Jam Rock Cafe and Grill

Came to have dinner at 6pm on a Friday. They never gave us a menu, but stated they only had oxtail and jerk chicken left, which is unforunate because a lot of items listed on their online menu sounded good. I requested rice and peas, but received rice and cabbage, both of which lacked seasoning. Meals were served in to-​go boxes instead of plates for dining in, which is was my original intention. I took my food to go, and left. Overall, it was a disappointment.

Over priced. They ran out of food and plates! This is the second time that something!

No one picks up phone. Not even sure if phone line still works now. If the location is shut down, can this please be listed and shown as closed to not waste consumers time. Worst thing u can do is have someone show up and u aren’t in business anymore.

This is my third visit to Jam Rock Café and they’ve really earned a place in my heart. The staff are so endearing and I love the authenticity. The jerk chicken tastes like the jerk chicken I had at a roadside jerk hut in Jamaica! Also, the patties — I love the patties!
This time, I tried the Rum Punch and I could easily spend a whole evening sipping on that delicious fruity cocktail. We gathered with friends outside in the spacious patio and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Not everything in this establishment goes off without a hitch, but the food, drinks, and service are worth any hiccups along the way.

Food was plain, no flavor. Seemed like they couldnt find my order. Threw everything in one container when it was two separate meals. Paid $ 3 for 3 small pieces of plantains. My experience was not enjoyable.

This review is tough for me, since I’ve been to Jamaica and LOVE reggae music. Went for a show on a Saturday night. Tickets were 15 bucks, which would seem cheap, however the sound system was so poor that there was constant feedback hurting people’s ears. Hard to enjoy what you paid for. Also, DJ was really annoying. Playing annoying sounds and talking during bands playing. I hate that.
The service… was something I had never seen before in my life. There was a bartender trying to work hard. It was somewhat busy and she was trying her best. There was another «bartender» sitting down. We didn’t know what her roll was. She did occasionally stand up and open a beer for someone, but then would ask the 1 bartender that knew what to do questions, and slowing her down. I actually saw the head bartender trying to make her own drinks while pouring alcohol in the other ladies cup since she didn’t know what to do. The head bartender was also running food. Even though there were only like 10 tables and a few waitresses. Just really unorthodox. Red Strips were 5 bucks. Over priced since most reggae shows sell those for 2 or 3 bucks. Over priced for such terrible service.
I sooooo wanted to try the food! I’ve heard it’s great! From what little food I did see come out of the kitchen, it looked good! I asked waitress if they were still serving food and she basically said the wait was so long, it wouldn’t be worth it. That is also a first for me.
They have this beautiful patio area with a big bar that wasn’t even being used. Would have alleviated the craziness inside.
Maybe I would go back? During lunch time on a weekday maybe? Not sure

Because I know how hard starting & running a restaurant can be, I award an extra star on the heels of delicious food– primarily because I am so impressed at the 22yo employee Tyler we enjoyed some great service from!
Initially we were confused about whether or not the place was even open (6pm Superbowl Saturday night) because there only sat one lone soul at the bar, sure enough Tyler greets us at the door with an exasperated muttering about how he just ran an order up the street and that a bartender flaked out on work last minute… and me being me just said «So is that a YES?!» I figured at the very least I was determined to see if staying for a full meal was warranted pending a taste of the salt fish fritters I had been craving since stumbling upon their menu on Unilocal the night before. … To my delight they came out hot, fresh, crispy and were definitely appetizing, (especially paired with a Red Stripe heehee).
While checking in with a few snapshots of the boutique-​like entry way and main dining room, an obviously annoyed, buxom-​blonde-​backup-​barista (?) delivered food to our table, and again, me being me was determined to turn her frown upside-​down, so I pumped her for info on the history of the joint while we patiently waited on entrées… I swear this chick seems like the perfect addition to the next Quentin Tarantino movie I’d want to watch… After a few basic questions she went from zero to 60 in a flash and (without Unilocaling your eyes out) in a nutshell she told us all about her funny relationship with her father and even crawled on the floor during this candid storytelling session… I’m just flattered to know I can get strangers to be so comfortable with opening up to me so quickly… but Phoenix has proven to be full of quite «chillaxed» beings so I dunno how much credit I can really take for it. Long story short– I discovered this little gem had almost been lost forever until ambitious, young Tyler stepped in to save it, and he seems truly passionate about keeping good food flowing and good service abound!
Although I was told the oxtail would need another 15 – 20 minutes after I ordered it (twice), I in fact never received my entrée because they really did need an hour to be truly palatable, I assured him that I was willing to wait for them, he was thoughtful enough to bring me a sample and even though they weren’t falling off the bone I could taste «the love» and look forward to coming back for em! He also shared & sent us several complimentary shots of Appleton rum and I thoroughly enjoyed the beef patties (the crusty shell is awesome) and the stew chicken was realllly tasty, especially with the fried dumplings, aka «Johnny cakes.»
The ONLY issue we had was when the side of rice & beans were (noticeably) dry/​leftover from another day and slipped on to the plate, we immediately received a fresh order and it was great.
Before we left we received some cards offering free appetizers! Good deal!
Having been brought up with a professional chef for a Grandma who makes the most amazing Jamaican food in the Universe, I must say I’m looking forward to coming back and tasting the curry, oxtail and more. Definitely worth a visit! :)

I really hate leaving bad reviews, but this time is an exception. When I went in for lunch, the place was practically empty. It took a very long time for the server to come back with our food, and it wasn’t the best tasting Jamaican food that I have had. The rice tasted mediocre, like it was cooked before and left out for a long time before being served. I thought that I was the only one who thought that the place wasn’t great, but the rest of my friends shared similar thoughts. I probably won’t go again.

I wish I could eat here everyday! My coworker and I decided to try this little restaurant beat our office. We were not disappointed! I ordered the curry chicken, which fell right off the bone and was delicious with potatoes in the curry. I also had the «rice and peas» which is rice with some beans in there, also delicious. We had sides of plantains, perfectly cooked. They have other dishes I’d love to try, such as deep fried cornbread, jerk chicken, and a selection of Jamaican beers. We checked in on Unilocal and received 10% off. Definitely try this restaurant! They have a much more extensive menu than the picture of the menu that’s here on Unilocal

Great food, drinks, and reggae music playing. and always quiet. Would love to see live reggae music

4 stars instead of 5 because just about everything was perfect but I absolutely could not get through more than 3 bites of anything with the Jerk sauce on it.
I’d give the food a 3 starts, that extra star is there because the ambiance is pretty damn neat :)
My boyfriend and I stopped in for lunch. I ordered the stewed chicken meal with rice and peas and fried yams. The fried yams were absolutely disgusting — honestly, one bite, my face screwed up. Gave it another bite to ensure I didn’t have a bad one — same face. Boyfriend tries it: «Maybe we should try the Plantain next time instead» lol… I agree! The stewed chicken was scrumptious! I must say. I think I like Jerk Hut’s stewed chicken a little better.
My boyfriend ordered the Curry goat dinner with festivals and rice and beans. WE LOVED the curry goat. Nice pieces of meat on the bones, in comparison to Jerk Hut — lots of bones in goat meals. We also enjoyed the festivals a lot more than we did at Jerk Hut.

First time here and am very satisfied with what I had. Ordered the Jerk wings and the flavor blew me away. The menu has great selection of Jamaican style cooking. Not too large of a menu makes choosing what you want easy. Great place to come after a concert. If I didn’t have a late lunch, would have tried the Oxtail entrée. Next time.

This has been one of my favorite restaurants to go. The oxtail, curry goat and brown stew chicken!!! I love them!!! These three items are a must try! You have to trust my taste cuz I eat everything. Of course lol I’m Chinese ;) oh well not trying to be funny, but give it a try. You won’t forget!

Wonderful location for a restaurant now that more businesses are opening on that section of Van Buren. Nice décor inside, they cater to a diverse clientele. There is a bar and two wide screens for the sports crowd, there are music nights for the outgoing crowd, and there is a connected space next door where they sell raiment. What baffles me though is why there are so many employees in the restaurant. Even with a full house, they wouldn’t need that many on payroll.
The food is typical Jamaican. The only thing on the menu that varies from day to day is the dessert. And the desserts are always a surprise to the taste buds.
Not much for a vegetarian. Salad with iceberg lettuce (no thanks), steamed veggies (okay, but what do I eat them with?), or veggie stew which is quite tasty but all the coconut milk leaked out of the to go container. Then there are the plantains that will cost you $ 3 for 4 – 5 small slices.
And if you want fish, don’t bother with the happy hour fish taco. I got one bite (literally one bite) of fish crumbled up in the bottom of the shell and that was covered up with iceberg lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Or for $ 9 how about a fish sandwich (breaded fish, onion, tomato, lettuce, mayo, bread) that comes with one side.
It seems that oxtail and jerk chicken lovers would probably get more for their money at this restaurant.
By the way, if you’re taking out call in your order ahead of time because it takes them a while to ready it.

Fantastic Jamaican place right downtown across the street from where I work. The jerk chicken was dry and loaded with ginger and allspice. The sauce had great scotch bonnet peppers that had a sweet slow burn. Fantastic rice and peas. The coleslaw was jusy enough and not too wet. AMAZING rum cake. The mojitos were good and the live band was fun to dance to. Kind of love it and not so sure it is good to have Appleton rum across the street from my work.

Much nicer inside than expected, there is a menu of Caribbean dishes. The prices seemed a bit high for the neighborhood and portion size. My tilapia sandwich was small, and relied on the tartar sauce for most of the flavor. My side of fried plantains again consisted of just a few wedges and they were greasy and soft.
At checkout my bill was wrong as they tried to bill me for the included side.
I probblay will not be going back.

Great food at a new location. Stop for some great Jamaican jerk chicken.
Have been here three time now and haven’t need disappointed, first of all you have to park in the back, which isn’t great until I found out this 80+ year old building is on Phoenix historic registry and is one of the first if not the first strip mall in the city.
So, in the 1930’s parking would have been in the front but when the widened the road 50+ years ago they must have stole the parking.
Had the Jerk Chicken again and it was better then ever. Everything is fresh made and takes a little to make so you may want to call ahead if you’re in a hurry for lunch. 602−441−4588, Be adventurous, the maze to get in worked out fine.

Oh where to begin. The alcohol drinks mmmmmuah to die for. The jerk chicken was a very generous portion and came with a side of steamed veggies and peas and rice. Best Jamaican food in Phoenix ao far for me.
Its is a bit odd walking into the building, however once you round that final corner and enter the main dining area it feels like u are tranaported to a place on the east coast due to the exposed brick and minimal décor. I loved it.
The staff was absolutely wonderful. They were very attentive and even gave my son and nephew free cookies while we waited for our food to be prepared.
I can’t say enough good things about this place. I will definitely be back.

I think this place is great. Although it takes a lil time because it is made upon ordering it’s more authentic than Breadfruit! Full bar is an added plus and the Caribbean drinks are delish. It’s in central phoenix which is a plus and Wi-​Fi is an added bonus. They sell island souvenirs and Rastafarian items. They even have live jazz on the weekends! Can’t complain as they are still working out the kinks since they opened up last Monday. They are definitely in the right track!

Really hate to leave this review but, this is Unilocal and it calls for honesty.
Parking is located in the back of the place and you enter through the outdoor patio into what seems like a maze to get to the front counter… like through 1 door back outside through another door then around the dining area to the counter.
There was myself and another woman placing a to go order and someone sitting in the dining area, not busy at all for lunch on a Friday. The waitress was new and seemed very nervous which is understandable it took her about 15mins to get me cashed out… no problem because I was still waiting on my order… that took another 15mins and they forgot my festival, I told them it was fine just give me rice and peas instead which I was told would take 2mins, 5 mins later out comes FESTIVAL.
Whatever, I’m running on my lunch hour being over so as I race back to the office I drive and eat… the steamed veggies were not seasoned well. the chicken itself was very moist but it’s dark meat it’s kind of hard to not have moist dark meat, that too wasn’t well flavored, when I think of jerk chicken I think of marinading for hours or overnight to allow flavors to seep through… not the case here at all, tasted like simply grilled meat with a slightly watery jerk sauce on the side, that too unfortunately wasn’t flavorful… and now the festival… it tasted like well — fried dough with cinnamon literally imagine mixing cornmeal, flour and cinnamon together and deep frying it… it was really bad.
This is brand spankin new so a longer soft opening is definitely necessary especially when dealing with us downtown folks during the lunch rush and after work dinner pickup, they need work.
While I won’t be spending my $ 8 again on a meal from here I will say this, my ex & I attended LoLo’s when they first opened many, many moons ago and the food was bad, the owner asked us for our honest opinion and we told him (we had just returned from LA’s Roscoe’s Chix & Waffles and had a taste for the combo when we stumbled on Lo Lo’s) he in turn thanked us for our honesty said he would continue to work on his recipes and place in general and look at him now — he’s a successful pretentious asshole, but Lo-Lo’s has 2 locations, mission accomplished lol… maybe this place has potential too *shrugs*
I would give them 1 ½ stars but I can’t and don’t feel like they’re worthy of 2 stars at this point.
I refuse to believe the photo of the fried and grilled chicken belongs to them and came from their establishment… REFUSE