Roland's Jamaica Chicken — Restaurant in Irving

Before trekking back down 1-35, we stopped at Roland's Jamaican Chicken (RJC) for a bite of the West Indies. We're happy to say it was worth the stop. RJC is in a strip mall off Belt Line Rd within minutes of DFW. I recommend it if you have a long layover and can stop in. When we arrived at about 11:30AM, only one woman staff member took to-go and dine-in orders. While simultaneously jotting down orders, she would have to stop to pack an order, check out someone dining in, and attempt to seat new arrivals like us. She did so with patience and grace, which we returned. It took her a while to get to us, but she was very polite when she did. I appreciated the clean, spacious, and minimally decorated interior. TVs on the walls give you something to watch while you're waiting. Eventually, two more servers showed up to help with the lunch rush. We ordered a beef patty and coco bread to start, along with sorrel and Kola Champagne to drink. The beef patty wasn't homemade. It tasted like the frozen beef patties I ate growing up in NYC. But that doesn't mean I disliked the beef patty; it just wasn't over-the-top impressive. The coco bread tasted stale and of the plastic film it was wrapped in. Making the coco bread the same morning will minimize extended contact with the plastic while the coco bread is under the warming lamps. This will fix that plastic taste I experienced. For our entrees, we ordered the curried goat and chose rice and peas with steamed cabbage (2 sides come with the entrees) and oxtail with mac and cheese and plantains. The mac and cheese was an additional charge, and after tasting it, it wasn't worth the additional money. It had a strong flavor of MSG or something similar; it was also unnaturally orange. It wasn't the worst mac and cheese, but it wasn't pleasant. I wouldn't order it if I returned. The oxtail and curried goat were absolutely divine. AND THEY GAVE ME EXTRA GRAVY without making me feel like I slapped their mother. IYKYK. The oxtail was plump, big, and fall-off-the-bone tender. The curried goat was also tender and not at all gamey. The rice and peas were okay. I just wish it had more coconut flavor and a smidge more spice. The cabbage was addicting. I would probably order two portions of that if I go back. Plantains are plantains, so they're not difficult to mess up unless you're trying. I recommend RJC and will stop back next time...

I've eaten here numerous times, and the food has been consistently excellent. I've only been here for carry-out instead of dine-in; therefore, I can't speak on the service from that experience. However, I have gotten consistent service that I am pleased with. My order has always been correct. Lastly, my food has been consistent in quality and portion sizes, which I appreciate.

Curry goat roti: Their curry goat is flavorful, and the meat is tender and you get a nice mix of meaty and boney pieces. The curry is tasty and the consistency of the gravy is very good. The roti has pounded chickpeas in it, and it has a nice flavor. It's never too try and always made fresh.

Curry chicken roti: their curry chicken is made with the same curry mix as the curry goat. The chicken is bone-dark meat pieces. This is also very tasty, and you can't go wrong with this entree.

Oxtails: This is a go! They usually put 3-4 large pieces of oxtails pieces. The flavor is very good. It's made Jamaican style, so it has a sweet taste to it, and the gravy compliments well the rice.

Jerk chicken: They usually serve two-quarter legs, and this is a good value because the flavor is good; it's not overly spicy to me. Ensure you get the jerk sauce to marinade your chicken with, because it's delicious.

Whole snapper: I had my snapper with brown stew gravy. The fish is fried perfectly and then sauces with gravy. The fish has a nice flavor. I'll try the other styles like curry, spicy red, and Escovitch eventually.

Jerk Ribs: These ribs were delicious and nicely smoked with a great flavor it's much spicier than the jerk chicken to me, but it is good

Beef patty: Their beef patties are delicious! Perfectly seasoned ground beef. The crust of the patty is flaky. This is a must and it isn't spicy.

Sides: I've tried them all, and they're all good, the greens, baked mac and cheese, rice and peas, candied yams, sweet plantains. Just go with your reference and you won't be disappointed.

This is a premier Jamaican food in the area if you're looking for a good meal or like...

I was going to say if you live in Dallas, but truth be told, if you live in a place that starts with a letter, find a way to go to Roland’s. My GAWD. Everything was so good. EVAHREETHANG. Normally, I’d be able to give a thorough review including wait time, but I dined in on an evening where I deliberately had nothing else to do, and I’m glad. The vibe is very casual, the customer service was great (very friendly but not overbearing), multiple screens with various sports events (I went during the 2024 Olympics), a bar, tables (high and low) and just some of the most well seasoned, delicious food I’ve had in a long time. I was tempted to go back every single day that I was in town but I couldn’t. Chicken? Crispier and more flavorful (not just salty) than Popeye’s, yams were perfect, not too sweet, the cabbage had me ready to go in the back and grab an apron just to spy on the recipe. Seriously, I was thinking have I had (or made) al dente cabbage before? Not where the cabbage has had it’s next seven lives soaked from it? I had not, until Roland’s. Now, it’s the standard. “Is the cabbage al dente”, is what I’m gonna be hollering in Jamaican restaurant from now on before ordering. That’s a joke. I would never. Because…I like my feelings being in tact. Yeah, so lastly, let’s talk about the sauce on these oxtails and how good the oxtails were. No, let’s not talk about it because I don’t have the words for how good it was. It’s go, good. Now, good. They are not open, so wait until they are, good. It’s stop what you’re doing, stop driving to whatever other restaurant you were headed to, stop being a vegan, vegetarian, walk from Canada, get there and order the oxtails I don’t care where you are in the whole wide world…good.

I could keep going, but I won’t. But you should. Go. Go, all the time. Take trains, planes and automobiles and get to this place. While you’re there ask if you can grab an apron and get a few of those recipes for me because…WHAT?!?

Stop...