've been too. Jerk sauce is great. Tried their hellfire sauce this time and loved it. Hellfire was tangy and spicy. Everything jerk is great. read more

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Not that it needs another great review but man is this place good! What impresses me the most is how consistent it is not only at this place, but the others. For Jamaican jerk that's hard to do. I wonder if they'll ever try to expand to more places! Ordered the oxtail and pork jerk combo and my only complaint is that there's more meat than rice and beans! I always get an extra side of that though, I might be odd like that. Anyhow thanks for doing what you all do! read more

Back A Yard - Oxtail and Jerk Pork & Beef Oxtails Combo with extra beans and rice! Too much meat! - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

Love this place. Always the best food. Service is good and easy to eat-in or take it to go.

It was pretty packed when I got there for the first time. Was it good as I was fortunate enough. My wife and daughter were loving it. Big Thank you to Back A Yard for excellent Caribbean cuisine. Definitely recommend this place and would definitely come back again soon read more

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The service was quick and the staff was friendly. The menu offers a wide variety of options, and everything me & the husband tried was delicious. read more

Very randomly landed up at Back a Yard last weekend and thought of grabbing a quick lunch. The staff recommended Curried Goat, and I thought of trying it as a combo with Jerk Chicken. The Goat was super soft, with a perfectly spicy gravy. Chicken was juicy and was perfectly cooked, and the small serving of jerk sauce served as a tasty dip. Fried bananas were perfect, although the rice as a bit overcooked. Topped with a Modello, it was one of the best weekend lunches I recently had :) read more

Easily best Caribbean food spot in the Bay Area, I've had places in Oakland & San Francisco, but it doesn't compare to this here in San Jose. read more

Back A Yard - Front entrance - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

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Jerk chicken and oxtail combo, the oxtail was the star of the show. It was tender and the braising sauce was savory and delicious. It was my first time trying jerk chicken. It could have been juicer but it was still yummy. The sauce that came on the chicken and on the side was herby and fresh, a little tangy. The rice and beans had a good flavor. Mac n cheese was also good I came around lunch time on a weekday. We ordered and got our food within 5 minutes! My ordered was missing the fried plantains. The cashier was very friendly about it and helped me right away. Overall good experience! It was my first time trying Caribbean food read more

Back A Yard - Jerk Chicken & Beef Oxtails Combo - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

I am SO happy that Back a Yard is opening up more locations. I remember going to their humble no frills location for the first time ~2 decades ago in Menlo Park and being blown away. Since then, I have been to that location and their other locations more times than I can count. The jerk chicken and oxtail combo plate was super good. Can't wait to come with more friends and introduce them to Back A Yard. read more

I cannot recommend this place enough!!!! Ordered through Yelp and got the Jerk Chicken Plate, Curry Goat & Beef Oxtail Combo, sweet potato pie, and Corn Festivals. Everything was soooo flavorful and authentic! Have not had any Carribean food in the Bay Area and this place really hit the spot! My only small complaint was that the meat is very fatty, but that's personal preference. I'll definitely be coming back to try more dishes!!! Staff and chefs were really nice as well! read more

Food was good Service was ok Ambiance not the best Bulding was a little old and run down read more

My guy had the biggest craving for some BBQ and while navigating on Yelp, Back A Yard popped up on my feed. I've always been curious about the Caribbean American cuisine that constantly floods my Yelp and IG page so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give it a go. Our party of 3 arrived into a bare restaurant with only one other table being occupied. We were immediately greeted and although we took quite a bit of time going over the menu, they were both very patient with us. We placed our order for: BBQ PORK SPARE RIBS [BBQ Plate]- served with fries and coleslaw. 3 MEAT BBQ COMBO- chicken, ribs, & hotlink served with rice & beans and fried plantains. SAUTÉED VEGETABLES [á la carte] BEEF OXTAILS [á la carte- 3pc] MANGO PASSIONFRUIT JUICE SODA Ordering was kind of annoying since we weren't allowed to substitute any of the rice, plantains, fries, or coleslaw that initially came with the meals that were ordered. The guy in charge kept insisting that we could simply order things "á la carte" on the side if we wanted something different. Keep in mind, the sides in itself wasn't bad but is a major inconvenience for anyone who is on a specific diet such as NO CARB. Ugh!!!!! Everything tasted pretty good but the best dish of the night had to be the beef oxtails. The meat was flavorful, seasoned well, and literally fell off the bone. BOMB!! Sautéed veggies were cooked well and still had a nice crunch to them but could have used some salt... some seasoning... ANYTHING!! They legit just tasted like nada. 3.5 stars overall and I'd come back specifically for the oxtails. This isn't just hype y'all. read more

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We were looking for something new to check out for dinner, did a YELP search and this spot popped up with pretty good reviews! We came on a weekend evening for dinner. Walk up counter to order with large menu posted above. They had a wide array of items- daily specials, Caribbean BBQ, regular bbq, salads , sandwiches, soups, small bites, desserts and drinks, including fresh squeezed juices. We ordered the jerk chicken and jerk pork combo plate. Food is cooked to order and placed in to go containers. There are plenty of indoor tables to eat at , but noticed the chairs were all placed on top of the tables. We were hoping to eat there as most restaurants have opened up inside and we drove a long way. Asked one of the employees re: indoor dining and she said they put up the chairs at 6pm. We were a little disappointed. One of the other employees noticed and told us "no problem, we'll bring the chairs down at a table so you can eat here. " Thank you! We really appreciated that. The plate was delicious! Lots of flavor, but maybe a tad too salty for my taste 4.5/5 Came with decent portion of jerk chicken and pork, plantains, beans and rice, and a small cup of flavorful jus to pour over your food. It's a good size portion and prices are very reasonable! I also ordered the fresh mango/passion fruit juice- good, but very sweet, I watered mine down with ice. Overall, good BBQ, reasonable prices. I'd like to return and try some other items on the menu. Btw, check in on Yelp to get a free order of fried plantains : ) read more

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Don't take this 5* rating lightly. BackAYard both fits a niche for Caribbean food as well as a solid restaurant to-go. Both the jerk and bbq are very good at this location; however, my pork pieces have had a lot of fat recently. Nevertheless, it's all tasty from the meat to the coconut rice to the plantains to the sides of collard greens (lots of stems tho) and fries (try not to get it to go as it's oily and will get soggy). The BBQ plates are underrated. Haven't had the ackee but a very popular dish, the oxtail, was not to my taste: too much work for such little meat. I hope this location never leaves. And if they do, I hope they move closer to my house! read more

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Came here for dinner with the BF. Food was good with large portions. I had the oxtail, which was really flavorful and the meat fell off the bone. The plate came with plantains and rice. The BF had the jerk chicken and thought it was also tasty. read more

Back A Yard - Beef Oxtails Plate with Fried Plantains! So good! - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

Food is great, would love a little more sauce for take outs Mostly takeouts so don't know about service read more

WHY WE WENT HERE: - catch-up dinner with a friend - the original restaurant we intended to go to was closed so we decided to fulfill our BBQ rib/oxtail cravings here THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE): - located in the Lion plaza off Capital Expwy (closer to McLaughlin than Senter) - I like how generally this plaza isn't busy anyway, so parking isn't difficult THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE): - it's a decent sized restaurant - love the exposed brick and a mix of high chair/long table set (for bigger parties) or the standard table and chair set (for smaller groups) THE MENU: - dessert - daily specials (served with rice and beans, and fried plantains) - yard plates (served with rice and beans, and fried plantains) - yard combos (served with rice and beans, and fried plantains) - BBQ plates (served with French fries and cole slaw) - BBQ combos - sandwiches (with fresh lettuce and tomato served with French fries) - jerk wrap (flour tortilla, lettuce, and tomato with ranch dressing) - quik eats (served with bread) - yard bowls (mixed salad: lettuce, marinated cucumbers, tomatoes, rice and beans with ranch dressing and choice of protein) - soup of the day - fresh salads - sides - beverages - dessert - goat menu WHAT WE ORDERED: - jerk chicken & beef oxtails (yard combo) - BBQ pork spareribs (BBQ plate) - coconut juice - Sprite THE TASTE: - we LOVED that our meat was super tender and fall off the bone - rice and beans were moist and seasoned - fries were crisp - cole slaw was crisp and creamy HOW IT WORKS: - order from the cashier(s) - if eating-in, you receive a number with a stand to place wherever you sit (self-seat yourself) after paying - when your food is ready the cashier will bring your food from the kitchen to where you're sitting at (whether it's a for-here or to-go order) - if eating in, once done you can leave your area as is vs. try to clean up after yourself CUSTOMER SERVICE: - cashiers were warm and welcoming - the music was great and vibey, not overpowering so you can still have background noise that doesn't overpower when you try to have a conversation with whomever you're enjoying your meal with OVERALL: - I used to favor Kingston 11 in Oakland, but my last visit there was a bit disappointing in terms of the vibes and the taste - I would say Back A Yard is definitely a MUST-TRY for the oxtail, goat, and or plantain loving people out there :D read more

Back A Yard - Top Left: BBQ Pork Spareribs with French Fries and Cole Slaw; Bottom Right: Jerk Chicken & Beef Oxtails with Rice & Beans & Fried Plantains - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

Tried the Jerk Chicken and Ox Tail combo with plantains. Very flavorful and medium spicyness served with cajun rice and side of plantains. Fast service. Coming back to try some of the other dishes on the menu! read more

Back A Yard - Jerk Chicken & Beef Oxtails Combo - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

Sometimes I have to prepare myself to dine here. Like run around the block a few times or not eat dinner the night before, or just put on sweatpants. Yes, I get really excited to eat here. My mouth just waters up thinking of the jerk spices they use, the tenderness of their meats, and the large portions they serve. I can easily say that this is the best Caribbean/Jamaican restaurant that I've been to, and it's not because there aren't so many of these restaurants in this valley. It's because of that Jerk pork and beef oxtail plate that I always get. And because of the BBQ ribs and fries plate that I end up sharing. And because of that attentive/sincere customer service I get when I'm at this location. Still a fan of their Jerk chicken, Hot links, BBQ chicken, and plantains. I'm hoping to catch their goat stew special sometime in the near future. But it's really difficult to deviate from my usual ...the fattiness of their Jerk pork and collagen-rich Beef oxtail. Getting ready now! read more

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Went last weekend me and my sister got oxtails and chicken. The flavor was great, but we both found pet hair in our rice and peas. Very disappointing will not be going back. read more

Before leaving SJSU, we stopped here for an early dinner. Tables are outside. Service was friendly and made a few recommendations. Small space and large portions. Money well spent. read more

Great food!!! Love the oxtails and curry goat plate. The beef patties are TOP LEVEL!!! Love there juices and the Ginger Beer......OH BOY!!! Very helpful staff. Never had them get my order wrong yet. I love that all have their own favorites on the menu and they aren't afraid to make suggestions. Cool lil restaurant. Not too busy, the music is nice, and it all makes for a good vibe. read more

LOOOOOOOOOOVE this place! Amazing food! Will definitely become a regular if I have money.

This restaurant has the worst service ever! There's so many things wrong here that if I can give a 0 star I would! Ordered a ginger beer and they did not put ice on it. Asked for ice and they said they don't have ice so we had a room temperature ginger beer served to us. Later when we were eating, we saw other people's drink with ice, so we asked again and they finally gave us ice. There's HAIR in our order! And the "replacement" came very fast, so they probably just took out the hair and re-served the food. They refused to give you the big to-go box, so you have to put the rice, plantains and the meats mixed in a small to go box. Not nice. If you want the normal sized to go box it's 40cents. They put the plastic bag in the self-serve area but when we tried to get one the server came to us and said I should've asked them instead of taking it myself. How am I supposed to know that if you put it in the self serve area?! Foods are ok and we went to the Market St location before and they are much nicer than here! read more

Back A Yard - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

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This Jamaican place is insane good.....the flavors and choices are somewhat new but absolutely wonderful. Go for the jerk anything....the jerk is a seasoning. They import the bamboo that they bbq on to give the food a real Jamaican flavor. I have brought many family members including those who are super picky and they love it. I have not been in a while due to the pandemic but I will be going again soon. read more

Back A Yard - Amazing complex flavors..... - Caribbean Near Me - San Jose, California

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