The Jerk Shack — Restaurant in San Antonio

UPDATED TO 5 STARS AFTER MY RECENT EXPERIENCE! The service and food quality were impeccable

----- Old review: Long story short: food and ambience are great when the food is fresh, service could use improvement.

Went yesterday (Thursday at 5 30 pm) for dinner. It was not very busy. We ordered 4 Thursday Lunchbox specials and 1 mixed box. The Thursday offer gives you 2pc of jerk or fried chicken 🍗, 2 sides, and 2 plantains. When i tried to order an extra order of plantains at the end, I was told they didn't have any . I asked, then, what would be in the boxes and they said they'd substitute with a honey coco roll.

The cashier let us sample their lemonades and we're more than willing to offer recommendations for sides, which was nice.

They also were out of empanadas, but I figured I'd see if all the food we already ordered was enough. The owner later reached out on Instagram and said the storm had disrupted their supply chain, so it's understandable.

Only ordering 4 specials and 1 regular plate, our total was 92 before adding a tip. This is affordable in my book, but just keep in mind their regular meals prices fall in the 20-30 a person range. I saw last minute there was a rewards program query on the checkout screen that my cashier swiped away, but when asked he reopened the check and credited my phone number the points.

We got our food pretty quickly. Everything was bursting with flavor but I could tell the rolls we were given were not fresh. I saw my brothers macaroni was hot and cheesy but mine, and My dad's macaroni were pretty dry. When I asked for a replacement mac and cheese which they reccommended to begin with, the cook rolled his eyes visibly through the window. Shortly after I got a cheesy, hot pot of mac.

I understand FIFO as someone who worked in food service for 4 years but just give your customers fresh food!

All in all the flavor was great and atmosphere very clean and nice. I just would need another go to really get a feel of the staples like plantains, empanadas, etc. This place is award winning and when the food is fresh I can see that, but they need more...

Updated at new location off 151: I recently tried the Lunchbox Special available on Thursdays. It comes with 2 pieces of chicken, 2 sides, plantains, and a drink for $14 (plus a 10% service fee, tip, and tax)!

They allow you to mix and match on the chicken so I chose a regular fried and a jerk. I hadn't tried either and they were both superb! The skin on the fried was extra crispy and the meat was tender and juicy. The jerk was smokey and flavorful. The meat on that one literally fell off the bone as I picked it up [queue happy dance] 💃

For sides, I always have to go with the mac and cheese. It's gobsmacking good and I will always get it when I go here and at Freight Fried Chicken in Pearl! I also had the sweet yams. Honestly, by the time I got to the yams I was pretty full but I managed to stuff them down and noticed lovely orange notes which was much enjoyed to finish off the meal.

Somewhere between the mac and yams I scarfed down the best plantains I've ever had. I've tried them several times before from other places and figured I just didn't like them but the ones being served up here definitely have me rethinking that.

OG review from Commerce location: I loved my visit off the main road to this low-key spot that serves up delicious Jamaican food on the westside. We started with Jamaican patties (a MUST-TRY) and pineapple habanero slaw (I added the leftover portion to a salad the next day for another W 😉).

While the Jerk Jackfruit was a bit too spicy for me I was informed that it's made to order so next time I'll order a milder version and in tacos because even though it was hot it was still a great protein alternative that was texturally satisfying and flavorful (I had never tried Jackfruit so was pleasantly surprised by it's meaty texture).

The Braised Oxtails is another MUST-TRY. This one isn't spicy, it's absofrigginlutely delectable. So tender and incredibly savory. I see why it's a Chef Specialty. It is gum-smacking goodness all around. And though it's not pictured here I also tried the Mac and cheese. I don't know what they put in it but it's damn...

Tonight, I visited The Jerk Shack and placed an order for the family pack — half fried chicken, half jerk chicken — with three sides: cabbage, mac & cheese, and greens. I also added an order of coco bread. My order was placed around 8:20–8:30 PM, give or take a few minutes, and came to $93.42.

I waited patiently for my to-go order, but as time passed, I noticed the staff had started cleaning up. At 8:56 PM — just before their 9:00 PM closing time — I went to the counter. The same young lady who took my order looked at me and said, “I was wondering what you were waiting for.” When I asked about my food, she told me they had accidentally given it to someone else.

When I asked what that meant for me, she said she’d check if the kitchen could make it. But by this point, they were already cleaning the grills. What I ended up with was clearly thrown together from whatever was left over for the night. They were out of greens, so I asked for double mac instead. They agreed, giving me double mac and double cabbage.

When I got home, I opened the boxes to find just four pieces of fried chicken and six tiny drumsticks plus one thigh. For a $93 order, this was already disappointing. But it got worse — the $5.50 coco bread I paid for was completely missing.

To “make it up” to me, they offered an abandoned order (probably meant for the person who got my food by mistake). I took it out of frustration and left. Inside? A box of cold, soggy fries and seven small fried shrimp — which I couldn’t even eat because I’m allergic.

This was an absolute disaster from start to finish. How do you hand someone a $100 order without checking it’s theirs? And if you mess up, why rush together scraps and call it good? Honestly, a refund would have been far better than this mess.

No thanks, Jerk Shack — there won’t be...