Jamerica Restaurant

On a trip to Madison, saw the store van on the road and decided to find the place and try it. Parking was easy cuz rules werent enforced on a Sunday. Hostess was very nice and accomodating. Tried the beef patti appetizer! Really good! Definitly not the commercial patties you find elsewhere. Definitly made locally! Ordered the bbq chicken and curry chicken dinners. I loved the bbq flavor, but the curry was bland. Veggies and rice were great. Definitly get your moneys worth in portions though! Had a big breakfast and couldve shared one plate between 2 adults and one child

I wouldn't recommend Jamerica, but I didn't dislike it. It's a cute place with lots of Jamaican kitsch and good dishes, but long waits for food. Also, while they have a guitar sign in the window and lots of reggae fan pictures and items on the walls, there was no music playing in the joint! The ambiance felt so sleepy, I should have just napped over the 30 minutes it took for the food to come out. Finally, the food was good -- I'd recommend the shrimp mango dish if you go. The long waits for the food necessitate good company or lots of patience, though.

Oh, felt like some no nonsense great food and decided to go to just the place for it, Jamerica on Willy Street. Got seated right away and a pitcher of water arrived with an invitation to check out their large and interesting supply of bottled import and domestic beer and soda. Ordered fried plantains off the appetizer menu that came hot and crisp with a side sauce that I didn't use because I enjoyed the plantain as it came. Enjoyed looking at the collage of celebrities on the walls, March Madness on the one TV set. The entrees, one a vegetarian ride out, and the other a savory, meaty jambalaya were super. I had enough to pack and take with me for another time. I eat jambalaya often and I'd say this was a standout. Definitely going back..$11 worth of delicious.

This is a bittersweet review. Jamerica has been a fixture in Madison for as long as I can remember, and now they are closing. The owner, Martin, is a familiar smiling face on Willy Street as well as just about every event in Madison. He's got great grandchildren and has earned the right to retire but I'll miss him and his food. Like a lot of locally owned restaurants, the food varies sometimes based on who's in the kitchen. On a good day Jamerica has held it's own with any Jamaican food I've ever had, anywhere. If you're going to be going before they close, do yourself a favor and try any of the Run Down dishes. I dont think any other restaurants in the area serve Run Down, and not only is it my favorite thing on the menu, it's the most consistent. Recently I had the jerk chicken and jambalaya, both of which were a little bland for my liking. In other visits they have been plenty spicy. Thanks Martin, for your years of great food!

Take your friends, family, spouse. The Jerk is superb, be it chicken, pork, tofu or fish. The Mango rundown wonderful! The menu includes BBQ & a few more choices. Reasons to go back! It might take a few trips. Go hungry the portions are generous, enough to trade samples. Very satisfying food at reasonable prices.

Wasn't horrible. I ordered the catfish rundown it was pretty much a mango coconut sauce not like traditional rundown. It was too sweet for me. The rice was horrible but the jerk chicken was good also the vegetables. I asked for the catfish and also asked if I could get a small piece of chicken the waitress said sure but brought out two complete servings of food stating that's the only way it could be done even then I only asked for a piece of chicken. So that's how they got to rob me! The place is old and could use a bit of refreshing. Another thing the hot sauce served with plantains was just blended with water, very tasteless! If I return I'd only get chicken and vegetables!