The Island Spot

We enjoy it! The ambiance is awesome! Ms Tameka was our waitress and she was also awesome. Just tell her to bring you a drink and you will enjoy it and ask for another! We Thank you all for the experience! Definitely telling our friends and coming back!

My bf & I was looking for something different to do, especially since we’re only in town for the weekend, I found this restaurant on Unilocal with good reviews, we decided to go here b/​c of the reviews & we’re both from South Florida where there is an abundance of Caribbean cuisine, but Texas really doesn’t have that many. When we got there, we were really impressed, we love the atmosphere & it was very laid back, quick response from the waitress, we didn’t wait long for our food, we both ordered oxtails, w/​peas & rice, w/​steamed veggies, the food was delicious, the only thing my bf & I both wished that the oxtails were cooked a little bit longer, it was a little tough, not falling off the bones & tender like we’re used to, but it was still good & not enough to give it less than 5 stars, b/​c the overall experience was great & exactly what we were looking for, we definitely will be coming back, we already said the brown stew chicken is the next thing we will try!

Came in for lunch and ordered the jerk chicken plate with rice and pea and mixed vegetables. I had to order plantains separately, as well.
Jerk $ 9.50
Cocktail $ 9
Plantain $$ 3.50
The jerk (dark meat only though) was very moist and good with a nice spice to it! The Painkillah cocktail was very good (strong)! Shout out to Tameka… who suggested this drink and made it for me!
A nice size restaurant with cool Jamaican type décor AND they have a Rum Bar!
Looking forward to trying breakfast/​brunch on a weekend very soon!

I’ve driven by here so many times growing up I had to just find out what this restaurant was all about. Verdict? Still don’t really know but I know that it’s an acquired taste. I visited around 1PM for take-​out. It was the late lunch crowd and predominately African, African American, or East Indies crowd. Call me racists but the demographics appeared native — always a good sign for more authentic cuisine. I’ve written before that a Chinese restaurant with all Chinese patrons was a good sign. Same applies for any ethnic restaurant.
I have mixed feelings because I asked for Jerk Chicken but but Oxtail Curry instead? Curry’s such a strong flavor that you have to be in the mood for curry. And the braised meat that ethnic restaurants typically use is full of fat and tendons. Not bad in-​and-​of-​itself but it’s just not for weak American palettes. What’s wrong with authentic braised meats? It’s chewy. It’s fatty. It’s got all that flavor but you’ve really got to work on it. Oh, and it’s got bones. Again … nothing terribly wrong but it’s just so much effort for lunch.
The rice and peas is more like rice and beans. Decent. The steamed vegetables was a slightly curried cabbage with shredded carrots. Again, decent.
Overall, Island Spot is a fairly good restaurant. It’s something of an acquired taste. I’m not even sure I know what Jerk Chicken or Jamaican fare really is. I’m sure I’ve got a warped sense of Jamaican cuisine so I really can’t fault this restaurant for my own misconceptions.
Is it worth trying again? Sure. Would I make sure that I got the chicken next time? Yeah, I’d probably dine in instead.
3 Stars — A-​OK. Nothing wrong. Nothing mind-​blowing either. Just OK.

The oxtails were EVERYTHING!!! I’m so used to Elaine’s near the fair park but I think this is the new spot! Pleasant experience too!

The jerk chicken was good. I added BBQ sauce to mind which gave it a sweet and spicy taste. I also had the saffron rice which had a nice mild flavor. I like the location of The Island Spot and ambiance in comparison to Elaine’s. I will definitely be returning back to try the ox tails.

Ordered here and waited 45+ minutes for the food to come out, and watched others that arrived after me get theirs. I am convinced that they forgot about us, or our order all together. I did see some servers discussing what looked like was them trying to figure out how they screwed our order up.
I hope that you are served better than I was and get your food on time and have a server that is courteous enough to tell you that what you ordered isn’t in stock… before or when you order it, not 45 minutes after.
Had high hopes for this place, I really did. I will not be back, nor would I spread good word about it with my network.
Such a shame.

Came here for brunch. Left very satisfied. I got the crab cakes while the lady got the jerk shrimp and grits.
Both very tasty.
The mango mimosas are great.
Only reason it was 4 instead of 5 is because my potatoes were not hot, but still tasty.

The worse spinach I’ve ever had. Tasted like frozen or out of a can. The service was poor.
Don’t think I’ll get them another try.

Came in for lunch. I got the oxtail and the jerk chicken. I think our favorite was the ox tail. It was flavorful and soft. The rice with cabbage was good as well. I also got a free mango juice, so that was good. Server was very nice.

Excellent food and Service. Wish was able to eat for dinner insteas of lunch, so I could drink some rum!
Lunch prices are very reasonable.

Fun little place that transports you to the Caribbean the minute you step inside. I’m not an expert on Jamaican food, but this place seems to nail it. The jerk chicken is full of flavor and very tender. Just the right amount of heat too — unlike some places whose jerk chicken is too spicy to enjoy. But my favorite was an item we didn’t originally order, the oxtail stew. Our waitress (who was adorable and super attentive btw) brought us a sample to mix with our rice & beans. I would go back just for this! So tender it was falling off the bone.
4 out of 5 only because the fried chicken wasn’t my favorite thing in the world. It’s listed on the menu as having a bunch of spices in it, but it definitely can’t measure up to the spice in their other dishes.

I have bookmarked this place for almost 3 years ever since I moved into the area, living right down the street and it took me that long to finally give it a try with the big push from my friend. Now I really wish I tried it longgggg time ago, cuz boy they’re fantastic!!!
First thing I noticed walking in was the outdoor seating area. They have such adorable set up outside! It really gives you that Caribbean feel only if the parking lot was the beach lol. Walking inside I automatically got in a much better mood with the colorful decoration through out the whole restaurant. You really can’t tell much from just looking at the place from the street. It’s definitely a hidden gem.
Our waitress was extremely friendly and helpful. She offered to bring us a dipping sauce (it doesn’t come with the order) that’s basically a stew to pair with our fried dumpling. It was the perfect combination. For entrée, I got myself the curry tilapia and my friend got the jerk chicken. I love the fact that it comes with a good amount of assorted veggies and the portion was huge! My friend really enjoyed his jerk chicken and has made it his favorite spot for bbq chicken, not your typical bbq chicken of course.
Also, they have excellent happy hour, plus plenty of drink choices. And don’t forget to check in on Unilocal to receive a free juice ;)

Lets start with the positive.
We sat outside on a beautiful day. The porch seating was small but cozy.
The french fries were the best thing served. A little underdone but i like mine on the crispier side. Totally passable for the norm.
I got oxtail stew with spinach and stir fried vegetables, which ended up being cabbage. The stew had a nice flavor and the veggies were ehh. Overcooked and on the mushy bland side. Tasted way better with the stew poured over it.
Husband got a jerk burger. The bun was partially stale like it was exposed to air. The patty was thick but way over cooked. Definitely passable and took the score way down. He rated it ½ star but the fries brought it to a 1.
my son ordered chicken strips. Which was the only thing they really had for kids. They were nice size but really really dry.
Not a place we will come back to.

Love supporting local restaurants– this is the place!
It’s cute inside and so yummy — I like to order the stewed chicken or jerk jchicken with rice and peas /​sautéed veggies!

12:15p and the goat wasn’t ready yet; I guess they are on island time. I went with the chicken curry instead. It was good, not great. Rice and peas also good enough to suffice. Cabbage was very good. The free mango juice they serve with the Unilocal checkin was delicious!
I will return for the jerk chicken and ask for some hotsauce next time. I suspect I will raise my rating after a subsequent visit.
If I get a craving for curried goat, I will give this spot another try, but it will be much later in the day.

While my parents rave about this place, I unfortunately don’t share the same enthusiasm. Service is alright, but the wait for our food took a long time. (We were probably the last ones to get dinner that night so there weren’t many other tables.)
I DO, however, recommend their fried plantains above everything else. Super ripe, making them really sweet and delicious! The jerk chicken was spicy, but I didn’t understand the hype. The sides were decent but pretty plain. (I suppose to offset the spiciness?) And the mango cheesecake was disappointing. I could hardly taste any mango. (So I guess it’s a pretty good plain cheesecake, but why call it a mango cheesecake if you can’t even tell it’s there?)
Honestly, the complimentary mango juice you get for checking in on Unilocal is worth it though. I actually really enjoyed it, haha. It was cool to venture out and try a different kind of cuisine, but I’m a little down that I personally did not enjoy it more.

A fellow Unilocaler recommended The Island Spot to me. Craving some Jamaican cuisine one day at work, I made the drive to try it out. What I found was a cute little restaurant. The place was empty when I arrived. I ordered my food to go and ate it back at work.
I returned on a Sunday with a friend to introduce her to Jamaican food. I was shocked to see the restaurant packed! They have about three small tables on the patio also. We were seated inside and given a ‘Sunday Brunch’ menu. I didn’t realize there was a special menu and disappointed that the coconut shrimp I wanted to try wasn’t available. No worries.
We both ordered jerk chicken. I was satisfied with the serving size. Chicken was a little dry and mildly spicy. I enjoyed the sauce on the side. Cabbage was really good. Rice and peas were a little dry and bland. Next time, I’ll see if I can order spinach and cabbage instead of rice and peas. I ordered plantains and only ate a few; not quite as sweet as I’d like.
We each received a free mango juice with Unilocal check in. It’s not something I’d order again, but cool to sample since it was free. They had a few beverages on the menu that I’ll try next time. I really liked the music and overall vibe of the place. It was filled with a diverse mix of patrons, so that’s always a good sign to me.
I definitely plan to return and try a few additional items on the menu.

I haven’t been here in awhile and was glad to see there were positive changes.
A friend and I ordered the curry mutton and the oxtails. The mutton was out of this world delicious; perfectly spicy, just the way I like it. The oxtails were good but it seemed a little lukewarm like it had been sitting there for a few minutes before being served. My saffron rice also didn’t have much flavor. I know the beans and rice is awesome and should have stuck with that. The fruit punch is also worth giving a shout out to!
The other thing I didn’t care for was how loud the music was. When we first entered, the waitress sat us down directly under the speaker and the music was just so loud we felt like we were at the club rather than enjoying lunch. The waitress seemed a little annoyed when we changed seats but there was no way my friend and I could hear each other.

I went to Puerto Rico in April and since then I have been craaaaaaving oxtails, I was finally able to get my fix in this past weekend when I had a lunch date with the lovely Delilah B! She assured me that the food her was pretty good and she’s very picky when it comes to food so I trusted her judgment.
The atmosphere of the Island Spot is pretty nice, nothing over the top and very clean (I like clean places). It’s a nice space, not too big but could still accommodate a larger party without inconveniencing the other patrons. And… they have a full bar :-)
The Island Spot is open seven days a week and has lunch specials from 11 — 3pm everyday (note: on Sunday, they’re only open from 11 – 3) which is definitely a plus for mid-​day diners. The menu covers everything from the usual Jamaican cuisine which covers patties, jerk chicken and curry dishes to of course, what my eyes were wanting to see — oxtails! Everything on the menu sounded so good, I made up in my mind that even if the oxtails weren’t what I wanted them to be, I wanted to come back to try some other items on the menu.
I ordered the chicken patty for an appetizer and the oxtails with spinach and rice for my entrée. The chicken patty came out almost immediately which made me think they probably had them pre-​cooked under a heater in the kitchen, I couldn’t confirm this by the taste because it was very good lol… the seasoning and flavor was yummy! It took a little while for the entrees to come out but mmm… mmm…mmm, it was the worth the wait! Since we were in public, we tried to eat like respectable young ladies, with our knives and forks… but by my second oxtail I had to put the fork and knife down and get hands on… lol. They weren’t cooked how I had them in Puerto Rico, but they were still very good. Like, writing this review is making me want to go back and get some right now-​good.
I had a good experience at The Island Spot and will definitely make a point to go back and try some of the other menu items soon!