FYI - I am from NYC. I've been to Jamaica, all over.. from home-cooked meals to resort/restaurant…read morefood... I love Jamaican cuisine.
I came to Bethlehem PA to visit a few brothers. I wanted them to get out the box and find me some good food that is not from a pizzeria, WaWa's, GIANT Supermarket, etc. We settled on....... JAMAICAN!
"Yes!", I thought. But, tbh, I wasn't expecting much out here. But boy, I was proven wrong with Cherry's Caribbean Palace:
- Curry Goat: Soft, tender, hearty, healthy meat. It was cooked perfect. Not gamy or chewy, but exactly what you'd expect when you think curry goat. Perfect, mild, yellow, Jamaican curry style flavor.
- Curry Chicken: You know Cherry's is authentic by how to they chop up the chicken. Bones and meat - it's not a thoughtless dish. You have to work at it, but so worth it. Doesn't seem like it's those hormone-pumped, farm raised chicken. Again with perfect, mild, Jamaican curry flavor. Not too spicy at all.
- Jerk Chicken: Fire, in the traditional island jerk sense. Made a few of us sweat. Healthy, meaty portions. Skin was perfectly cooked with the jerk. It wasn't falling apart, like other places.
- Jerk Pork: It's jerk, but you can taste the Jamaican pork, 'bbq' aspect, if you know what I mean. It has a, imo, a bit of tangy hint. Which is why I rate it Delicious.
- The beef patties: oh man, the beef patties. The ground meat inside was not liquified (think pizzeria beef patties), and it wasn't dry crumbs (think supermarket fast food beef patties). It was top notch. You can tell because Cherry's cook their beef patties with a little slit/hole on the top of the patty (I assume they do this because they know how they want to cook the meat inside). Frickin' loved the beef patties.
- Oxtail: the meat itself was quality; not full of ligaments or fatty parts. It wasn't dry and overcooked. It was perfectly made. And the sauce, ooh, the sauce. It's not like how other restaurants would use the same kind of base & spices, but at Cherry's, they have a specific oxtail sauce that is distinct, and quite lovely.
- Everything came with rice and peas (great consistency, soft, but not watery or clumpy), perfect balance for all the spicy entrees above.
- Everything came with cooked cabbage (fresh, crunchy, and not slimy)
- Everything came with sweet plantains (ripe & sweet with a little tinge)
Call ahead to order! Much better to work with them direct - not Uber eats! They are good people.
When picking up. The gentlemen let us know that they'd bring the food out to our car. It might look like a 'hole in the wall' (no offense), BUT IT'S THE REALEST FOOD. It made me and my boys' stomachs very happy.
Thank you Cherry's.. we're definitely going to be a good, repeat customer.