The God answered my prayers!…read more This place is a Caribbean food gem! I've been looking for some good jerk oxtail, and apparently the Lord heard my prayers because this hit the spot. Everything is freshly made, the portions are generous, and the meat is packed with flavor. The oxtail was fall-off-the-bone tender, and the jerk pork was ridiculously juicy and flavorful. I also tried the jerk chicken and NY strip. The chicken actually stole the show--the steak was good, but the jerk chicken had that extra something that made me keep going back for another bite. And of course, the coconut rice and plantains were the perfect companions to all that rich, savory goodness. My only wish? Give me something fresh and refreshing on the side! A little salad, slaw, or something with some acidity would balance out all that richness beautifully. Overall, though, everything was delicious, portions were big, and my Caribbean food cravings have officially been satisfied. Definitely coming back!

This is the first Back A Yard Jamaican Food location I visited when they first opened years ago…read more Now they have multiple locations throughout the South Bay, including San Jose. I came back after many years and also tried the San Jose location. Back A Yard is a good introduction for people who are new to Jamaican food or want something familiar. It's not quite like authentic Jamaican food cooked at home, where you get more of those bold spices and seasonings, but I understand they're cooking for the masses. Overall, the food is decent, the service is always good, and the portions are okay. Definitely not a bad choice when you're craving Jamaican food.

I came here on Friday night with a friend. Staff does a good job checking on us. However, one of…read moretheir recommendations was a huge fail. Amongst the items they recommended was the ribs and chicken combo. Ribs were tender but they were just basic bbq sauce ribs. My friend was disappointed since he expected them to lean on Caribbean flavors. I had the chicken and oxtail combo which included rice and beans, and plantains. Decent size portion with a couple of oxtails, two thighs and drumstick. The proteins were moist and tender, but very under-sauced. The collard greens were tender and velvety! I'd suggest that too. It can get loud. But I think that was mostly because people are compensating when one table is loud.

This was my first time having Caribbean food and it did not disappoint. Everything was flavorful…read moreand cooked so well. First, the plantains were so crisp outside and super soft inside. The sweetness from the plantains paired so well with the savory flavors of the meats. The jerk pork was tender, crisp in some spots, and delicious; the jerk chicken was perfectly cooked, well-roasted on the outside, and not at all dry inside; the oxtail was yummy and so tender. My favorite was definitely the jerk chicken. Then, previous to this plate, I've only had red bean rice, which was soggy rice mixed with red beans, so the seasoning on this rice surprised me, and it tasted so good. Besides the yummy food, the staff at this establishment were super welcoming and generally friendly. I haven't been met with such warm service in a while.

My partner had eaten here before and was craving it post trail run…read more We ordered the pork ribs combination plate and the roast pork sandwich. The service was impeccable with helpful workers constantly monitoring and making sure everyone was taken care of. One of the workers was friendly and gave us the run down on recommendations and what was popular. The interior is so colorful too! This place is amazing !! The sandwich hit the spot with the perfect amount of meat and veggies along with the sauce. The pink beans were nice to try and were a nice side to the perfectly salted ribs. The ribs were made so well and had the perfect amount of salt to meat ratio and went well with the rice. The lemon zesty salad was refreshing and the garlic platains really hit the spot. We both enjoyed the meal so much and need to try other items.

This place started out strong and then crashed and burned…read more The service was amazing while we waited in line - attentive, answered questions, and gave us generous samples of their housemade limeade which was the perfect blend of tart and sweet. We got two types of plantains as our apps: sweet fried and savory fried, with the latter pounded flat and improved with some of the tableside housemade chilli water. But my crispy chicken tacos I ordered were actually taquitos - unclear from the menu and not what I was hoping for. The chicken inside was dry and bland and the avocado sauce obviously made from unripe avocados and foul. The only saving grace was the bed of greens which was actually perfectly dressed in a light lemon dressing. My poor friend ordered the vegetarian taco plate and it arrived deconstructed. Tortillas, a bowl of watery beans, a heap of pickled onions, an uncut whole pickled jalapeño, and two long blocks of white cheese - I thought it was tofu! Bland and shoulda been cheaper if he had to assemble it himself. Logistics: - indoor seating only - limited street parking nearby - You may be sat at shared tables to maximize how many can sit inside at once

The jerk chicken and oxtail combo was delicious and a generous portion! Oxtail was…read morefall-off-the-bone tender and the jerk chicken was cooked perfectly with incredible flavor. Everything was well-seasoned without feeling too heavy. It's the kind of homestyle comfort food that really hits the spot! I tried some of my husband's ribs too and they were so savory and flavorful. The staff was friendly and the service was great. Seemed like most customers were ordering takeout since there weren't many dine-in customers but rather a steady stream of people picking up orders. My husband and I chose to dine in and it was a great experience.

I really didn't want to leave this review, but I felt it was necessary. I've always wanted to try…read moreFlavas Jamaican Grill because of the reviews, and unfortunately, my experience was disappointing. The customer service was poor, although I did meet the owner while eating outside, and he was very kind. As for the food, this was probably the worst Jamaican food I've had in the Bay Area. The oxtail lacked "flavas" and tasted more boiled than properly cooked, with gravy added afterward. The jerk chicken tasted more like baked chicken and relied heavily on the sauce for flavor. Wasn't seasoned! I grew up around a lot of Jamaicans and have experience cooking Jamaican food, so I know what I'm looking for because every state I go, I look for Jamaican food. One of my favorite. Unfortunately, the food and service just didn't meet the mark. Hopefully, they can improve because I really wanted to like this place.

I've been here at about 10 times, and that's probably the best review I can give. This place is…read moreconsistently so good. The jerk sauce should come with a warning because it's friggin addictive, but be warned it's 0.39 cents a pop and they are very tiny containers. I usually order the jerk chicken or the oxtail, but on my last visit I tried the jerk pork... and WOW. My mouth is watering writing this review. Don't skip their special yellow juice, it's refreshing and pairs well with the food. Service is usually pretty quick, especially considering everything is made fresh. Love this place!

Inside was clean, not too busy, staff was average nothing special, food was fresh and ready in 15…read moreminutes. The chicken was moist, charred and so good. Beans and rice were as expected, just fine. The plantains were caramelized and cooked perfectly. I loved the corn festivals - very fresh, crispy and hot. I was not a fan of the Mac n cheese personally but my husband liked it. I thought it was kind of greasy and not too flavorful. The pineapple cake was disappointing to me. Cake was super dense and on the dry side so it crumbled a bit. Was def my least favorite. I will def come back. I have actually been to the downtown San Jose location quite a few times and never did a review. This location is much better and fresher.

There are restaurants with great food, and then there are places with great people behind the food…read more Boriqua Kitchen is both. One afternoon in Hayward, my family and I showed up right at 6 PM, exactly at closing time. We had just left a family party but purposely held our appetite because our favorite Puerto Rican food truck was finally back in town. My wife and I were married in Old San Juan, and Puerto Rico will always hold a special place in our hearts. We even travel back to the island with our kids whenever we can. When Chef Darren saw how disappointed we were that we had missed them, he didn't turn us away. Even though they were already closed, he fired the grill back up and blessed our family with an incredible meal. That level of hospitality, heart, and genuine Puerto Rican warmth is rare. The food was absolutely amazing as always, authentic flavors that instantly take us back to the island, but the kindness and service meant even more to us. We'll always support Boriqua Kitchen. Truly the best Puerto Rican food in the Bay Area, served by people who treat you like family.

We came across Boriqua Kitchen outside of the Lucky's parking lot when we were about to do our…read moregrocery shopping.  I am always up for Puerto Rican food so even though we already had dinner, I had to at least try a couple of sides like their empanadas and garlic tostones.  Both were full of flavor and the garlic tostone had the perfect crunch that is offset by their addictive dipping sauce.  I definitely need to follow them on IG to see when they will be back so I can try those entrees too.

Fantastic customer service , food was amazing . definitely going back to this location .read more

YES YES YES. The food was absolutely amazing. Young lady at the counter was fabulous and the…read morebest service. Ambiance is amazing and clean. FOOD - i had Montego Bay - ( curry shrimp with rice and peas, sweet banana and macaroni salad. Its was absolutely amazing. I don't usually like spicy food but this was just enough heat to break a swet lol. I highly recommend and will definitely back.

The Food was absolutely amazing, the Boss Auz customized a special dish - Quesadilla with Salmon…read morejust for me, it was delicious. The atmosphere was everything. And the service was Phenomenal! Thank you 10 out of 10 - Highly Recommend, I'll be coming back again and again !

Oz is the man!!! Great ambiance and excellent service and great food! Highly recommend!read more

Wow, just WOW. This was some of the best Caribbean food I've ever had! We got the jerk chicken…read moreplate, a side of mac and cheese, and a bread pudding to share and it was absolutely delicious! The jerk chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy, and so flavorful. The jerk sauce was sweet and savory with just enough kick and the red beans and rice was the perfect accompaniment. The bread pudding might have been the best I've ever had. That sauce was so good! The portions were generous, we had enough for my boyfriend and I for supper and leftovers for him to take to work for lunch the next day. The staff was so friendly and welcoming and you could just tell they really enjoyed what they were doing and put a lot of love into the dishes. They were quite proud of their work, as well they should be! This was every bit as good as the food I had in Jamaica, highly recommend!!!

I was in the area and have been wanting to come by. We ordered a bit of everything. We did the…read moreoxtail plate, the jerk ribs à la carte, pepper shrimp, curry shrimp, and escovitch fish. Oxtail plate - really tasty, heavy on the sides but a little light on the meat. Another piece would've done it for me. I got extra oxtail gravy which was really good to add on to the rice and peas. Jerk ribs - SO DAMN GOOD!!! Great flavor, fall off the bone, I could easily eat more of that. Don't skip it! Pepper shrimp - eh, it was ok I think. My daughter wanted that so I only had one piece of shrimp mixed with some other things on my own plate. I do think there was only maybe 5-6 shrimps. They were a good size, but again, a 2-3 more pieces would've made it perfect. Curry shrimp - I really enjoyed the curry shrimp and I appreciate that they package the curry shrimp separate from the sides that come with the meal. Definitely going to get those again when I return. Escovitch fish - I had never ordered a whole fried fish before so I was excited. I had escovitch fish when I was in Jamaica but it was served not as a whole fish. I thought it was fried well and had good seasoning. I like the pickling too, I ordered extra. I also ordered a beef patty and an oxtail patty but I haven't eaten them yet. Looking forward to it though. Also, the plates came with cabbage. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be cooked, I've seen that and that's what I expected. But what was on the plate was dry bagged salad like you get from the produce section to make Cole slaw. There was no sauce and it was uncooked. Not sure about that. I ordered online so I didn't really get "service" but the woman at the register was kind and had a warm smile. Overall, I can't wait to return. And now that I know what I like, maybe I won't spend quite so much to try everything lol.

I ordered the salmon and jerk chicken bowl from this takeout-only spot, so everything was served in…read morea to-go container. It is definitely more of a grab-and-go place than a sit-down restaurant, but the food traveled well and made for a solid meal. The plantains were one of the highlights. They were sweet, soft, and cooked really nicely. The rice was pretty average and did not add much to the bowl, but the proteins helped make up for it. The salmon was cooked well and stayed moist, although it could have used a little more seasoning or sauce. The jerk chicken was excellent, with great flavor and a nice amount of seasoning. I also tried some of my friend's oxtail, and that was easily the standout. It was incredibly flavorful, tender, and something I would definitely order next time. Overall, this was a very good experience and a great option for takeout. I would come back, especially for the jerk chicken and oxtail.

Oh my goodness! I am so glad we came by this spot during our visit to the area. The restaurant is…read morepretty spacious and clean. A lot of customers coming and going. You order at the counter and they bring it to you. This kind of service is ok with me, but the fact that the defaulted tip is always calculated for you without the full dine in experience always gets me. This leaves the obligation to the customer. Anyway, I digress. The food was delicious nonetheless! We ordered: Oxtail and chicken combo 5/5 It was really good, except the scoops of rice were tiny and not in proportion with the protein Jerk chicken sandwich 3/5 Good, but the meat goes better with rice Beef & chicken patties: We prefer the beef over the chicken & ordered extras to go to share with family. Beef 4/5, chicken 3/5 Cornbread 5/5 Perfect amount of sweetness and the butter makes it so much better. Overall, yes, I would go back for the food. It is far for us, but if I am in the area, I'll definitely return. I love Caribbean food and this one is on my top list.