Ida W.

I got the two meat combo oxtails, jerk chicken, Mac n cheese with cabbage. Got 3 small oxtails mostly fat, the Mac n cheese tastes like it was left out in the open uncovered and dry. The jerk chicken was supposed to be chicken thighs but two pieces were chicken backs and burnt. I asked the owner if she could switch the pieces out for me and she was very rude and said it's not burnt it's how jerk looks and chicken has bones in it, I had my plate too long so she's not switching the burned chicken out!

Jennifer N.

I ordered takeout from here and wow... it was amazing! Great portions and relatively quick service. My food was done in about 10 minutes and was steaming hot on my drive home! I ordered the jerk chicken size large and it came out to be about 2 meals for me. Super tender chicken and saucy. I wish it came with more plantains but I now know to order extra for the next time. I will definitely be back to try all of their other yummy offerings!!

Emma H.

Best escovitch fish is in city! I was craving some escovitch fish and found this amazing place. Happy hour on week days from 4-7 makes it a great spot to stop after work. Drinks are $5 and there are food specials. The jerk sliders on the happy hour special are enough to fill up on. Their jerk chicken is amazing and their escovitch fish is beautifully prepared. Just know you get the whole fish. The service here is great even when they are busy everyone is friendly. The whole restaurant is broken into a few different rooms so even when it's busy it doesn't seem that full. If you are looking for some amazing Caribbean and Jamaican food this is where to go. I haven't had Jamaican food this well prepared since I was down there.

Monica S.

Ya Mon, what a nice Jamaican gem located in Milwaukee! I'm writing this review based off my first visit on a Saturday afternoon. Food: Caribbean food offered for dine-in and/or take-out. Very limited options for vegans and young children. I had the jerk chicken dinner with rice and peas, cabbage, and plantains. It was spicy (as noted on the menu), but it tasted delicious. The plantains weren't overly sweet, and the cabbage was perfectly cooked. My husband had the Mobay fish dinner that included Red Snapper fish, cabbage, rice and peas, and plantains. He enjoyed his meal and stated that it is very filling. Drinks: cocktail,martini, beverage, wine, and beer selections. We tried the sangria and rum punch- both great options. Service: We had really good service, though it should be noted that the place wasn't very busy. We were informed by the server that we should be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes for our food, but we didn't mind as it is also noted in the menu 'please allow 20-35 mins for made to order dishes'. While waiting for the main entrees, we enjoyed our drinks with shrimp egg rolls as an appetizer. The server often asked if we needed anything. Value: appropriately priced for the portion size, in my opinion. Meals can range from $12-$25, Cocktails can range from $8-$12/each, beverages range from $2-$5/each. Per the menu, there is a food happy hour offered Tues-Fri from 4pm-7pm (not sure if there are any drink specials during this time). Ambiance: Restaurant itself is modern and appears well-kept. Nice tiling on the Caribbean colored walls, bathrooms are clean, and reggae music can heard playing. Location: 1022 S 1st St, Milwaukee, WI 53204. No private parking lot. Quickly found a spot this time, but can see how parking can be a hassle.

Adrienne D.

I came here yesterday with a party of 14 to celebrate my friend's birthday. First, the restaurant had us all pre-order our meals so that the kitchen would be adequately prepared. This was huge in getting us in and out at a good time. We were all paid up and boxed up by 7:30 PM when the reservation was set for 6:00 PM. Everyone was maintained on separate tabs with gratuity already factored in. Service: Our waitresses were so nice! They made sure that the tables always had water and came around multiple times asking if we needed anything. Food: I ordered the curry goat stew. This was delicious. Of note, there are bones present so please eat cautiously. The flavors were good and everything balanced out in terms of flavors. I will definitely come here again.

Steven T.

This has been a bookmark since they opened and I finally got over because I have hundreds of bookmarks so it can take a while to get to a restaurant and lots close for good before I can get over. This is a nice space sectioned off with a bar and two dining rooms from what I could tell. The bar is done very well as you walk in with a feel of something elegant from the past with nice wood, tin ceiling, colorful walls, awesome woodwork and a tile wall that looks like exposed bricks. Overall who ever designed this space did a very nice job because it has an elegant/moderate feel to it but it's not overly sophisticated so that the every day person can feel comfortable in the restaurant. I was seated promptly and given the menus and water. They seem short handed like ever place so service was a little slow but it's times we live in now. I started with the Bob Marley cocktail because I thought it was most appropriate for my experience and it was a thing of beauty and absolutely delicious with a pineapple finish. I ordered the spicy jerk chicken with red beans and rice that comes with cabbage and fried plantains. OMG the presentation of the plate was great to the cocktail and the space it's self was wonderful. My spicy jerk chicken plate looked and smelled amazing was my first thought. The red beans and rice was sticky and seasoned nicely with Al dente red beans, very good. The jerk chicken was very tasty with a spicy smokey flavor covered in sauce that my rice just wanted a piece of but I didn't think it was fresh cooked from today because some exterior meat was hard. The plantains were perfectly cooked and the cabbage side was great also. Overall the whole experience seemed like it was from a higher price point restaurant but still reasonably for great food and drinks so I would definitely recommend stopping over.

Jerilyn A.

I am not well versed in Jamaican food but on my visit here I tried a beef patty and oxtails. The food was flavorful and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also thought the portion size was good. The restaurant is decorated with bright colors and it was easy to find street parking. When I'm in the mood for more Jamaican food Mobay cafe would definitely be on the list to try again.

Domonique D.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a while. I was so excited when Yelp chose to feature this restaurant. I made a reservation for 4 PM on a Thursday. I wanted to ensure that I would be able to sit down and eat as I have been told this place can get quite packed, when you first arrive you will notice that it is street parking. So just be prepared for that. We were able to find a good spot right on the corner. The restaurant seems to be an up-and-coming neighborhood and the outside looks fairly average. But once you step inside you'll be pleasantly surprised you are greeted by a wonderful server or host. We sat down immediately because the restaurant had just opened. It was just my family and what appeared to be another couple in the restaurant. The bar area is separated from the rest of the dining seating. There is main seating in the front for eating, and lots of seating towards the back. We started off with a few appetizers: eggrolls, meatballs, and red stripe wings. All of which were delicious and we ate every last bit. For those who are concerned about spice level normally found in Caribbean dishes , you will find these dishes are actually on the sweet side. If we had to rate the appetizers in order it would be the egg rolls, wings, then the meatballs. The waitress then took our drinks order. I went with the rum punch provided by Yelp my kids order two virgin mango daiquiris. I was excited that they offered that not many restaurants do we all enjoyed our drinks the children are so excited. They said it was the best drink they've had in a while . I then proceeded to order the two meat combination plate. I chose to go with oxtails and curry goat. I figured if these two items were hit, then they received the Jamaican stamp in my book. The plate comes naturally with rice and peas cabbage and plantain plantain with sliced to perfection and not overly cooked or added sugar. The cabbage was flavorful, but not salty meats were tender Fresh and just downright delicious. The curry go had a hint of heat to it which I loved. My children both ordered the wings Cabo for kids garlic, Parmesan. The garlic Parmesan is wet based. The wings are fried hard, but juicy on inside. It has been a while since I found a Jamaican restaurant that I enjoyed. They officially have me as a returning customer. Just thinking about it makes me want to go there now. Definitely 10 out of 10!

I've been patronizing Mobay''s Cafe for a few years now. It's a quaint little place. The service has not always been the greatest because they are not adequately staffed at times, but the food has always been good. There have been times to where the food has come out cold and they'll remake it or reheat it. However, the staff has always been pleasant. I've ordered many things on the menu, but my faves are the braised oxtails and the meatballs. The oxtails are hands-down, the tastiest in the city that I've had. Today was a special day to visit Mobay's Café because my nine year old great niece asked if she could have her birthday dinner at this particular restaurant. We did not make reservations, but we had a party of eight and upon our arrival we were seated immediately. Prior to being seated, we spoke with the waiter and made him aware that we had an ice cream cake to have after dinner and we asked if we could put it in their freezer. The waiter went to the back to ask the owner of the restaurant if it was possible, but when he came back, he told us that the owner said no because since we did not make reservations we wouldn't be able to place the cake in the freezer. I asked the waiter, if we would have made reservations would we have been required to pay an extra fee and he told me no. The waiter explained, they would have made special arrangements if they would have known in advance. Nonetheless, we put the cake back outside in the car to keep it cold. After dinner, we asked the waiter if he could bring some bowls and spoons to the table, so we can sing happy birthday and eat some cake with my nine-year-old great niece; the waiter went to the back to ask the owner, but when he came back to our table he made us aware that we would be required to pay extra to use their bowls and silverware for the ice cream cake. This was disturbing to me because as I mentioned initially in the review above, I patronize Mobays Cafe often (at least a good 10 times per year) and have recommended this place to others. I have not only eaten in the restaurant, I order carryout through Uber or I have sometimes picked something up on my way home from work. So with that being said, I went to the back and ask the waiter if I could speak to the owner. As the waiter opened the door to the kitchen to speak with the owner, she was standing in the kitchen. He came back out and told me that she was too busy and was unable to talk to me. As I approached the dining area to make my family aware of the outcome, my older niece was still eating some of her escovitch red snapper fish dinner and began to cough. She spit out a silver piece of thin coiled metal approximately 2 inches long, that resembled a coarse brlillo pad brush. We immediately told one of the other waiters that was standing in the dining area; she asked if she could have it to take back to the owner of the restaurant. My niece took a picture of the metal object before handing it over and placed it on a napkin and gave it to her. Our waiter came back to our table and stated that the piece of metal that was in the fish was from the pad or brush that the cook use to clean off the grill. The waiter then informed us that he would remove that particular meal off the bill and he would then bring us some bowls and spoons for the ice cream cake. However, we declined. At this point and as a courtesy you would have thought that either the owner or someone from management would have came out of the kitchen area and apologize for the inconvenience. other than sending the waiter back out to tell us that he was going to remove that particular meal off the bill because he was going to have to do that regardless and then to tell us that we can now have the bowls to eat the ice cream cake was a huge insult! What a slap in the face! I understand that running a business comes with many challenges and you can't please everyone, but when something of this magnitude happens to a customer, you would think that it would have been a better outcome. The owner or someone from the management team should have stepped up! Unacceptable Customer Service!

Samantha R.

I was in Walker's Point and I wanted to try something new. Something off the beaten path. I think I had seen Mobay on the menu on one of the food delivery services but had never tried it. They had a sign up saying they were short staffed and service might be slower than normal. I was there during off-peak hours and I did not experience any significant delays, although there were patrons sitting at the bar and no bartender visible. The restaurant seems to have plenty of dining space. I'm not drinking but several interesting-looking cocktails were available. There was also a selection of Jamaican sodas and juices. I had a pineapple juice which came in a glass with ice and was refreshing on a hot day. The food was good. I had to try a meat patty so I had the beef. It's pictured here. The always intrepid Rick R. has also gifted the Yelposphere with a picture of the inside of the patty for those interested. There was also a veggie variety which looked interesting. The curry chicken, with the requisite rice and peas and cabbage (and a couple plantains) was also good. There was maybe a bit less curry sauce than some other versions I've had, but the dish was well proportioned. Mobay also offers Sunday brunch with dishes like saltfish and ackee. Per their sign they close at 4 on Sunday as well. They have good food at reasonable prices. Check it out.

Rick R.

Ordered carry-out for my first visit. The staff was friendly, and the restaurant was clean. Safety protocols were also in place. I ordered a combo with jerk chicken and braised oxtail, which included sides of sweet fried plantains, rice and peas, and cabbage. Every bite was delicious! The oxtail was incredibly tender, and the jerk chicken was tender and juicy. The jerk sauce was savory and spicy, the kind of spicy that you don't notice right away, but tickles the back of your throat and makes you cough when you try to talk after taking a bite. Spice purists will want to add heat to it, but it was right for me. I also ordered the beef patty and chicken patty. Meat patties are hard to find in town, so I was thrilled to see them on the menu and available! Both were excellent, although I thought the pastry was a tad too dense making some bites around the edges a little tough to swallow. The conch fritters were not what I expected. I was expecting big pieces of conch in a batter of egg & flour, similar to what I've had in Puerto Rico, but I would describe these as beignets with tiny pieces of conch scattered. I will say there was definitely enough conch to easily notice it. I just hoped for a little more. My jerk chicken and oxtail combination was a slam dunk amd easily the highlight of my dinner. I will absolutely go back to try more menu items, and I recommend you visit the only authentic Jamaican/Caribbean restaurant in the Walkers Point/downtown area.