Montego Bay Grille — Restaurant in Hobart Township

Montego Bay Grille, located on Main Street, in Hobart, a Caribbean style restaurant.

Chose 2 appetizers, Fried Plantains and (of course) Jerk Wings! I have discovered that I have a great fondness of plantains, thanks to other establishments, Velero's, Cisco's, and Cool Runnings, to name a few and Montego Bay's did not disappoint, and perhaps were the best I've had. They are paired with a caramel drizzle which basically makes the appetizer a pre-dinner dessert, and it's excellent 👌! The wings were very good also, the char made the flavors pop!

Our server was excellent, though the sole individual covering all the patrons she was attentive and most helpful.

My wife narrowed her choice down to the "Chef's Signature Jerk Style Pork". Very good, nice tender and well prepared. Vegetables were excellent as well, she would have liked to have a bit stronger flavor from the red beans and rice.

I wanted the pork as well but figured I could try her's so I went with the "Chef's Signature Jerk Style Chicken" instead. An entire ½ of the bird! I completed enjoyed the grilled veggies. However, I quite enjoyed the more subtle flavor of the red beans and rice, sort of a palate cleanser between the richness of the other flavors.

Portions of both our dinners exceeded expectations!

And who could resist scratch made Pineapple Upside-down Cake for dessert, well, not us. The wife of the owner made them that day and was in the process of bringing them in when we wanted to order. Came to the table still warm! The cake was dense, like pound cake with a very pleasant crunchy bottom (was the top in baking) and the rum caramel sauce was just..... wowzer! However I did miss the walnuts and caramelized layer with the pineapple slice, but it was...

I recommend this place for a cozy atmosphere, friendly service, and good food if you are NOT set on it tasting like Jamaican food.

Details:

I had been craving Jamaican food like the kind I used to eat in Atlanta and New York but I did not want to drive all the way to the city for it (a 45-60 minute drive).

I asked a friend if she knew of a place in or near Merrillville that had good Jamaican food. She told me she had just heard about Montego Bay Grille, though she had not been.

I made my way here that same evening and I am glad I did; but please note: the food tastes delicious but it does NOT taste like Jamaican food. At least it doesn't taste like any Jamaican food that I have ever had. However, I would return here to eat and would recommend it to you if you are in the mood for some good food and are not particular about it tasting like Jamaican food because of what the name of the restaurant and its menu imply.

I had "jerk chicken", vegetables, peas and rice (they call them beans and rice here) and mac and cheese. The chicken was well seasoned and well prepared but it wasn't jerk chicken. There was some jerk sauce on the side that I poured on the chicken and that made it "jerk-ish" but it wasn't real jerk chicken, though good. The vegetables were delicious; I have never tasted such tender carrots, yum! But again, I am used to the cabbage and vegetables that normally come with Jamaican food. The beans and rice tasted nothing like the typical Jamaican peas and rice, but they were good. The mac and cheese was delicious! It was prepared with big barrel pasta, the cheese sauce was very mild and creamy, and the seasoned bread crumb topping was fantastic! Also, I had a ginger beer that was strong and...

Long post alert..The service was nice and the atmosphere was welcoming and clean. The menu is very limited and the prices online are not the same as in the restaurant. I found this out when I arrived to pick up my meal. There was a. $10+ increase but they were nice about honoring the price that was on their site. I had the jerk chicken dinner with rice and beans and veggies. I also had the crab cake appetizer and the pineapple upside down cake. Here’s my review.. Jerk chicken meal: PROS: the chicken was cooked perfectly. 10/10. The jerk sauce was incredible! I wish the meal came with more than the small cup that came on the side. 1000/10. CONS: the rice and beans was mushy and lacked flavor. Reminded me of Zatarain’s boxed rice. 2/10. Veggies were cooked and flavored very nicely but the portion was extremely small. I’m talking two spoonfuls. For $23, I can’t justify purchasing this meal again but I’d definitely order the chicken as a stand alone item if they offered it, which I was told it is not. Crab cake: 3/10. My crab cake was mushy and not cooked through. I’m 9 months pregnant and I didn’t want to risk getting sick so I just trashed it. However, the marinated tomatoes were delicious, as well as the avocado sauce served on the side. Pineapple cake: 6/10. The flavors were great but this cake was clearly stale. The texture of the cake was dry and crumbly but the caramel sauce tasted great. Overall, there is definitely room for improvement, but I don’t see myself returning. The price doesn’t match the portions or quality. $12 for one undercooked crab cake and $7 for one slice of stale cake is unacceptable. I’ll stick to my spot in Glen park to satisfy my...