Pepper Pot

 

14

16

Christina X.

Cambridge, MA

Jamaican food isn't my favorite food in the whole world, but it brings back so many good memories that I crave it all the time. That's how me (and my friend with the car) ended up there late one night.

They were out of the curry goat at Ortanique, so I have to say that I can't directly compare the two, but the curry goat here seemed to be way more flavorful than whatever I got at Ortanique. The plantains were good. The coco bread was not really memorable, but certainly no worse than the J$30 stuff you get at Juicy Pattee's either.

That should only get 3 stars, but I'm giving it another one because they stock TRU JUICE in the beverage section. Anybody who's been to Jamaica knows that Tru Juice is the bomb diggity, and the fact that I could get soursop juice in Boston made me really, really happy. Also, vegan pastries! Yay!

Nota bene: They have limited parking behind the restaurant, so if you are driving don't worry too much about parking in the middle of Roxbury! Seating also seemed to be kind of not great for large groups.

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Elite '08

180

205

Morgan F.

Boston, MA

Talk about a family run restaurant! The two sons were upfront helping with orders as their dad was in the kitchen cooking!

Its super cool that this place has vegetarian options, but I could tell I was missing out! My curry tofu was delicious and well prepared, but looking at those around me digging into their food -- I can tell if you are a meat lover you would LOVE it here even more!

My friend Plantains were my FAVORITE part of the meal! Perfectly cooked and just the right sweetness and consistency.

There is an extra something for vegetarians and vegans! Turns out one of the boys gymnastics coach is a vegan. He wanted to be able to bring treats that the whole team, including his coach, so mom started making vegan treats! I got 2 cupcakes and was happily surprised at how tasty they were able to make them since they were vegan. I was a little confused about how the cupcakes and ice creme were written up in some of the other Yelp reviews. Its just a small case of baked goods on the counter and an ice cream freezer behind the counter, but I did go towards the end of the night, so maybe the selection was smaller.

Its a bit out of my way to drive there again, so next time I will order take-out and the boys behind the counter were all too excited to tell me the do delivery!! They were so cute and helpful, I might be tempted to go back just to chat with them.

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0

2

M R.

Boston, MA

I have never been to the restaurant, so can only speak to the quality of the food.  Delicious!  I order from them regularly, and am never disappointed.  A friend of mine from the Caribbean dropped by one evening when I had just gotten dinner for myself.  She said she has never had Caribbean food that good in Boston.

Definitely try the stewed fish.

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Elite '08

15

111

Molly S.

Boston, MA

For those looking to compare, I enjoyed it more than Ortanique, which is not to say that I don't F*cking love Ortanique, but I love Pepper Pot just a little more.  Here's why... I can order the food online (Foodler).  I'm anti-social, and that's a great way for me to get food to my house without having to talk to people or get dressed.  It took about 85 minutes for the food to arrive, just ten minutes longer than the guarantee... but it was a horrible weather night (not snowing, I'm not cruel).  They did forget my free cupcake... but better that than something I paid for.

I had the channa dinner - for those of you who don't know what channa is... chickpeas/garbanzo beans.  The flavor was unlike any other flavor I've experienced.  It tasted like they were cooked in fire... really smokey.  I had the mango salad with plantain chips as well, and it was one of the best salads I've ever had (Mangos + Cucumber + Onions + Herbs).  And... I had a veggie patty too.  What's not to like about those?  And I think Cocobread is probably a standard food, hard to judge, just so long as it's warm and soft I'm happy.

Beau had Jerk Chicken and a meat patty, was pleased with the food, but felt Ortanique was better.  Just based on the chicken I guess.

EDIT - 2/25/08 - I had to knock of a star because apparently this 85-90 minute delivery thing is the norm.  That kind of sucks for delivery.  My most recently delivery was in the middle of the afternoon - shouldn't be a lot of traffic at 2:30 p.m., you know?  The also didn't have a few items I ordered and didn't bother to tell me until the food arrived.  Not cool.  They said they would credit my account, but have not yet.  I think I'll probably have to make the trek to their headquarters from now on, or call in, instead of using Foodler.  There's a breakdown in communication if you use online methods (go figure).

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54

106

Katherine I.

Boston, MA

Jerk Chicken:  I've eaten hotter and tastier from patois-speaking vendors at the West Indian festival held in CT.  Pepper Pot's was decent but not memorable.    

Cabbage:  Flavorful and tender, not over cooked or grease laden.  Lovely.

Rice and Peas:  Tasted like the bottom of the pan was scorched and they were scooping from the top.  So the essence of burnt starch and seasoning permeated the rice.  

Fried Plantains:  Perfectly sweet and not greasy.

Coco bread:  Not Ortanique's.  Need I say more?    

Two, brown-faced kids working the counter and register, learning the value of entrepeneurship:  Arguably, more valuable than any rating.

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Elite '08

277

816

Yihwa H.

Boston, MA

I once saw this thing called 'Jamaican Version: Nursery Rhymes", and the one that stuck in my mind most was the following:

Mary had a likkle lamb
Her father shot it dead.
Now it goes down quite a treat,
with rice and hard dough bread

Actually, I remember another:

Jack and Jill
Went up de hill
to have a likkle fun.
Idyat Jill forget she pill
and now them have a son

but I guess the second has no relevance to this review. Ok, so I know Pepper Pot gets their meat in much more clean and normal ways than that hehe, but my real focus here is what they do with the meat once they have it - turn it into scrumptious, oh-so-yummy food.

This place is excellent. I'm torn between 4-5 stars. I have a bit of a Goldilocks complex when it comes to rice and beans - I'm very picky, and they have to be 'just right' for me to actually really like them. Well, here it's excellent, and the rice and beans with some plantains is delicious. I actually haven't tried the goat curry yet, but plan to sometime soon. The salads seem simple and unimpressive at first, but just try it - they're so crunchy and fresh (even if it's 10pm, really) and the dressing is light yet flavourful and so tasty. The coco bread isn't too impressive on it's own, but so good to mop up saucy things with and to take an eating-pause from the spiciness with. But the real star of the show is the chicken.

Jerk chicken, stewed chicken - if you don't try it, you'll regret it! It's so good. It's one of those 'easily falls off the bone and into your mouth and practically melts into your stomach it's so good' things, and the flavour is soooo good! Peppery, hot, spicy, marinated, whatever it is they put in it is so good. Yum. I also have a real thing for watermelon slushies. The ones they have here are so good! Super fresh, icey yet slushy, they have such a yummy consistency and it's a nice way to cool your mouth down after all that good pepperiness. I'll be chasing those in the summahtime, or even in the wintah.

The people are nice, and extra-bonus - flat rate of $2 for delivery. Their prices in general are really good - inexpensive, excellent food with good portion sizes. One of my really good friends is Jamaican, and next time he's in town, I'll take him here when he's feeling homesick - I'm sure he'll be thrilled.

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0

6

Adam B.

Brookline, MA

I love the Pepper Pot!  I have never been there before but I get delivery from them every so often.  My favorites are the BBQ Chicken and BBQ Steak.  Also the patties are freakin awesome and only like $1.50.  Jerk Chicken is ok but I didn't find it to be as good as some other reviewers.  One thing about this place is that the food is never consistent, which is not really a bad thing but it's worth mentioning.  Sometimes the food will be spicy and other times it will be sweet.  Both good.  The delivery is really slow but well worth the wait.  One time I ordered BBQ chicken and curried chicken came instead, it was pretty rough, but im not big on curry so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

Regardless of the inconsistent food, long delivery and mistakes I still go back because it's worth it!  And I'm really the type of person who holds grudges against people, restaurants etc. so if I keep on going back after all the screw ups it must be good!

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Elite '08

44

180

Josh O.

Somerville, MA

This is some good Jamaican. I had the goat curry, which was great, though could definitely have been spicier. The jerked chicken was amazingly fantastic, as was the stewed chicken. I'll definitely be getting food from here again.

I haven't had Jamaican from anywhere else in Boston (and only really one other place in the US), so I can't really compare with other places yet. But the food compared well with what I've had in Jamaica (though, obviously, I would pick Jamaica over Boston as a place to get Jamaican food any day if I had my druthers).

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Elite '08

52

14

Barbara Ann B.

Arlington, MA

Pepper Pot Restaurant in Dudley Square is great for Jamaican Cheap Eats.  We have great deals and a very traditional menu.  Service is generally fast, it takes a little longer if you order fish or shrimp because it's made to order (and well worth the wait).   We also have several Vegan options including vegan coconut cupcakes.

We have been around for a while but relocated from Blue Hill Avenue rather abruptly a few years ago into a larger space.  Recently, we added an ice cream shop that has about 15 flavors and all the fixins for your favorite sundaes.  Vegans aren't left out hear either, you can get a vegan frappe or soy frozen dessert.

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5

24

MR. G.

Somerville, MA

great chicken, rice and plaintains. i've been looking for some good jerk chicken since i moved back from n.y. better than flames, but  a little out of the way. worth the trip. hopefully they're more consistent. i like mine hot. i think i'll go back today, just thinking of it makes my mouth water.

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Elite '08

122

377

Devon W.

Somerville, MA

How in the holy hell have I never gone here?  It's maybe two and a half block from my house and today is the first time I've checked it out and it's so good!  I would recommend it highly, and they DO deliver.  It's a flat rate charge to deliver within a mile (it's like $2) or if it's further there are added charges, but not by too much.  I would say very well worth it if you want awesome Jamaican food and don't want to walk around in Dudley.

I went in and the staff working the counter was mainly teenagers, but very pleasant ones (they DO exist, but are a rare occurrence, particularly in the Dudley area) and they were very accommodating.  They have the menu on the board, and also have menus to take, and they have a very wide array of options, spanning from vegan/veggie to all sorts of tripe and oxtail and goat.  I went with the Jerk Chicken dinner, which came with rice and beans and plantains, and also a patty with bread and cheese.  Why is it called a patty with bread and cheese instead of a patty sandwich?  I would have given a crap, but I was too busy enjoying whatever it was called.  The patty was moist and delicious and the bread was fresh and tasty.  The dinner itself was really good.  The rice and beans were clearly fresh and moist and delicious, plantains, cabbage with carrots and onions and spices, and then three big chunks of jerk chicken.  The chicken was perfectly tender and amazingly spicy and peppery.  It was honestly the best food in this area I have gotten for takeout in the Dudley area, and I have leftovers for tomorrow!

One other awesome thing about this place?  There's an ice cream parlor.  I didn't go for ice cream, but I definitely would.  And did I mention they have vegan options for ice cream treats!  It also appears that they do a lot of baking (I know it's a Jamaican restaurant, but not THAT kind) on the premises, and they have some awesome looking cupcakes, red velvet cake, and pineapple upside down cake in the case.  It looked heavenly.

The decor is simple, and it's a clean joint.  I can't say enough good things.

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1

138

Melissa B.

Brooklyn, NY

Pepper Pot has the best fish soup ever. Well, second best when they don't have breadfruit in it (it's too expensive and hard to get).

The new location is actually on Dudley Street heading towards Fields Corner from the start of Blue Hill Ave.  Much bigger space, bright with floor to ceiling windows and plenty of tables to dine in now.

You know what they say: go where to cops eat.  Well, I sure did see them throwing down up in here!

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Elite '08

86

435

laura a.

Boston, MA

i'm sad..i really wanted to like pepper pot, but i just couldn't. :( i kept comparing it in my mind to ortanique, and sorry to say, ortanique is like 134890234890423% better than this place. but i am giving them extra stars anyway because i probably would've really liked it more if i just hadn't already had ortanique, which seems unfair. also, my boyfriend really enjoyed his jerk chicken, huge portions for minimal $, you can order online through foodler, and they deliver soft serve (which got a little *too* soft, but that happens). i had the tofu dish, which was SO FLAVORLESS i got really upset about it. at ortanique when you eat their curried tofu, it tastes like they've been cooking it all day. this tasted like they cooked it and sent it out right away..the cabbage wasn't even soft and mushy, it was kind of hard. :( i'm hoping i just got the wrong thing and i'm definitely going to try the channa dinner next time...

ETA tried the channa. it was okay - better than the tofu but still not that impressive. i kind of get the feeling i'll still keep ordering from here though because i'll keep hoping.

ETA again 2/08: OK, this was the final straw for me. i decided i would give pepper pot one last shot and ordered a cupcake, a tofu dish, a veggie patty, and a chicken dish for my boyfriend. my veggie patty had some kind of meat in it..thank GOD i smelled it and broke a piece off to see what was inside before eating it. i think it might've been chicken? my boyfriend was DISGUSTED by the gristly, gross meat that was supposed to be chicken in his dish. and my tofu was basically inedible and was drenched in a really gross sauce that was really thick and just...not curry. it was not. it tasted like concentrate or something that should've been watered down to make an actual sauce as opposed to, like, a PASTE. the worst part was though they were all out of cupcakes so i couldn't even have THAT. i spent like thirty bucks on a meal (that took me over an hour to get at 1:30 on a friday afternoon?!?!) that went straight in the garbage. thanks a lot, pepper pot!

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