Esther’s Jamaican Food
5025 W Olive Ave, Glendale, AZ, 85302
Esther’s Jamaican Food Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Glendale for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Glendale for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Glendale for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
5025 W Olive Ave
Glendale, AZ, 85302 - Phone (623) 934-4444
- Website https://esthersjamaicanfood.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 6:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : No
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Sheena M.
Place was just OK, nothing to write home about, i had the jerk chicken rice & peas and steamed cabbage along with trying the belizean tamale. The chicken was tender and well seasoned, the rice & peas were overcooked and I wasn't sure what to expect with the tamale since this was my first time trying it but there was a full chicken leg inside it - bone and all...kind of weird but maybe that's the way it's suppose to be, also the breading was on the dry side I'm sure it was due to it not remaining wrapped in whatever it's orginally prepared in. Miss Esther was nice enough.
(3)Bucks S.
The food was great i got oxtails and jerk chicken and it was amazing. And the ginger drink was the best and all this came with great customer service
(5)Jessica S.
Jamaican Beef Patties!!!! It's worth the drive just for the beef patties alone. My husband likes the oxtail and we both love the rice. The spice level does vary day to day so be prepared to sweat every once in a while. LoL Just be aware it's take out only. Don't plan on eating in the actual restaurant.
(5)Ricki H.
I have been eating at this place for 8 years I have had Caribbean food from all over the states. This is by far one of the best!! if you won't flavor delicious spices ESTHER has it. I have been to different Caribbean restaurants around the valley they don't compare to this place. If you like caribbean food and not sure where to go stop by Esther's and your palate and appetite will be satisfied.
(5)Sarah A.
Tasty Jamaican take-out. We got the jerk chicken and ox-tail meals. This is a no-frills takeout place, so don't expect anything fancy. I would have given it 4 stars if not for the coconut patty... I took several bites and realized that there was no coco jam inside! I think they forgot to put it in.
(3)Mo D.
Ok, it is either the reviewers on here have VERY DEAD tastebuds or their standards are non existent! The food was bloody AWFUL!!! I ordered the goat curry with a side of jerk chicken and 2 beef patties. The fellow at the counter just took the beef patties from the glass case in the front to the back where I could hear him microwaving it and then giving it to me! It was bland and awful...threw those out. The jerk chicken was dry and tasted like rubber as if it was sitting around for days....very OLD food and the curry goat was RANK!!! The rice was old and honestly I did not have the nerve to try the potato salad..... This is not food, it is absolute rubbish! Next time I am in Pheonix for business, I will avoid this place like a plague. I hope I do not get dreadfully ill....I only consumed about 10% of the food but I am worried now. UPDATE on September 13th, 2015 Ok, so after consuming less than 10% of the food, i got dreadfully ill for two days straight!!! Bloody nasty food, the only perk i found was that with consuming this rubbish, I had stomach craps, and got very ill....which made me loose weight!!! So in closing bloody awful food for nourishment but the BEST rubbish for losing weight!!
(1)Angie M.
Absolutely delicious food and fantastic service from Esther herself. Will definitely be back.
(5)Stacy J.
Stopped in fit some jerk chicken. Very good and very spicy just like I like it. Washed everything down with a Ting. Prices are great, stop by.
(4)Chris P.
Esther's Jamaican Food is one of the best places i love to eat. The owner is an amazing person who always give the best hospitality and her food is absolutely amazing. I've never had a complaint and always feel like i mad a good decision when choosing Esther's Jamaican Food. I always get the Jerk Chicken plate with potato salad and have never ever been disappointed. 5stars
(5)Inez W.
I've eaten here once and the food was great. I have the ox tails and they were wonderful. I will eat there again as it is close to where I reside.
(5)Alisa F.
Ordered the oxtail stew and it was the best I've had in AZ. Very flavorful, plenty of juice and super delicious!!!!!! I did order potato salad on the side, but got cabbage instead. It was pretty good. Staff wasn't very friendly, but not rude at all. Just felt rushed.
(4)Kathy M.
We found a little slice of the islands right in our very own hood: Esther's Jamaican Food. Located in the middle of a vacant strip mall on Olive Avenue, we always thought we missed the chance to visit because there is a huge FOR LEASE sign on the window. One day, I pulled over to see if the sign was for Esther's place or for the spot next door. Much to my pleasant surprise, it was the latter! Patrick and I stopped in for lunch and all I can say - life changing. A long time ago, I worked at two different Caribbean restaurants run by Jamaican and Trinidad chefs and I've never been able to find that style of cooking. And I've tried a lot. I'm happy to report that Esther's hit it. It's small, not fancy, but has a lot of spirit. And you know it's authentic island food when island peeps come in and order. We waited about 15-minutes, and our dishes arrived hot and fresh in take-out containers. Everything is served to go, but they have a few tables set up if you want to stay and eat and watch a little of TV that hangs from the ceiling. I loved the wall of Jamaican groceries, and also the drink fridge that was filled with a variety of Caribbean sodas. I didn't even really notice the ice cream bars until later, I'll tell you why in a bit. My my Jerk Chicken plate came with friend plantains, rice and beans and potato salad. The rice was spicy, but not enough to make you stop eating. I nibbled on the potato salad to cool down my tongue every few bites. My chicken was so moist, it fell off the bone. It's sweet, a tad tangy with a slow, island burn. By the end of my second piece, I reached in the ice cream display and ripped open a butter pecan bar and started licking. Esther winked at me from the cash register, folded her arms, and chuckled. A look that showed I was not the first to do this. Patrick got curried goat with cabbage, rice and beans, and gobbled it down.If you're to into soda and want something more exciting than water, Esther's offers sorrel and ginger drinks as well.
(5)Rizzie H.
Tried the jerk chicken dinner. Wasn't so great to me, but I'm picky but my husband loved it. Friendly people, great customer service. Thinking about going back to try something different.
(4)Ahriza M.
Hmmm...I was really excited about coming here, but I was disappointed in their service. I came just past lunch time so that I could avoid the crowd, so by the time I arrived, it was just me. I didn't get greeted, but instead I greeted the guy in the front. He didn't start any small talk with me and it was my first time here. =( He took my order and I just waited to get my food. The lady that came out to ring me was much pleasant, but it was very short. I take into account how people intermingle with their customers - it's a big thing in my book as well as the taste in their food. So...the food was great, but nothing that stands out more than any other Jamaican place I've been to. I'm a bit harsh sometimes, but I won't be coming back since I didn't feel welcomed here.
(2)Douglas R.
Once was plenty for us. The guy that took the order wouldn't respond to some questions about the food for example. He wouldn't speak when we asked about paying either. The chicken tasted old & over cooked so very dry. We wondered about the health department checks. If they haven't been there they need to go. Look at the windows alone. There are some sort of meat pies stored on a counter top not held at temperature required. We decided not to consume the food after we got home. We had hopes but need to find another more friendly place.
(1)Chris P.
Best West Indian food in the Valley period! Best Oxtail I've had in the west coast(don't believe the hype about another comment smh), homemade patties and a bunch if other great foods! My only issue is there is no stew chicken(I've begged Esther to get it, but I seem to be the only one who complains) and its not open 24hrs! If you wanna have true Jamaican food that isn't trying to water down spices for the general public, this is the place! Truly a guilty pleasure!
(5)Angie G.
OMG! This is the best Jamaican food in the valley! This food is better than the food I ate while in Jamaica. They even have Ting! I ordered the jerk dinner which comes with a steamed cabbage mix, rice and beans, and plantains. Unbelievable! My husband ordered the oxtail dinner. We also ordered the tamales. It is the largest tamale you will ever see. Each tamale has an entire chicken drumstick hidden inside. Scrumptious. We cannot wait to go back. This is a small takeout restaurant. It was packed when we went there. Worth the wait! Take my word for it. Get your hungry stomaches over to this restaurant! You will not be disappointed. I have lived in the valley for 8 years. In this time I have eaten in a lot of restaurants. None of the food from any restaurant can compare to Esther's.
(5)Lyn L.
The BEST Jamaican Food in the area!!!! Esther is very friendly and the food is great!! Curry Goat is spicy but still my favorite!!! Having had Jamaican food from many places Esthers tops it! Only one other place in the valley that even comes close. I'm a regular at Esthers. Love it love it love it!
(5)Angela G.
Real Jamaican food, yup. Esther's a very nice lady. Her food is a great value and flavor that makes me feel like I've been to Jamaica and I know what I'm talking about.
(5)Ed C.
Belizean tamales.... yum! I grew up eating these in Belize... they are unlike Mexican tamales, and this is the only restaurant in Phoenix that offers them! They've been open 2 years, but I only found out about them yesterday - here on Yelp. We stopped in for a lunch take-out (there are a couple of tables in the place if you want to eat-in, but it's a pretty small place) and had the curried chicken, oxtail, and Belizean tamales (the beef patties were missing from my order). Ester and her son are very friendly, and she spent a good 1/2 hr in the back preparing our food - which is a good sign (unlike another caribbean restaurant I reviewed which simply reheated old food in 5 minutes). The tamales took me back to Belize... wish she had left the banana leaves on them for take-out so it wouldn't dry out as much during the trip home, but I could taste the flavor it imparted on the tamale despite the absence. You get only the tamale alone (no sides or fixings), but one tamale is a meal in itself. The meals are substantial.... you get rice and beans, plantains, your protein of choice, and a salad (either potato or cabbage). In our case, the curried chicken was great... moist, flavorful, and a reasonable amount for the price. The oxtail was well cooked - it melted in your mouth - but the flavors were a bit mild - it could use a stronger flavor profile. The rice-and-beans were Jamaican Style (which is a bit different from Belizean rice-and-beans), and well prepared. Slightly dry, the rice absorbs the meat gravy quite well... yum! The plantains were done well - it's hard to screw up plantains (although I've seen some places that managed to do just that - just not this place). The potato salad was packed with flavor; I preferred it over the cabbage salad. For take-out, they would be better served to not put the cold salad in the same take-out container as the hot meal; by the time we got home, the potato salad was a bit warm. Packing it separately would help - will need to ask them to do that next trip (yes, there will be more trips there!). They have a little section where you can buy caribbean ingredients, and a fridge of drinks that include ginger beer (just what you need for this meal!). Their hours are funky; they close at 6p, which is awfully early for dinner service (even take-out!), and are closed on Sundays (misses the after-church crowd!) I'd really like to give this place a 3.5 star rating, but alas, Yelp doesn't do 1/2 stars. It's better than all the other Jamaican restaurants in Phoenix that we've tried to date and the Belizean tamales tip it towards the 4 rating instead of falling back to the 3 rating. There are a few minor things they can improve (mentioned in this review) that could bump them to a higher rating, but the main key to success - good food and good value - are in place. Next trip.... curried goat, cowfoot soup, and of course, more tamales....! Yum!
(4)Karina R.
I paid about $10 for an oxtail meal and it had about 4 oxtail in the container. The gravy was flour-y and light brown. Disgusting food! I would never return! Try Caribbean Cuisine on 67th & Bethany Home.
(1)Carmelo W.
Patties were good. I didn't have room in my stomach to try anything else. Small place. I'd go again.
(3)J J.
This place is the spot. Will say that the peas and rice were a little over done but everything was still the bomb. I come from the east coast where jamaican good is authentic and something to look forward to. Until today I had only found 1 place that was good but it was what I call tippy jamaican. Not the home style way I had dinner tonight. The jerk chicken was killer the plantains absolutely mouth watering and washing it down with a kola champagne cola made me feel like I was back at the island. I will be returning soon to grab a handful of meat patties that I wanted today but the customer behind me who was jamaican bought all 10 that were ready must mean they are as good as I hope they will be ill let the yelp world know tomorrow. Do yourself a favor if you like real jamaican try this spot... One
(4)Arian D.
Amazing Jamaican food!!! Coming from the east coast my wife and I are used to having access to great Jamaican food locally, however after moving to the Phoenix area we haven't been able to find that great, home made, real deal Jamaican food. Not so anymore, we have found our spot! Our first visit today, we had ginger juice, oxtails, jerk chicken, curried chicken, Belizean tamale, and of course we had to get a patty and some Coco bread. Absolutely loved everything we had! Thank you Esther! We'll be back soon, and as often as possible!
(5)Jaswant A. S.
Located in an old strip mall at the Southeast corner of 51st avenue and Olive in the location that used to house Restaurant 28 - I miss that place because they had the best catfish in town. Not just the catfish but the sauce that went over it. But this is not about them. It's about the new restaurant in it's place... So this place isn't much - it isn't really some place you come for ambience even though there are a few tables. They call it Food To Go for a reason. Went there recently and it was hot outside and they don't seem to worry about air conditioning because it was rather hot in the dining/waiting area. But that didn't matter. I was there to sample some Jamaican food. What I DIDN'T know was that I was about to discover Belizean food as well. Well, just one item - the Belizean tamale. So what? Just a tamale. Haven't you ever had a tamale before? Nope. NOT the same thing. The Mexican style tamales I'm used to are smaller and I can probably eat 5 or 6 of them in one sitting. This thing was like holey moley! It was HUGE! The size of a burrito at least. Heck this is an entire meal in itself. The regular maize meal with recado roja - a quite spicy and tasty paste. Inside of it they put a whole chicken drumstick. That's the Belizean way. Yup. Good? Heck yeah. Oh yeah. I also like their curried goat. They sell a huge dinner plate for about 9 bucks. The potato salad that came with the plate was delicious. So were the plantains and rice that came with it. They have a little selection of Jamaican grocery items at one side of the store that you can browse while waiting for your meal to be made. Lots of products by Grace - including the unfortunately named cock-flavoured soup. Why couldn't they just call it Chicken? But no matter. I bought a bunch of them for the next White Elephant at my workplace. Makes a great gag gift (no pun intended). Definitely will be back. Only gripe about this place is their hours are more suited for a bank than a restaurant. You have to make it by 6 in order to get one of their dinner takeout plates.
(4)Dexter W.
The best Jamaican food outside of Jamaica. I picked up both the oxtail meal and the curried goat meal. It's just me so my plan was to make it a Jamaican food weekend. Yesterday I had the curried goat and loved it. I can hardly wait to dive into the oxtails for dinner today.
(5)Aaron S.
great food great service and a great time love the ladies in this place
(5)L R.
Can I just say I hope this place actually last-My man loves oxtail and after making our way to Mrs. Whites we both were highly disappointed. Now for Esther's the food was amazing-Oxtail, Red snapper, Jerk chicken and curry goat-All Amazing. Ordered the bread pudding but it wasn't ready :( Maybe next time. Good prices-$8-$12 with that you get rice, beans, steamed cabbage or potato salad. I can say this is the third restaurant in this location so I hope it last.
(4)