Bronzeville Jerk Shack

Pretty dope spot, loves the décor. They didn’t have everything when I went there and I was so frantic to go. I’ll definitely be going back

To be fair. more like 1.5 stars. Service 1 star. Food/​value 2 stars.
Ripped off! I got their food from the Fooda pop-​up lunch catering at my work’s building today and I paid for a half pound pork and probably only got a ¼ pound. The 2 ladies catering were late (over 30 min late) in setting up and they still moved SLOW. Did they not see the line of people waiting? The pork needed seasoning, the sauce was good but a tad too spicy. I’ve been to Jamaica twice and my lunch today was nowhere near as good. The rice and peas too was terrible… SO INCREDIBLY BLAND. It tasted like they just cooked white rice and mixed it with canned beans.
I will not visit the restaurant; and if they come back to my building for Fooda’s lunch, I’d rather eat a PBJ sandwich.

We had a delicious meal there today. The pork was tender, the jerk chicken had just the right amount of spice, and sides were on point! The portions were sized right as well.
I’ll definitely keep coming back to Bronzeville Jerk Shack.

First & last time with these stingy people!!!
They consider 2 tiny pieces of chopped up chicken (mostly bone) a quarter chicken. The rice and peas were very bland. Correction: the rice & peas were very very bland. The cabbage was just ok but that’s not what I went there for. I wanted JERK chicken. Not chicken with brown stuff on it posing as jerk. If it weren’t for the sauce my taste buds would have gone to sleep. But instead they were on fire. Hot sauce does not jerk chicken make. What a sad attempt!

This place is TERRIBLE. Do NOT get their jerk chicken.
I ordered what I thought was jerk chicken.
I start eating it, and it tastes extremely bland. The guy working there said that people complained it was too spicy, so he decided to make it sweet and spicy instead.
WTF???
You can’t make sweet and spicy chicken and call it jerk chicken. Also, NEWSFLASH: If you don’t like spicy food, DON’T EAT JERK CHICKEN. It’s supposed to be spicy.
This place is a disgrace to jerk chicken.
I literally had to go to Uncle Joe’s, order some jerk there, and get extra jerk sauce just so I could use it with this bland chicken. That’s how bad it was.
So, if you like jerk chicken, like actual, spicy, jerk chicken (the only kind there is really, and trust me, I’ve been to Jamaica, so I know what I’m talking about), then DON’T GO HERE. If, on the other hand, you enjoy sweet and spicy chicken masquerading as jerk chicken, then feel free to check this place out.
Also, I didn’t try anything else on the menu so I have no idea about anything other than the jerk chicken.

yummmmmmm! quite possibly, the best jerk chicken I’ve had in Chicago. Soooo good! Also the Festival are the bomb! (one time, it was a bit overcooked, but every other time it has been deeelicious!)
Additionally, the efforts that the owner of Bronzeville Jerk Shack is making to revitalize the surrounding community is welcome and admirable. If you get the chance, ask for a tour of the incubator space upstairs, plans for additional restaurants in the building, and the greenspace/​garden on the rooftop where they grow some of the food used in their cooking. Pretty darned cool!
random aside: when I was over there the other day, I saw that Swagger had re-​opened across the street. Haven’t been yet, but was super surprised to see it.

Bronzeville Jerk Shack was the pop-​up restaurant in my office building today. While I LOVE jerk chicken, they only had dark meat and I prefer white, so I ordered the jerk pork, instead. They had a variety of meal options for us, in various sizes, and sides like rice ‘n peas or cabbage. (Only two workers, though, working the lunch line, which wasn’t smart for an office building of this size! Most restaurants usually have 3, with one person dedicated to taking the money, instead of having this one guy preparing the plates and having to move down with each customer and tell the cashier what to charge.)
In any event, I ordered the jerk pork, one portobello mushroom (which was smaller than the palm of my hand), and a side of plantains. While I don’t believe that I got much food for the $ 8 cost, I will say that it was fabulous!
I am a north sider, but I have yet to find a Jamaican restaurant near me that I like. I would drive to the southside for this food! The sauce was provided in a small cup on the side, which I think was very smart, so you could add as little or as much as you wanted. And it was VERY flavorful. An excellent enhancement to the meat. Yum! I look forward to road tripping, LOL, to try other dishes here!

A coworker and I were excited to try this spot for lunch. The space and atmosphere is sleek and bright. Our food order took quite a while (especially considering it is just lunch). It was about 20 minutes for our order. The food came in a large cardboard box but when I opened the box I saw, what to me anyway, was a very small portion of food for $ 8.00. Tiny nuggets of jerk pork, a tiny portion of sweet potato fries, and salt fish fritters. Everything was good but the jerk was really not what I expected. I have never seen tiny nuggets of jerk anything.
My suggestion to the owner is to 1.) increase the speed of service, and 2.) increase the portions. Otherwise I do not see the spot making it.

I hate to say it, but this place is terrible. I attempted to eat at Bronzeville Jerk Chicken Shack this evening and it was the most disgraceful restaurant I have ever been to in the entire world. Let me count the ways:
1.) I ordered two white meat chicken dinners on GrubHub… but then GrubHub called me to tell me that the restaurant had cancelled my order. I’ve ordered from GH/​seamless web hundreds of times and that’s never happened to me. This should have been my tip off that no good was going to come from this transaction but I’m an optimist so…
2.) I drove to the restaurant and ordered my two chicken dinners. When we walked in the restaurant there wasn’t any music playing and the cashier was standing around slack-​jawed and the four customers at the tables weren’t eating anything. But they were all frowning. And…
3.) When I placed my order the cashier told us it was going to take 30 minutes to get the chicken. What? But I ordered it anyway, went home to watch People’s Court, then came back 30 minutes later to pick up my delicious meal…
4.) Oh me. Oh my. We went back after 30 minutes and the cashiers were arguing in the back and when they finally decided to turn their attention to us they told us that there’s now a 90 minute wait for chicken.
5.) No food was cooking and nobody was wearing hair nets and both cashiers started yelling at my mother.
6.) it took almost 10 minutes to get my $ 28.00 in cash back because the Square computer system broke or whatever excuse they had.
7.) I started to yell at the workers. One of the ladies started getting real smart and sassy and straight up dismissed my complaints because she didn’t think I’d ever worked in customer service or whatever.
8.) The owner/​manager arrived. But instead of cooking the food he asked me for feedback. «How can we improve our service, madam?»
All I wanted was some jerk chicken, y’all. And all I got was fumbling, bumbling, and sass. Not good enough.

This my new favorite jerk chicken spot it is amazing not only do they have jerk chicken they have festival bread which is amazing. The salt fish fritters are refreshing but a bit spicy. It is a black own business that supports the community in the bronze Ville area.

The customer service here was so bad I left. I’ve heard the food is pretty good, but I was also very confused as to how bread is considered a side. From what I recall, there were no vegetables on the menu at all. Including cabbage. A jerk chicken restaurant with no cabbage and no macaroni and cheese and no red beans and rice. Just bread, plantains, fritterlings (whatever the hell those are), and some other lil shit that didn’t sound appetizing. Again, the menu wasn’t impressive, so I was contemplating if I wanted to eat there, but the shitty, irritable attitude behind the counter sealed the deal for me. Might try it again, but I doubt it. If I do, I’ll certainly update my review if I have a different experience.

Great flavor throughout the chicken not just in the skin! I love the jerk sauce. It’s a tad bit sweet with a bit of heat!

Had lunch plate it was good but if your looking for red beans an rice an big portion of food it’s not here. An that’s not a complaint. Food was fresh but could use some more flavor. Service was good an very nice décor

So, I went. and I ate… and I ate. The food is amazing. The Salt Fish fritters are the best I’ve ever had and the Sorrel was on point. I was never the biggest fan of Jerk Chicken, but I just couldn’t stop eating. I took food home and ate it the next day… still amazing.
Oh yeah the portions are nice and the price is right!

Unassuming South Side Jamaican Dining… Food at its best.
The Food
— — — -
Very well done. Had a number of the island staples on hand. Nicely seasoned and accompanied with additional hot sauce to suit your taste. The Jerk chicken was moist and seasoned well. I tried the salt fish fritters, but I have to say they were to served as they do back home, instead of pan-​fried they are scooped and deep fried in an industrial fryer. Outside of an «interesting shape and texture the taste was pretty good. I made the mistake of not following up on some missed festival in my order, but I will be back to give me opinions on those.
Bang-​For-​The-​Buck
— — — — — — –
Definitely not island prices here vs serving sizes. I would have like to have a little more in my container for what I paid, but I guess I’m not on the island so I’ll probably have to settle for that when I get back home.
The Spot
— — — -
Nicely decorated intimate space. A couple tables for those wishing to dine-​in after ordering their food at the register. Interesting Jamaican themed artwork adorn the walls with a color scheme that makes you feel on the island without over doing it!
The Staff
— — — -
Friendly and courteous, but at times lacked information about the basics of the genre of food they were serving. Quite honestly it didn’t really matter as their pleasant personalities made up for it.
Conclusion
— — — —
Good tasting food in the Bronzeville area! Definitely stop and and grab a bite to eat! A must eat! Tell ‘em I sent you!

My son loves this place. The food is great and you are likely to run into some great people there. Others have noted to the lack of green options, which is true but I guess I just filed that under things that will change as the restaurant grows. I think this is a great addition to the neighborhood also with the garden and the bike box (where I bought my great bike by the way). As much as I enjoy the food, particularly the festival (I get it as my side with dinner then order an extra side of it). I have also come to see this space as a gathering area. A black run business in a black neighborhood that cares about the future of the community is a beautiful thing, so my son and I happily spend our dollars and time there.
I will say that I wish they had a jug of water and maybe a paper cup for purchase or sign encouraging people to carry water bottles. :) But I also personally love how green they are. Their logo is stamped on the brown paper boxes! NO styrofoam!
Food 4 stars + 1 star for community and environmental work

This venue provides a great addition to the neighborhood. Although the food was not what I expected but the service was excellent. My significant other and I order two chicken dinners with sweet potatoes fries and plantains. The chicken breast was on the dry side with some of the other chicken being a little crispy. The plantains are by far the best I ever had! I was not fond of the sauce or hush puppy cornbread pieces.
It get a sense that the meal is missing something, usually with other jerk chicken venues you have rice/​beans and cabbage. I wish they served a salad or other green leafy entrée option on their menu. I checked in with my Unilocal app and I was awarded a free sorrel limeade. OMG! The only way I can describe this drink as lime sugar water. I think it is messing a shot of something if you get my drift? Maybe since I ordered my food late at night it had something to do with my experience.

1^st I would like to say
Welcome to the neighborhood.
This is a nice not the big open kitchen style place.
Off the corner on a side street
This place has a very simple menu.
But it still gives you a chance to try different things.
Meat, side and a drink. Works for me.
My meat was nice and tender but not the typical jerk taste and that is what makes this place different. This owner was very creative when he stepped out side the box. (Great job).
You won’t find the same sides like a lot of other places.
He was very good at coming out with a new kick for his own style of jerk sauce.
I was just taking away with the saltfish fritters.
If you have had fritters from the Bahamas or Jamaica while on vacation
Well now you can go to this place and have them over and over again. And not be on vacation.
Great job
Keep up the good work. Wishing you and your new place the best.
Being different is a amazing thing. And remember
Customer satisfaction

I really don’t understand the hype about this place. Came in on a Sunday afternoon with a friend. We order the Jerk Chicken and I loooove jerk anything… The chicken had good flavor but not jerk flavor, more like flamed broiled taste and the white meat was really dry. The jerk sauce was weird to say the least.
My main gripe is really about the fact that they have NO vegetables on the menu. What the heck? I couldn’t believe it! Sweet potato fries? Dry bread? The only side in my opinion worth trying is the Plantains (those were delicious). No cabbage? Anyway, maybe these are just growing pains. But as of right now, I won’t be returning…

Are you looking for Jerk? Are you sick of the typical jerk places? Well, I think we may have found the right place. Go to try a new restaurant but stay because of the jerk chicken! It’s amazing. I also tried the plantains and their other speciality item.
I discovered them after seeing an urban farm on top of a roof on 5^st street. After trying to figure out just what it was, I discovered this little gem. In fact, they’re going to use some of the food that they grow at this restaurant & others that are coming soon. Listen, they’re new and still working out the kinks, but that chicken is great & worth the wait!!) Try them out!