Elaine’s Kitchen

Worst jerk chicken I have ever had. People highly rate it clearly have not been to any part of Jamaica or the caribbean! It looked dry, old, and clearly had been recooked! Inedible. I can never understand why instead of throwing out food pass it’s freshness date some restaurants chose to doctor it up and sell it, like customers can’t tell. The oxtails were really good however they were very small and mostly fat. The cabbage was overcooked and soggy and drenched in sauce.
Even after all of I would have been willing to give them another chance on a busier day of the week which would prompt fresh food. Until I saw a roach!!!
Will not be back, but further giving them the benefit of the doubt I convinced myself it traveled in with a customer. So that I would be willing to at least try it. You be the judge!

Omg! Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life. you can taste the love that went into making it. I will differently be a new regular.

My last meal from Elaine’s kitchen was not good at all and this was March 19, 2016. I have been to Elaine’s in the past and it was very good and everytime I visit Dallas it is a must visit but I was very disappointed on the last visit. I am not sure what it was but I had jerk chicken and it was red. I have never had red jerk in the past. My wife had ox tails and they were tough and lacked flavor. I am not sure if it was a new cook or what but this last visit was not very enjoyable. I gave Elaine’s kitchen 3 stars because of my previous two visits. I will try the next time I am in Dallas but if it is not very good I will be done with Elaine’s kitchen.

One word… OXTAILS!!! Thank me later, and for the portion!!! Love Elaine’s, and please open one in California!

Ate here for the second time today and it is quite delicious. The first time I had the oxtails and my companion got the curry goat. The oxtails were okay but could have been more tender. The curry goat was amazing! Today I tried the brown stew snapper. My friend had the curry goat roti. I liked the snapper, though it was more expensive than I anticipated. I loved the curry goat, again. I also tried the pound cake, which was also really good. You really can’t go wrong with the goat.

YES!
This place is as authentic as they come.
Located in a private lot (extra private considering that it’s fenced in). This restaurant is not to be judged by it’s outside; barred windows, tons of dudes with dreadlocks rolling dice in the corner, and a little rasta gift shop outside of the doors.
Rather, this restaurant deserves to be tried by everyone who loves spice and good food.
I tried the Jerk chicken– delcious, sweet, savory, spicy but a bit cold. I found myself having to pop it into the microwave as the outside of the chicken was warm but it was cold down to the bone. Still, very very good.
The oxtails– decadent and salty and oh so good. My favorite dish of the two i tried.
I also had the Chicken patty which was perfectly seasoned and for $ 2 one of the best deals in Dallas.
Next time i’m here, i’m going to try every ting!

Listen… hands down… BEST Ox Tail in DFW. I drive all the way from Addison to MLK just to get my beef patties, Ox Tail, cabbage, and rice and peas! Please stop in and try something different!

Great Curry goat in the medium plate over rice perfectly seasoned!!! It was quick and the staff was friendly on a busy Friday lunch. stop by check it out.

Elaine’s is a hole-​in-​the-​wall type of place. While unassuming in appearance, this restaurant knows how to serve some mean jerk chicken. I can’t say I have had authentic Caribbean dishes in the past, but I felt the soul and history behind my small plate of juicy, jerk chicken. Given the neighborhood, I would recommend that people visit in pairs or groups. Elaine’s is without a doubt worth the trek!

Clean place to dine in. Looks very popular.
Came in at 11:30 am, their opening time, they opened 10 mins late and people were already lined up outside. Within 20 mins of opening, they’ve served more than 30 customers. By the time I left, there was maybe one parking spot left (and its not a very small lot).
Got to meet Elaine, she was sweet and humble. The ordering process could be a little intimidating for the first-​timers because the line behind is so long and there are different food names written in so many places. I got their vegetable pasta and vegetable patties, my friends got goat-​curry and veggie plate. A medium is a huge serving.
All our plates had cabbage on one side. Mine was a super creamy and saucy alfredo pasta with finely chopped carrots, onions and scallions? It was delicious! (But not very healthy, mind you).
Goat-​curry came with a heaping amount of red meat and rice.
The veggie plate was kind of a disappointment though, as it was basically dirty rice with goat/​beef/​whatever gravy and 2 whole potatoes cooked in the gravy.
This is a soul-​food place with rich flavors and hearty sizes. This wouldn’t be a go-​to place for me because they don’t offer many plant-​based foods. But they get a well-​deserved 4 star for the quality and taste (according to 5 of my friends) of their food.

Love this place but hate the parking and all the panhandlers. All my tip money goes to them. But I put up with it because their food is so good.

Ummmm that orange stuff is chicken (from the pic). At first glance I THOUGHT it was either carrots or yams! Nope, it’s cut up white meat, I tried the rice n beans (mushy). The cabbage was good tho. They put jerk sauce on the side and it did NOT taste ANYTHING like jerk sauce it taste like bbq sauce. The sad thing is Tia (my Dallas friend) has had jerk in Chicago and took us here. Wtf!!! I gave it 2 stars because of the cabbage, the tilapia rasta pasta (which was yummy) and the guy working the cash register was very nice. They only give out dark meat (noooo) and you have to pay a $ 2 up charge for all white meat meals which made this a meal that was over $ 15.

My husbands family is from Jamaica and we’ve been looking for a Jamaican place to eat at in Dallas since we just moved here not too long ago. Not in the best area of town and its our first time coming even though we’ve seen this place a few times and all I can say is WOW! The food here is delicious! We ordered the curry chicken and stewed chicken both with rice and peas and cabbage, side of dumplings and plantains, lemon cake, and chicken and beef patties to go. The lemon cake was a little dry but everything else was delicious! The chicken was so tender on both dishes it just fell off the bones. Will definitely be coming back and trying some other things on their menu.

Spicy beef Jamaican patty was just ok. Not close to being the best I have ever had (for that, you’ll have to go to Gainesville, FL)
Weekday lunch special prices are good. Regular prices maybe not so much so, but they’ll be a bit larger. Come for lunch since they do all the cooking every morning before they open and they may open late if they’re not ready yet. And if you’re stuck waiting outside for them to open for lunch, you won’t be the only one. Today, for instance, there were five other cars sitting idle, waiting too. So it must be a well known landmark in the area.
Brown stewed chicken was excellent, as were the cabbage and even the rice and beans (which I rarely talk about). I would order it again although I don’t think I’m the best judge in terms of telling you what is authentic and what isn’t, since I did taste a bit of bbq flavor. Texan twist, maybe?
Carrot juice was for some reason sweet — not quite a fan but I’m sure it’ll grow on you if you keep drinking it. Lol.
This is how ordering works: you go up, order, and then take one of the 15 tables and wait until they call your name. And even if you’re eating indoors, they’ll still serve you in a styrofoam box. That’s just the way it is.

I’ve been going to Elaine’s since I was a kid and the food is everything and more! Love the new menu upgrades!

After leaving Florida I have been hard pressed to find good Jamaican food… until Elaine’s that is!
It is very good, I have only been twice but both times were great. The curry chicken was fall off the bone amazing and the portions are very large. Like one reviewer stated previously the «jerk» chicken is more like bbq chicken with a little extra spices added but it was still good. Will definitely keep coming back.
UPDATE: 7÷13÷2015 for some reason they NEVER have oxtail anymore. Also why did it cost $ 18.00 for ONE large curry chicken and 2 ginger beers? Ridiculously expensive, I called ahead and waited over 30 minutes to get my food from the time I arrived. Hmmm and for some reason when I walked up to ask for a refund after waiting so long, miraculously the food appeared from nowhere. The food is not worth it!!! Will not be going back.
Gawd I miss Florida for the Jamaican food, good and cheap!!!

Very very good. Ordered the jerk chicken, cabbage, rice and peas, Mac and cheese and the lemon cake. I usually don’t eat this much but since it’s a good distance from where I live I wanted my first visit to really count.
They give Healthy portions, I ate this over the span of two days. Jerk chicken was completely different from what Im used to, from back home, in chicago, but different is still good, when talking about Elaine’s jerk chicken. Will be going back soon.

Well, as a new visitor to the town of Hutchins I can tell you there isn’t anything good to choose from there, so heading back into D-​Town get off at MLK and just off highway a bit is Elaine’s.
Need your car wash outside– Check.
Rastaman outside has table of stuff for sale– Check
Place was crowded for lunch which is a good sign, and since they been here for like 25 years its a great sign that they are consistently putting out good food. Most of crowd did seem to be seated awaiting takeout orders like myself.
Whether its the norm to wait this long cause the way the do orders and payment, or its the quality of fresh food I can say it was worth the wait.
I had the Curry Chicken, Rice and Peas, Cabbage, Plantains, Irish moss to wash it down — Yes nire.
I would quickly agree with another review, the plantains were just ok, however everything else was fantastic.
Mostly I have had Jerk chicken or beef patties in past in other Jamaican restaurants as well in Jamaica 20 years ago, but first time trying Jamaican style curry dish and was a very happy camper.
Flavor profile was delicious, texture differences were easily noticed, and ingredients really shined through in whole plate.

So I’ve just killed my oxtails, rice & peas and cabbage, now I can write this review.
The first time I went, I found myself comparing it to other establishments, but I was hungry and I DO NOT waste food. Let me tell you, I ate in my truck… the whole meal! I ordered the brown stew chicken with rice & peas and cabbage lunch special (small to go tray size). The chicken had a sweet flavor to it that I was not expecting for brown stew chicken and the cabbage had other vegetables in it that I’m not accustomed to, but overall a great dish. I give it a 3.8 out of 5.
Today I ordered a medium size portion (usual to go tray size) of oxtails, rice & peas and cabbage. I’m glad they put it in a brown paper bag then a plastic bag so I didn’t have to smell it for 30 minutes going home. On the medium portion I got like 7 or 8 oxtails. They were not as tender as I’d like, but still good. The cabbage had broccoli, cauliflower, green peas and carrots cooked with it and the flavor was amazing! Almost better than what I can cook. The rice & peas… meh, they had a sweet flavor to them, and just ok. I give it a 4 out of 5.
I’ll have to try other menu items to see if they can get a 5 from me, but that’s not too easy. The neighborhood is not in the best of places and the inside is not fancy by no means, but the kitchen puts in that work and produces great food!
You will not leave disappointed, give them a try.

It was my first time trying jamaican food. I was not disappointed trying Elaine’s kitchen. I got the oxtail and my friend got the jerk chicken. Both very delicious! I really enjoyed the food. The place is more like a to go place though. Not the best atmosphere.