Island Fest — Restaurant in High Point

While the Khrissy’s Kitchen truck makes its rounds at Brown Truck fairly regularly, High Point was without a Jamaican restaurant until Island Fest recently opened its doors. It’s a welcome addition, and while it has room to grow and improve, there’s reason enough to be hopeful.

Housed in the former Lone Star Burger (they kept the cow out front and adorned it with a Jamaican flag), Island Fest is geared toward takeout and quick service. Dining in is an option, and the folks here seem friendly, but you’re coming for the food, not the ambiance.

Speaking of the food, the offerings here aren’t as extensive as they are at Da Reggae Café, but if you have a Jamaican craving, you’ll likely find something that can satisfy it. Entrees range from jerks and curries to fried fish to brown stew beef, quick bites include various patties and coco bread, and sides cover the requisite rice and peas, cabbage, and plantains as well as mac and cheese.

They were out of curry shrimp when I placed my order, so I went with fried red snapper in its stead along with jerk chicken, a beef patty, and coco bread. The entrees are available in smaller and larger sizes and include rice and plantains. My wife and I were hoping to get several meals out of our order and did so for under $50. While Island Fest’s early reviews complained about portion sizes, the larger-sized entrees left no room for complaint on that end.

The food was a bit uneven, but there were more bright spots than disappointments. Thankfully, Island Fest does not tone itself down for mass appeal: the beef patty and jerk chicken brought a welcome bit of heat. The snapper was nicely breaded and paired well with a peppery barbecue sauce. Speaking of sauces, Island Fest lets you pick a gravy for your rice. We got to try both the curry and the oxtail gravies, and both were delicious. While the rice was a top-tier side, the cabbage and coco bread were forgettable, and the sweet plantains weren’t particularly sweet.

Island Fest’s early offerings are promising, and more may be on the horizon. As-is, this probably isn’t the best Jamaican food you’ve had, but the entrees and sauces can...

I feel bad but I gotta tell the truth.

First and foremost, customer service is great. They were so very nice. A little joke, that might be a clue as to why the food was terrible.

We ordered oxtail w/rice & peas, curry chicken w/white rice, and a side of plantain (pronounced like mountain and fountain).

So, the oxtail look like it never see gravy a day in its life. Dry dry dry. The rice & peas is what my grandmother would call puppy rice. It was so overcooked and mushy, you give it to puppies. But, that wasn't the bad part. It was SWIMMING in grease. My only assumption is that it was their version of gravy. But, it was oily and clear. Then, overall, the flavor was bland, at best.

The curry chicken w/white rice. I would call that curry-ish chicken because it look like they sprinkle the curry it so "lightskin". I can't tell you about the white rice because they put the same rice & peas. I appreciate the "upgrade" b..b..b..BUT.. imagine how my gf felt, during her monthly visit, hormones raging, and all she wanted was white rice with her curry chicken. I dealt with a lot.

The side of plantain was typical of what I'm seeing with most Caribbean restaurants but they all need to cut it out. The plantain is NOT ripe enough for cooking. It hard and barely sweet. You gotta let plantain get a little over ripe before you fry them up. The sugar content is the highest will caramelize. The parts where it is burnt should have an almost candy like crust. But, in comparison to what I'm finding.. it's on par with other restaurants, unfortunately.

Then, the icing on the cake.. #sigh.. the portions were small, very small. Yes, the curry chicken was supposed to be a small but WOW.. tiny.. disrespectfully tiny.

This is the 2nd "Jamaican" restaurant we've tried in the Triad area so far. 2nd time we've been disappointed. But, this is, in my Caribbean upbringing and multiple category 5 hurricane surviving experience, worst "Jamaican" food I've ever had. I will...

Well...was excited to see a place so close to the house...saw the reviews and high stars got me amped up Walked in...restaurant smelled great, looked nice, high tech self ordering with many options on the menu. ... music set the atmosphere...staff friendly... Been eating Jamaican food most of my 63 years of life...I was so hopeful! Food was ordered to go... oxtails extra gravy rice and peas plantain and cabbage, received my plate steaming hot! Really excited now...got home...dang oxtail pieces were thin cut, fat not trimmed, oxtails not browned, kinda tasted more boiled than stewed...looked for my extra gravy...didnt find anything that resembled gravy and the rice was mushy ... Now... I understand that food needs to be seasoned for the general population of folks who can't handle spices...but those who are inclined to eat oxtails, goat, chicken feet, etc. are people looking for that KICK! We want that pepper...We want that spice...We want to taste that curry! So many places miss the mark by not seasoning well...so with sadness and disappointment...it's a one and done for me...but everyone, Be your own judge...you might...