2-Bit Review: Jamaican Jerk Pit

One or two visits. A few hundred words. Sometimes that’s all it takes.

Over the past couple years, whenever I was in the North U. area I’d swing around the corner onto Thayer to see if the Jamaican Jerk Pit might be open. On the few times I’d managed to catch the eccentric little restaurant open, I’d enjoy the food. But the guys who ran the place were just crazy-erratic with their hours. Not to mention the fact you felt like you might be taking your life into your hands, cleanliness-wise.

But the Jerk Pit is under new management, now owned and operated by Robert Campbell (right), who also owns Irie Caribbean Cuisine over in Canton. Irie is the Accountant’s absolute FAVORITE lunch spot. He’s like Norm from Cheers whenever he walks into that restaurant – staff call out his name in welcome, but with an island accent.

So we popped into Jamaican Jerk Pit for lunch with high expectations. Robert himself was manning the grill, and the first thing I noticed was how tidy everything looked. “Guess how long it took us to get this place clean?” Robert asked. “Two months!”

The menu at the restaurant on Thayer is similar to what Robert offers in Canton, with a few accommodations to student tastes like “Jerk Nachos.” The Accountant ordered his usual Jerk Chicken meal for $8.50, and I had a Jerk Chicken Pita on special for the day at $6.50. The meal comes with Caribbean veggies, plus choice of white rice or “rice and peas.” The “peas” in the latter are actually beans, so the side is pretty close to what we’d call dirty rice. It’s my favorite among the side dishes.

We ordered our chicken at a “medium” spice level, which I found just right. I like my jerk spicy, but not so hot that I have to down five diet cokes to douse the fire. Robert’s jerk sauce is really flavorful – the allspice isn’t overwhelming, so you get a notion of the other spice layers, too. At the store in Canton, I’ve also had the Jerk Pork and the Curried Goat. The pork is yummy, the goat is a bit of an acquired taste – kind of gristly.

Like the restaurant in Canton, Jamaican Jerk Pit offers a towering coconut cake as dessert. It looks pretty, but I found the flavor a little lacking. A better bet is to simply wander over to Stucchi’s or Ben & Jerry’s for a cone. Also, keep in mind that seating is primarily in the basement – the Accountant and I got our meals to go, what I imagine will be our habit as long as the weather is nice.

At the Jamaican Jerk Pit the food unique, tasty, and economical. The place is clean. And Robert is a super-nice guy. What’s not to like?