Mr.Joes Island Grill Seafood & BBQ — Restaurant in New Orleans

I found this place tonight by accident when the Saint Roch Market was closed and I was looking for something potentially delicious nearby. When I think of "Island grill," I usually think of Jamaican and was pretty spot on here. The restaurant itself is a quaint little place tucked off of Saint Claude Avenue. It's a very basic layout similar to most Jamaican places I've been to around the country. The lady at the register was very friendly and greeted me when I came in. She answered all of my questions. I could see Mr Joe himself working hard in the back. I hadn't placed my order yet and was already getting a very authentic vibe. I decided to go with jerk pork today instead of my usual oxtails. As much as I love them, they can get a bit pricey at all Jamaican restaurants. They were out cabbage and the next batch wouldn't be ready for 20 minutes so I decided to get extra rice and peas. The total for my order was $24 which is incredibly reasonable. The food itself was absolutely fantastic! Completely on point in every way. I wanted to get fried plantains but they were also out of them, but I will certainly try them whenever I visit again. That you can bet on. Overall I had a great experience. I am absolutely stuffed and still have half a box for later. Tremendous food for the value. Excellent spice selections. It was spicy but not in a hot way. I could taste the fresh ginger in every bite. If my experiences continue to be this positive then I will definitely be a regular from now on. I only took off one star because they were out of several items, but that can certainly go up to a five-star...

I ordered late night delivery from here. They got my side wrong, but whatever, I'm a big girl, I can live with that. But then I tried to eat my BBQ ribs and, oh god. When I first opened the bag I smelled plastic, but just assumed it was the packaging. Nope. It was the ribs. They tasted strongly of plastic and whatever fuel they used for the grill. It was so strong. It was so bad. The ribs were also so dry and tough you couldn't tell where the meat ended and the bone began. They were literally, physically, inedible: the outer layer of the meat was so tough and leathery it was like eating something with an inedible skin - and ribs don't have skin. It was so tough and leathery I literally could not cut or bite it. The cabbage and rice were both mediocre. But wow. I have never had food from a restaurant that was as inedible and horrible tasting...

I feel like the only bad review here listed is an absolute lie. She probably was rude or something to him and wrote a bad review to try to bring a black owned business down bc BABYYYYYY.. when I tell you that I left NOLA almost a month ago and I'm STILL thinking of those ribs and that brisket???? I had to come back and write a review... hands down the best barbecue I have had, ever. I travel a lot, visited 20/50 states, including Kansas who is supposed to be known for their bbq.. Mr. Joe and the kind man who took our orders both were super, super humble. My friends I were so amazed by how good this food was, that we had to call out the cook just to let him know. He was very thankful, humble, and made sure to come out to greet us. Much love from ATL, will definitely make a trip out there again and you will be my...