Jerk Pit is one of those restaurants that always pop into my mind when I'm thinking about ordering food. I haven't had much Jamaican food before trying this spot, but one night I wanted something different from my usual and found another go-to dish of mine. I have always ordered the Jerk Pork because it's a winner every time. The pork is tender and juicy, and along with the sweet sauce that comes with it, the rice and vegetables all come together. Once I start eating it, I can't stop! The restaurant itself is small, and brightly decorated standing out from any other business surrounding it. I've never dined in but it would be a good place to sit and eat with your friends. I read a couple of reviews saying the cashier was rude or unattentive, but every time I've come in she has stopped what she's doing to get my food quickly. Overall, if you enjoy Jamaican food or you haven't had it before this place deserves recognition. read more

Oh man where do I start! Just order the oxtail please save your self the trouble of decision making. My wife and I love !! Oxtail and we hate having to order two platters because there is never any meat on the bone. LOW AND BEHOLD NOT JERK PIT!!! You get fat juicy meaty oxtail suck them right off the bone. Compared to a home town spot we are used too; this place best it read more

Food is absolutely delicious here. Especially the Mac n cheese. The portions though are smaller than other Jamaican places to which I've been. Would come back again. read more

I will not return to this place. I have had better...the food is sub par. Don't expect a nice flaky beef patty. The food barely had any flavor. I ordered brown stew chicken it was meh. I had a slice of cake it was dry like a piece of cardboard! Only flavor the cake had was sugar!On top of it all ...customer service is non existent the girl at the register was rude she didn't acknowledge me standing in front of her but proceeded to talk to the person standing behind me in line. I have ordered several times at this place this was the last straw. There are too many restaurants out there to waste my money here! read more

Don't waste your money.....I had the curry chicken and a side of Mac n cheese....I went at 11:00 when the first open....big mistake...my Food taste like it was heated from the day before....never again and on top of their nasty food the young lady at the register had bad customer service....should of just drove a few more mins and got gyros!!!! read more

Jerk Pit - Caribbean Near Me - Tampa, Florida

just came from west palm, the family had to stop a jerk pit the food was not only amazing but the presentation was superb big up to manger , staff and chief . read more

Food was delicious and customer service was excellent. The curry chicken I ordered was excellent.

Mr. Marvin is theeee best!! The food was priced well and the service was excellent. I used Jerk Pit for my baby shower and it was a hit with my guest!! read more

Food is great customer service sucked tonight.. She didn't greet us or have a smile on her face. We ordered and it took us an hr to get our food...the girl at the counter took our order rolled her eyes and all and basically threw us our food...Thank but no thanks never coming back again read more

I love Jerk Pit. Big portions and the oxtails are so tender and good. They're always pleasant there

the jerk chicken with the bbq sauce is super tasty.a great smoky flavor. the women who greeted was nice and accommodating. for sure goin back for lunch soon! solid jamaican restaurant in tampa! read more

We had the jerk chicken, rice and peas, and chicken patty with coco bread. Everything was very delicious. I've been trying to find a good patty place around Tampa and I finally found it. And the sauce is amazing! Love love love this place; very authentic. read more

Jerk Pit - Chicken patty with coco bread. - Caribbean Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The food here is Always great with flavors that takes you back to the islands. I love the oxtails!! read more

Jerk Pit - Rice and peas with oxtails and curry goat gravy with a side of mac and cheese - Caribbean Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Authentic Jamaican food in an environment that supports both eat in and take out, with the former being very popular at lunch time. We had Jamaican beef patties wrapped in coco bread (definitely recommend) followed with a Jerk Chicken Sandwich wrapped in coco bread with a side of fried plantains (very good) and Escovitche Shrimp with rice and peas (really good). For drinks we had Peanut Punch (pricey but excellent) and Ting (not a real fan of grapefruits but if I had it would have been very good). The Jamaican Rum Cake finished it off in style. The service, although a bit slow due to extreme busyness at lunch hour, was pleasant and solid. We'll definitely be back. Note: I've submitted a correction to Yelp as this place is definitely not Closed, nor has it been. Not sure what the person(s) were thinking when they submitted that. read more

I love this place! You've gotta try Marvin's signature sauce! All that I ever order is the bbq jerk, because I love it so much, so that's what I recommend. I've visited with friends though and they enjoyed the regular jerk chicken and curry. For photos, read here: http://shaqworld.com/2013/04/01/the-jerk-pit-jamaican-cuisine-on-fletcher-avenue/ read more

The brown stew chicken is really good but the curry chicken was not favorable. The lady at the register was very friendly and provide excellent customer services. Will be make soon to try more !! read more

The food was excellent and the service was great! The restaurant was clean and the cashier was very courteous. read more

This is probably my favorite Jamaican spot in Tampa so far the flavors were rich customer service was nice and I didn't have to wait a long time for my food! read more

Quaint and solid atmosphere. Food was great, service from Tasheika excellent! A must for curry goat, brown stewed chicken and oxtails.

A friend and I were passing through and stopped by the Jerk Pit for dinner. We had the oxtails & curry chicken meals. I must say the food was delicious! A bit pricy compared to other Jamaican restaurant, but by far the best tasting. Aneika, the cashier, was very attentive to our needs and ensured our dining experience was pleasant. A great find. read more

I was very disappointed with my oxtail meal for $16.00. Never again, my oxtails were tough and the rice was hard. Not sure if it was an evening meal that had just been cooked but nothing was done other than the over cooked cabbage. The cashier even offered to upsize my oxtails for a few dollars more, seriously. After fighting 5:00 o'clock traffic and reaching home to this, what a flop. read more

I had just finished getting my hair cut at the Barbershop located next door. Walked into the Jerk Pit just wanting to get something quick to eat and go home. The young lady behind the counter ( Miss Aneika ) who was the cashier had a warm friendly smile and was very courtesy. My order was taken and upon getting my food I decided to sit down and it. The oxtail was delicious as was the rest of my meal . I definitely will be back to eat here again. Vince C. read more

Very clean and food fresh and tasty. Waitress Alika treated us with kid glove. Felt very at home there. The stew chicken was slamming. A little pricy but other wise we certainly recommend anyone to eat there. Ray & Elaine read more

Awesome food and service. I love their fruit punch and passion fruit. Addictive! Clean place and the manager and owner are awesome. Very professional. read more

I went to the Jerk Pit and upon arrival I was not acknowledged at all. Therefore I asked if someone was going to take my order to only be told "I have an uber order just came in" Five me after my family and I placed our dine in order we were told no beans and rice, so we left and went to the Jerk Hut. At the Jerk Hut we had great food and great service. No more Jerk pit for my family. read more

I have tried almost every Jamaican restaurant in Tampa and I have to say this place is the best out of all them ! I can always count on quality and quantity, and the girl that's in the front is the sweetest. Great customer service , great food I travel 45min and it's worth the drive . read more

I am originally from Boston Ma, I'm also a former of resident Queens New York. I mention this because these two great cities though different in many respects do share some commonalities. Both Boston and New York share a thriving West Indian community. Where there is a strong West Indian ethnic presence there is culture which includes but is not limited to dialect, lingo, music, dance, and most notably food. In late October of the year 2000 I moved my family from Boston to Tampa. While I have no regrets I often find my self missing many of the conveniences of a large city as well as the many cultural differences that help to define its character. In fact, suffice it to say Boston literally dwarfs Tampa in population density which, in my experience is reflected in its West Indian community among others. When I lived in Boston and New York there were no shortage of Jamaican restaurants, there were seven as I recall within 5-10 minutes driving distance of our Dorchester home in Boston. In contrast, to put things into perspective, since our having lived in the greater Tampa Bay area from 2000 my wife (the most finicky critic of Jamaican cuisine) and I have discovered four restaurants one of which merited return visits. My wife and I had all but given up hope of finding Boston or New York caliber Jamaican restaurants in Tampa in terms of authenticity and taste. I am no authority but am adept and qualified enough to make the distinction, I am of West Indian descent and, am married to a Jamaican born princess who knows her way around the kitchen. Another dilemma I faced living in Tampa was finding a barber that could take care of my cosmetic needs. Being groomed ranks almost as high as being fed, almost. Fortunately for me I was able to proverbially kill two birds with one stone. I found a barber. After several years of haircuts my barber was doing well enough to expand his horizons which included, securing a larger venue to accommodate patrons and venturing into restaurant ownership. I must admit that when my barber announced the grand opening of his restaurant I had my reservations. You can certainly understand my skepticism after all, what on earth would a barber possibly know about running a Jamaican restaurant? Surely there are more requisites than just being Jamaican, right? Nevertheless, with a healthy amount of cynicism we decided to add Marvin's Jerk Pit to the list of West Indian restaurants that we have visited in Tampa. Authenticity and taste turned our apprehensions into instant culinary gratification. While we've had better or comparable dining experiences in Boston and New York it was rather refreshing to know that a restaurant existed in Tampa Bay that brought the taste of great delicious authentic Jamaican entrees closer to home. The environment is warm and inviting. Large store front windows allow for ample natural lighting to flow in during the day. While there is moderate seating for groups the restaurant is small which allows the friendly staff to be responsive. The menu has your usual suspects comparable to offerings of other Bay Area establishments; however, there was one item that had caught my eye. I hadn't seen Roti grace any menu since leaving the Northeast and although I was enthused with helping myself to a healthy serving, I decided against it in favor of my favorite. Our first visit was as a family I don't recall what the children had but, I do remember that I had the Escovitch fish and my wife played it safe and ordered the Brown Stewed chicken (very few people can mess up chicken). The food can be described in one word, delicious! We were particularly and pleasantly surprised with presentation of the meal as it was served to us, of course it goes without saying, but it looked appetizing. In addition, the chef adds a touch of elegance by garnishing the plate with a tomato cut an fashioned in to a rose bud. We found ourselves doing what most satisfied patrons do, returning as often as we could. I eventually treated myself to the Roti now every time I have it my stomach and taste buds thank me. Much more can be said but the dining experience is more memorable than any words that could ever be written. I invite you to go to Jerk Pit and create your own memories. read more

I always get my hair cut at the barbershop next door, so I decided to stop in while I was waiting. They didn't have roti the day I went, which was rather disappointing. I ended up getting the rice and peas, steamed veggies, and a side of plantains. Everything I ordered was delicious--far exceeded my expectations! Definitely going to stop in again when I'm on this side of town (and cross my fingers that I will be able to get some vegetable roti next time)! read more

This place was horrible. I order oxtail and jerk chicken lunch size meal combo. The total for the order was $23. Having lived in NY before I have tasted great Jamaican food and thus have high expectation. Sadly, my expectation was not met by this place. The oxtail was over cooked and the sauce was black, I have never seen that before. The jerk chicken was dry and salty and the cabbage was bitter. We ended up throwing the food away. I will never visit this place again nor recommend it to anyone. read more

Jerk Pit - Oxtail - Caribbean Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Let's see we order curry veggie roti only one roti curry vegetables salty as hell rice & no peas customer service sucks

Had pork with rice and peas. Everything was dry. I enjoyed the salad and especially the dressing but that's kind of hard to mess up. Maybe the quality was so bad because they were close to closing. I don't think I will eat here again. read more

All food was old and micro waved Chicken-old, meat crusty, dry, chalky,no flavor rice and beans- old, crusty, dry, no flavor, week-old Uncle Ben's (?) plantains - old, from back of fridge chicken pattie - chicken soup filling in a cake-like biscuit. read more

I ordered the jerk chicken dinner for take out with rice, beans and steamed vegetables. The total came out to around $9. The chicken was rather dry, and the beans + rice were generic tasting. Maybe Caribbean food just isn't my thing. However, the service was very good and the employees were all very nice. read more

The food is great. Very authentic and not commercial. Jerk chicken is actually grilled and not baked.

This place is AMAZING, hands down the best jerk chicken in the area. Tanika is the best, super friendly and gave great recommendation!! I'll be back!! read more

We got the jerk chicken , a lil spicy but great , i would definitely come back , yeahh monnnnnnnn

Very good food, service outstanding. Very friendly. The Restarunt was clean. I felt like I was in the Caribbean

Great food and great prices! It was our first time in Tampa and we randomly chose the Jerk Pit. We were a little apprehensive since we'd never had Jamaican cuisine, but the jerk chicken was really good! The fried plantains were really good as well! Another thing we had never tried. Definitely recommend trying out this restaurant. read more

My boyfriend, and I visited Tampa we were on the hunt for some good Jamaican food, thank God we found this place! The people were so nice, food was beyond amazing, affordable price, great portion! We will definitely be back! read more

OMG!!! This was my first time here and my experience sucked, royally! The wait is ridiculous! And they have a sign on the wall asking for you to be patient because quality can't be compromised. Let's start with people ordering after me got their food before me. Mind, you I just ordered jerk chicken. What restaurant prides themselves on their jerk it takes this long to get it. Then when I got my order it was t totally wrong. Didn't ring up something I ordered and what I ordered wasn't given to me. I politely asked what amount of change I received so I could give it back and get my $20 and bounce out. The young lady at the counter asked "You no want it?" "Nope" "But it was freshly prepared" (me in my head but its not what I ordered) my response "No thanks, I will just get my refund and go" read more