Negril Village

Since I got back from Vietnam I have been on a Jamaican/Caribbean food kick, so when my big bro demanded I meet him at Negril for our weekly lil bro/big bro check in, I happily obliged.

We walked in at 7:08pm to a damn near empty restaurant. We were a little shocked, as any place in nyc this empty at 7pm on a Friday seems like a red flag.

Negril has a high class Jamaican ambiance, which seems like a contradiction in itself, but I was all for it. My big bro, on the other hand, became concerned. He began to look at pictures on Yelp and thought the portion sizes looked too small for him.

After deliberating on whether to stay or leave, I was like "dude let's just try it-it can't hurt to try..." I realized I had never stood up to big bro like this and took a major risk by stating a personal opinion. But he responded with a nonchalant "Okay, I'm down." Did I just big bro my big bro?

We got the Jerk Wings, Oxtail Empanadas, Plantains, Curried Goat, and the Jerk Chicken. I was absolutely blown away by the food. The spices and the flavors were all on point, everything was hittin with my favorite being the Jerk Wings and Curried Goat.

After we ate, a photographer came around taking HIGH quality pictures of customers. I was a little confused at first, but the motive became clear when they got to our table. They took a couple pictures of me and my big bro, then about 5 minutes later came back with framed pictures that cost $20 a piece. $20 is wild... but at the same time I can't knock the hustle. If I was a few drinks in while eating with my girl, they forsure would have got my ass.

Echoing other reviews, the ONLY reason I'm giving them 4 stars is because of the 20% gratuity baked in. I just think that this completely misaligns incentives for good service.

By the end of our meal, the place was PACKED which was external validation that we had made a great decision. External validation, while dangerous, is nice sometimes.

IG @jnov_
Tiktok @jnov_reviews

My friends and I came here around 4:30pm on a quiet Saturday to have a few apps and drink our BYOB drinks. Not within 10 minutes of being seated the manager came over and emphasized the importance of "being quiet for the other patrons".

Now I know a large group at peak hours can be very disruptive in a restaurant and I am cognizant of that. However there was just 4 of us and we had barely been seated / chatting when we felt very targeted for the comments made. We proceeded to sit for 2 hours and the several tables near us never complained about our noise so we felt it was an unnecessary start to our dining experience by the manager.

On top of that while our waiters were patient and kind, one of our waiters consistently tried to push us to order more food every time he came around which was also frustrating. We frequent this neighborhood a lot and most of us have lived in the city of over 10-15 years and needless to say we won't be returning.

Visited on a Wednesday night--first time in a few years. Was greeted with a friendly smile and invited to sit at the bar while I waited for my guest. Appreciated the ambiance which appeared to have been updated with deeper and various shades of green.

My favorite meal-jerk salmon and Mac n cheese was still on point...they were a little stingy with the veggies though. Linden, our server was perfect. I appreciated his attentiveness and his ability to rely on his team members to bring our water so that he could stay to take our order after telling him how hungry I was & wanting to order right away. The only disappointment is the lack of a liquor license, but they allow you to BYOB so that's a plus. The non-alcoholic drinks were flavorful so my added spirits enhanced the drink. Will become a regular again now that I see that haven't skipped a beat. Oh, and friendly staff...I appreciated that.

Came home tonight and had a taste for some jerk wings. This place is definitely my go to, although the chicken had a feeling or maybe residue on my teeth after each one I ate, I loved that they are spicy and flavorful. The little cornbread's with guava spread is always tasty as well. It was really good, although the portions could be a little bit more plentiful for the prices. I ordered on Grubhub and it came pretty quickly.

The food was cooked well overall. Oxtails, peas n rice, 3 pieces of broccoli, a little too much vinegar on the Escovitch plate, plus black cake with too much alcohol $200 includes gratuity.

This is a long time staple. I was surprised to find that they do not have a liquor license. Drinks would have been a great accompaniment to our food.

Nonetheless, the server was great, polite and gracious.

The setting stands the test of time. It would be great if the downstairs area would host events. It's a nice lounge area that could be put to good use.

It may be a while before returning- hopefully by then they drinks will be in effect.

Negril Village is special because there aren't many restaurants like it in this area of Manhattan. It's been around for ages. I would say that most people of color have frequented this place either in its early days or more recently (saying that to tell its popularity) but my during my most recent experience I was a little bit let down. While the service was great and we were attended to often (I guess this is because it was a 5 PM reservation on a Wednesday), the prices are astronomical and the food quality is definitely not what it used to be.

I ordered a jerk salmon and it was cooked SO tough, it was smothered in a tasteless jerk sauce when it could've just been seasoned properly and properly jerked. My partner had oxtails ($44) and I literally asked him "Do they taste as good as the price?" and he simply said "No,they do not". I even tasted a little piece and I think a neighborhood Jamaican restaurant would've done a much better job. The flavor was just missing something. The goat curry patties were good though, just a bit too salty. The venue has been completely remodeled so that makes it quite nice, but I want the food to shine brighter than the decor.

Also, I am still not quite sure why this restaurant went in the BYOB direction maybe this is why their food prices have gone up but I just think it's strange to not serve alcohol (and I'm not even drinking right now). They have this enormous gorgeous bar as soon as you walk in filled with nothing. There are just some strange things here that I think are misses and hope they last through this period.

Had the best goat curry roti here... The atmosphere, music, staff are all so great. It is beautifully decorated inside, they have a downstairs section that looks like it can be used for a private party too. The music was poppin of course. They are BYOB so make sure to pick up something before you get there if you'd like. But there is a liquor store around the corner if you don't come prepared. Also the ginger spice crème brûlée was perfection. All in all so great and can't wait to go back to try more dishes.

Staff was nice and inviting, food was delicious, and location was great.

Everything was cooked perfect, but would've chosen something other than broccoli, maybe cabbage or greens. All of the meats were delicious(jerked chicken, goat, and oxtails).

Their bar was not serving for some reason, so they allowed BYOB, and we made the most of with our bottle of Nephew Rum(shout out Les).

I will definitely be back, and I would make this a stop while in NY.

I just want to acknowledge the staff and crew here. Such nice, kind, accommodating people. They really made our experience amazing and I cannot show enough appreciation. Me and my 8 friends came in on a Thursday night with an 8pm dinner res. A few friends came later but they were very nice about that. BYOB is suchhhh a great addition and the little mixers they make are tremendous.

+cornbread- very good! Guava butter is so yum
+oxtail empanadas- AMAZING. So much oxtail and so flavorful. A bit too rich tho?
+jerk chicken w collared greens- okay the flavor here was great but soooooo salty. from the rice to the chicken to the greens. Way too much salt in everything for my taste
+bread pudding- this bad boy is so SOAKED in rum. More a rum cake than a bread pudding! Still decent
+cheesecake- pretty ok!

Friends also got the pork skewers and goat roti which they ADORED. This place is super vibey and it's great for date nights AND group dinners :)