CJ Cafe Utica Ave — Restaurant in New York

Went in today Oct 30th. Utica location.

This food is known for great taste and flavor. Haven't had food from them in a couple of years as I haven't lived in canarsie in years as I've moved to south Brooklyn. But today because I'm in that area and was starved my cousin (visiting from Jamaica) and I stopped in as I was praising the food and couldn't wait to get in and dig in. I was disappointed! I ordered goat, cousin ordered fried chicken. Mind youz I'm a massive food fan, I travel internationally and locally and critique food, blog, blah blah etc... I must say I've never been disappointed with their food before and that's where I gave 3 stars because I won't use one bad meal to judge.

The goat was filled with fat it wasn't edible, goat should be cleaned and trimmed of all fat, at one point I was questioning if it was lamb or goat meat because of the fat content. mind you it was filled with flavor but to get to that, every bite I took was interrupted by me having to remove the disgusting fat to get through to the goat meat. Rice was perfectly flavored with butter and salt. Macaroni salad was way too sweet but then again most people love this place for just that. work on the Goat meat guys.

Cousin ordered what she thought was rice and peas and she asked me sarcastically: "A rice and peas dis?" hahaha! Didn't bother asking what was wrong but I looked over and peas was nowhere in sight. Other than these things their food is filled with flavor.

Sidenote: I actually wanted to try the fried chicken but what always turns me away from Jamaican takeout restaurants is the mere fact that almost all only serves leg and thigh. Not a big fan of thigh for several reasons. I think we should step away from that and start serving other parts of the chicken and not only "chicken parts". Loved the flavor just not the fats on my goat, I ate some and threw the rest out. I was truly...

On Friday July 30th 2021. I entered c&j and joined the line of 8 people. I timed the wait from me joining the line till me receiving my food. 38 minutes and I'm not exaggerating. And thats with people leaving the line in disgust. Workers masks were on their chin, a gloveless man walked into the restaurant right to the rice pot and started dishing put rice without handwriting. Anyway as a long time c&j customer, I know its worth the wait. I was wrong. My large oxtail came with 5 peices of oxtail,, each peice of oxtail was burned and so hard you couldn't even chew it. The macaroni salid wasent even tasty and was a very small portion. A couple days passed and my dad told me that he's going to get a stew chicken from there for him and his wife. I warned him. He was so disappointed. He expressed to me that his chicken was burned and hard, and the rice was so spicy with peices of pepper in it that him and his wife couldn't eat it and had to go to the roti place to get a meal after that. Maybe its just utica c&j and the one on queens conduite thats bad now..the flatbush branch has been pretty good. I used to really love this restaurant but the amount of disappointment I've been having, 4 times in a row, sadly I'm going to have to stop going. I'm really going to...

As many of you know I am no stranger to Caribbean restaurants on Flatbush Avenue. When it comes to fast casual spots I consider CJs to be the best on this strip. That's saying alot because Flatbush Ave probably has more Jamaican spots per mile than any other street in the U.S.

The quality of the food is what sets this place apart. These aren't new age takes on cairribean dishes. Here you get traditional Jamaican dishes done correctly. My entrée of choice is the oxtail with rice and peas (extra oxtail gravy on the rice)with plantains. This combo is a staple at any Jamaican spot but you would be surprised how often they get it wrong. Not at Cjs, the oxtail is always lean and tender, the rice has that perfect texture and the plantains are never taste like they've been sitting out for two days. The seasoning is always just right and the portion is more than sufficient for the price. For about $10 I get a container full of delectable oxtails and rice.

5 stars for CJ's on Flatbush They consistently offer a flawless version of my favorite Jamaican dish. Their staff is always respectful and efficient. And they are open late which earns them extra...