Ya Mon...this place is legit!…read more I am so glad my fellow Yelpers told me about Island Express in Elburn Illinois. Authentic home style Jamaican food with Island Flavor at reasonable prices. Mainly a takeout place with limited counter seating,each meal is prepared fresh. Jerk Chicken,Curry Goat and Oxtails are just a few of their Jamaican dishes. We tried their Veggy Patty and Chicken Patty. Flakey crust loaded with flavor. I didn't care for the chicken patty as it was chicken curry which I'm not a big fan of..wish it would have been listed on the menu in a different way. Ordered a side of their spicey jerk sauce which added additional flavor ....bonus! Also had their Medium Jerk Chicken platter with sides of red beans and rice and sweet candied yams. Everything was delicious. If you want to experience good Jamaican food minus the sand,ocean and Red Stripe Beer,this is definitely the place to go.

Thanks to fellow Yelpers for recommending this place! I haven't had an authentic taste of Jamaica…read morein a very long time. The jerk sauce immediately took me back and the chicken was super tender. The candied yams were sweet but not over done. The beans and rice needed more flavor so I added the spicy jerk sauce. My hubby enjoyed the patties. The storefront is located in a strip center off of Rt 38 and Rt 47 with parking in front. Few seats inside so we took it to go and had a picnic. Ask for extra napkins and two forks if you plan on sharing. .

The jerk chicken was absolutely amazing. If I'm ever back in Gary I will definitely come back byread more

Tiny, mostly carry out restaurant. The food I was able to get was pretty good. They were out of…read morequite a few things. I got a 2-piece dark jerk dinner with plantain and Mac and cheese. The chicken was tender, juicy and flavorful. The rice and peas and plantains were very good too. While tasty, I think they microwave the Mac and cheese because the styrofoam container was melting underneath. The prices are on the higher side. It was $18 for the dinner. Fortunately, you get large portions. I usually get about two meals from one order. The food is better here than other jerk restaurants.

I love Jamaican food. Irie Jerk did not disappoint. Ordered take out and the Oxtail and Curried…read moreChicken was very good. Portions are generous and a salad accompanying each meal. Service was decent. No Long wait for Take-out. Ladies were pleasant and the experience was overall good. Will certainly be on my places to get take-out when next in the South suburbs of Chicago.

I remember they used to serve nice size oxtails. Now it looks like they take one oxtail and cut…read moreinto three portions. The price is still $28.65 ! If you are looking for the nice meaty oxtails, don't go here.

I've seen this place for a while since I live nearby and finally decided to give it a try. The…read morecustomer service could've been better. I say that because the woman was behind the window eating her food, seen me come in, greeted me...but didn't come take my order until she took another 3-4 bites of her food. I ordered the jerk wing dinner. it was great! Best jerk rice I've had. Plantains perfectly cooked. I will be returning. Best Jerk Chicken in the south burbs. I hope the Customer service is better the next time around.

I was getting my oil changed and had some time on my hands so I started walking and remembered that…read moreI had passed by this Jamaican jerk restaurant before and never gone in. Glad I stopped in today. Got the white chicken dinner which comes with rice and beans. Very large portion! Really enjoyed the sweet jerk sauce! The owner suggested I try to mac and cheese - I'm glad I did, It was delicious! They sell a variety of drinks and pops including tropical rhythms drinks. He also kindly let me have a bottle of water. Glad to hear the music of Jamaica come on and get played in the background as well. Lots of potential here and lots of great signage. The environment was very transportive .

Great tasty spicy jerk tilapia and the fried plantains are a nice amount and the rice and peas was…read moretasty too

Service was horrendous, waited 30 minutes for mixed dinner and paid $28 they didn't have plantains,…read morealso the lady told me "if there's things in life we want we pay for them" '& charged me $8 for 3 pieces of bread and 3 sauces. The short dark skinned girl never rung up the mac and cheese leaving me paying around $36 just for a mixed dinner and extra bread slices and sauce. When I complained all the women caught an attitude & went back and forth about the transaction & refused to get a manager. I won't be returning I never in my life paid $8 for 3 slices of bread and sauce & never received such poor service

OMG this is amazing. Jerk chicken lunch with red beans and dirty rice and cabbage and an extra…read moreorder of fried plantains. Because I could eat a truckload of plantains. And the nice lady walked it out to the car for me. I wish the photo could show you how good it smells!

The food was ok but the service is notoriously slow, probably cause they wait until a customer gets…read morethere before placing order to the kitchen and then you have to wait for additional time regardless of calling ahead to order

Place looks very unattractive and old. No TLC or attention given to the waiting area…read more Food...Very good. Hella spicy! Big portions.

I've been had this place on my list to try for a few years and finally in the area I stopped by. I…read morecould've kept going! Lbs We pull up and there's no other patrons on a Sunday early evening around 630pm. I immediately didn't smell any food cooking. I'm like wow, ok. So we walk in and the guy seemed irritated to have customers. Smh We attempt to start ordering and he immediately starts saying whats unavailable. HERE WE GO. We got the tips with no sauce, the beef shortribs dinner, a white chicken dinner, and an oxtail dinner. Ordered yams, greens, cabbage, rice, and mac and cheese. He says give him 10mins. Turns into about 25 mins. We sit in the car and eat it. Tips were boiled trash. I spit them out. The chicken was dried out and burned. The beef short ribs were a 4, they were tender and flavorful. The oxtails were tender and ok, rated a 3. They use too much vinegar on the cabbage and greens. Yams were hard and tough. The 2 meats were good, but not good enough to go back. Then he was like oh I 4got to charge you for the chicken dinner, but its ok. Yeah cuz it was burned trash you planned to discard anyway! $85 we spent.

Exceptional Jamaican food at this spot. I had a combo platter with jerk chicken (dark meat) and…read more goat curry with red beans and rice and the cabbage. The meat was very tender and flavorful. Some of the best Caribbean food ive had in a long time. If youre in the area and want something different, I definitely recommend.

Finally got around to trying this place after years of recommendations -- and absolutely should…read morehave come much sooner. Jerk and curry chicken, beans and rice, plantains all fantastic. Not merely good, absolutely fantastic. Friendly service, huge portions, beautiful breeze out on the patio listening to reggae and enjoying our dinner. Will certainly be back!

Amazing authentic Caribbean food. Everything was so good! The staff were friendly and helpful…read more Hidden gem!

The food service atmosphere was energetic, upbeat, clean, and pleasant, contributing to a positive,…read morecomfortable, and memorable overall dining experience for everyone.

So, if it's 5-Star service that you are looking for when coming here, you won't get it. Not that…read morekind of spot. You'll get some attitude, notice some unorganization, and the food does take 20 mins, but if you are looking for food that is out of this world, don't pass it by! You won't be disappointed! We have been traveling across the country for days and as many of us know, food on the road is of the lowest quality, and it is difficult to find a decent food joint off the highway. So, when I saw this spot and did a bit of research, I knew it was going to be better than most of the food that we have been eating on the road just by looking at the food online. What I didn't know was that this food was going to be better than some of the food we just had in downtown Chicago! The whole time we ate it we said "Damnnnn, that chef snapped!" So, kudos to the Chef! I like his playful spirit too! I am disappointed that this place is across the country from where we live but also a bit grateful because it would end up being a problem for us..haha! Also, is there a recipe book that the chef is willing to share because those flavors were out of controllllll!

I must be desperate for Caribbean food, the menu doesn't feature prices, you have to literally ask…read morefor the cost of each menu item. So arrived home with a major appetite and ready to smash, the food was darker than I expected almost as if it's burnt, and after eating, I can confirm, YES IT IS. Food not at all good. I'll never return and I recommend you not waste your money.