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Dudley Square (Silver)
Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Yum! This was my first Jamaican food experience. Food and prices are awesome. Also, props for being able to order online - love it. I think someone had mentioned that when they placed an online order, Pepper Pot was out of something, and did not call. Well, that migh have changed, because they were also out of something I ordered, but they called to let me know. Dinner portions are huge, so beware.
I had the jerk chicken plate, coco brean, chicken patty, and a fritter. All were very good, except I did not like the fritter (but that was because it had onions in it). The chicken was fall-off the bone tender. Plantains were perfect - not too sweet. I look forward to eating here again.
So I need to update:
We had our wedding catered by the Pepper Pot, and they did an amazing job from us coming in to taste some options to the service at the wedding to the food being fantastic. Really, really awesome.
We worked with Barbara Ann who I'd met long before via yelp, and she helped us figure out the menu and keep us less worried about the logistics of catering a casual meal for 100+ guests. We ended up ordering a variety of things, all of which were served buffet style. We ordered lots of jerk chicken, BBQ'ed chicken, stewed beef, stewed tofu, mac and cheese, jambalaya, rice and beans, plantains, and the BEST vegan cupcakes ever. Barbara Ann made an array of Mexican chocolate and coconut cupcakes to keep our vegan friends super happy post dinner. We chose these menu options to accommodate our meat eating friends as well as of vegetarian and vegan friends and EVERYONE was happy. It was really a nice change from the standard wedding food, and really, we wanted it to be more like a party and less like a stuffy dull wedding and the food played a big part of that.
The service from start to finish was great-Barbara Ann, Lisa, and one more staff member (I can't remember her name) did an amazing job keeping the train of hungry folks rolling through the buffet line-happily, people went for seconds, setting up and breaking everything down, and we only ended up with leftover jerk chicken. The party kept going and they quickly got everything cleared away without disrupting the party while being under the same tent.
The prices were very, very reasonable-we stayed well within our budget and I would definitely suggest calling the Pepper Pot about catering if you don't want the normal generic food for your wedding or big event.
How in the holy hell have I never gone here? It's maybe two and a half block from my house and… Read more »
The people who run this place are so funny, and great! I had never been here before and me and my friend were confused for some reason, but one of the cooks came out and helped us figure out everything and made a bit of a joke out of our stupidity. The food was great and when it was cooking she came out again to ask us how we liked out veggies, and joked with us a bit. Its nice to have a place on dudley that has vegan options, their fried plantains are super good!! The food was amazinG!!!
My evening plans for dinner started a bit late, and thus we got to Pepper Pot around 2130.
the place had all the tables/chairs cleaned up, but the owners did not mind us at all and encouraged us to order our meals.
a young fellow by the name of stanley manned the restaurant whilst the elders seemed to be in the back by the kitchen.
I ordered jerk bbq chicken and it was cooked great, with a side of plantains, rice/beans and vegetables. The quality was great, and the portions were about right.
Others that were with me ordered beef-steak, shrimp, and a goat side. Having a slight Desi flavor, these three dishes were great!
The beef-steak, had to be the most tender cooked steak I've had in a restaurant; its only competition being steak prepared at home.
The environment though empty felt friendly enough, well spaced and decent music. the overall experience was enough to make me want to come back earlier when it may be a little livelier.
They have a VEGAN menu - how cool is that?!!! They even have vegan desserts (cupcakes, cakes, etc.)!
And the food is just delicious. Generous portions, perfect seasoning (my only tiny complaint is that the plantains were a little too greasy). I could seriously eat this every day, it's sooo yummy.
I only ever had delivery, so I can't say anything about the place itself, but the food sure is fantastic.
Easy delivery, too. (Don't be fooled guys - Foodler claims they don't deliver, but when I called and asked if they delivered to JP it was no problem.)
Very simple menu. Sweet family service. Tasty vegan food. Not pretentious in the least
The food here is soooo good. We had this place deliver to us during a long group meeting. It took forever to arrive but the wait was worth it. Everyone agreed that the food was amazing. I had the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. I heard that the BBQ chicken and Cajan chicken were also good. The cornbread had a nice flavor too, even though it was rock hard. Also good to note, they have a great vegetarian menu.
I can't wait to eat there again.
Great little neighbohood, counter-service Jamaican restaurant in Dudley Square.
Roxbury restaurants seem largely overlooked by Boston food writers. Is it their informality? The cuisines, like Dominican and soul food, that are less familiar to white diners? Their location in poorer neighborhoods, where more-prosperous Bostonians fear to tread? Whatever the reason, gastronauts seeking authentic regional foods at budget prices ought to be delving deeper into Roxbury.
I've begun filling the blank spaces in my Roxbury culinary map at Pepper Pot, a storefront just east of Dudley Square that serves up big Styrofoam boxes of Jamaican cuisine for lunch and dinner (but not, despite the signage, breakfast). Jamaican patties ($1.50), flaky pastries filled with minced beef, pork, or chicken with a mild chili-fire snap, are a great start. (The latter two taste house-made, while the beef looks like a factory product.) Judging from the steady stream of 3 pm business, these are popular after-school snacks for local teens.
The generously sized platters include deliciously herb-seasoned white rice with a few red beans, a side of sautéed shredded cabbage and carrots, and fried plantain slices. Curried goat ($6/lunch; $9/dinner) is outstanding: long braising makes the potentially tough goat meat fork-tender, and produces rich, brown/yellow, mildly spicy curry gravy. Folks who like it hotter can add a couple dashes of Grace, a Tabasco-like Jamaican chili-pepper/vinegar sauce. You'll want to watch out for bones, not just for your dental work, but also for the occasional piece of shank filled with luxurious marrow.
Jerk chicken ($6/$9) is another winner with its three perfectly juicy chunks of bone-in thigh meat in a dark, allspice-heavy dry rub, again with intriguing complexity but not much fire. Other attractive options include stewed fish, curried shrimp, oxtails with butter beans, and for vegetarians, channa (stewed chickpeas). Jamaican soft drinks include ginger beer and grapefruit soda ($1.25). With plentiful street parking and an MBTA hub nearby, Pepper Pot is an easy-to-reach and worthy launch pad for your own exploration of Roxbury's great neighborhood restaurants.
I should have listened and shouldn't have judged the book by the cover, or in this case the restaurant by its name. I was lucky enough to attend the Bigfoot center elite event where the Pepper Pot catered to us Yelpers and was completely astonished by how good it was.
It was my first Jamaican food experience and hopefully not my last. Oh man, just recalling those bites makes me drool; I should totally hit that place up during X-Mas break.
The plantains, the rice, the chicken, everything was just absolutely terrific and seasoned to perfection!
This really opened my eyes to that type of exotic cuisine which I had never had until then and I really cannot wait to get my hands on more!
Yum!! Had a really tasty little vegan vegetable pie here and a coconut vegan cupcake. Both were DELICIOUS. I'm planning to return and try more of the menu.
The boyfriend and I journeyed to Pepper Pot one night after hearing great things about it. It's really nothing to look at, but the food was so good and the woman behind the counter so kind it more than made up for that.
I got jerk chicken wings and the bf the chicken curry. When the lady asked him what portion size he wanted, side order, lunch or dinner, he inexplicably said "lunch." I was a little mad at him because hell, it was 8 pm, and I was about to gnaw off my hand.
But when we got our meals, the containers were busting with wonderful spiced meat, rice and beans, cabbage and plantains, all for around $7 each. I'm frightened of what the dinner portion must be. The curry was heavenly with big chunks of potato and just the right seasoning. We smothered the wings with calypso sauce and ate every bite. And then went back for a rich and spicy Mexican chocolate cupcake. The baked goods here are very special.
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.
EXCELLENT!
i had the tofu dinner (curried tofu, rice + beans, fried plantains), and my date had the jerk chicken dinner. we were both very pleased.
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.
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.
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).
When you live in Dorchester and want to order good food delivered that isn't pizza or chinese, there are regrettably few options. Pepper Pot's the only business on Foodler right now delivering to 02122, and it *does* take a long time -expect an hour. After two orders, I'd say totally worth the wait.
The sides:
- Plaintain chips - light, crispy-fried and not greasy at all.
- Cornbread - this is very dense. Some folks have complained it's 'hard', but this sweet, cakey bread is just designed to sop up sauce with. It isn't fall-apart Jiffy fluff.
- Escovich Saltfish - Highly addictive. A couple of salt-cured pieces of fish over sweet caramelized onions. Save a piece for breakfast if you're hung over and out of bacon.
- Vegetable pattie - the pattie crust was light and flaky, and the veggies flavorful if a little anemic.
Mains:
- Curried goat - still waiting in my fridge, but I'd had it before, and it's excellent. The sauce could be hotter, but I have my own bottle of Jamaican hot sauce.
- Cow foot - OK, I went into this to try something different. I've been a fan of pig trotter dishes before, and if you're familiar with the cartilage and jelly experience, you know what you're getting into here. Well prepared.
The absolute standout: Savory Mango Salad.
I don't know if this was a new addition, as nobody else has mentioned it, but it is just superb. Tender mango combined with finely chopped cucuber and onion that must have been marinated in a spicy vinegar. My favorite item by far (and one I will learn how to clone myself !)
If the delivery speed could come up a bit, a five-star in my book.
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.
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).
Some food was catered from the Pepper Pot at an event I attended. I liked the plantains so much that I had to return for a second helping. The jerk chicken was great and the rice and beans were perfect. I must find the location and get more of the Pepper Pot.
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!
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!
Kudos to Pepper Pot for catering to the Bigfoot event! Nice home-cooked feel,spiced chicken made me irie, excellent veggie dishes...Jamaican owned and operated too. Thanks Barbara Ann! Ya mon!
Never even bothered to eat my meal, just paid for it and left it there, they took so long with it.....I haven't been back too expensive as well.....
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!
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.
Boston, MA
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Dorchester
Category: Caribbean
Neighborhood: Arlington Heights
Category: Desserts
Neighborhood: Dorchester
Category: Caribbean
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