Jamaican Food Cart
“I usually opt for the jerk chicken which consists of a leg and a thigh along with your roti and filling.”
“The stew chicken is my absolute favorite.”
“Great tofu dish, one of the best cheap food options in lower Manhattan.”
Jamaican Food Cart
Take-out: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
4 reviews
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Miss Shirley takes her time dishing out her goods, but it's worth it. The jerk chicken is not as good as I've had in Jamaica itself, but it's decent. I hear the stew beef is very good. Rice and beans are on point. Top it off with her fiery hot sauce and you'll be set.
R. Retha's cart on Beaver and William St is an appetizing alternative to all the halal lunch truck offerings in the area. Friendly service, Jamaican stylings.
Their chicken curry is a safe bet, which comes in small, normal, and "mini meal" servings (mini meal is $5; cash only I think) and nets you a respectable amount of grub: rice, plantains, some veggies, and a selection of tender dark chicken. Flavors could be more vibrant but their secret is their hot, Habanero-esque, weapons grade sauce. Needless to say, big eaters should gun for bigger servings.
Want to avoid a line? Like everywhere else around here, go off-hours.
I love this cart. It's ridiculously close to my office and gets the job done when you want GOOD Caribbean food for a GOOD price.
The line is always long around lunchtime but that's because the nice lady who runs it takes her time in making sure your order is exactly what you requested. I had the curry goat platter (small, there is also a large option). She asked if I wanted cabbage, what kind of rice, and if I wanted hot sauce on top. For $7 (almost all other options are $6) you get a perfectly portioned platter of goat (with the bones!) over a bed of rice with cabbage on top and hot sauce splashed on. Drinks are typically $1 but only $0.50 if you order a large platter. This food is just as good as the food that my Jamaican friend's mother makes. It tastes homecooked (which it is) and is the perfect amount of flavoring.
So I ask myself, what is the fuss all about? This place has long lines in the winter, and abnormally crazy lines during the warmer days. As I was walking by this place, I noticed the lines were fairly short, so I took the opportunity to try this cart out. Only 4-5 people were in front of me so I figured I'd be on my way in no time. It took 10 minutes to make it to the front, averaging 2 minutes per person.
I had plenty of time to look at the menu as I waited, so I ordered Jerk Chicken (Small) for $5. I watched as the bottom half of the 5"x5" Styrofoam container was packed with rice & beans along with a few spoonfuls of gravy. On top of the rice were two pieces of chicken, a leg and a thigh, and then topped off with cabbage and baby carrots. My container was then bagged in a black plastic bag along with a plastic fork/knife wrapped in a standard-sized napkin. I realized the reason why it took so long to package the food, which was because she had to uncover each catering tray, place the ingredient in a Styrofoam container, before placing the cover back on and then moving on to the next item, all while trying to take orders on the phone.
The two pieces of chicken were like polar opposites of each other. The leg was very moist, with the meat falling right off the bone. Even the cartilage was so soft to chew. Meanwhile, the meat in the thigh was very dry though I found sucking on the bone proved to be quite tasty. The chicken was well seasoned with jerk spices though it was only modestly spicy. The hot sauce which I had also requested on top, amped up the spice level quite a bit. Mmmm. The hot sauce, yellow in color, was slightly grainy, which I believe was grounded scotch bonnet pepper (similar to a habanero pepper). With the hot sauce, I found my entire mouth starting to get hot all around, not your typical back-in-the-throat hot sauce where you need something to drink. The cabbage and baby carrots were stewed to softness, with a slightly sweet taste. I found the rice & beans to be quite ordinary, even a bit bland. The black beans were firm yet soft enough to mush in your mouth without having to bite into it.
Overall, I enjoyed my meal and found myself as full as compared to a typical Halal cart serving of lamb/chicken over rice. Flavors were not very exciting as far as Caribbean (Jamaican/Trinidadian) food goes, but is definitely something different from the dozens of Halal carts surrounding it.