Irie Island Jamaican — Restaurant in Canton

If the other 5-star reviews don’t convince you to try this place, let me add another. I must’ve driven past this place dozens of times without giving it a thought. I’ve been missing out!

Let’s start with the owner. She is wonderful! As soon as I walked in I felt like I was welcomed as family. You get a hello, some conversation, maybe a laugh or two. I had a smile on the entire time I was there. You can also tell there’s love behind the food. I came in around 5pm and was eyeballing the Mac and cheese. She noticed. The girl in front of me ordered the last portion. But instead of just giving it to her, she split it between us and charged us less for the portion so I could try it out.

You get your moneys worth. The portions are very generous. I ordered the oxtail and jerk chicken thinking I could try a couple things and have another meal for the next day. I was stuffed without putting much of a dent into either. I think I have enough left over for a few days. That makes me happy.

The food is amazing. The jerk chicken is flavorful, spicy, delicious. There was one piece that was slightly overcooked, but I couldn’t care less because it was so good! The oxtail fell right off the bone, melts in your mouth like good oxtail should. The cabbage… also amazing.

Now back to the Mac and cheese. I judge every restaurant by their Mac and cheese. Because I make a really good Mac and cheese and I believe that if you can make that really good, you can make anything really good. Well, if my glowing review didn’t already give it away… I need that recipe! I’m jealous of how good it was. Best I’ve have ever had. But, make sure you get there early if you want to try it. “The early bird gets the worm.”

This is my new favorite food spot in Stark County. And the 5 star reviews don’t lie....

As a truck driver who has been everywhere in the surrounding 48 states, when I have a layover or in this case a breakdown, my go to for food is Jamaican if I can find it because you're almost always getting real food with real flavor. I've been in Canton for almost 2 weeks now waiting on repairs and first thing I did last week was go here to get some food. To my unfortunate displeasure, the owner was on vacation, which everyone so rightfully deserves, so I wasn't mad about it. Was a a little disappointed? I wouldn't be lying if I wasn't a little upset knowing what all my other options were in Canton. Fortunately, the gods have blessed me to be stuck here waiting for repairs WAAAAAY longer than expected, so I was able to visit today upon her returning from her much deserved time off. I must say this amazing woman definitely loves what she does because she's so uplifting and positive and it just carries the whole atmosphere of the place. Not only that, she cooks with feeling and it definitely transitions over to the overall flavor of her food. Her day was starting off a little rocky because she had just returned from vacation, which is a little expected, because we're only human and these things do happen, and I wasn't even upset that things weren't ready yet by any means because everything that was is full of flavor and joy and warmth and is absolutely delicious. The portions are also borderline ridiculous considering the massive amount of food you get for the price, but that's a problem for my waist line and not me. If you're in Canton and not giving this amazing establishment your time and money. You are horribly...

This is the best restaurant in Stark County! You come in to a super friendly atmosphere. Melissa makes you feel like your family. The food is absolutely amazing! Home cooking would food at its best! I would come everyday! Highly recommend this restaurant to everyone! Thank you to Melissa for such a great meal and great service! Love it!

Update: my 19 yr old daughter ended up coming in too. I thought "she isn't going to eat" ... She doesn't like anything different - kind of a food snob for lack of a better term. Well ... She got down on some curry chicken, Mac n cheese, and rice! I could not believe my tiny little daughter threw down on this food like she Did! Of course, she also just fell in love with Melissa!

Then ordered for my husband and brought it home to him. He was so happy I Did! All he had asked for was a fast food fish sandwich when I came home. Definitely, he was supper happy that I brought home the curry chicken, cabbage and rice instead! He also says we will be back for more!!!

I can't believe I live right around the corner and had never been to Irie Island before today! God blessed this little...