Real Deal Jamaican & American Carry Out

Went here parking was sparce but I got lucky on the side street around the corner. The place had a good amount of customers waiting for their food fare so it must be good to say the least. There is a obvious sign at the order window to let you know this is a CASH ONLY establishment. Lucky I had cash that day since I normally swipe my life away.
I ordered the small jerk chicken which comes with rice & peas and cabbage and I asked for plantains but I don’t think it comes with them. Anyways after I ordered and paid I realized the man put me in for a large. I would have gotten it changed but I just let it slide. He’s lucky I had the money to pay for it. My friend got the small curry chicken which also comes with rice & peas and cabbage.
I agree with the previous reviewers Candace and Grace. So, I completely despise the plantains. First they weren’t cooked the way most places make them and I guess they were fried. Not sure. They were completely unsweet and not edible in my book. I wouldn’t order them again. The jerk chicken tastes nothing like jerk chicken. It wasn’t spicy at all and taste like regular BBQ chicken with a very small hint of sweet. I wasn’t impressed. The rice was completely bland the only flavor I got was from the juices of the chicken. The cabbage was bland as well but cooked right. The curry chicken was pretty plain too.
Only reason I’d go back is for the prices and the food was relatively fresh… definitely not for flavor because I didn’t really get any. I’ll give them another shot maybe it was an off day. Then I’ll give an update.

The portions are large. The cabbage and the rice & beans are good. I’ve been to Jamaica and have Jamaican friends. But this. This is not jerk chicken. It really is more like BBQ chicken with a sweet sauce. My search for an authentic Jamaican spot continues…

I am totally disgusted with Real Deal Jamaican and American carry out.
On July 6 2015 at approximately 5:45 pm. I went into the location and order oxtails with peas and rice. The female owner started to fix my plate. I observed her placing the peas and rice into the white container along with the cabbage. She then place the container on the counter directly across from the oxtails. What I observed her doing next I was totally outrage. As I was looking through the glass refrigerator unit, I observed her taking the rice out of the container with her fringers, placing it in her mouth and then placing it back into the white container. Not one time but several times. As I stood at the counter (order window) and watched this disgusting act, She turned toward the refrigerator and waved at me. Since I did not respond, I guess she thought that I wasn’t able to see her. She then attempted to place the oxtails on top of the rice which she had taken out of her mouth. I quickly told her to cancel that order. She then had the nerve to ask me was there a problem.
Today was my last day ever entering Real Deal Jamaican and American food carryout.
My heart of hearts is telling me that this wasn’t her first time doing this. It’s just that this time she got caught. In the pass I never payed that much attention as I did today. I was a loyal customer I had two events cater by them. This is totally Unacceptable! They need to be shut down. ??? What do you think she did with the rice? Can someone say Board of Health! Is she sick and trying to pass on a sickness
Any other time you are able to watch them fix your food from the pick up window. But today they had so many white food containers you wasn’t able to see around it. DISGUSTING!!!

Sadly, the Real Deal is no longer what it once was. The food is wonderful, there’s no arguing that. The service is just horrible, what you might expect from a location that relies on Greenmount ave foot traffic.
If you call, you need to ask if they are able to take new orders. IF they are, they might tell you 45 minutes. Once you arrive, there very may well by another 25 – 35 minute wait. (My ex-​girlfriend refused to go there alone because of the other customers creepy stares & pervy comments.) After their inability to tell me an approximate time that my food might be ready happened a few times, I’d asked for my money back. I really don’t have time to wait an additional 30+ minutes for my order (I have a job), the next time I tried to be a customer, there was a sign that there’s no refunds.
IF YOU DO GO, ASK HOW LONG YOU WILL WAIT, BEFORE YOU PART WITH YOUR MONEY.
Very sad state of affairs there.
I believe they are doing the best possible job they can, tho. They just don’t know how to run their business, properly.

Haven’t ate here yet but they are closed on Sunday? What is this the 1940’s. Maybe there food will redeem my review, when they are open…

undesputed king of jerk chicken and
king of horrible service… this chicken almost makes up for the horrible
why are you here service

Look, I’ve heard about how rude and slow customer service is, but because I didn’t place or pick up the order, I can’t speak on that. This review is solely about the food.
My jerk chicken, oxtails, beans and rice, and cabbage were so friggin’ good. I’ve never been to Jamaica, so I don’t know what authentic Jamaican is, but if it tastes anything like this, it’s absolutely delicious. It’s perfectly seasoned, the meat is juicy, and the oxtails weren’t full of fat. The portions are large. As a matter of fact, I was reminded to write a review because I just finished eating the other half of my food for lunch today.
I will be eating food from here again. No doubt about it.

They have the BEST jerk chicken, but the WORST service. I have called this place 45 minutes in advance to order just a simple jerk chicken platter, and gone in after 45 minutes, only to NOT have my order ready. In fact, they hadn’t even started.
Last time I ordered, I actually asked for my money back, because the place was PACKED, and there were all these disgruntled customers waiting for food. I wasn’t the only person asking for my money back.
I don’t know if these people just don’t care if they lose business, or what.
Also, you’re supposed to get plantains with your meal, but half the time, they are OUT of them.
The food is so delicious, but the annoyance factor is so high whenever I order from there, I’ve started getting my jerk elsewhere, like St. Mary’s, whenever I’m in Baltimore.

I crave Real Deal food regularly! It is delicious! I get 1/​/​2 jerk and ½ curry dinner with curry gravy. After living with a Jamaican roommate that prepared this type of food on a regular basis for 13 years, I must say that it is THE REAL DEAL! The only problem is the customer service lacks professionalism. If you try to put in a telephone order, they tell you they’re busy right now and just come in”. But if it is really busy, they are way to slow to satisfy the average customer. They need to fix that.

Did not taste like authentic Jamaican at all! Jerk chicken taste more like barbeque.

I am a Curry goat gurl. I love me some goat. And the Real Deal did not disappoint. The sauce is very flavorful. One disappointment was that they do not give you plantains. That sweet enhances the savory of the meal. One will cost you 50 cent at the market but they can charge you $ 2 or $ 3 bucks for them. Give th free I say. Lol. But overall good goat.

This place is perfect. You can taste the time and care put into each dish. I’ve tried EVERYTHING on the menu and was more than pleased with every dish each time. Even when there is a long line i’m in and out in no more than 10 mins. Friendly people and fair prices/​portions.

Great Jerk Chicken. Been to Jamaica a few times in the last few years, ate plenty of jerk chicken driving thru the mountains, some cooked on a cut-​in-​half 55-​gallon drum grill with a chain link fence cooking surface outside of a shack, some in small restaurants. Soooo good. This spot has the best authentic jerk chicken I’ve had in Bmore so far. (Or should I say best jerk chicken I’ve had outside Jamaica.)
And there’s PLENTY of chicken in a large order.
Almost 1 – 2 meals per platter.
I wish they had bammy tho!

This my 2^nd attempt w/​these people.
I drove all the way from Canton w/​my Jerk Chicken craving…
Bout $ 15 worth of jerk chicken from these people…
Disgusting! It just want’s good at all. Very bitter, no real flavor
I’ve tried their curry & that was a 6 out of 10 but their jerk just not good. Yuck!

Not sure why this place wasn’t previously listed. It’s been here for a good while and does a decent amount of business. The jerk chicken is my favorite. My daughter likes the curry chicken. Service is slow, but hey, it’s the Real Deal.

The best jerked chicken and cabbage I’ve had outside of Jamaica!