The Jerk Grill - Finally some real Jerk Chicken on the WSide

Doing another 2fer for dinner along with the Kenny's Rib Tip and Link Combo...

Open about 2 months...

The Jerk Grill
6814 W North Ave, Chicago
(773) 745-3370

Menu

After being disappointed at the Jamaican Grill on Chicago Ave in Oak Park this is the place I was looking for! A gem.

We ordered a half chicken dinner and while chatting and waiting for my order I was given a wing leg and I thought the marinade was right on. The correct flavor (just like my Swedish mom used to make ) and the chicken, while not overly juicy, not too dry.

Along with the dinner was a bed of rice (with those small pea-beans), some nicely fried plantains (not too crisp) and some steamed cabbage.

They make their own jerk marinade and they hit it just right. a small cup accompanied the dinner and I found myself dipping and pouring it on everything. Ask for an extra cup. They mentioned that it used to have a lot of heat and they have toned it down a bit.

The interior is nicely decorated with Voodoo art from a gallery on Harrison in Oak Park adorning the walls.

There are several items on the menu that I am eager to try, Chicken Fricassee, Curried Chicken, Curried Goat, Oxtail (recommended by the owner) and they also have a variety of Jamaican Patties.

The place was very quiet while I was there (at 5:30 pm). Gotta give them some love.

Panther, is this smoked-style jerk or soupy-stewed-style jerk? (which I like OK, but which Evanston has in spades)

More like marinated and broiled while being basted.

My Bride and I did stop by again while on a Chicken Wing Fling.

Brought along a camera this time.



They recently updated the paintings on the walls as they thought the voodoo theme was a bit dark. I liked it!





They are still are keeping with the island theme with some nice paintings featuring the sun and the beach.

As mentioned in the wing thread we had chicken wings and we also ordered some patties. I get the impression the patties are not made in house but purchased and they do have many varieties that we will have to come back and try sometime. For this visit we ordered the beef and vegetable ones. It took about a half hour for the patties to be ready so we headed off to our next stop for wings and returned when they were ready.



The beef ones were in a spicy gravy and a bit sloppy as the insides would try to squirt out as you took a bite. Maybe too much gravy? No potato or vegetables inside.

The vegetable ones were heavy on the cabbage and without much heat. Tasted pretty good with a dash of the jerk sauce.

The owner mentioned they had several more flavors and I only remembered that he mentioned he had Jerk Chicken ones. Sometime soon we will get out and give all the varieties a try. He mentioned calling ahead is a good idea.

The place was empty with a few people coming in for carryout. They are tweaking the menu and the heat of the jerk sauce a bit to see if that might pick up the business a bit. They are also hoping the new sign will attract some more traffic.

i have past this place before . i will try it next time ,i'm on north ave

stoped in today had 1/2 chicken (jerk) sauce is very hot . but it was good . i would go back

Panther in the Den wrote:
The Jerk Grill
6814 W North Ave, Chicago
(773) 745-3370

Menu

After being disappointed at the Jamaican Grill on Chicago Ave in Oak Park this is the place I was looking for! A gem.

The place was very quiet while I was there (at 5:30 pm). Gotta give them some love.

Another quiet day at the Grill, but another stellar output of jerk chicken. As usual the goat and oxtails were "later", but by the time it took us to finish all the jerk, peas and rice, cabbage and plaintains, we got a little dessert of curry goat to wash it all down.

Like John sez, show some love this way.

doodz, i actually had some pretty good jerk chicken at mr. brown's lounge on chicago ave at western last night. it's a cute little bar, with reggae regards on the wall, great service, and a nice atmosphere. unlike the millions of generic bar/restos that clog the city, this place has some ambiance and some good food. i had a jerk burger tho too, ordered med-rare, but came raw. a blip in an otherwise nice meal.

it's worth a visit... it's a good local bar/resto.

Actual choices for lunch yesterday!

Try the oxtails some time fer sure.

Just had dinner there - great place!

ditto! I just ordered from here for the first time and was very impressed. Had the dark meat jerk chicken and the oxtails. Both were very good -- though the oxtails were my favorite -- extremely tender --- and all the sides (cabbage, plantains, red rice and beans) were equally yummy. Also, they do deliver, though I'm not certain of their delivery area. If you live in OP, definitely check it out.

Besides the Chicken I have been venturing into the stews. The brown stewed chicken and the curried chicken have been very good!

The curried chicken is nothing like what would be from an Indian restaurant, sweeter, chicken tender and well stewed (a good penetration of the gravy).

The wings are huge so be careful on how many you order.

Last time I asked for the patties they have reduced the number of flavors that you can order and often they have to be ordered ahead.

They have settled on a heat for the jerk sauce after turning it up and down. On the hot side but not intolerable. I love the sauce! I end up ordering extra and put a dab on almost everything!

Wow - funny you mention it, I had the brown stewed chicken and the curried goat last weekend.

Kids were not crazy abourt the curried goat (I loved it) but the stewed chicken was a HUGE hit.

What about Ja' grill? Anyone been there?

After nine positive reviews in a row, you don't need mine to tell you it's the real deal. Get here.

1/4 dark meat lunch special was rich in garlic and crispy skin, charred plantain, clearly handcrafted sauce with every spice speaking in turn. Served unsauced with a little cup on the side, the lunchbox was also generously portioned and rather artistically presented, cleaved into manageable pieces on a bed of better than average beans and rice. This should fill the gaping hole left by Ja's for me.