Jerk Shack — Restaurant in Seattle

Food: Dry Rub Jerk Chicken, Rice & Peas/Beans, Cabbage Salad, Plantain, Greens, and Jerk Chicken Burrito

I went to visit my son in Seattle and wanted to have lunch at a Jamaican restaurant to experience the difference in food and service then that of New Orleans, Houston, New York, and Florida.

The gentleman who I believe is the owner, explained in detail how the food is prepared. I could see the radiance and passion in his eyes as he described every step of the dry rub process. He could go on and on about his craft. This is exactly what he is called to do…no doubt about it.

I truly enjoyed my meal which lasted 2 days (lunch and dinner), lol. It was a lot of food. The burrito on the other hand would not live long in the hands of my son, lol. The greens were hands down my absolute favorite! 💚

Service: My son had been to the Jerk Shack before and he really liked the Jerk Chicken Burrito therefore, we decided to pay them a visit. Unfortunately, there was a delay and weren’t able to open on time. I was a bit hungry because I had just flown in from Houston and opted to wait a couple of hours to have lunch instead of eating a late breakfast. Things happen so of course we waited and the gentleman was apologetic. I did share that it was my first visit to his restaurant and I had barely arrived from the airport. He was so gracious that he blessed me with what we in New Orleans call, “lagniappe”. I’ll let you all do your research on that one, lol.

Atmosphere: We sat outside on such a beautiful day sunny yet cool day. It was quiet and there weren’t many people when we arrived since it was still early. My son and I were having a nice conversation until I took a sip of my lemonade and the. I got really cold and I said, “ooh, we gotta go son because I’m freezing”. 😂 I’m such a wuss😂

If you’re ever in the Seattle area, stop by the Jerk Shack and experience the dry rub jerk chicken...

Inconsiderate service.

I showed up at the CD location just before noon to an empty restaurant, with one cook and a cashier, plus a delivery driver hanging out, and ordered a jerk chicken burrito to take home.

After ordering, the cook told me there was a large order ahead of me so it’ll be a while. No prob. Nearly 10 minutes later I asked “hey, how much longer?” and got told “at least 5 more minutes”.

I was on a schedule, so I asked him to cancel my order and told the cook “this isn’t right”. The guy did refund me, but gave me a condescending lecture: “haven’t you heard of first-come-first-served? These catering orders came in this morning way ahead of you.” Another person came in and ordered while I was waiting, and the cook pointed him out to me saying “see, this is a regular, he understands how ordering works”.

Well yes, I have heard of first-come-first-served, but if you’re inconveniencing your drop in customers like this maybe you haven’t heard about “staffing appropriately”.

Or maybe tell me before I order that there is a 15 minute wait for my $20 (counting tip) take out burrito. Hey, if you want to prioritize catering over in-person, that’s your business. If I had gotten a “yeah, sorry” I would have understood, but instead I was made to feel like I was the one inconveniencing them.

I’m just one guy so I guess I don’t really matter to them, but no way will I be coming back. Maybe food is all that and I’m missing out, but it’s not worth the disrespect of my time...

Pros: good flavors, sauces and salsas. The meats are served on large cutting boards. Each entree is meant to be shared. 1 entree and 1 side was enough for me and my wife. The new chef has brought a new crowd into the restaurant.

Cons: Food was cold, never given small plates for sharing. Waitor was not knowledgable about the menu. Most plates coming out of the kitchen had knifes for cutting, but ours did not. The drinks that we tried were bad. I have never sent a drink back before, but we sent back both mixed drinks in favor of beer and wine. We were charged for the more expensive mixed drinks. Menu is inconsistent online and in person.

From what we have heard, the owners wanted to change the direction of the restaurant, as it had slid too far away from their original vision. That is what prompted this rebranding/switch up.

It seems to us that the staff in the front of the house has turned over completely during the transition. The familiar wait and bar staff are gone. The staff we had were definitely still getting their bearings and struggling to keep up with the Sunday evening rush.

We have been coming to this restaurant (Innkeeper/Jerk Shack) for 3 years. It is sad to have such a bad experience at what used to be our favorite restaurant in Seattle. There are a few artifacts of the old Innkeeper menu on the Jerk Shack menu, but none that we have tried were up to the quality...