This is a restaurant featuring Caribbean food, with a heavy influence of Jamaican cuisine. It is a…read morefamily-run business. The soft opening was on 2023-04-25, and the grand opening will be on 2023-05-19.
There many tables for seating, a second seating area half a floor up at the back of the restaurant, an extensive bar, and an event space in the basement.
We ordered the following:
1. Jamaican Mule ($10.99). Ginger Beer, Gosling Black Rum.
2. Lily's Passion ($10.99). 2oz Captain Morgan, 2oz passion fruit, 1oz cranberry juice.
3. Peanut Punch ($5.00).
4. Plantain ($3.95).
5. Chicken Roti (13.95).
6. Jerk Chicken & Oxtail Combo ($23.95).
7. Escovitch Fish ($22.00).
The service from the waitress and bartender was excellent.
The alcoholic drinks were colourful and tasty. The Peanut Punch was in a drinking box from a Caribbean company called Grace. I've had it before. But the waitress suggested it be poured into a tall glass with ice; it was amazing - I highly recommend it!
The Plantain appetizer was perfectly cooked and delicious.
The Chicken Roti side dish was huge! It is twice as high as any Roti I've ever had before! The chicken inside was succulent.
The Jerk Chicken & Oxtail Combo was amazing. You get two sides: we chose rice & peas and coleslaw, two quintessential sides for a Jamaican meal. I feared the Jerk Chicken would be too spicy, but the restaurant wanted to cater to many tastes, so it made it medium spicy (which I could handle). I was told you can add their Real Jerk Hot Sauce yourself or ask the cook to make it extra spicy during the cooking process. The Oxtail was tasty.
We also ordered the Escovitch Fish, another popular Caribbean dish. The whole fish is fried, then marinated in a sauce of vinegar, spices, onions, carrots, and peppers. The taste was excellent, and the meat flakes off the bone easily. This dish also come with two sides: we chose coleslaw and steamed vegetables, which came in their own separate bowls.
During this restaurant's grand opening, there will be entertainment starting at 15:00, with steel pan, limbo, prizes, and DJ. Starting at 22:00, there is a party.
This location has an event space in the basement, which can hold up to 101 people. It can be used for old school parties, karaoke, spoken word, etc. The parties are to appeal to the older clientele who frequented the Queen and Broadview and Gerrard locations.
The Real Jerk started 38 years ago and has moved several times. The most famous location was at Queen and Broadview while they were there for 25 years.
This location is owned by a husband and wife team: Cleigh and Natasha. Cleigh's father owns the location on Gerrard St, which became internationally famous due to a music video by Drake and Rihanna.
There is a third location in London, England, owned by Cleigh's uncle.
There is free WiFi. The restaurant is not currently wheelchair accessible but there will be a ramp to overcome the one step at the entrance. There are separate male/female washrooms in the basement, so they are not wheelchair accessible. There is paid neighbourhood street parking.
Review 2023-142