PHLReview
Jamaican D's Inc.
For the picky eaters, or the “who made the potato salad?” crew, we want you to know that you won’t find a bad dish on Jamaican D’s menu. Even though the wait at this Chelten Ave. spot can get longer than a braiding shop on a busy day, a platter of jerk chicken, rice and peas, and cabbage is worth sticking around for. Plus, once you’ve ordered, they’re quick, so you don’t have to wait too long before biting into their chicken that’s dripping with jerk sauce.
They’re open every day and have classic Jamaican dishes like curry chicken, brown stew, and jerk salmon that can spark your tongue with subtle heat. To cool your mouth down, get their cinnamony sweet potatoes. After your first pillowy spoonful of these mashed potatoes, you won’t want to eat anything else. Stop by for a quick lunch in the city, or when you want a dinner that will make you as full as a Christmas feast with your family.
Food Rundown
Jerk Salmon
Though this salmon doesn’t have the same crust like most jerk proteins, the fish still has the hickory taste. Each of the two filets are covered in so much peppery jerk sauce that you might want to eat the leftover drippings by the spoon when the fish is gone.
Oxtails
The blend of garlic, scotch bonnet, soy sauce, and sugar comes through in every bite of these oxtails. And they’re so good that you might want to moonwalk down Chelten Ave. from excitement when you finally secure an order. But we suggest just taking them home with a side of peas and rice where a personal dance party won’t draw as many stares.
Jerk BBQ Chicken
This jerk chicken is perfectly charred and blends both jerk and BBQ flavors to a point where it seems like they’re doing a flavor tug-of-war. That being said, you’ll get to bite into something that’s not only tender and lathered in sauce, but has some crackly skin at the same time.