Negril The Jamaican Eatery-Laurel Store

This establishment has fairly decent food. The only negative side would have to be the customer service; a majority of the employees are very friendly but their are quite a few that are fairly mean. Aside from my horrible customer service, the food was decent. (Jamaican Born and Raised)

If I could give them no stars I would. On top of it being the worst oxtails I ever had in my life the service was terrible. The 2 ladies at the front desk had nasty attitudes. Save your money and don’t eat here.

I just ended my meal, not finished it but just gave up on it. I purchased the oxtails and they were bland. The veggies were mixed vegetables, which I couldn’t get down with and the rice and peas were uneventful. I bought a beef patty and it was dry as the Shara. Do not eat here!!!

Stopped in here to pick up dinner. The restaurant was clean and there were quite a few people coming in and out. Service was okay. I ordered oxtails and jerk chicken platters and a mild beef pattie. No complaints with the pattie. It was spicier than I like, but that happens sometimes, no biggie. I am a LOVER of oxtails and this time I didn’t even finish the dish. There just was not enough flavor to the oxtails. At all. Not even the rice was good. I was very disappointed, that I wanted to pull out my dishes and make my own pot. My oxtails definitely taste better. The jerk chicken was okay. Nothing to write home about. All in all, I would not recommend this place. Oh, and I guess it’s only in NJ that plantains are added to the platters. :(

I do not care for the food here. I think the coco bread and patties are okay, but the food lacks that Jamaican flavor.

Went there last night just before closing… Food was cold and watery. Tasteless no spices (thats the jerk chicken). And worst of all came across hair in my food, i have super short hair, it was long and curly. Had to throw it away ill never go back again. My advise is dont waste ur money

I came here tonight for dinner and was very disappointed in the quality of the food. The restaurant was clean and the employees were friendly. For dinner I had the curry chicken entrée. It came with potatoes, a large amount of rice, and a very small amount of vegetables. The chicken was very under seasoned and the curry was watered down. The vegetables had no seasoning at all and were very bland. Not to mention that the chefs were Mexican which wouldn’t have been a bad thing if the food was awesome. Not saying you have to be Jamaican to cook great jamaican food but someone who’s had some experience cooking it or is familiar with jamaican food would be ideal in this case. I had to add hot sauce and salt just to make the food slightly tasty.
Overall, I won’t be coming back here and if you’re craving Jamaican food this isn’t the place to go!

Would not go back. Wings were very dry and tasted like they were re-​heated several times and average flavor. Good service but food was very dissappointing

I have been to Jamaica the country once, and Negril the restaurant once. I give the country 5 stars and the restaurant 4. I thought the jerk drumette dinner was great.

Lunch jerk chicken sandwich w/​cocoa bread was the best in a long time. I have a Negril closer to me, but, I will make this trip back to this location again.

Idk what yal talking about, I love Negril! I always get the curry chicken special with rice and cabbage it’s so good!

If you just have to have Jamaican food and you’re nearby, stop there. But don’t expect the soup to be hot or the patties or the coco bread either.
As a Jamaican, the food passes, but barely. Not a very welcoming location, but one of the cashiers is really really sweet.

First time… maybe last ?
Jerk Chicken was aromatic yet lack seasoning.
Beef patty was tasteless… I prefer another country’s version.
I was very disappointed if jerk chicken taste like this one. I hope not and will still look for the best one in DMV.
Very professional staff and clean location.
The place was packed at 4PM on a Tuesday tho.
I feel bad giving this low rating but its my take.

Take this w/​a grain of salt. I eat there regularly, but always get the same dish. So this is really a one-​dish review.
Chicken soup. Enough said.
We’ll not quite. I feel gyped if the soup is missing the dumpling – check to see it’s there and whine (yes make your self visibly and vocally disappointed) if it’s not.
Note the chicken will come in bone – so expect it.
Recommend ordering soup Wed, Thurs or Fri. Tuesday if you have to have your Negril fix. Not Monday tho. It’s made Mondays and improves as it progresses (ages) through the week.
What else? Coco bread are just dinner rolls to me. Rice and peas means rice and beans although you might find a pea or even some jerk chicken in it.
But I don’t mind being in a rut and sticking w/​a dish when it’s this good. $ 3.95 how can good be so inexpensive?

I was very disappointed! I ordered the Oxtails … The Oxtails were not tender the peas and rice were dry. My food wretched of garlic. Not pleased at all with the $ 13.00 plus I paid. Does not compare at all to Jamaica House in RVA

I started eating at the Negril in Gaithersburg when I moved there in 2003. «Aunt Bev» was very welcoming and took care of her customers. My roommate and I went nearly every week! Where else can you get a DELICIOUS lunch (or dinner) for about $ 5? And be stuffed afterward? The jerk chicken sandwich was fabulous, and I remember the punch also being great. Even when the space was taken over by Antonio’s Café, they still offered many of Negril’s popular dishes.
When I discovered the Negril in Laurel a few years ago, I was excited. Over the years, I’ve been many times, as it’s near my office – and I always order a jerk chicken sandwich. While the food is good (hey, I keep going back every now and then, so it can’t be that bad), it’s not the same. If I HADN’T eaten a jerk chicken sandwich at another Negril location, I’d say it’s great. But I know it’s not as good as it’s been in the past. There’s something about the flavor – the complexity of the spices – that just is lacking what they used to have. And the sweet and sour poppyseed dressing isn’t as good. The coco bread is relatively tasty. And the service is ok – just friendly enough, but not fabulous or anything.
The bottom line: They make a good jerk chicken sandwich at a good price, so I’ll still stop there occasionally to pick up a quick sandwich for lunch.

Nothing impressive here. From my understanding, Negril started off at a flagship location and expanded to two additional locations (including this one) and as a result, lost a significant bit of its authenticity in the process.
Whenever I’m buying ethnic food from a restaurant, I’m a stickler for staff that come from the country of said of restaurant’s specialty. Here at this particular location, I’m not sure if even one person is from JA. Sad. And you can taste it too. While the food is by no means terrible, it doesn’t hit you with that POW that great, homecooked Caribbean food from the homeland does.
It’s good, but nothing to write home about. Try and take advantage of their lunch specials during the week from 11−3PM to get discounted meal prices.

I live right around the corner from this location so whenever I need a quick Caribbean fix, I’m in here.
I really love their coco bread and for someone who does not really eat beef patties like that, I seems to always order one from here. I am in love with their Jamaican punch and specialty drinks especially the one made with banana. Fruitylicious!
This place is groovy

I grew up eating Jamaican food– i have eaten at probably 100 different Jamaican restaurants in my lifetime. Maybe my standards are too high for the ordinary person who eats Jamaican food once a year, but I was pretty disappointed after eating here. They really should take ROTI completely off of their menu! It tasted more like a flattened dumpling. Rubbery in texture– no flakiness! :(The filling was pretty bland and watery as well. The vegetable patty and coco bread was a little better– but not by much.
The customer service was good though. The guys at the counter were friendly and made it a point to state that they were Jamaican. Maybe they get a hard time because of their appearance. But I know better. Jamaicans come in all varieties and don’t necessarily «look» the same. #lovemypeople
Anyway, I have no plans to return. If you looking for somewhat quick ‘Americanized Caribbean food’… then yeah, check this place out. But if you’re craving the real deal — keep driving… do not pass go. do not collect $ 200! lol :-/

Hate to be a jerk (har har) but this place gets 2 stars from me. Barely. It used to be Red Snappaz — which was quite good actually — and the food is a major downgrade.
Food — I used to love Negril in Silver Spring, especially their jerk chicken sandwich. Unbeknownst to me, the quality of the food at the SS location has gone down over the past year, so I visited Negril with fairly lofty expectations. The jerk chicken ($ 8.25), served with rice and peas and salad or steamed cabbage, is roasted, flavorless, and dry. While the rice and peas are good, they shouldn’t be the best thing on the plate for a carnivore. The beef patties ($ 1.90) are good but not that much better than what you’d find in 7 – 11 or the freezer section of a Costco.
The only redeeming factor was the fricassee chicken ($ 7.95) — curried chicken with a delectable sauce. The chicken was tender, the skin was roasted to perfection, and the flavor of the curry was excellent. And for that, I give them an extra star.
For sides, I’d go with the salad — the cabbage was pretty bland.
They offer a hot sauce, which is essentially crushed habanero peppers in vinegar, which isn’t very flavorful, but adds a nice kick.
Location — plenty of seating indoors. They have take-​home boxes of beef patties, but like I said, stick with Costco.
Service — was decent. Food took roughly 5 – 10 minutes to prepare.
If you’re in the mood for Jerk chicken in Laurel, I’d head to Aunt Susan’s kitchen, or drive a bit further to Just Jerk in Lanham, which is my go-​to for Jerk chicken in the area. I have fond memories of Negril, but those memories were crushed by a flavorless, dry chicken.