Morgan's Island Grill — Restaurant in Hightstown

The food is good. Does it have authentic Jamaican inspired flavors? In my opinion, no. The owner has always been pleasant and welcoming. I've seen him in the kitchen on many occasions preparing food. The staff, these days, have been professional. Depending on what you order, the wait time can be long. If you order entrees during a busy time, expect to add about 15-20 minutes to the time they tell you. The portion sizes are very, very generous. I've tried the beef, chicken, and veggie patties. All were good. According to a staff member there, the patties are not homemade. I think this may be more common than not; nevertheless, a reason why I opt to skip them. I've tried the jerk, stewed, and curry chicken which were all good. The roti is good. The oxtail was well seasoned; really good. The jerk shrimp was a disappointment. There was no traditional Jamaican jerk to be found. The flavors were fine, but not what I was expecting, or even wanted. Along those same lines, the rice and beans (I haven't seen pigeon peas, but rather kidney beans) is really good but no authentic Jamaican flavor. The cabbage is pretty good. I suspect the cornbread, while tasty, is made with cake flour and corn flour. It's sweet and doesn't have that "real" corn-y quality to it. The last few times I've gone, the food has been a bit saltier than usual. I tried their fish on 2 occasions and both times the fish did not have the scales removed. I was told that they couldn't remove the scales which led me to believe the fish isn't prepared in house but rather a pre-cooked product shipped from elsewhere. That was probably almost 2 years ago but it was such a turn off that I am very hesitant to try their fish ever again. Overall, good food and good service. Not five stars b/c it's missing the authenticity of Jamaican cuisine. I liken the flavors to be more Jamaican inspired rather than authentic. Nothing wrong with that if you're not looking for comfort, authentic flavors. Try it...

I was expecting the best from this place because the reviews are so good, BUT SADLY, I don't agree. My critique is not service or location related because this is a very well maintained location with dine in accommodations that's actually suitable to sit down and eat your meal AND the owner was SUPER NICE (hostess was whatever), so service and location deserve high ratings.

I'm Jamaican, so we tend to be more critical because we know what the food should taste like. I ordered the oxtail dinner that was served with rice and peas, steamed cabbage, plantains and cornbread. I also ordered the mac & cheese on the side and a slice of carrot cake (I was hungry af). The Oxtail was darker than any I've ever seen and that's due to the use of too much browning (burned sugar), so the oxtails were too dark and too sweet. I couldn't pick up on any of the flavor profiles that should come with this protein.

The Nice and Peas was basic; not terrible, but nothing to write home about (I don't think coconut milk was used).

The Steamed Cabbage was yellow...like, why??? We don't steam cabbage with saffron (I'm thinking that's what was used)

The Plantain's consistency was off; the texture was soft and hard at the same time.

The Cornbread was actually good. This is not a staple in Jamaican cuisine, but it was good in my opinion.

The Mac & Cheese was edible, so I ate it; it had the right color, but it was not creamy nor was it cheesy.

The Carrot Cake may have been good when it was first baked, but I'm going to guess it's been there more than 24 hours, so it was dry af...not like regular dry, but inedible dry. The frosting was butter cream, but I could taste the butter and eggs distinctly. Needless to say this was garbage.

If you don't know what Jamaican and Caribbean food should taste like then this is 5 star location, but if you know your ish...you know better.

I wish I could have given 4+ stars because the owner was pleasant, but I...

I am rating this based off of two dishes that i ordered. I went with other co workers and apparantly went in before at a busy time for them. There were people in front of us that were waiting for their food and it took awahile for us to get our meal. This locations allows you to sit down and eat in. But the waitress is also the cashier. She is tending to both the front of the house and the walk in customers. This made service slow. I wasnt expecting fast service because this is a small establishment and there will be a wait.

My 1st plate arrived and it was the. CURRY Chicken roti. I am a Jamaican and can tell you that this was by far some of the best curry chicken meals that i have had the flavor was good and the roti was soft and baked well.

I ordered a beef patty. They run out fast so i was lucky to get one. HOWEVER it was not good. There was no flavor in the beef and the patty flaky crust was flavorless as well.

I also order an order of Jerk Chicken and Fries. The fries were good but the Jerk was bland. I have made and can make better Jerk than this. There was no spice to the jerk and was lacking traditional flavors. They have a wet sauce that is included that is nothing more than a hot sauce base. It also tastes like it has a large amount of Louisana Hotsauce in it. Very bland as a dipping sauce.

I will be back to try their Curry Goat but that will probably be as far as I will go while...