Hot Spot Jamaican American Cuisine — Restaurant in City of Albany

Second visit: So far -- It's as good as it gets.

The menu is as authentic is it gets. One of the skilled chefs, owner Mr. Douglas is very friendly as is talented --- will occasionally visit the table and talk about the food. He is very passionate about his craft and the food reflects it. The place has a real homely feeling to it, very casual like typical lunch spot back home. It's always a treat find a piece of home in your backyard, or in this case Albany - especially when it comes to the Red Snapper at Hot Spots Restaurant.

I usually eat it for lunch. Recently, I've made it a game of trying out all of the places in the area that cook the whole fish/ Fried Red Snapper - and made it a habit to call ahead for lunch, to get it cooked and served in time (it typically takes 30 mins to prepare). Hot spots easily accommodated my request - and they were on point, when I arrived they didn't waste any time getting it served to in time for me to get back in the office on time.

As I mentioned, they serve the whole fish. It's a big serving - I'm a big guy, and even though it was absolutely delicious, I couldn't finish it in one sitting. They served it Brown Stew Style -- each bite was saturated with a mouth of flavors. The brown sauce was a rich mix of fresh vegetables and exotic spices. The melody of flavor with the tenderness of the fish, was perfect. Snapper Red mildly sweet ( flavor is mild and distinctive) with a lean, firm moist texture. The way they prepared the fish, the texture was perfect - it broke off the bone in large flakes that were so moist the fell off of the spoon. They really nailed this dish.

Hot Spots is a great place to be introduced to the Jamaican cuisine. Mr. Douglas does a masterful job capture the authentic flavor of each dish on the menu(I'll be doing future reviews to confidently support that) this snapper is just a reflection of that. The best part is the serving was so big, I'll be able to eat it again later.

So far, my experience, is that they are very consistent with their meals. Very affordable options. The style of meals is very authentic eating and the environment is reminiscent of Jamaica. It's super casual, with a nice selection of popular reggae jams quietly jammin in the background. There are lots of options on the menu -- all prepared fresh. .leading to a genial, relaxed atmosphere. In Albany,Hot Spots is quickly becoming of my favorite places to visit. The Beef Patty's w/ Coco bread are always a safe bet but if you want a real taste -...

I went to this restaurant yesterday evening, after arriving in town. I brought small stew chicken, small jerk chicken, three chicken patties and large oxtail(which I believe was not even oxtail)... I PAID 67.60.... 1st impression they didn't greet us at all( there was a young women and an older man at the register) After about 5mins we were acknowledged. I ordered the food and waited for my food. We ate the chicken patties while waiting for the other food( they were okay). I heard another customer mention the large oxtail and you only recieve 5 pieces with the orde said she will never order that again. The cost of a large oxtail is $26! When my food came out I checked, there was only 5 oxtails FOR $26!!! The food was cold/warm like they tried to microwave it. I asked the young woman why does a large order only come with only 5 oxtails, she replied "I don't know what that has to do with me" "I dont make the plates". I asked her if she could get someone who knew.... She then went in the back to grab the older man(from earlier). This made it no better because he was so dismissive of my issue( there was not type of customer service). The older man just stated you only get five and walked off.... So I then asked the girl if I could have a refund, she stated no. So I asked for someone else. The owner came out and told me the price is because oxtail cost went up and he gets his seasonings from Jamaica..... He ended up giving me three extra oxtails(neck bones)...He said he has the best food out there and I would see it is worth the cost once I taste food. I was extremely disappointed 😞.... oxtail, stew and jerky was nasty, not authentic at all. I've eaten at over 30 Jamaican restaurants and this by far was the 2nd worst...... Overall food is over priced, customer service is a 0, and definitely not worth a visit! Don't spend your money where it's not appreciated and your pockets are being taken advantage of! If I could give a zero...

Yesterday, went to Hotspot Jamaican American Cuisine for an oxtail dinner and beef pattie. I returned to the Capital District to visit with family after moving out of town two year ago, and I was looking forward to supporting Black business, while also enjoying some good Caribbean cuisine. I called ahead my order to pick up during the early evening hours. Upon arrival, my guest and I were the only people in the restaurant with the server, an older gentleman sitting behind the counter. I greeted him, which was not reciprocated. The gentleman acknowledged me with a grunt barely looking up from his phone. I asked for my order, which was completed and ready for my payment. I made an additional request a slice of carrot cake. The gentleman appeared annoyed, but went to get the cake for me. While I was taken aback at the interactions, which did not convey good customer service, I did not push it. When we got home to eat our meal, we were dismayed! We ordered a large oxtail dinner with rice and peas and plantains and a beef patty. The oxtails (a total of 5 thinly-sliced pieces) were hard and under-cooked. The majority of the platter was rice, with very few peas, dry very little gravy. The beef patty was over-cooked and dry. The only thing that was acceptable was the plantains. Words could not adequately express our disappointment with this meal. I do not normally provide reviews, but I felt compelled to give one this time. I repeat, I support Black businesses and want Hot Spot to receive my feedback with the intention of doing better and...