Jerk Hut — Restaurant in Peoria

Review Date: January 12th, 2021

“Not to be a jerk, but can I get this To-Go?”

My friend Maria talked about the Jerk Hut all the time. She loves coming here for the baked potatoes. She’s not the only one who had talked about how much they like this place. The word on the street was very positive in regards to Jerk Hut being really good food. I just knew I had to try it. Luck would turn in my favor as I made plans to hang out with a few friends for some Magic. Before I could do this, I needed food and Tim agreed that the Jerk Hut sounded good for a late lunch. I picked him up, set my GPS for our destination and away we went.

As we pulled up to the parking lot, I saw my friend Maria sitting in her car. We got out and conversed a little bit. She had said she was craving the Jerk Hut and I must’ve caught her at the time she decided to pick it up. What fun timing. I asked her how we order since things are a bit different at each place on how you get your food for carry out. She took us inside and it was a reunion of old memories and new smells.

This is the first time I’ve visited a Caribbean place. They just aren’t a popular thing around central Illinois. But my nose knew we were in for a treat as the restaurant smelled fantastic, even through our masks. Maria said they were out of a few products but that was fine. The whole menu sounded foreign yet delicious at the same time.

While my friends claim that I been to a million places, I disagree as there are a ton of ethnic and cultural places I have yet to try. Since I am new to trying Caribbean, I stuck with the Jerk Chicken Sandwich combo. Chicken is usually a safe bet and I knew Caribbean food had a bit of a kick to it. A potential match made in heaven. Tim ordered a chicken alfredo with some spicy mac and cheese. Everything was made to order so our wait was maybe 15 minutes? In that time, Maria and I went outside to talk for a bit and then Tim and I ran our drinks out to the car. Indoor eating is an option but not one that is currently usable due to state-wide restrictions. Once our food was ready, we headed back to my place.

Once we were settled in at my table, I made the comment that the chicken patty looked funny. I am used to tenderloins sticking comically out past the bun but not chicken sandwiches. You’ll have to see below what I mean. My usual attack method for eating sandwiches like this is to eat the stuff hanging out from under the bun and then eat the sandwich properly. The first few bites were pure bliss. The chicken was seasoned just the way I like my steaks. A bit of spice but nothing to hide the natural flavor of things. Once I got to the actual sandwich, it was got even better. The chicken itself was a bit dry but I attribute that to the waiting we had to do for Tim’s order to come out after mine plus the drive to my apartment plus getting ready. Eating inside the restaurant when the food is fresh out of the kitchen can’t be replicated in a styrofoam container. Normally this would factor in to my rating but I give carry out some room due to that being something you just can’t avoid.

Once I got to the sandwich portion of my sandwich, the dryness was covered up by the succulent nature of the lettuce and tomato. My meal came with packets of mustard, ketchup, and mayo but I felt like anything else would’ve diluted the taste and brought me down from heaven a bit. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes more is too much. I snacked on my fries in-between bites. I was happy to see they weren’t crinkle cut. These weren’t quite steak fries but not quite normal fries. Either way, despite losing a bit of their heat, they complimented the sandwich nearly perfectly. I did have to throw some salt on them as I am one who loves just a little bit of salt on their fries. Whether they come unsalted or I just had an odd batch, I am not sure. But they tasted great dipped in ketchup. I even tried the fries in mayo (don’t ask) and it was a surprisingly good combo since I typically am neutral on mayo. I am typing this hours after eating and am craving...

I ordered the jerk salmon alfredo. I wasn't pleased with the alfredo sauce. I had to season the sauce when I got home. It was bland and more liquid like; it looked like milk. Alfredo sauce should be thicker than served here. The jerk seasoning was barely there on the salmon. My advice don't be afraid to season the food. Me in my kitchen I don't measure I just shake and stop when the ancestors say that's enough😅 I don't use salt with iodine. I use Himalayan pink salt and lots of herbs. A suggestion use both Romano and parmesean cheese to make the alfredo allow it to thicken on low heat. I also got a side of yams. They looked like canned yams. The yams were lightly seasoned as well. Not real sweet. Yams can be sweetened without going overboard with the sugar. Raw cane sugar is a great sweetener without the added chemicals that white sugar has. I believe if you all just adjusted the seasonings in your food then your star rating can improve and your foot traffic may improve inside...

Sorry but I wasn't impressed. The sides where definitely out of a box, bag and or cans. I ordered The jerk oxtails with red beans and rice, reg Mac and cheese and collard greens. I knew when I tasted the greens they came out of a can. I would recommend atleast using glory greens and they were kinda tough. The Mac was definitely precooked and the red beans and rice had no taste at all. I gave 3 starts because the oxtails we're seasoned well and delicious. The customer service was good and the restaurant was clean and comfortable. I probably wouldn't go back but everyone taste is different. You took five months to respond to my truth. In no way was my comment about insults. My comment was based on what I tasted. Maybe I can in on the wrong day/wrong time but I stand behind what I said. I apologize that you can't handle another's...