Standing ovation! I…read morestopped by after visiting a nearby nail salon and was immediately welcomed by the owner. He was genuinely friendly, accommodating with my order, and made me feel like a valued customer from the moment I walked in. While waiting for my food, we chatted about other Jamaican restaurants around Cincinnati. What stood out most was how highly he spoke of the competition. Instead of putting other restaurants down, he gave each one credit where it was due. That level of confidence and respect says a lot about both the owner and the business. I took a quick look around while I waited, and the restaurant was spotless. The space felt clean, comfortable, and inviting. I ordered my meal to go and had about a 30-minute drive home. When I finally opened my container, steam poured out and the food was still piping hot. That's the kind of freshness you hope for but don't always get! The only hiccup was that my macaroni and cheese was accidentally left out of my bag. I called the restaurant, and before I could even explain why I was calling, the owner immediately acknowledged the mistake. He apologized and assured me he'd remember me the next time I came in. His response was genuine and customer focused, which made the situation easy to overlook. Great hospitality, delicious fresh food, and excellent customer service. If this first visit is any indication, I'll definitely be back and next time, I'm getting extra mac and cheese!

This was my 4th time ordering from Yard Vybz, and unfortunately it will be my last…read more I drove 45 minutes round trip and spent $60 on food that ultimately ended up in the trash. We ordered jerk chicken wings, steamed cabbage, fried plantains, rice and peas, and three beef patties. The jerk chicken wings were unbelievably salty and completely inedible. It tasted like an entire bottle of salt had been dumped into the sauce. There was very little jerk flavor, just overwhelming salt. An order of 16 wings came with nothing but drums, not a single flat wing. The beef patties were hard, dried up, and tasted like they had been sitting in the warmer for hours. The fried plantains were just as disappointing. They were over-salted, undercooked, and inedible. The only items we were able to eat were the steamed cabbage and the rice and peas. I waited about an hour for my order. I've ordered here before and understand that it's cooked fresh, but this wait was excessive. No one checked in, gave an update, or reassured me that my food would be ready soon. I was genuinely left wondering if my order had been forgotten. There were also issues with the service. I asked for a Coke while waiting and didn't receive it until my food was handed to me. They also nearly forgot my beef patties until I asked about them. What's most disappointing is that my previous visits were much better, which is why I kept coming back. Unfortunately, this experience was so poor that I can't justify returning. I don't mind waiting for good food, but waiting an hour for food that was inedible is unacceptable. Between the excessive wait, poor communication, forgotten items, and food that ended up in the trash, this was a complete waste of time and money. Very disappointing experience.

I've been to JA twice now, and this spot keeps bringing me back! I highly recommend ordering by…read morephone, especially Friday-Sunday, when they can get pretty busy. If you go to store expect longer wait. The owner is always polite, welcoming, and friendly. The restaurant is consistently clean, the service is great, and there's always good music playing. And the food? Absolutely delicious! Everything is seasoned and prepared the true Jamaican way, authentic, flavorful, and satisfying. Definitely a spot worth checking out if you're craving some good Jamaican food!

Best Jamaican food in Cincinnati. Jerk chicken and ox tails have tons of favor. They are both well…read morecooked but not dry. The one issue I have is the wait time for my order. Sometimes over 20 minutes. Call ahead doesn't help they usually are so busy they don't answer the phone. I absolutely love the food. I will always return and if you want real Jamaican food you need to give them a try.

My friend and I have been wanting to try jollof rice and fufu and this was the perfect spot for…read morethat! Food was very authentic and had good flavor so if you're into this cuisine I would definitely recommend it. It is a small space inside but there is seating available so that you can enjoy the food fresh which I will say is definitely the way to go. The service was amazing. We found out about this place through someone's Instagram story and so they asked to see the picture and helped with what was on it from the menu and what else they recommended as first timers. They also helped with how to eat Fufu and the proper way in doing so. The staff was very friendly and honestly made the experience really good as it can sometimes be scary going to a new cuisine for the first time and not knowing what to expect!

The food is excellent! The dishes I tried all had unique, distinct flavors. It was yummy. Peanut…read morebutter soup w/ mixed meat, oxtails and delicious but expensive jollof rice-it was a big portion. Nothing fancy as far as the store is concerned, but I enjoyed speaking with other patrons as I waited. The deduction is due to menu pricing being different than actual pricing. Also, I was quoted 30-40 minutes but it was an hour. I just took out my laptop and got some work done. I would order ahead. The location is not close for me, but it's worth it!

It's been awhile since I've been here but I wanted to write a review for a while. Service is…read morefriendly and ambience inside the Gatherall at Factory 52 is amazing. Definitely something that everyone in the Cincinnati area should try out! Shango's has amazing Caribbean food. The nachos are superb and definitely for at least three people! My friend and I just thoroughly enjoyed them with all of the good toppings like pickled red onions and the aioli. So amazing! Something I try to get every taco tuesday.

The food here is delicious however the service is rather lackluster and definitely leaves more to…read morebe desired. You only order at the register with a human if you are paying with cash, otherwise you are sent to the kiosk - they give you a number or say they will text you when your order is ready but I have found that system to be hit or miss - sometimes it works other times you have to go to the counter about 20 minutes after you have waited - you then ask for your food to find it was ready 10 minutes ago sitting in a warmer and you should have got a text - maybe if a human was running the register that would ease out those issues. The staff is some of the rudest - you have some Latin americans in the kitchen that I assume don't know english based on how confused they are whenever you try to talk to them, the lady staff member is rather rude and has an attitude as well as a stank face, the nicest staff member is usually the child that's working up front which is sad because he's probably not even 12 so he should'nt be behind the counter at all. The fries are delicous but the birria is greasy as hell!

Absolutely love this gem of a Colombian restaurant! We've been multiple times and their empanadas…read moreand arepas cannot be beat (beef and potato, shredded chicken and cheese are our two favorites). The arroz con pollo is delicious and we love their maracuya (passion fruit) juice and flan. Service is always great. The owner and staff are wonderful. Very family friendly restaurant. 10/10!

I thought everything went well here. I came here w/ a group of 4 for dinner (2nd time here) and got…read morethe fried fish w/ a side of chicharron and egg to go with my meal. I thought everything was great but this time the chicharron was a little too hard to eat. My coworker that was with me said the same and he didn't even finish it because it was too hard. Overall, I'd come back AGAIN. The food still is great and the ambiance of the place feels like good.

With the beginning of Latino Heritage Month, I wanted to support local places and try somewhere j…read morehaven't been before. Thanks to the reviews here, I decided that this would be the place to give a shot. The place is not glamorous. I didn't see a sign with the name of the place outside, and the inside is minimal. Just some tables and chairs. The menu is a QR code and it's also on a chalkboard. Regardless of all of that, the food is truly a journey into a phenom homemade meal. I had the pepian and my friend had the pollo dorado. The wait wasn't bad at all, as we got there about 45 min before they closed, and we dug in immediately. The meat of my dish just fell off the bone in the most beautiful way imaginable and the fried chicken had the most flavorful and light crunch in just a bite. The tortillas are house made and really add to the experience of it all. I also got a Jamaica agua fresca, and it is one of the best I've had in the area. Just sweet enough without the overwhelming flavor of the hibiscus. Simply put, if you want a perfectly cooked homemade meal with excellent flavors, you have to visit this place!!

This little restaurant is family owned and operated. Everything is made from scratch. Fresh. And…read morevery authentic. The interior in nothing fancy with a few tables donned with plastic table clothes and one tv that had a soccer game on while we were there. Everything on the menu looked delicious. And it all had meat in it but my husband improvised and asked to leave the meat out of a burrito. I went for a dish that is only served on the weekends. The fried fish. My meal was perfect. Crispy skin and flaky and tender meat. If you're picky about what your food looks like, this isn't going to be your jam. My fish was bone in, skin on and head still attached kinda fried fish. It was filling and delicious. My husband finished his vegetarian burrito and stared at my food while I ate. I offered a bite and he broke his diet to try some. And he obviously enjoyed it as he helped himself to more. I have a confession to make, I hate sharing my food but this is too good not to share. The service was a little slow but friendly. Cash only. ATMs are down the road, there isn't one at the restaurant.

This was some of the best food I've had in a while! I couldn't even properly pronounce some of the…read moredishes, but still got based on description. The greens, plantains, rice & peas were all terrific - & these are just the side

I usually get the same thing everytime I come here. I ordered a yassa Yao with lamb and when they…read morefirst showed me the meal I could tell the color was a whole new meal. I asked to confirm what I was receiving. I get home to see a bowl full of onions and small pieces of lamb and big bones at the top. This was a completely new meal. What usually receive is orange in color and has potatoes and carrots. So disappointing as they only accept to make your meal over and I would have to drive back to the restaurant jug to receive a refund.

I went to the original restaurant years ago and always remembered loving it, but it was…read moreunfortunately closed before I could go back. So I was really excited to try the new location. The service was fast, the staff was pleasant, there was tons of space for my antsy toddler to run a circle around our table and not bother anyone. The food was prepared well but all of it wasn't seasoned well. Here's what we ate: --Bistek de pollo a la pobre (thin pan fried chicken breast topped with a fried egg, served with rice, fries, and plantains). This chicken was perfection. So flavorful. I could've done without the egg but I also asked for it to be fried hard to do away with any funniness. I bet it's extra tasty that way for ppl who like that type of thing. --Mojarra Dorado (a fried whole tilapia). Cooked perfectly but the "Peruvian spices" the menu promises were either nonexistent or tasteless. We took most of this home, and I seasoned it up and added a sauce...much better and a quick meal! --kids chicken nuggets. I didn't try it, and honestly my little ppl were already full because of what I'm about to share next. Unsure if the toddler would like it, we fed the 3yo Wendy's chicken nuggets (it's in the same parking lot) before going in. While we were eating another couple came in with their little one in tow and a chick-fil-a bag...so maybe it's a thing to feed your children what they want so you can enjoy your experience in peace ‍ Either way, the staff seemed fine with them bringing food in. Lastly, about the staff being great: my 1yo upchucked before the food came, on herself and the highchair. They brought me paper towels to clean her up and then took away the dirty chair to clean and brought us a new one. I was all ready to clean that chair myself but they wouldn't let me. It was a kind gesture.

Venue: This place is huge. They turn it into a nightclub at times and in the day a restaurant…read more Ample amount of parking and plenty of seating inside. They were at an old location before, but the upgrade is way nicer. You can definitely come here with the family, kids, or by yourself. Prices: The price for the food can get expensive but the amount of food they give you is worth it. So definitely the price and food amount add up. Like my fav dish is the fried rice, and it's like 22$, but it feeds 2. Service- I think they could do a lot better with their service it takes them a while before the waiter will come around and refill your water, so not bad but not the best. Just whenever you get your waiter or waitress, make sure you give everything to them because you might not see them in a while. Food - the food here is amazing it tastes very fresh and very flavorful. From a 0 and spice level to 100 if you like, I love the variety of that. Like I said, my favorite food here is the fried rice with shrimp. I could eat this every day with the green pepper. I would have posted pictures, but I ate it before I could even think next time, LOL.