Ocho Rios Jerk Spot, the eatery that got its start as a catering company in 2017 and has since grown into a brick-and-mortar establishment on Northern Ave. in Phoenix, is growing once again.
Owners Chris Lyons and Theressa Miller are expanding their family-owned company, Ocho Rios Jerk Spot, to Goodyear, which means if you’re local, you won’t have to travel quite as far to satisfy your jerk-cravings.
Ocho Rios Jerk Spot West recently signed a lease in the N. Goodyear/Litchfield Submarket and will take over the 1,741 square-foot retail space this month.
Ocho Rios gets its name from the popular tourist destination in Jamaica of the same name, and the eatery’s motto is “We Bring the Islands to You!” In case you didn’t know, the eatery’s website shares, “Jerk is a style of cooking in Jamaica in which meats are marinated in a hot spice mixture…the main ingredients are allspice and scotch bonnet pepper. The meats are then slowly cooked over a smoking wood fire.”
Although the eatery specializes in jerk-style cooking, their menu offers everything from traditional Jamaican ‘patties’ stuffed with beef or chicken and sweet fried plantains, to the traditional Jamaican fried bread called ‘festival’—there isn’t an item on the menu you won’t want to try.
In addition to jerk chicken, you can find curry and fried chicken, not to mention stewed oxtail, curry goat, and a selection of seafood. The ‘Jamaican Black Cake’ and ‘Coconut Rum Cakes’ caught my eye immediately. Ocho Rios even pours traditional juices like pine-ginger, cucumber, and sorrell.
Lyons told What Now Phoenix that guests should expect the menu at Ocho Rios’ new location to remain the same. The only difference is you’ll still have to head over to North Ave. in Phoenix if you want to partake in the restaurant’s Sunday brunch and rum punch offerings, which would be totally understandable if you ask me.
