the island spot - jamaican kitchen & bar

well the food is pretty good. it was fresh and thejerkchicken had some good heat. the only issue was our waitress/bar tender. we ordered ice tea, and even after several reminders we still never got our tea. she just had excuse after excuse.

third time not the charm. went back for a 3rd time and thejerkchicken was dry but very tasty .


-----16 apr, 2015-----

jerk chicken wow. well my firstjerkchicken and wow it was great.

wonderful atmosphere & experience. how can you not like this place authentic food or not? the outside of the run-down strip mall in no way prepares you for the look and feel inside. you will walk into a small restaurant with very soft pleasant jamacian music playing. bamboo, palms and wood decorate the bar and key areas creating an island feel. the colors are warm sage and muted terracota. it's relaxing just sitting there. add a hammock and i'm snoozing for a bit with their peach passion island tea.

the servers are on island time. that means slow, relaxed and no worries. they are in no hurry to bring you your menu, drink or table setting. when they speak, it's with a jamacian accent. i will admit their initial demeanor is a put off, but just talk to them. they start laughing and opening up. i started questioning how they made their tea and she went off adding to the experience. two new customers arrived also using jamacian accents. they conversed laughed and talked with the server. we started talking across tables and comparing notes of what to eat.

i picked this spot to try theirjerkburger. it was nothing special, but it did make my nose run. my neighbor had curry muton and said it was good.

i will be back. i was so relaxed after leaving. the food can be whatever it wants if i walk out relaxed and laughing with future visits. should other dishes be very good, this will become a favorite.

terrible. customer service is awful. total rip off.jerkchicken is good, but don't expect good prices or good service. not worth a visit.

not worth it!. if your concerned about value, don't come here! the advertisements on the table are misleading and entree portions are very small! sides were ok, but my buddy and i got three small pieces of chicken with ourjerkchicken. we thought, no big deal, it's on special, but when we got our check and asked why we were charged full price we were told, because we didn't ask for that and it's a different portion size. i can't imagine what the special portion size looked like! the shrimp curry was also a very disappointing value. my girl friend asked if she could get the lunch portion for dinner, but was told no. however the amount of shrimp had to have been a lunch portion, maybe 6oz. if lunch was half that she would have had about 3 shrimp on the plate. funny thing was we didn't ask for happy hour drink prices and didn't get a smaller beer because it was on special. the icing on the cake was when the server inquired to the manager about these things, he made no effort to apologize or ensure we left happy... he was too busy sitting at a table playing on his cell phone. i paid them the extra four dollars, but its sad to say that will be last dollar they ever see from me again. the food was good, but not worth $40 for a dinner for 2!

awesome. this place is great. great vibe, nice staff and ridiculously good food. had the plantains andjerkchicken. highly highly recommend those!

dee-lish!. absolutely looooove their food! loooove! the doppers, the mangojerkshrimp, the callaloo, the saltfish, the fruit punch....yes everything. i've eaten there every weekend for the past three weeks and if you hav not tried it you're missing out! the atmosphere is great, and the staff are very friendly and courteous. 6 thumbs up! [yes i borrowed a few thumbs for this review :)]

best island spot in the dfw area. had the island shrimp with mangojerksauce for appetizer...slammin'. then i had thejerkchicken withjerkbbq sauce and curry chicken tonight...both were awesome! the chicken was so tender it felt off the bone. others had the fish filet escoveitch and brown stew chicken and their plates were clean. lastly, the fresh made lemonade and fruit punch washed it all down very nicely. bottomline: if you want fresh and great tasting food with no msg then add this to your favorites list! we'll be back next week.

great food / great atmosphere / great staff. my wife and i wanted to try something new so after reviewing urbanspoon, we decided to go to "the island spot"; we were impressed to say the least. the atmosphere was very open and clean, the wait staff was extremely knowledgeable about the item on the menu and the food was delicious. the portions sizes were huge and the pineapple soda was refreshing. the head chef "charis" stopped by our table and you could tell she has a passion for the food she cook's. you must try thejerkchicken, beef patties, & ox tails

5 star!!!.jerkchicken is tender and wonderfully seasoned. mixjerksauce and mango for perfect dipping. hybiscus juice - well i took a gallon home w/me! service was warm and friendly and attentive. all round perfect!

unique cuisine experience. you don't really come across places like this often. the food is made fresh, with a capital f. they don't waiver from the authencity of the cuisine or bow to the main stream 'americanization' of the food. if you want a real view of what someone's mother is putting on the dinner table, you go to this place.
i went with my wife and some friends and enjoyed a greatjerkpork. while my wife drooled over her fried whole fish, the brown sauce it was topped with was amazing.
if you have a chance and are feeling up to stepping outside of the main stream, give the place a try. oh, and come early because they can and do run out of the good stuff early. they only make enough food for the day. enjoy.

top of the tops. i've been in the dallas area for 8 years. moved from nyc...by way of jamaica. when i got to the area i tried all 2 of the well known jamaican restaurants (elaines, caribbean grill). elaines was the worst food i had ever purchased in my life. caribbean grill was barely palatable. so when i saw an ad for island spot i was skeptical. i went there with my family and ordered the curry chicken, because i thought that was difficult to screw. and even if it wasn't well done, we could eat it. the next choice was the brown stew chicken for the same reason. but i really wanted thejerkchicken. so i questoned the waitress about the authenticity of thejerkchicken. she promised i wouldn't be disappointed. she even brought a sample. one taste, and any thought of order the brown stew chicken was put aside. it was delicious. we ended up with the curry chicken,jerkchicken, some dumplings, calolloo, and wings. everything was finger licking good. so good, that we order some more to take home. if you like jamaican food, this is the only place to go. as a born jamaican i can honestly say this is in the top 5 jamaican restaurants i have evered dined at.

change of pace. my husband and i are food adventurers and discovered this carrollton gem serves delicious food, inviting comfortable atmosphere paired with friendly wait staff. after savoring every morsel, the chef greeted our table and asked if we enjoyed our meal. we will definitely visit the island spot again!! kudos to an original restaurant.

i had thejerkchicken & rice my husband had the bammy and curry chicken.

the place to be. i have eaten at the island spot several times. this is a welcome flavor to carrollton. we have more than just mexican food to choose from. i like the fact that the i.s. has a home cooking appeal in its menu. my favorite dishes are the oxtails,jerkchicken, and the fried vegetables. i cannot wait to try their desserts, i hear they are off the chain as well.

scoop. my wife and i were looking for the perfect place to try something different from the usual restaurants that we always attend on a night out.
we were referred to the island spot by way of some friends, and decided to give it a try.
first off, the atmosphere was very relaxing, laid back, the staff was very friendly and service was great.
second, if you have never had the pleasure of tasting some authentic carribeanjerkchicken you are doing yourself a huge injustice.
third, the oxtails are the best i've ever tasted and i consider my grandma a pretty good cook.
last, don't cheat your taste buds...take a friend or loved one and check out the island spot...you won't be sorry!!!