Island Spice Jamaican

My coworker and I have been here twice in a week. The food is so good. He had curry goat and I had jerk chicken. The portions are huge and the meat is cooked so tender. We love the «family» business feel and the younger guy that waits on us is such a great kid. We just might go back every weekend! Note, they are moving over to University Avenue pretty soon.

Love this place! My fiancée and I had our first date here and we go back whenever we can. Great food, great service, great restaurant!

Reminds me of home, food is excellent! The young man that served us was very kind and a super multitasker. I didn’t get his name, but he was very kind to a homeless man that came in and asked for something to eat. Without hesitation or question, he gave him food and a drink. The excellent character and human kindness that I saw today deserves more than 5 stars.

Came here from a recommendation from a c-​worker. Service was good and the portion was great, even for the small plates. We had the Jerk Chicken, Ox Tail and Goat Curry; plus beef patties and cake.
One concern is that they should not have too many family sitting at the bar and kids running in and out the restaurant. While this is more home feel like restaurant, when they move to University Ave, they will be playing with the big boys out there and a more discriminating crowd. Keep up the goo food, but air condition is a must, with door close to keep flies out and also display the Jamaican heritage with a uniform of sorts.
We will be back for more in the new location and at that point I can upgrade my rating and develop this review even more.

Fam, you know your in for it when you smell that divine scent from the the walk into the building. I came with a group of people and we got everything from fried fish, oxtails, curry goat/​chicken, jerk chicken, etc. and I tried it all. And they give you enough food to make sure you get your fill and moneys worth. Ain’t a thing up here that I wouldn’t eat 3 more times before the sun goes down. If I lived closer to this place, I’d be a regular. You can’t hate on this food.
I can go for a beef patty right now…

I’m a fan of good Jamaican food I was raised on it. So I’m speaking from experience. The oxtail curry goat and jerk chicken are on point. I’m coming back on the weekend for the akee. Also ask for the homemade pineapple giner drink. The sitting is few but it feels like home. They also have a few items for sale in the small pantry mostly stamples grab the Scotch bonnet pepper sauce, so good. The service Is good not over baring and saleing just chill and friendly if your used to the islands you’ll get it. Enjoy

My most favorite spot in Diego for sure. This place is by far one of the best Carribean restaurants in southern Cali. From the moment you arrive you feel the island vibes. The family owned and operated restaurant is superior in service and authentic Jamaican food. They even have a store got you to pick up some local favorites.
The jerk chicken, the patties, the coco bread, the veggies and the rice and peas make me so excited. I wish they had more locations in other parts of southern Cali but I guess I’ll just keep commuting over 3 hours for the greatest food.

After much nudging on about this place from my co-​workers, I decided to make a run for the Spice. After placing an order online on their website (you can pay by credit card or Paypal online and also choose when you want the order to be ready by), I drove on over to pick it up. The order was fresh and ready when I got there!
FOOD:
Beef Patty — no not like a hamburger patty. This was closer to an empanada. Seasoned ground beef inside a flaky crust. So freaking good! I almost didn’t want to share with the hubby, haha. I can’t wait to try the chicken and the veggie ones next time!
Jamaican Jerk Chicken plate — Came with several pieces of well-​seasoned jerk chicken, red rice and beans, steamed Jamaican cabbage and fried plantains. The chicken was juicy and not dry at all, and the sides were perfect. I don’t know what it was with the cabbage and plantain combo, but the contrast of salty and sweet was to die for! I want to just order extra of these next time to go with my meal.
Jamaican Oxtail Plate — the oxtail was delicious, covered in gravy, and falling right off the bone! I let my co-​worker try a piece and now he’s converted, too. We got a size large and it could easily fed 4 ppl.
The sizes here are HUGE. Seriously, my small box of Jamaican jerk chicken fed me for THREE lunches and a small dinner!
I heard they are moving the location over to University Ave soon. I actually Google Streetviewed the new location and it looks bigger. Looking forward to visiting this place a lot more often!

Large portions. Left me very satisfied.
I wish the curry chicken was creamier and less dry. Overall, I was satisfied. Fried bananas were a nice treat :) that ginger drink tho –definitely had some spice! Ha

Best! My go to for rice and beans— never mastered cooking that one myself! LOL! Everything is so so good!

Ok so I must admit this place is located in a very scary part of town, the parking upsets me, and the stray cat that comes by and wants to be petted is annoying but it’s worth it when I receive my large oxtail s plate. There the best oxtails I’ve had in a long time. The meat is so tender it falls off the bone. Along with the seasoning and the fava beans… so good. The plate comes with plaintains, red beans and rice, and sautéed vegetables consisting of cabbage, green beans, peas, carrots, and lima beans. For the large plate they give you quite a bit of oxtails also. Big ones to, there not stingy with the food.

This place is a little harder to review so I’ll break it down a bit.
It’s in a part of town that to some might seam a little seedy. A bit run down.
The service is very good. Friendly and very helpful.
The Setting Is old, run down, and extremely dated.
A small amount of seating inside and three tables outside.
The food is very good and more like Home Cooking than a restaurant.
This was our first time trying Jamaican cuisine. Not sure how authentic is as I have nothing to compare it to. Thought it would have a lot more heat to it as I thought in Jamaica they cook with Habanero peppers. Not here though. Food was very light on the Hot spice.
The flavor now was very good. Loved the vegetables rice and the meat.
The Oxtail was our favorite. Super tender and tasty. The Jerk Chicken was a bit dry but had good flavor. (Needed More Heat)
The serving size was huge. For $ 15.00 you can get a combo, chicken and oxtail plate with all the fixens that feeds two easy. Great place for the money.
There moving soon to a much better location witch will be nice.
Parking isn’t great. I highly recommend parking on the street. Much better.
We will eat here again when in the area for sure.
Location. 1 Star.
Parking. 2 Stars.
Service. 4 Stars.
Ambience. 2 Stars
Food. 3 ½ Stars.
Overall a 3 ½ to 4 Stars.
Enjoy.

I came to this place after weeks of craving jerk chicken. I walked in with high expectations and they met them. Food was greatly seasoned and their servings were deserving of the price.
Only thing was that I had walked with a bigger appetite so I could order more than the one item.
Coming back for sure, their menu alone captivate it me. I cannot wait to try more of their spice.

You’re getting your 5^th star and it comes with a very heavy heart, Island Spice. You see, on my last visit I realized that it would probably be exactly that, my last visit… ever.
I’m a creature of habit and a lover of convenience, so having a great little spot like this so close to home is a luxury that I’ve taken for granted. As I walked through the doors this past weekend something seemed different and I even commented that «it looks like they got new windows.» Well, the windows aren’t new. They’re stripped clean of everything that covered them over the years. Then it struck me like a bullet to the brain, a big white banner that read: «we’re moving.» No. no, no, no! I quietly ordered my final meal and sat looking at their new address on Google Maps — much too far for a regular visit if ever at all.
So there ya go. Like a beautiful woman leaving you in the early morn, Island Spice will forever be a fond, tasty, convenient and distant memory. Good luck to ya!

Authentic charm and style. Food is good, belly full type o ting. spice levels seemed a little subdued in the curry. Meat patties were fairly on point with the hundreds I’ve eaten in the Caribbean. Chicken was a bit dry in both dishes, so can’t do 4.
I’ll try again if I’m in the area and need muh fix of island food.

The Brown Stew chicken is a lightly fried chicken enveloped in a sauce that compliments the rice and medley of greens.
My boyfriend has been talking about this place for a while, & we finally ventured over here. He got the BBQ chicken which slowly heats up the mouth after five to ten seconds.
Be sure to get the GOYA Jamaican Ginger Beer which is much stronger than the stuff they sell at a local market. It makes the whole meal a delightful invitation.
I liked being able to see the kitchen in this small intimate space. They are moving to a new location: 6109 University Avenue, sometime in Sept 2015. I hope the new place still has the feel of this down home authentic charm.

A little slice of my roots and culture. It’s often hard being far away from family and your heritage but this place is authentic as they come. Better patties than I’m used to back home and the rice and peas hit the spot perfectly. Reggae music blasting from the backyard and the classic Dutch pots burning on the stove let you know you’re in the right place. Do yourself a favor and order an extra side of plantains, you can thank me later. =)

Take it from an actually West Indian person (I was born in St. Lucia, hence making me 100% Caribbean) … this spot have some legit Caribbean cuisine. They can definitely hold their own against the NYC spots I frequent when I’m back home.
Location: ¹⁄₅
The restaurant is located on Market Street across from a strip mall or bargain grocery store I believe. Not much else really happening on the block or immediate surrounding area. You’ll definitely need to drive here or catch the bus. It’s not too far from downtown or East Village though.
Atmosphere /​Ambiance: ²⁄₅
It’s a pretty small spot. If I remember correctly, there were only about 3 — 4 tables set up. The décor is pretty standard for all the West Indian restaurants I’ve been to. There’s some Jamaican imagery and knick knacks on the wall but that’s about it. Don’t go here expecting a trendy facility.
Cleanliness: ³⁄₅
Not as shifty as a dive bar, but not as prim and proper as a 5 star restaurant. You should not be concerned about the health conditions of the place, the restaurant is fine. I gave it 3 stars because well that’s just how traditional Caribbean restaurants are set up. The focus is on the food and not on the ambiance and tidiness afforded when dining in.
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Good ol’ Jamaican courtesy. It pretty much goes like this: you order, you pay, you enjoy your food, you get the hell out. Smiles and warm greetings? Nah. This isn’t the Cool Runnings movie. You don’t get any pleasantries. You get good, quality food and you better be happy about it. Don’t get offended if you don’t a response to any witty banter, it’s a cultural thing to get right down to business.
Food: ⁵⁄₅
More Fiyah! … Which translates to «Amazingly Delicious». I’ve been jonesing for Caribbean food since I moved to San Diego. Mexican food is great and all, but I just needed something that reminded me of home. The food here accomplished that. The portions are huge. You can easily have 3 meals from a large combination plate. I had the Oxtail and to put it in «valley girl» terms: it was so good, I couldn’t even deal. Also ordered the Beef Patty and Coco Bread. Eh, not as good as what I’ve had on the East Coast, but still pretty decent. I definitely will be going back here to try out more items on the menu.
Conclusion: You want authentic Caribbean cuisine? You ready for huge portions, bold flavors and very little smiling /​pleasantries? Definitely go here and get your fill then. I’m a fan for sure.

Hot diggity, this place is tasty. Definitely not a place you go to for the atmosphere – it’s all about the food here. Right when you walk through the door, the deliciously robust spice scents hit your nostrils.
I ordered the large jerk chicken meal that comes with greens, red beans and rice, and fried plantains. Mmmmmm. Great flavor, deliciously spicy. Not as sweet as other jerks I have tried but that’s ok with me. The large order is plenty of food for two but great for one to have leftovers – which is exactly what I did.
The gentleman working the counter was also easy on the eyes so that’s a plus.

After our favorite Jamaican place, Mama Jamaica, sadly closed down in Clairemont, I’ve been on the lookout for a Jamaican restaurant and thanks to Unilocal,I came across Brad B’s review and was pretty excited to give it a try! His review is spot on – the staff is under-​enthusiatic and get a table outside if you can! Although the view isn’t very great, it’s much nicer sitting outside than inside, as there’s very limited seating and it was very hot inside when we went on a Friday evening.
Now the food:
My hubs and I ordered the fish plate and jerk chicken (they were out of the curry dish). The fish was extremely dry and cold. The jerk chicken wasn’t the best I’ve had, but you get a very generous portion for $ 12 and we had leftovers that we took home (see photo below). We also ordered a fruit punch soda, but it was sooooo sooooo sweet, oh my goodness. I think it had about 40+ grams of sugar in that bottle. We only drank half of it – and we shared one! The rice was ok. My favorite thing on the plate were the plantains. They were cooked just right, with a slight crispy crunch on the outside.
They have a small parking lot, but you have to pull out all the way in reverse to back out into the main road. I would recommend finding street parking if you can.
Although the food, location and service isn’t top notch, if you need a Jamaican fix, you should give it a try. They have been open for 20+ years!