Taste of the Island Soulfood in Severn, MD can be a hit or miss dining experience. Located in a…read moreseedy section, it's important to be mindful of the surroundings. While there may be times when you call and find they're out of certain items, when they do have their Caribbean dishes like jerk chicken, curry chicken, and brown stew chicken are top-notch. Their American-style offerings such as Mac & cheese, chicken wings, and cheesesteaks are consistently well-seasoned. They also occasionally serve breakfast. On a good day, you can enjoy some really delicious food, and the ownership is known to be friendly and respectful.

I haven't been to this location in awhile. Has ownership changed?…read more The oxtails were tough and the beans and rice were dry. I was expecting cabbage with mixed vegetables, not overly spiced cabbage with peppers and onions. What a waste of my time and money.

I ordered lunch on a weekday. It took about 20 minutes and the restaurant was pretty empty when I…read morewalked into to pick up my order. The gentleman and the cook in the back were very friendly. And the oxtails...LORD they were soooo good!! The flavor, the tenderness just 10/10. It's that good that I didn't want to finish eating it! I plan to go back and try their jerk chicken and beef patties. These are probably the best oxtails I have had in this area.

Finally made my way to D&D Caribbean Restaurant and the food was SO good. Like, OMG good…read more I ordered the brown stew chicken with a side of oxtail and cabbage (no rice for me). When I tell you that oxtail was falling off the bone? 10/10. The brown stew chicken was flavorful, tender, and cooked just right. The cabbage was seasoned perfectly, not soggy, not bland. Everything on that plate hit. No complaints about the food whatsoever. The space itself is small, clean, and minimally decorated. Nothing fancy, but very well-kept, and I appreciate that. Service was good. The owner personally took care of me and accommodated my request to swap out the rice for extra cabbage with no issue. I always appreciate when owners are hands-on and attentive. Now for the hiccup: the credit card machine wasn't working, so I had to pay via Cash App. Not ideal, but okay. What almost took me out was the attempt to add a service charge. I definitely spoke up because that extra $1? Yeah... it was about the principle. Sheesh. Overall, the positives outweighed the minor inconvenience. The food alone would have me coming back. And for me, that says a lot.

I used been waiting for the restaurant to open for some time now and excited to try their dishes…read more The food truck now has a store front/brick and mortar. I took advantage of their Friday special, snapper escoveitch (sp?) style although they also offer it as brown stewed. I had to try their coco bread since it's homemade also. I'm sure I'll be back to try their oxtails because how can I not? I almost scream when I seen my cocoa bread! I could not believe I have fresh cocoa bread again like the last time I was in Jamaica! It was warm soft and pillowy. I had to make myself stop eating it so I could try the snapper. The seasoning on the escovitch was perfect! Perfect balance of spicy and acid made each bite exciting. I will never be a fan of whole fish because I do not like picking out my bones so there's a fillet on the menu for eskovich I'm definitely going with that next time.

Today was my first time stopping by to grab some authentic Jamaican food, however, I must say I was…read morea bit disappointed! I ordered Ox Tail (not spicy at all), Mac & Cheese (a bit salty), Collard Greens (lacking salt/seasoning) & plantains (very tasty). The service was great. I was welcomed and promptly helped! The restaurant is beautifully decorated & definitely felt the welcoming Jamaican atmosphere and hospitality, an homage to Bob Marley .. since we live in the neighborhood I will def come back to try another dish ..

Amazing food and service! I ordered the jerk chicken and my husband got the pork, both were great…read morebut pork --wow amazing! Loved their dessert cakes, too! Great vibes :)

3.10.26 My husband…read morewanted me to give this restaurant a try since I'm usually hesitant to eat anywhere that uses a lot of spices and seasoning. I ordered the jerk chicken bowl with potato salad, Old Bay fries, and ranch dressing. My husband got the jerk pork bowl with rice and peas and mac & cheese. I'm not sure whether it was the chicken or the ranch, but one of them was spicy enough to make my nose run. I have zero tolerance for heat, so it definitely caught me off guard. Hubby enjoyed his bowl, though he mentioned they gave him less pork than on previous visits. The staff were friendly and even brought the fries out to us on the patio. I really liked the fries and potato salad, but the chicken (or the sauce) was too spicy for me. I tried a bite of my husband's mac & cheese, and that was also good.

*Heads up, the restaurant came under new ownership a few months ago* (the old owners were letting…read morethings fall by the wayside it seems, thankfully new management is doing much better!) I've stopped through a couple times for carryout and each time there have been other customers stopping by, so it seems like a popular hidden gem among locals. Spoke with the owner and he was friendly, knowledgeable, and you can tell he's passionate about his craft. Food was great, it's now my go to spot for comfort food when I'm craving Caribbean cuisine- have tried the deep fried turkey, kabit goat (love the rice and beans the entree comes with!), Jamaican beef patty, and Haitian codfish patty. You may have to wait a little for the entree to come out, but that's cause they're cooking it fresh. They're currently rebranding the look/ambience of the space, so will definitely be back to visit once it's done.

Way overpriced for the amount and quality of the food. The Jamaican meat pie is literally the ones…read moreyou get in a box frozen at Costco and BJ's. I can buy a box and literally heat it up in the toaster oven myself! Why would I get it here?

How could I have lived here this long and not tried Judy's?!? It's a cute little place with a bar…read moreand small dining room. The dining room and bar have Caribbean flare and the music helps too. I ordered the conch fritters, ackee & salt fish with plantains and cabbage medley. Everything was delicious. My first time trying ackee. A soft fruit that has the texture of scrambled egg and has a savory flavor. I didn't find the salt fish over salty & the cabbage medley was tasty. Will definitely come again. When you want an escape from the norm, try Judy's Island Grill. You won't be disappointed.

Extremely Disappointing Experience -- Wrong Order, No Accountability…read more I've ordered takeout from Judy's Island Grill before and decided to dine in this time with a friend who was trying to support me after a very stressful and traumatic week. She took me out to help ease my anxiety, and we ended up having a very deep and intense conversation throughout the meal. Unfortunately, that experience was overshadowed by what happened with the food and service. We were seated at a dirty table, which we had to ask to be cleaned. Not a great start, but fine -- things happen. I ordered the brown stew salmon. When our food arrived, the server stood there and asked, "Who ordered the jerk salmon?" I immediately said that I did not order jerk -- I ordered brown stew salmon. She responded "OK" and placed the dish in front of me. At that point, I assumed it may have just been a slip of her tongue. The dish didn't overly look like traditional jerk (it wasn't dark or blackened), so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. After just a few bites, my mouth was on fire. It was spicy. I began to wonder if they made their brown stew salmon with a little bit more of a kick than I was used to. Given everything I had going on that day and the nature of the sensitive conversation I was having with my friend, I didn't want to interrupt the moment or make a big issue about the food, so I tried to push through, even though I had to keep drinking water between bites. When the server later came around to check on us, I mentioned that the dish was very spicy and that I suspected it might actually be jerk. The explanation I received was honestly unbelievable!!! The server said to us *The (Hispanic looking) woman who took your order is the manager/owner, and she doesn't know the difference between the two dishes. (The server said this to us!!) She continued: * There is only one button for both jerk salmon and brown stew salmon. Because of that, she (the owner/manager) was supposed to go to the back and explain to the chef that I wanted brown stew instead of jerk -- but she clearly did not do that. Even more concerning, the server admitted she suspected the dish might be wrong when she brought it out -- and served it anyway. Let that sink in. I literally said at the table that I did not order jerk salmon -- and it was still placed in front of me and left there. She did not check with the Chef what order he received. What if I had a food sensitivity or allergy?!????? This is not just poor service -- it's careless. Even more disappointing: No apology. No accountability. No attempt to make it right. Just a full bill as if nothing happened. A manager should absolutely know the difference between two completely different dishes!! This experience left me feeling frustrated, dismissed, and honestly a bit disgusted. Something has clearly changed here, and not for the better. Proceed with caution. A mistake is one thing -- how it's handled is everything. Being served the wrong dish is frustrating -- being told it was known and ignored is unacceptable.

This place is truly a vibe! Previously I only stopped by for takeout, which I enjoy. Their jerk…read morechicken is good! The customer service is excellent. I know there's a running joke that if a Jamaican restaurant has good service, the food isn't good or vice versa. That is not true here! The service is good and the food is good. I recently stopped by on a Saturday night to check out "Limin' Saturdays." Yes there's a bar on the side. There's even an outdoor space with an igloo set up. How cool! The DJ was great. Shout out to DJ Fyah Oats for the chunes! Service at the bar by Dominique was excellent. I like that they feature local places like Shmidt Spirits! Woot!

Tried CaribExpress because every time I pass by it's always jumping so I had to see what it was…read moreabout. The vibe is definitely a nice set: great Jamaican music , good energy, and a perfect local spot to grab food (and a rum punch). Service was solid, fast and pleasant. The food is set up buffet/express style, but there's seating available if you want to eat in. I ordered the oxtail plate and it was pretty good, but I wasn't overly impressed. The meat wasn't as tender as I expected. My partner, however, loved the baked salmon, so I wouldn't mind circling back to try that. It's located in downtown Laurel, so street parking is available. Also, it's a Jamaican spot, so expect the music to be LOUD. Overall, a solid local spot with a fun atmosphere.

The experience was overall great. Service was good. Sandwiches were made fresh and so were the…read morecurry. They offered us soursop drink to taste and it was delicious. The chopped sandwich was flavorful too. I love the pineapple ginger drink. My only hiccup is that the jollof rice had hair in it. like multiple pieces. The music was good and everything. People were nice but I'm really sad that there was hair in the rice. **Update** Lee called me and we discussed the situation and he provided a solution very promptly. He was very apologetic and everything.

To get to this place you have to drive around back of the office building. It's a small little cafe…read morewith big taste! The food was amazing! We got several things that lasted us the rest of the week. They give good portions for a good price. We got jerk chicken over jallof rice and curry goat. Buss up shut, beef patties, chopped cheese sandwich, and a sorrel ginger drink. The food was amazing! Spicy and homey! The great thing is that they use halal meat in their cuisine! It feels like a small lunch cafe, we sat in and had our meal. The service was quick and will definitely plan on going back soon!

Absolutely loved the food!! The woman taking my order was helpful. I will definitely be backread more

This place has kinda fallen off. You place and order and it says 20 minutes.....50 minutes later…read morehalf your order is out of stock and for $6 you get 5 plantain slices that you waited 20 minutes for

A stand located in the lot of Chesapeake Seafood, MadFlava serves up jerk chicken, jerk pork chops,…read moreribs, and various house made slaws. You can usually find them grilling up on Saturdays! We ordered the 1/4 jerk (dark) chicken (juicy and the skin came off easily), jerk pork chop (slightly tough and better with the jerk sauce), 1/2 a slab of ribs (tender and smoky), a side of the jalapeño cole slaw (it was crunchy and refreshing, and I liked the sliced jalapenos), and the Jamaican rice and peas (this was comforting). There were also some samplings of jerk fish that was being passed out, and I just wished we got this instead! The fish was super flaky and yummy! The jerk seasoning is all homemade, and it's definitely flavorful, with a great spicy kick! Apparently, their seasonings/marinades are also sold, so if you want to kick up your meats and such, they're available! The husband-and-wife team are super friendly and welcoming. They are currently located in the Chesapeake Seafood parking lot on Fridays and Saturdays. +jerk fish! +Jamaican rice and peas +housemade/homemade jerk seasoning blend +friendly owners +located in the Chesapeake Seafood parking lot on Fri & Sat

From the owner: Get ready for a mouthwatering Jamaican cookout that will have your taste buds dancing! We're firing…read moreup the grill and bringing the island heat to the streets. Limited time during the warmer months we offer Authentic Jamaican Cuisine.