The process of Jamaican "jerking" originated as a means to preserve meats prior to the invention of refrigeration. It evolved to the use of local spices to slowly cook and smoke meats over wood, sometimes called the popular "street food" throughout Jamaica. Jerk cooking is considered a mixture of cooking techniques, flavors, and spices from the indigenous people of Jamaica and Africa. Seafood, meats, tropical fruits, and vegetables are widely used. Mr. Jerk (love that name!) consists of five unpretentious restaurant locations in Toronto, Ontario Canada. In 1979, it had its humble beginnings in the back of a small West Indian grocery chain, Linstead Market. In 1986, the first Mr. Jerk opened in the Peanut Plaza in North York, Toronto. Mr. Jerk in the Malton suburb of Mississauga subsequently opened not long after that, a mere 10 minutes from Pearson International Airport. This Mr. Jerk, similarly with the other locations, offer jerk chicken/pork, rice and peas with ox tails, meat patties, fried chicken, fried plantains, escovitch (snapper, kingfish, and salt fish with onions), dinner plates, rum cake, snacks and Jamaican drinks. We've tried the following at Mr. Jerk Malton: * Jerk chicken and jerk pork. This is the most popular Jamaican dish, and we love it! Many people comment that jerk chicken/pork appears to be burnt on the outside, as there are black patches; however, it is the jerk seasoning that makes it appear that it is burnt, but it is not. The pork and chicken are juicy and tender on the inside, and because they are cooked in a smoker, the interior may be pink, but they are fully cooked with savory smokiness. Note that the jerk seasoning is spicy hot. The chicken and pork can be ordered ala carte or with starches and sides. * Meat patties. Encased in a flaky crust, these slightly spicy meat patties are easy to eat as a quick snack. Similar to an empanada. * Escovitch fish. Delicious snapper, king fish, and salt fish that are fried and cooked in a sauce of vinegar, spices, onions, carrots, and peppers. * Stewed oxtails. Mildly spicy and flavorful of the added spices, the meat was so tender and fall-of-the-bone. * Rice and peas with oxtails. Savory side dish of rice, kidney beans (Jamaicans call these "peas"), and various spices. The added fall-off-the-bone oxtails take it a step up. * Festivals. These are tasty and sweet dumplings. They are sweeter than the normal fried dumplings. * Fried chicken. Fried in a pressure cooker, the chicken is very juicy and tender with a crisp crust. * Jamaican soda. Refreshing bottled ting (carbonated grapefruit juices), pineapple, and other tropical fruits. We are fortunate to have been introduced to this authentic Jamaican cuisine, as its owners were born and raised in Jamaica. Food offerings are very flavorful, mouth-watering, and having us to want more. The few Jamaican restaurants that we have back home in HI come and go and are not authentic, as its food is tailored to diners who are unfamiliar with true Jamaican cuisine. As such, it is a special treat to have these foods when we visit Toronto. They also serve soups, curries (goat and chicken), fried plantains, roti (flatbread with filling of curried chicken or goat and potatoes), steamed veggies, rum cake, and sweet potato pudding. Fresh juices (carrot, soursop, and Irish moss) and bottled juices and various drinks are also available. Cost-saving lunch specials are available Mon. to Wed. that includes a quarter leg jerk chicken, jerk pork, or curry chicken with canned soda or water. This is a small take-out restaurant. There's a counter next to the window with four seats; however, with Covid, it is not being presently used at this time. It is good to see diners lining up during the busy lunch and dinner hours. Staff is pleasant and friendly, contrary to past reviews that have mentioned rudeness and attitude problems. Glad to see that management has adequately trained the staff to be more attentive to its customers. Located in the Malton Village Court Plaza at the corner of Derry Rd. and Goreway Dr. near the airport. There is ample parking available that is shared with other businesses. Hours of operation are Mon. to Sat., 11a to 10p; Sun. closed. We look forward to enjoying Jamaican food at Mr. Jerk again when we return to Toronto in the near future. The amazing flavors with sweet and savory spices and smoky jerk aroma will surely be calling us. read more

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The jerk chicken is good but not great. Good portions and fair prices. Wish they had more sauce options.

When it comes to Jamaican style food I believe this was one of my favourite spots. 4.5/5 for me in taste. They have great tasting jerk chicken. Although I cut pork out of my personal diet, when I did eat pork, I had it many times from Mr. Jerk. I also like the festival, fried dumpling and plantain. I also love the variety of Caribbean soda drinks you can get as my go to is always Cola-Champaign or pineapple drink. I have friends that enjoy the snapper and would recommend it over and over again. I have seen reviews stating they are cash only but as of my most recent visit I paid by debit what i did not like is the following ***This is a takeout food spot*** Knowing that I can not give stars for seating, ambience or décor or even the ability to use a washroom if I needed to (I did not but just stating the obvious). Lastly, my main thing that is important to me is my overall experience, friendly staff etc. In my last visit, the counter person just seemed unhappy or miserable. I would have said put on a fake smile then to just looked disinterested. Friendly conversation was not happening. that is a big thing to me that can move my personal experience from the food of 4.5 to service level of 1.5. Gracefully I have given an overall rating in the middle. I would love for their rating to be higher but service level to the customer would have to improve. read more

Mr Jerk - Caribbean Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

Eating the jerk pork dinner as I speak. Came to the place, looks cleaner than the one next door let me tell you that. There were about 5 people inside the store. Since it was my first time j asked the kind British man beside me what he recommends. He says that jerk chicken can be bought anywhere. So try the jerk pork. I complied. Luckily for me they just brought out a batch of fresh pork. The British man said he has been waiting for 30 minutes! I paid 11$ including tax and I kind of wish I got the chicken too. The pork is fine a bit of spice but a little boring. The reviews you read about customer service is true! There is one older lady there who prepares the food. She's quite rude. No smiles, straight to the point. I am of Filipino decent standing about 5ft tall. When she told the cashier to cash me out she said, " this one is for the little Ching Ching over there" the other cashier laughed. Overall food is average. Come to this place for mediocre food and some slight verbal abuse lol! read more

Mr Jerk - Caribbean Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

Becareful food isn't great, and the place isn't clean , a friend of mine said they seen cockroaches and I never went back since

So Mr Jerk in Mississauga is a little known place and is pretty tucked away from it all. Even when you go into the plaza you may not see it. It probably is one of the smallest shops I've been into, but man does it pack a punch. Now first fore-warning. I've found that the stuff here is hit and miss, and it all depends on the time of day you go. The ideal time for deliciousness is 11:30AM. Why? Cause the ladies at Mr. Jerk just brought out all the jerk pork from the oven and are ready for the lunch rush! You may hear me rave about the jerk pork here, and it's because it's the best around. Trust me... it's amazing! I've had it and it was a bit dry at times, but that's mostly because I went at around 12:45pm-1pm so I blame myself. If you go at around lunch, you'll most likely be waiting out past the door. Apparently word has spread about this place and the people that do go there keep coming back. The same thing is pretty much on everyone's mind... jerk pork. I've tried the jerk chicken from this place and it's not too too great... but that's not why you come here. If you're in the area and it happens to be 11am-ish be sure to try the jerk pork dinner one of these days. You won't be disappointed. read more

Mr Jerk - Caribbean Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

Called to see if they would be open after work for dinner. I work until 7 and lots of places have different hours of operations due to the pandemic. I asked what time they close the lady who answered the phone said "regular hours". Now why would I call if I KNEW what the "regular" hours are? I had to tell her that I didn't know what the "regular" hours were before she finally told me 10:00pm. I thanked her and told her that I will never bother coming there. Great job on earning a 1 star from a customer who has never set foot in your restaurant. read more

What an experience!... seen Mr Jerk on Yelp because I was in the area, and decided give it a shot with my brother First off, they only take cash, and I don't carry cash as often as I used to. They told me I had to go to the dollar store and ask for cash back, they had an ATM there and charged me $2.50 which is pretty standard but I didn't want to really spend that $2.50 I could of bought 2 drinks. Went back and ordered a large jerk chicken with rice and peas, the salad is 1 dollar extra if you decide to get it. They didn't have a place to sit down and eat which I thought we can so we had to bring it home. My brother opened his first and his jerk chicken looked nice!! I opened mine and mine wasn't even jerk chicken it was jerk pork!!! Hahaha I didn't even notice I got the wrong food. The pork was kinda on the dry side, had a piece of the chicken and it was great. Not the best but definitely great. Would I go back again? Maybe if I was in the area and wanted some food to go I would. read more

Mr Jerk - Jerk Pork - Caribbean Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

Mr. Jerk is extremely dirty, the staff handles money and then touches the food right away. The floors are always dirty, the ATM machine has been broken for 7 months and they only accept cash. Last week I found a fake fingernail in my rice. This place has by far the worst customer service I have seen in my life. They are extremely rude, they have no patience to explain their menu options and they do not even say thank you or have a nice day after you pay. I would give this place zero stars if possible. This has to be the dirtiest, smelliest restaurant I've been too. The laziness of the staff is on another level, they don't even mop the floors I can not imagine what the kitchen looks like. I've went twice and both experiences have been horrible. That being said I have to give credit where credit is due. The chicken is tender with lots of flavour. However I will not go to a place where the staff is lazy, rude and I can't eat at a dirty restaurant even if it is take out. Who knows how dirty the kitchen is. STAY AWAY!! read more

I stopped by here and bought Jerk chicken and curried goat from this spot and let me tell you this, the food was excellent. Highly recommended by me. read more

There's no better words to describe Mr. Jerk except for, hole in the wall. There is no seating, and very basic cafeteria style counter service. Décor, next to no one. And pretty much non-existent service. I was actually kind of scared of the ladies behind the counter. So I didn't ask any questions except for if they had any lunch specials. The answer was no. I ordered the large Jerk pork diner, so I could take home leftovers for the hubby to try. But when I was handed the dinner, wow......it was so heavy! Lots of meat and gravy, peas and rice, and a bit of salad. I wish that it came with coleslaw, like at the North York Mr. Jerk location. Flavouring was strong! I only ate maybe ¼ of my meal, and had to pack the rest home, not only because it was filling, but it was also VERY spicy. Next time if I'm in the area, I might ask for less gravy, assuming it's the gravy that made it extra spicy. read more

Very few places make jerk pork these days. If yor are into Jamaican food this place is awesome. I have had the Jerk chicken, pork, oxtail and much more. Other than the long line ups at lunch everything is amazing. Good things come to people who wait. read more

Most amazing jerk chicken, I've been going here for over 20 years, the staff have been the same "Just Plain Rude, No Smiles" but the food is truly the best. They unfortunately know there food is very good, as anytime in the day there are long lineups, and they serve everyone with a grouchy smile. read more

Mr Jerk - Jerk chicken with curry gravy on the side - Caribbean Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

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Excellent jerk chicken but they can be a little inconsistent at times. Last time I went the chicken was overcooked and dry. The rub however is consistently good, a kick with complex spices smoked into the skin and meat. Not a place you can dine in, no tables (not like youd want to anyways, looks dirty) and the portions are generous. For what you pay, around $10, you get a lot. Service is slow as fck, a true sign the place is legit lol. Recommend this place, top 20% jerk chicken in GTA. read more

What's jerk chicken and rice and beans without Coleslaw??? I just need that answered Instead I got some lettuce and sliced tomatoes I've been craving Jamaican food for 2 weeks (FYI) I'm pregnant !till my stomach could handle it then no coleslaw bye!never again read more

This place is kind of pricey. $11 for a small curry BUT the servings are huge which is great. Their curry is SO good that's what I order most of the time. Their jerk pork is hit and miss. Sometimes too salty. The people there look like their the most miserable people ever and at first it was off putting but now I've gotten used to it. They have gotten my order wrong too so idk how closely they pay attention to their customers. read more

Takeout Only - No Seating Mr. Jerk is a small Caribbean takeout place in a strip mall on the northwest corner of Derry and Goreway, right at the edge of Mississauga. They offer standard West Indian fare options, including jerk chicken and pork. I had the jerk pork dinner with rice and peas and gravy. It was awesome. The pork was juicy, and its flavour was only enhanced by the gravy poured over it. Portion-wise, this was right on. It filled a typical half-sized takeout container, and was relatively equal on the meat/rice ratio. Ideally, they'd have a stool or two for customers to eat inside, as there are no tables outside. I visited via public transportation that day and had to eat standing in the parking lot. Other than this minor drawback, Mr. Jerk is a place I'd highly recommend if you're in the area. Good food. read more

My colleague and I decided to try Mr. Jerk for lunch a couple of Fridays ago as we were craving jerk pork. We arrived around 12:15 p.m. or so and it was packed in there. As we were closer to being served, I noticed an ATM machine on the premises that was out of service. We were then told by one of the patrons that Mr. Jerk accepts cash only but to go to the dollar store in the plaza as it has an ATM machine. OK, so we had to line up again and, this time, as we were approaching being served, they said that they were out of jerk pork and we had to wait 15 minutes. Oh man, was my colleague frustrated - this is the lunch hour on a Friday. Who runs out of food?!? Anyway, we both ordered the jerk chicken (white meat) with peas and rice and a Jamaican patty. I think I paid about $13 so not that inexpensive. We went back to the office and immediately started eating. The chicken could have used some more jerk seasoning but otherwise it wasn't bad. The peas and rice were perfectly seasoned and cooked with the right amount of bite. What we really LOVED was the patty. I don't know if they make them onsite but it had lots of meat with the perfect amount of spice and would rival Allan's or Tinnel's. One thing I wanted to note is that the service was very polite. We didn't get any attitude as some of the other reviewers noted. Anyway, it was good but it can't compare to Mitzie's. read more

Authentic West Indies/Jamaican food. This place has some of the best jerk chicken in the area. It was recently listed as one of the top Jerk places in the GTA and it's very deserving of that honour. The jerk pork here is killer! Jerk chicken dinner with rice and peas will run you about $10 Don't expect to be able to go and eat here. It is strictly take out and at lunch time this joint is lined up out the door. Try to be there for 11:45 for best results. Also, be warned it is CASH ONLY! Would be 5 star, but the service can be brusque and impatient at times. read more

Yes, one of my favourite places for Jamaican takeout, in the Toronto area. They have amazing jerk pork and chicken, with rice and beans. My favourites are the snapper and the kingfish (what can i say, I am an islander), with the home made hot sauce. YUMMY. Remember, if you can't handle the heat, don't ask for it. The beef patties are also a honourable mention. Make sure they are fresh when you buy them. There is a lot of entertainment here. Sometimes you will hear the 2 ladies at the front argue, with the heavy Patwa accent, all about nothing...quite entertaining. read more

I went to this place because of a friends review on it. I decided to get the curried goat roti because that is one of my dishes. Unfortunately I was disappointed, first off they microwaved the roti bread which was a little shocking to me especially because they were charging $10 for the roti. It came with the bone in which isn't a huge issue but I would have preferred to have the bones out. Overall, it tasted okay, but I won't be going back there again any time soon. read more

Mr Jerk - Curried Goat roti. two stars. Not that good. - Caribbean Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

The best old school jerk around. Treat yourself... so good. Keep up the good work ladies

I'm not rating the food because I never had a chance to eat it due to the poor customer service. I went there for lunch today and it was an awful experience the lady serving food and taking money without washing her hands has the ability to talk to you anyhow she likes with the worst attitude. this is a family business so I guess they don't care how they treat people it really is a shame I took my money elsewhere and I won't be going back there however is a good carribean restaurant up the road called da house of jerk they take pride in their food and customer relations read more

Jerk Pork. I must have Jerk Pork. I check the Yelp App and what do I find? Missa (Mr)Jerk!!!! I have only eaten at the Malvern, Keele and down-town locations,, this is gonna be exciting. First I shall speak on the location of the take-out restaurant. It is situated on the north side of Derry Rd (near 427) in large sized strip mall. Plenty of free parking. The restaurant is small, dimly lit and run down. No crazy line ups observed. It was around 8pm on a Saturday night. FYI, they are open till 10pm on Sat. Nice. My order consisted of one large Jerk Pork and and one large Jerk Chicken. (Now being a self touted expert in the ordering of all things Jerky, I requested, oxtail gravy and rice and pea on both) The only option I was given was if I wanted tomatoes with it. Taken back by this offer of tomatoes, curiosity caused a nod of agreement. I get home and open up the containers and to my surprise and delight I find a decent amount of both Pork and Chicken in both containers. Not bad. I have had better quantity levels at the other locations. The surprise was the two thick slices of tomatoes in each container. No slaw or steamed cabbage but tomatoes!? lol. Let the feast begin. lol. The Jerk Pork: nicely blackened bark, meat moist and tender. A perfect level of spice. The Jerk Chicken: Moist tender and perfectly spiced. Just add some pepper if you you like it hot. The nice lady behind the counter did not offer pepper (hot sauce) as an option, so I just amp mine up with some of my Matouks. The rice and gravy mix was delicious but i found a lot of dried up rice which caused a bit of dried up rice teeth pickin. I could tell that the cook that prepared the Rice and Pea knew what they were doing when making the dish and blame it to improper containment. Back to the Tomatoes. It was an odd yet tasty pairing to the Pork and Chicken. Would I go back? HELL YEAH!! read more

Mr Jerk - Jerk Pork - Caribbean Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

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This really deserves no stars but the presentation of the food looked it. I ordered a large Oxtail dinner. What a waste of money! The Oxtail had know seasoning except for salt. It taste like salt and cooking oil. Never again will I ever order Oxtail fm Mr. Jerk. My opinion is to stick to the jerk pork/chicken!!!!! read more

Great lunch specials. I get the 1/4 jerk chicken with rice and peas and curry goat gravy. Chicken is one of the best jerk chickens I've had and the rice and peas are very tasty too. read more

It is truly a privilege to live a 5 minute walk away from here. Jerk chicken is amazing. Oxtail is the best on the block

Totally authentic jamacian food. Not in the best area but the food is worth the trip to the dive. Get the jerk chicken or pork.

100% authentic West Indian/Jamaican food. The goat curry roti was dynamite good, and the jerk chicken almost always has line-ups out the door. If you're looking for jerk chicken and dont want to break the bank, go here. A meal with a drink will run you around $8. Not too shabby. read more

Usually not the friendliest customer service but the jerk pork is excellent and prices are very fair

The place doesn't look at appetizing, but the food is awesome. I tried the a small jerk pork around 12pm, and it was really tasty. The rice is fairly good as well. You don't get coleslaw, which i'm used to at the other places. Overall I'll go again for lunch. read more

really nice people running this place. Decent curry goat, a bit dried out jerk chicken.. but thats probably because of the time of day we went in at. read more

On Saturday I ordered a large jerk chicken and large jerk pork. While waiting for the lady to cut up the chicken, another customer and I noticed a cockroach on the glass that is just over where they cut the meat. I mentioned it to both the women who work there. The older lady didn't say much but the younger lady mentioned that they sprayed earlier the recent week and had a shocked but embarrassed look on her face. Of course I started to feel itchy and wondered how many roaches or bug parts were mixed up in their food over the years. Being someone who has worked in the culinary field for many years, one thing that is unacceptable is cockroaches, rats and any other small critters that can get in to customers food and drink for many unsanitary reasons. Anyhow, I didn't feel like eating the food anymore. Those who did said the chicken was very dry. The rice and peas (also dry) had barely any gravy on it. The jerk pork lacked flavour and wasn't as well cooked as per usual. I will not be going to this restaurant anymore. Some of you have said there should be seating in the place but i'm sure none of you want to eat in a restaurant where roaches are scattering around. read more

Great food, the jerk pork is amazing. Get the rice and peas with jerk pork and some oxtail sauce on top. You would not be disappointed. They also have great home made beef patties. If your in the area, it is worth giving it a try, you will become a fan. read more

I remember when this place had lines out the door, now it's usually empty. I blame this on the poor customer service, attitude like I never experienced before and to top it off the food has gone far down hill. Think it might even be a health and safety concern because of how dirty it is now! read more

Good food for good price. Don't expect the service tho. Probably why they don't charge for the service. And they don't open on Sunday.

This is by far the worse Jerk chicken and Rice & peas. It's so dry and there is no flavor, no taste. Anyone saying this is good Jerk chicken obviously haven't had the taste of real Jerk Chicken , Rice & peas. Not to mention their salad is so lousy. I have no idea why people actually line up for crap food. Oh god, I don't even wanna get started with their Customer Service, IT"S BEYOND HORRIBLE. Those ladies behind the counter serving, makes you feel like they are doing you a favor. Geezzz, such BAD Management!!!! After several years of buying there and no improvements, I will NEVER buy nor recommend anyone supporting this location. And that's the ugly truth people!!! read more

dont get me wrong this place is great on the food but the service there sucks theres always this black lady fighing and yelling at customers i love the food there but i will never go there again to far for me and not worth the wait anymore everyone check the one in downtown core and see what im talking about maybe the sould use a debit machine like 2014 i think the sould fire them hire new people just saying read more