Ms.P’s Jamaican Restaurant — Restaurant in Chattanooga

I'm very saddened to share this however, I ordered the oxtail with mac & cheese and a side of plantains, only to experience severe disappointment after partaking in my meal.

The oxtail and plantains were both swimming in a pool of grease. Might I add, I'm Jamaican and have been cooking and eating Jamaican cuisine all my life. Never have I seen plantain swimming in so much unnecessary grease.

To add insult to injury, the oxtail itself, was not seasoned authentically. There is a seasoning the chef used which is common in Indian cuisine, I can't quite put my finger on it from just one meal but if I were to ever try it again, I'd probably narrow it down to star anise, or another international spice which is not a part of the typical traditional seasoning for an oxtail dish. The flavor was distracting. Sadly, I wanted to love the taste more than I actually did. This was extremely disappointing.

I'm relatively certain I'm not just holding the chef to an unreasonable standard, as I have the luxury of being able to compare against Jamaican cuisine I've been eating all my life.

With that said, I will not be trying the oxtail again since the price is simply too expensive to justify such an experience.

I do believe the Ackee & Saltfish dish might be a safer gamble, and I will be trying this on my next visit, but I cannot recommend this restaurant for a person who might be seeking an authentic Jamaican Oxtail dish. The flavor was just "incorrect."

I assume this dish is usually given a pass in this area since there might not be many individuals able to evaluate the dish against a true authentic experience; but in my humble opinion, this was sub-par.

I would suggest trying the more low-risk/low-cost items on the menu, like the Ackee & Saltfish, or the Beef Patties as these are very difficult to mess up no matter the chef. I would strongly suggest staying away from the oxtail dish if you have an aversion to oily foods or if you are experienced in Jamaican cuisine and already have a palate biased towards authentic and traditional flavors of Jamaican cuisine.

Addendum after owner's response

The price of Oxtail is justified, when cooked properly.

Patties are simple baked meals made of a flour-based crust packed with seasoned minced meat. It is ridiculous to suggest even your average, everyday home cook couldn't learn and know how to master this dish with ease. I think this reflects the owner's experience. The response alone tells me they're warming up frozen patties shipped in bulk. Save your money and buy the ones from Publix if you want to save time.

This restaurant only deserves business due to them being the only Jamaican restaurant in the Chattanooga area. Medium fish, Small pond. A little competition and they'd understand why they need to pay attention to these negative reviews.

If you want to drink oil with your meal, be my guest. (Or more accurately said, "be their guest").

I considered returning to support a Jamaican business, and regardless of experience, I would consider supporting my brothers and sisters from the Island in the hope they would consider feedback to improve. That is now off the table and I'm changing my review from 2 stars to 1.

"You Jamaicans?" If I roll my eyes any harder, they'd fall out of my...

37 year chef and I give 2.5 stars. Food was good but atmosphere and staff were bland and uninviting. No bathroom and the only tables were beer garden high-rise type with stools. Food seemed pre-cooked and reheated for us. Music was a bit loud so conversation and ordering were a bit of a chore. Jerk sauce was very good, as was the chicken, curry veggies and other items. A bit of a wait for no one else having orders ahead of us so we sat at a table for about 15 min's and when it was ready, the 'employee' shouted and said it was ready instead of bringing it to us. The rhetoric of the above leads me to feel like the last of Jamaican fast food style eateries has made it's way here since they [staff] don't seem too eager to please.

Overall; my 2 friends and I enjoyed our food and all 3 of us ate for $28-. So it's definitely not a waste of our time or money. We are passing thru and have no regrets by coming here.

My review is based on my foodservice and business experience. It's clean and I found nothing unsanitary etc. Although a couple of garbage cans near the exit would be helpful; (We weren't sure if we were supposed to leave our trash at tables or....)

Also; being asked if we want a drink would be nice and having more choices of drinks including water, tea etc wouldn't hurt.

I completely empathize with their efforts starting out and feel they would go far if they invested more time, effort,...

I can tell you that the rice was cooked. The oxtail and goat meat were tender and delicious. The ripe plantains were like they’re supposed to be, a bit “greasy” because anyone who knows plantains know they absorb a lot of oil. And anyone who knows about ripe fried plantains know that when they’re out too long they droop or start looking and tasting dry. Not these.

The price of the oxtail and rice and beans was decent. As a matter of FACT, it’s so decent that she could go up to $25 like in Atlanta. A pound of oxtail ranges between $16-$20. The goat was priced alright only because it sort of makes up for the oxtail.

The woman who took my order was pleasant and the music gave the atmosphere a good vibe. The establishment could be a bit more visually inviting in terms of decor, but I took the “shack” in the name to mean just that, it’s a shack. I didn’t mind it because I ordered to go.

I read some of the reviews and could help but laugh at the response. I don’t blame her. People are used to trashing establishments and the owner or staff politely apologize, and sometimes without a reason. So power to her for defending her establishment. I particularly liked the review of the video when a customer alleged no mask...