Boswell’s Jamaican Restaurant

Authentic, great atmosphere, and the food is delicious. During lunch hours they have a small buffet that’s incredible! This spot is always consistent when it comes to Jamaican food. I love the lemonade from boswell

absolutely delicious! Great tasting, healthy and satisfying food. I have run in a bunch of times to grab a chicken patty and its always hot, fresh and right on time.

*Sigh* I really want to like this place, but I’ve given up. My first experience her was blah. After letting more than a year pass by and having a strong craving for Jamaican food over the weekend, i decided to give it another chance. I mean how hard is it to mess up jerk chicken? Apparently it is. I got two to go plates and when we opened them up I literally wanted to turn around and get my money back. The chicken breast was so dried out and flavorless. I couldn’t even understand how they thought that was acceptable to even serve to customers. The rice and peas and veggies were fine but who wants that when ur main attraction is gross? Fortunately my husband went back up there and the staff was nice enough to give us some more chicken. I definitely won’t return for it in the future though. On a more positive note, my beef patty was delicious and I would go back to get another one.
Overall two stars for the food and an extra star just for good customer service because they really do excel in that area.

This Jamaican Hut is the real deal. I repeat this is the real deal. I had the jerk chicken with rice and peas and dem tings. Tue good was served hot and fresh. Come one come all.

Good chicken and greens. Way too pricey, and the cabbage was really bland. Would not go here again and the man who answered my phone was very rude. He didn’t take my name and just hung up on me and when I called back and was going to give him my name he told me to just come. He then hung up on me again. They were not busy when I got there so there was no excuse for his behavior. Oh well.

Yea, so I was craving some jerk chicken and found myself on Tulane Avenue and decided to check out Boswell’s.
Got there right after they opened, but the buffet table was primed and ready. This trip I decide to order it to go.
It’s a well laid out little restaurant. Colors are vibrant. Generous table seating.
Parking lot that might get a little tight during busier times.
I decided on the jerk chick and pork combo. There was a little miscommunication regarding the two sides that went with the order. They got one out of two correct, but they included delicious plantains and a warm cabbage preparation that reminded me of cole slaw, without the dressing. It was excellent. The chicken and pork were very good, but the chicken was better. Pork was a little dry, but they include a sauce that took the edge off the dryness.
All in all, good eats. Reasonable price and a generous portion… Had enough for lunch and dinner.
Next time I have a guest in town, we are going to check it out again and do the buffet.

Food was ok. had the jerk chicken which had a good flavor but seemed like it was cooked 2 days before I ordered it. Haven’t been back in a while but I plan to give them another chance. Finding authentic Jamaican food in Louisiana is nearly impossible.

Best. Jerk. Chicken. I have had in NOLA. This little hole in the wall place has true authentic Jamaican food. Only reason for 4 stars and not 5 is because their mac and cheese tasted like it came from a box. But their jerk chicken is amazing. Smoky and well seasoned, it’s what I always get. I’ve never been for the buffet but if you go just for dinner, expect to wait a little on your food. It’s worth it because you can tell they are making everything fresh

I came here for lunch with a pretty big group of friends (13 – 14 people) and had the lunch buffet they offered. It was easy to seat us because there weren’t that many people and we just had to move some tables around. I wanted to try the Jamaican drink «ting» but they didn’t have it in stock. They had a variety of chicken with sides like rice, pasta, salad, etc. The only item that stood out to me was the curry chicken which was so fireeee (as in yummy!). It kind of reminded me of home cooked curry chicken. I remember the flavors of the other chicken dishes being very unique and good as well. For the cost of the lunch buffet, it was worth it.
As for the atmosphere, I felt like there were a lot of flies roaming around inside, giving the place an unsanitary feel, and it felt like the AC wasn’t on at all, but they had ceiling fans. Parking is very limited in front of the restaurant; street parking might be better. If you don’t really care about all that, then this is a perfect place for a quick lunch.

I like Boswell’s. I went for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and before I even arrived at the restaurant, I was starting to worry about what to get from the menu, because I wanted everything. But when I got there, there was a buffet! Problem solved.
Both my friend M and I enjoyed the buffet. I did not need seconds, but I had to have some more. When I was returning to my table with a less-​than-​full plate, someone at another table told me I should eat more. I wished I could. Lol. The price was very reasonable as well, at slightly over $ 10.
Having read the reviews, I would like to try items from the menu as well. Maybe that’s what I’ll do next time! :)

I absolutely love this place. The people are friendly and the food is amazing! The curry chicken is seriously addictive! I come here for lunch! You may pass it up as it’s hard to find next to an auto body shope but it’s clean inside.

This being my third time here over quite a span of time, I’d say about the past two years, they’ve yet to disappoint. By some force of nature, i’ve only been during buffet hours and the food has always been amazing. I’ve seen some reviews of people bashing this place because you won’t get five-​star, white table top treatment from the staff, but why would you expect that from a Carribean joint on Tulane Ave? Plus, it won’t matter once you taste the food.
The inside is that of a typical Carribean restaurant. If you’ve ever been to one you’d know that a lot of them do not focus on décor, but, the food itself, which is more than good enough for me. Like i said, I’ve only been during buffet so i have yet to try any take-​out. Normally when i hear buffet, i’m thinking massively processed food thats been sitting out for who knows how long, loaded with MSG or some other barf-​inducing additive. Boswell’s is not the place to have any of those concerns.
I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to trying food, so needless to say, when i got my plate, it was open season on that food bar. The jerk chicken is perfect, there was something else in there that had like chicken and pineapples in this sauce, oh man! Rice is on point, fresh fruit and salads, infinite refills on the lemonade and tea, i mean, c’mon! About twelve-​thirteen dollars is what the buffet will hit for per person.
I ate two plates (which is normally my max at a buffet) and was right where i wanted to be. I didn’t feel beat down and slow from the meal either. It was a healthy blend of good eats. I have to come here more often.

I really want to give four stars. This is a neat little hole in the wall restaurant that you will pass by if you are not paying close attention. The exterior is basic and doesn’t jump out at you. The parking is very limited! The interior walls are painted bright, and there is neat art on the wall, some of which is for sale.
I went at lunch today, as again, I am in the area for business. They have a buffet lunch for weekday lunches, with clean plates. There were about 8 hot items on the table. None of which were labeled, so I was kind of unsure what a few of the items were that had a meat and some sort of sauce. All of the items I tasted were very good. There was also a cold area with fresh cut up pineapple, and grapes.
The staff were friendly, but very busy, and I found it difficult to grab their attention.
I will be back, and ask questions. Buffet and tea for under $ 15. This is a good option, and very educational for my taste buds!

Well, I never tried Jamaican food before, so I got the shrimp and two sides. This place was very clean, the people was very nice, and the service was wonderful! The food was very fresh and very good. I will most definitely go again, and this time I will try the Jerk Chicken. :) oh, yeah! I love how they make your food look so pretty when it come to you.
Edit: like I said in the first review, I never tried Jamaican food before, and now I know why. In my review I only had the shrimp and Mac and cheese and I also said I was going to go back to try the Jerk chicken. I’m not a fan of the jerk chicken, it was pretty much dry, but the favor was still there. I would still go to this place because they do have really great shrimp and awesome fries, but the jerk chicken I didn’t like to much. Maybe because it was late, and right before closing, but I still think they should have done better with it. I will keep the the 5 stars, because of the great customer service and the awesome shrimp and fries. :)

I buy my curry powder from here and the jerk is pretty good; sometimes the staff is not the MOST pleasant and it can be bus around lunch time on weekdays but its solid if you’re craving Jamaican food.

I was craving roti. I’d tried another place the day before and it was awful. I tried THIS place yesterday, skeptical because it’s a Jamaican place. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! Had the buffet and split the roti with a friend. The buffet was good, but the chicken roti was OUTSTANDING! So good, in fact, that I went again, today.
Pleasant staff.
Clean restaurant.
Reasonably priced.
Great food!

BLUF: I am a huge fan; food/​place is legit.
I went to Jamaica last Christmas and traveled around. Feel in love with their curry chicken. So that is what I got at Boswell’s. Tasted the same; awesome. It was a good portion of chicken swimming in the curry. I got rice and peas and mac and cheese for my sides. (peas are actually beans but that is what they call beans in jamaica.) The mac and cheese had very home cooked taste and it was also good.
My date got the jerk pork. A little on the dry side but the jerk was a nice dry rub. Not bad. Not fantastic. She got the rice and peas and the mixed veggies. She really liked her veggies.
The atmosphere is legit too. Has that international developing country feel. Very simple. Waitress was nice but not the worlds best. But that is the same as jamaica (most country’s outside of US).
It was a great place. It would be hard for me to not order the curry chicken.

I’ve been returning to this restaurant periodically for the lunch buffet and I’m yet to be disappointed. I especially enjoy the quick service of the buffet style dining. Today’s food item choices that I selected were truly delectable. I started with a nice light salad of Mixed Green Lettuces, Sliced Garden Tomatoes & Cherry Tomatoes, Shredded Carrots, Sliced Cucumbers and Grated Cheddar Cheese with Honey Mustard Dressing. From the steam tables I selected small portions of Curried Chicken & Gravy, Ox Tails in Dark Brown Gravy, Jerked Chicken, Pineapple Chicken & Gravy, Steamed Vegetables and Peas & Rice. For a beverage, I had a wonderful Ginger Beer. This was great comfort food with a Jamaican twist.

When I walked into the place there were a couple families dinning in and a few people at the bar doing takeout orders. I sat at the bar to order takeout. I sat for 5 minutes before being acknowledged. There was only one person taking orders and serving the families that were dinning in. By this time 4 other people had walked in. The guy that was serving and taking orders finally took my order and then went to serve the families at the table. It took about 10 minutes for the food to be ready.
I ordered Oxtails, rice and peas, with Mac and cheese. I also got a beef patty. The meal was very flavorful and delicious. The beef patty was spicy (although they have mild on the menu I think they just give you what they have) so if you’re spice sensitive make sure you ask for mild. I couldn’t tell you how the plantains taste because I’m not a fan.
Simply put great food but not so great service.

I ordered the jerk chicken with a side of Mac-​N-​Cheese and Jamaican veggies.
Chicken– delicious and spicy. They chopped the chicken leg into smaller parts. The side sauce was both smokey and with that Jamaican je né sais quoi flavor.
Veggies– unique flavors for stewed kale/​greens. I would order this again.
Mac-​n-​Cheese– the only disappointing part of the meal. It was the baked kind of macaroni, with a nice crisp on top. However, the cheese flavor was lacking. It was just heavy.