After leaving the Copper Canyon Grill Happy Hour I would walk across the parking lot to Irie Bar and Grille. Irie Bar and Grille has it regulars and I must admit I'm one of them. The food is way too spicy at times and the service is okay but it can be better. They do have live music on Fridays but the dance floor is small if you call moving tables out the way a dance floor.
(3)
Will F.
Great Parking..nice decor......compliments dwindle from there. Had the jerk wings...cold..dry..so-so flavor. Must be a drinking hole...stick to happy hour drinks..leave food in the kitchen!
(2)
Richard W.
I've been to Irie four times and have yet to get good service. I sit in the bar area, either at the bar, or in a booth in the bar area. The wait time is longer than average something as simple as refills. You have to order everything you want as soon as you get the servers attention or you're going to be hungry, thirsty, or missing that extra cup of bleu cheese. In regards to the food & drink, I don't have complaints. I've had the jerk salmon and brown stew chicken entrees. They're on point! I like my food spicy, so that doesn't bother me. The peas and rice are flavorful and the vegetables taste fresh. You get nice sized portions of the food. The jerk drumettes are the truth. I get them every time. The rum punch is good, but they don't have any draft beers so bottle is where you'll live if you have a taste for beer. On food alone, I'd rank this place higher, but the services really does drag you down when you want to eat, drink, and have a good time.
(2)
Jamica L.
The food was great but it took entirely too long for the food to get to us. There was a live band also that added to the carribean experience. I'll definitely check it out again.
(3)
Maria G.
In all fairness I should be giving them no stars, but that is not an option. I do carry out a lot. Because the service is still important. I cannot honestly rate IRIE bar and Grill because after the first phone call when no one answered, I thought maybe something was wrong so I dialed again. After 10 rings, someone actually didn't pick up, and asked me to hold. After being on hold for five minutes I decided to hang up and call Friday's....(see my zero star review for Friday's).
(1)
Synedra B.
I came here to listen to some music while I wait for my reservation at another restaurant. The atmosphere is really inviting. The bartender was very nice and attentive. Great Place to hang out.
(4)
Stacia G.
Had them for dinner and the food had no Wow factor. The beef pattie was the only good item I ordered and to pay almost $40, I was expecting better flavors and portions. The Curry Goat was good and the potatoes. The jerk chicken was good but the rice and peas needed flavor and the cabbages on both orders was disgusting. I had to add garlic, salt, and pepper but that didn't add to them needing to be cooked a little longer. Again, I order two entrees and a beef pattie for $37 and could have spent less at better Jamaican restaurants in MD.
I just left here and I was pleasantly surprised :-) most of the restaurants or cafes in the large area are usually uptight & stuffy but this is a nice spacious spot. The food was very well seasoned/nice portions for your money's worth. Plus they have a live band & on Wednesday karaoke. Will be going back soon :-)
(3)
Nik M.
In an unfamiliar place, but among Friends. Service was great. From the time I got there to the time I left, I was completely satisfied. I got there during HH and was pleased with the drink specials and wings. Although I went alone and waited for a friend to join me, but I didn't really feel alone. The atmosphere and the other patrons there were relaxed and engaging I felt like I was among friends. By the time I was to order food I wasn't hungry, but the food was so good, I eat it anyway.... It was good! I will go back and enjoy the space and the food again, even if I'm going alone. The folks around the bar were very pleasant and chances are I won't feel like I'm by myself Cheers Irie!!!
(4)
Diana M.
If I could give no stars I would. I always like to support new place and especially Carribean spots. We went in, got menus and were told we could order at the bar. We stood there for a few minutes while four folks behind the bar laughed and chatted. One young lady finally tapped the male bartender and let him know we were waiting. He said something snarky and smart ass and they all started laughing an they still made us wait. We got so upset we just left. Horrible customer service and overpriced anyways. Never again. Typical PG county rudeness.
(1)
Lia M.
While I would not have chosen Irie, I don't think it's a bad choice--3.5 stars. It's a (relatively) upscale Jamaican restaurant, with a nice bar and big dining area. Unfortunately, we were there at 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday, and so was the DJ. While I did love the music, it's not exactly what I was hoping for during my meal. Service was excellent and I wish I remembered our server's name. We each had a rum punch, plus we shared the appetizer sampler (jerk chicken wings, mini beef patties, plantains, and codfish fritters) and the jerk pork with plantains and rice and peas. I highly recommend the sampler platter, especially if you are with a group. The dry-rub jerk wings were spicy and tender; the beef patties flavorful; plantains were perfectly caramelized; and codfish fritters were crisp and mostly cod, not much filler. The jerk pork was delicious (and spicy)! I don't often see jerk pork, so I was excited. The rice and peas, however, had no flavor, which was disappointing. The rum punch lacked much alcohol, which was also disappointing. Can you get better Jamaican food at a much lower cost? Absolutely. At Irie, you definitely pay for ambiance. But if you're looking for atmosphere (or a place to dance), go to Irie.
(3)
Jen G.
We enjoyed dinner here for my mom's birthday. (For the record, we are Jamaican) . I recommend getting the escovietch veggies and sauce on the side if you get the fried snapper. It's overpowering compared to other escovietch that I've had. The jerk drumettes were the truth! If you get the jerk chicken then you may want to get the jerk sauce on the side as some in our party found it overpowering as well. The callalloo was very good. The cabbage was meh. I'm a bit mystified at them charging a premium for fried plantain and spinach as sides. I think that's really odd and just doesn't sit right with me as plantain is a staple with Caribbean food. The Irie Platter was a good sample as an appetizer and we split it amongst five of us and everyone was able to get a taste of the various offerings. Happy to have a nice sit down Jamaican place in town. **side eye** they charged us gratuity for a party of 5? Suspect.
(3)
Ireyna P.
I love the Image Band, Awesome music! The bartenders suck! Food for thought- don't keep my change and assume that I want to leave you a tip, it doesn't work that way. Plus, all she did was pour me a glass of wine. The food is always way too spicy, so I just stopped eating there :( My tip- eat and drink before you get there and you won't be disappointed. Sad but true. ..
Went on a Wednesday evening (karaoke night) the food was "ok" the ambiance was cool and not overly crowded
(3)
Drew P.
Irie. I am semi-regular here, but I have always sat at the bar. Because of my party size, I sat at a table today. First, the good: Love their strong drinks and delicious food. That has always been on point. I love the music and the karaoke nights too. Now the bad: Our server came like every 20 minutes, so we barely got to take advantage of Happy Hour. The restaurant is mostly empty, and we would stare at him and he would look at us & just keep walking. Also, they were out of jerk drumettes, the most popular item in the happy hour. He never checked on us regularly. The service here is below par, I have seen the other reviews. For it to be empty, AND to be Caribbean, I expect better. It's also too bad that they closed 8:30 for a staff meeting today, but hopefully they're addressing some of these issues. AND 18% gratuity was automatically added on for a party of 4. I'll add that out of courtesy but no more. Pros: Delicious food, SANJAY: the best bartender Cons: Service is hit or miss.
(3)
Angel B.
Ran in there for an alumni event. It was just about empty save a few people at the bar. The food took a long time to come out. The jerk chicken wings were not spicy at all to me. I got a jerk shrimp caesar salad. It was delicious, just not spicy like I expected. Wait staff is friendly and attentive.
(2)
Kida B.
Omg! Came here for Paintnite...the services were Horrible my bill for two was $75.00 for happy hour which I ordered 3 glasses of wine. The food was cold and then they added a gratuity...(smh) poor customer service . I've been waiting here for like 1hr for them to bring me the check. Wow poor services don't eat here.
(1)
Ebony K.
Food was good but manager doesn't give a crap about the customers. I waited for an hour for my food...ridiculous!
(1)
Charles C.
The food here is pretty good but over priced! At other Caribbean restaurant you can get twice the portion for the amount you pay for one year. The service was nice and friendly and very attentive.I will go here again but maybe I'll try to Friday night live band. All appetizer like $10 then your main dish is probably going to round out to be $22.
(3)
Cristine C.
Saturday evening date night at Irie Bar & Grille. I've seen and heard of this place but finally visited one rainy Saturday evening. We arrived around 730 and we were seated immediately in a booth. There was music, which was good, but definitely too loud to have a good conversation. The food was very good - I had the Rasta Pasta which was SO good. I asked for vanilla The service was just right - we didn't feel abandoned nor was the server all over us. The bar area seemed small, but there's a full bar, television, and seemed pretty lively. I'd give it another try.
(4)
Giselle L.
5 stars for their Rasta Pasta but their service is terrible. You always have to wait a super long and unreasonable amount of time. Today I called in my order they said 15-20 min I ended up waiting 40+ min.
(3)
Brooke T.
Out to dinner with the Sawrahs and wanting to find some place chill to eat. Our original choice had a 80 minute wait...(no seriously) so we decided to try this place instead. Location: In the same shopping center as the Wegman's, Old Navy and the like, pretty decent signage easy to spot. Ambiance: Pretty chill from what I could tell, I didn't get an island vibe though.... There was a birthday party going on so there was a DJ. I'm not sure if this was regular occurrence or not. If it is, I like it. Totally jammin to some old reggae tunes while eating is a plus for me. Food/Drank: Started with some rum punch, I thought it was just delightful, others thought it may have been a bit too strong. Hey no problems here. As an app, we got the jerk egg roll. I thought they were pretty tasty, I loved the dipping sauce that it came with. Now for the entree, I got the chicken roti. I must say upon initial consumption I was slightly underwhelmed; however, it improved with some peppa sauce. I think it was good enough for a restaurant. I mean it isn't like Auntie's but when is it ever when you go out? I thought that the shining star of the entree's was the jerk shrimp. It was seasoned nicely, and had a good kick. Service: Our server was attentive, and helpful, my only issue was that the service was just sllloooow. They really should improve on this. I mean seafood doesn't take long to cook, and I'm sure they weren't back there cooking the roti on a tawa. Seriously, do better. I hear they have a brunch, I'd like to come on back and try it out. I'd also like to try dinner again too. Who knows, maybe the birthday party threw the service off.....
(3)
Keke B.
Love love love this place in Friday nights and brunch on the weekend! Friday nights consist of live reggae band who can play and sing reallllyyy good! Music isn't too loud allowing you to sit and eat at a table or talk at the bar. The drinks and food are amazingggg! Food is well seasoned and you can taste alcohol in your drinks as opposed to being water down. Great wide selection of Caribbean dishes and appetizers. People also come here and dance and have a good time as well. Older crowd here. If you want a seat come early. Place can be packed but there's still enough room to have your own personal space standing. Weekend brunch is like $30 unlimited plates! Everything from your average brunch food of waffles and grits to entree plates of fish and callaloo. Love it here, I have no bad things to say lol
(5)
Temitope F.
I went for the sunday Brunch... Food was waaayyyy overpriced, food mediocre at best, service was decent, drinks were awesome, but im not comfortable paying $30 for an average selection of food choices.
(2)
Dee B.
I'm reviewing its night scene. I stood at the bar for twenty minutes, trying to get the attention of one of the six bartenders working, and none of them helped me. They helped people next to me that came after me, though. -_- I very well couldn't say "excuse me" loud enough because of all the music blasting inside. I'll eat here for brunch, or any other meal for that matter. But as far as night life, I wasted my time and gas.
(2)
Toya J.
The ambiance here is nice and I like the crowd of people that it attracts. The waitstaff here are nice and very professional. Now for those of you who are die hard Caribbean and African foodies this ain't your mama's cookin' by no means. It's not the best jerk or curry in town, but there aren't very many upscale Caribbean food restaurants, so this puts them in a class all by themselves. I had the jerk spring rolls, which were filled with fresh vegetables, but the chicken was just plain grilled. I could not taste any jerk whatsoever. If your into steamed vegetables the broccoli and the spinach looked really good. My friends enjoyed their rum runners, as I was just doing wine, which I thought was reasonably priced; a number of selections at $6.50 a glass. We did have one complaint about the jerk wings that came in a bowl?? Uhhhh... being cold on the bottom. I didn't bother to sample them. This is the sort of place where you go for good strong drinks and in our case there was a jazz showcase of live entertainment they had going on Saturday and I hear on Thursdays they have Karaoke. As long as there's entertainment paired with this restaurant I'll come back. This restaurant has a lot of potential, but if they want people to come for the food, they really have to "put their foot" in those Caribbean recipes. Note-this place does not come up on the GPS. Just so you know its in the same shopping center as the Wegmans across from Copper Canyon Grill.
(3)
Aimee C.
We stopped in for a late lunch on a Sunday...and wish we hadn't. My chicken tenders were okay. The jasmine rice on the other hand was great!! My husband's jerk salmon came out after I had finished my meal. So we sent it back and asked to have it removed from the check. They were nice about removing it and the hostess came by to check on things but it was too late. We won't be back. Too bad because we wanted to support this new restaurant but just can not. It was the typical Prince George's county stereotype. And we deserve better and won't get there til we expect better.
(1)
Shayla J.
I adore this place if only for the Escoveitch Snapper. I get it with either the redskin potatoes and cabbage or the white rice (with brown stew chicken gravy) and cabbage. It is CONSISTENLY amazing. DO NOT get the jerk chicken or the rice and peas. The jerk chicken was my first meal there and it almost turned me off from the place, but they redeemed themselves with the snapper. Most times I've been there, the service has been painfully slow, so don't go there if you're famished...or just have a snack before you get there lol...They have a live band on Fridays I believe.
(4)
Rebecca C.
The food is pretty awful. If you want good Caribbean food try The Muffin Man. The drinks were terrible. On several Occasions they told me there was no bartender so I could only get juice and a liquor added. -_-
(2)
Lindsey B.
If there was a way that I could give this place a negative star rating I would. I'm not the customer that goes to a restaurant and expects nothing but perfection so this isn't one "those" reviews; however, I am the customer that at the very least expects to be treated respectfully with the hope that there is a slight possibility that I will leave the restaurant satisfied. Irie Bar and Grille was a pure DISAPPOINTMENT. I arrived at the restaurant at 9:30 and was a part of a nice sized party. The server took our drink orders (mine was a WATER) and came back shortly thereafter to get our food orders (mine was jerk shrimp). Because our party was pretty large, I knew I was going to have to exercise patience for my food (even though shrimp cooks pretty quickly), but what I didn't expect was that by 11 o'clock, everyone else in my party would have received their meals and I had nothing (by the way, I still hadn't received a water refill at this point). What happened next was unimaginable.... It was 11:30 by this point and I hadn't eaten YET. Everyone in my party had eaten and paid so I approached the server and asked when could I expect to receive my food, and to let her know that I was beyond disappointed, unimpressed, and honestly appalled that no one in the restaurant (the server, manager, etc) would have thought to offer me an appetizer of some sort to hold me over until the chef got back from the body of water the he/she clearly had to go to in order to catch my shrimp, clean it, and cook it, while the rest of my party had already been served their meals. She stated that I was speaking too loudly with her (anyone who has been to this restaurant knows that the music in this place is loud enough to deafen anyone that comes in with mediocre hearing abilities; therefore you have to shout even to the person sitting next to you) and felt that because she wasn't the chef that it wasn't her responsibility to cook my food and had nothing to do with the reason that my food hadn't arrived. I will admit that there were a few choice words that came out of my mouth in response to her lack of tact/concern as you can imagine that by this time, I was pissed. My food finally came out of the kitchen shortly after 11:30 while I was in the middle of the 'back and forth' with the server. Her response was, "here is your food. Do you want it? Because if you don't, we can just take it back to the kitchen." HOW RUDE! I left Irie Bar and Grille to escape controversy but knew there would be no way that I would ever return. I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy because even though the food could've been spectacular (I would never know) it's not worth the lack of tact that the staff has for their customers. I actually called Irie Bar and Grille the next day to let the manager know of my experience. Not only was she fully aware that my food order was incredibly late in coming out, but she was without remorse and asked "what do you expect me to do about it at this point?" Again, no tact. Please, do yourself a favor and 1) do not go to Irie Bar and Grille and/or 2) if you do, do to a different location and/or 3) if you must try it, please lower your expectations so that you won't be disappointed should your experience be anything similar to mine.
(1)
Gbade O.
Ordered the jerk chicken. I think I figured out how they cooked it. They boiled the chicken. Then pressed it on both sides with hot iron to make it look like it's grilled. They then mix ketchup with BBQ sauce, then spread it on the chicken with a recently used tooth brush. Or at least, that's how it tasted. Ha!
(1)
Lolita P.
Disappointed... in the service and food. Took over 20 minutes for my carryout order. Meanwhile there was 1 couple, who already had their food, at least 4 staff members at the bar dancing to videos on the screen and 3 staff members outside (on the phone, wrestling and/or smoking). No one seemed concerned about me do I had to ask for my food and wallah... it appeared once the server went to check. Jerk chicken was dry. No thanks....never again.
(1)
Sara B.
Irie Bar and Grille is a disappointment!! For Sunday we made reservations for 4pm. We placed an order for drinks and did not get our drinks till 4:45pm! Our waitress proceeds to tell us that there will be a 45 min delay on the food because brunch was over crowed. In other words it would be an hour or more till we get our food. Why didn't she explain that to us before we sat down??.. We were not going to wait so long for food and we asked to speak to the manager. She wasn't even apologetic and did not even comp our drinks. We left and plan to never return. Irie Bar and Grille has the worst customer service and the food is overpriced. Be prepared to wait forever before getting served!
(2)
Karl C.
I am a frequent patron and while I agree that the price may be a tad high, much of this may be due to the volume of patrons. During lunch you can find less than 1/2 dozen people while across the lot at Copper Canyon probably a good 100, and the food at CC is not as flavorful. I hope the community continues to support this locally-owned business
(4)
Shaun D.
Place has potential BUT the overpriced food and bad customer service is a turn off for me. The two stars are for the rasta pasta that's once again overpriced but pretty good.
(2)
barbara s.
I have dined at Irie on 3 occasions and overall my food was good but what concerned me was security although this place is located in a nice area. Twice I had come on a Friday and the place operates like a mini nightclub. You will encounter very loud music rendered by a live band or dj, people dancing and even the bathroom entry blocked by bar patrons. Honesty, I don't know if Irie is licensed to operated in this fashion.But This place is a small venue that needs to consider if its going to be in the restaurant business or be a night club and get some security!
(3)
K S.
The only reason I visit this establishment is because it's literally right around the corner. But that's as good as it gets, if I could give a negative rating, I would. I waited 40 minutes for a cup of tea and a glass of water... 40 minutes.. There were two parties in the dining area, including me. Then the food came.. Salty as what I imagine Red Sea to be, greasy and wasn't properly cooked. And to add insult, they up charge for everything.. By far the worse Jamaican food I've had. The bartender stood around watching people while the one waitress hardly did anything.
(1)
Lawrence H.
One could say it was our own fault for bringing our son to Irie on a Saturday night at 7:40 but he wasn't the problem.... Our first impression was a good one and the highlight of our dining experience. We were greeted by the staff with big smiles and they immediately prepared a table for us. The dining room was only half full but they placed us at the back with a high chair and made a point to let us know a band was coming on at 8 and we were in the back because it wouldn't be as loud. Our waitress immediately came over with menus, gave her recommendations and then asked us what we wanted to eat. She answered our questions about the different types of food and what each item was. We ordered and she began to walk away. I had to stop her and ask if we could have some drinks. 20 minutes later, the manager from the front came over to ask how we were doing and see if we'd been helped yet. She saw we didn't have menus or drinks so she was concerned. We told her we had ordered but were still waiting on our drinks. She promptly flagged down another server and got us our waters. Shortly after 8, a DJ started to play. His set up is in the back of the room, about 10 feet from where we were sitting. He had one speaker and continued to play with the volume. It never got below a nice talking level and at one point my wife and I started texting our conversation because we couldn't hear each other over his music. It was ok music but it wasn't Jamaican and it just kept getting louder. By this time the dining room had filled up and a line was forming at the door. This only increased the noise level as more and more people had to keep yelling over each other for just simple conversations. After about 30 minutes, our waitress came back to see how we were doing and to tell us that our food was going to be another 20 minutes. She explained that the large party next to us was delaying the kitchen. We can understand this and being later on a Saturday night it is slightly expected. At this time I started to notice multiple waiters walking around with multiple plates. They would stop at random tables, ask if that was what they ordered and then walk to the next table to repeat. I also saw 2 plates come out to the party of 15. 5 minutes later another 2 plates would come out and we'd be reminded by another employee that "the large party" had delayed our food. Finally, after 50 minutes our food made it out to us. I will say it was good but our sides were warm, not hot or fresh. Also, my snapper was tiny. I knew it would still gave the bones in and head on but I expected it to be larger for what I was paying. At 8:30 the band came on. He is a jazz musician with a multi-piece band. He wasn't bad and it was a special occasion but the best part about his set was they turned off the DJ. We might go back for lunch or an early dinner during the week but I highly doubt it. The food was ok and the staff was friendly but they were very, very slow. It seemed like no one on the wait staff knew what was going on and they had zero processes.
(3)
Tasha P.
I've had take-out many times from here and sat in at the bar once. Overall I've enjoyed the food here but think it's way over-priced. Anytime I pay $15 for chicken I'm upset. I mean, the brown stewed chicken is good but not THAT good. They have karaoke and live music through the week too.
(3)
Dominique W.
5 stars for the bartender who waited on me - very friendly, 5 stars for the atmosphere - great decor! But the FOOD, which is one of the most important aspects of a restaurant was not good. I ordered a simple beef patty and I've had better beef patties from crap shack, in the cut, closet sized Jamaican spots. Not much BEEF at all, NOT SPICY at all, and completely DRY! How do you mess up a freakin beef patty. Must have been left over from the previous night.
(2)
PierAngeli M.
I went to Irie Bar and Grille on a Friday night to celebrate my birthday. We ordered drinks and appetizers. I ordered the jerk spring rolls, another friend ordered roti and soup. The spring rolls were tasty with a wonderful, flaky crust and was bursting with tasty veggies and chicken. Also, I tasted my friend's roti and she almost stabbed my hand with her fork (LOL). We received excellent service. Our waitress, Lauren was friendly, upbeat and attentive. Also, she was knowledgeable about the menu t and made great food recommendations. The drinks were great, too. They had a great live band that played great music. The crowd was attractive, fun and I had a great time. I can't wait to go back.
(4)
Kareem C.
I only go to this place because its convenient and the plantains are good. Shall I say more . . . .
(2)
Tonya L.
If this was the last Jamaican restaurant in the state of Maryland....I would pass by and wave "bye Felicia!" and venture into DC. The atmospere is nice as long as you are drinking and socializing. But if you feel the desire to eat, BEWARE. I don't know who wrote the menu, but they didn't talk to the cook(s)...words like succulent, savory and spicy (on the menu) turned into dry, flavorless, and dull on my plate. Nothing had Jamaican spice/flavor on my ENTIRE plate, let alone any salt and pepper. And to make matters worse, I had to wait a half an hour to eat what tasted like absolutely nothing close to the carribean. I won't waste my time again.
(1)
Dy F.
If I could give it no stars I would. I placed an order on 28 March at 10:19 pm via phone and was told my order would be ready in 15 minutes. I arrive only to be told that they had no record of my order and that they stopped taking orders at 9:30 pm. I asked well why didn't the person who took my order tell me that, they stated they had no idea who took my order. All I was offered was a sorry after driving to the location and showing my call history to the hostess. I've brushed off the past long waits but this was the last draw for me. I will NOT be back.
(1)
Tish L.
just was reading the suggestions I want to come for my birthday july 13th.
(5)
Jae S.
The place itself is very nice. The staff was ok...not super friendly. The was just ok. The jerk wings tasted more like wings that were grilled, no jerk flavor at all.
(2)
Afiya R.
I love going to Irie. The rum punch is so good..the appetizers and Jerk wings are good. Went for brunch and the breakfast had tasty jamaican Cuisine from Ackee & Saltfish, Callaloo & Saltfish, Liver, I could keep going but just go taste for yourself. The staff is nice and the live band on a Friday night is always excellent.
(4)
Rokeya J.
I've only gone here for take out but the food is pretty good. A bit over priced in my opinion. They do have lunch specials so I usually try to stick to that. The ambiance is nicer than your average caribbean restaurant so I suppose that the reason for the high prices.
(4)
Kenneth B.
The decor is outstanding. The prices are unrealistic for the dishes with no Caribbean flavor. The peas and rice tastes like minute made rice mixed with sugar. I would not even recommend the Jerk chicken because it doesn't have the taste to be labeled Jerk. The music is very loud and does not complement the name of the place.
(1)
Joni C.
We were early for a Friday evening 6p, not busy, maybe at the bar it was because it took forever to get a cocktail. Getting a second was near impossible. The food was very good but the service took away from that. Customer service does not seem to be important. I badly wanted to like it because its very close to our home.
(2)
Cire S.
STEREOTYPICAL NASTY ANTI-CUSTOMER ATTITUDES, FROM OWNERS, AND TOTALLY IGNORANCE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE AT THAT LITTLE CAFE. EXPLAINS WHY THEIR LOCATION AT THE BOULEVARD SANK LIKE THE SS MINNOW ON GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. NOT THE VIBE YOU'D EXPECT. Don't waste your time; there are other businesses who deserve support. We supported Irie to the tune of $178, but when there was an issue, a $12 overcharge due to misinformation from their untrained staff, these people had no idea how to handle it. Instead of a quick resolution, the owner vented off like a steam engine, citing that he's been in business since 1995 and know all about customers and how they try to boss businesses around. Really? I was not interested in his issues with his other customers. My request was to respect my patriotism and properly correct the billing, which he said he was "too busy" to deal with. "if you continue to support us fine, and if not that is fine too." Wow! Perhaps loosing their hair at that Boulevard location and not realizing they were bald (customerless) until they were forced to close their door has not yet registered in their thick heads. This guy says he knows customers, but he is clueless of his own issues. If they cannot handle the restaurant business, they should find something else to do. I've lived in this community since before the first brick was laid to build that shopping center and will be here when Irie Grille goes out of business. It is sad that some of us cannot break the cycle of business ignorance. I was going to dispute the $12 with my bank, but I've realized that they obviously need the money more than I do. These squirrels are simply trying to scrape up all the nuts they can get before that winter dry season.
(1)
Sabrina H.
2/1/13 -After my friend and I were seated it took Traci, our waitress, a while to come to our table. We sat down before another couple, yet she had taken their order first. :( Then she stared at my friend before she finally took our order and reminded us that the night will become busier because of the atmosphere. (Reggae band plays on a Friday night.) We ordered Curry chicken kid meal and the red snapper with a pepper vinaigrette. The food was very tasty and well season. I DEFINITELY enjoyed the food, and the music was GREAT. The service SUCKED. Traci said that she was going to leave the bill on the table since it was so "busy." After she had given us the check she appeared to be rushing us by taking our plates away while we had food on them. :( I might check this place out when the place is not that "busy." I hope I won't receive the same waitress! Oh, the atmosphere was composed of ages 40 and above.
The music was absolutely great! But that's as far as it goes. After a long week and a long day at work I was looking forward to meeting 5 of my friends there (which I organized). Upon my arrival I requested from the hostess for seating for 4 people, she says to me " this is the only table available" the table had 3 chairs and was squeezed in between two other tables. I said to her "will this hold 4 people". She then says to me "are you sure they are coming" I said to her "I said it was a party of 4". So she seats us in a "family booth"- and there were three of these booths empty. Now I arrived about 7:30 pm and one of my friends arrived at 7:45 up to this point noone has come over to the table to introduce themselves as the server. About 8 pm still no one has come over and I stop the hostess and ask her to have someone come over, she says to me "they come when your entire party arrives" so I said to her " I would like to order while we are waiting". So she says she will go get someone. At 8:20 still noone has come over to the table and I see several servers going back and forth to all the tables around us but noone comes to our table. At 8:25 I decide to get up and leave. I stop to let the hostess know this was totally ridiculous and is the most terrible experience I have ever had and that I have a medical condition and I needed a cup of soup or a glass of water and not even a glass of water was I offered.
(1)
S O.
I went to this spot last night (3/30/12), I must say, I've had better service. The food was ok but the customer service needs improvement.
(2)
Karim B.
I want to this restaurant for a birthday gathering. The service was friendly and timely even though we had a large party. I ordered the curry chicken roti. It was good although a bit salty. About 3 to 4 days later I returned back for lunch. It was around noon and I sat at the bar. I was the only 1 in the restaurant in the service was still extremely slow. I sat at the bar waiting for service and even though there was a server who sat at the opposite end of the bar I still had to wait a considerable amount of time before I got a menu and a drink poured for me. Also how can you call yourself a caribbean restaurant and not have ginger beer? Who's buying them up? Is it that difficult to stock?
(2)
Carol lyn C.
I usually go to restaurants in DC and sometimes in Alexandria. It is hard to find a good Caribbean restaurant, and I am glad I found IRIE Bar & Grille. We went to the bar for ahppy hour and dinner. The bartender, Mel, has such great energy and really made the experience a pleasant one. Great food at a great price. The service was a little slow, but I didn't seem to mind because we were having a nice time at the bar. I was going to order the oxtail, but went with the Ackee and Saltfish...one of my favorite Jamaican dishes. I wish it would have had more fish. Nevertheless, it was delish. I will be back for the oxtail.
(4)
Felix D.
Try the jerk spring rolls and spinach dip. The bartender Wanda makes excellent drinks and her customer service was very good.
(5)
Dawn A.
I made reservation for my church sisters - Amen - on the day of Whitneys' funeral(just a plug for my girl). The spot was relatively empty at 3 pm on a Saturday, but that didn't deter us as it JUST opened. The hostess was also our server and was very accommodating and friendly. I am part Grenadian, but all others have no West Indian in them and seldom eat this type of food. Needless to say, there were questions galore. The server answered all to our satisfaction and even went to the kitchen to address a few that she was unable to answer. We ordered the salmon salad(the BOMB), jerk chicken, curry chicken and Jamaican friend chicken. Everything was very good, but it did take a while to come out. We had NO issue with this as we knew our food was being cooked to order. Our drinks remained filled and the server checked on us at great intervals. In the words of the Terminator - I'll be back!
(4)
Patrick M.
My girlfriend and I stopped in for their Sunday brunch. For $20 per person, you get a Mimosa and a brunch buffet. I'd be ok with this except that the food was flavorless, cold and there was barely anything left as they didn't restock the trays at 2:30 even though their brunch doesn't end until 3. And on top of this, the service was slow and we had to ask for our drink orders to be taken. Overall, a terrible experience. No chance they'll be seeing us again, or any other people judging on their other Yelp reviews.
(1)
FoodChick F.
We went here for a weeknight dinner. Three entrees were served. Jerk chicken - Chicken was dry and tasteless, it had a little heat but nothing resembling jerk flavor. Sides selected for this dinner were red potatoes that were nicely flavored with herbs and plain ol' tasteless green beans. Ordered the dahl roti. Roti was tasteless and on the dry side so it fell apart. The dahl filling had no moisture or that light gravy. It was just 4 chunks of potatoes, green veggie and way too many chick peas. I prefer my vegetable roti to have lentils this had none; and, did I mention an over abundance of chick peas. It should be called a chickpea roti. The seasoning of the dahl was good but the dahl was devoid on moisture/gravy. I love roti and I admit I may be spoiled because a friend makes them from scratch every Sunday and you can eat the delicious roti as a treat alone. At Irie Bar & Grille the roti are flavorless so you need to have it with something. Our party also had the barbeque short rib dinner. One piece of meat was tough and needed to be cooked longer. The sauce was okay, nothing to draw you back to the restaurant. The restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere, sort of a mod decor of wood with earth tones and splashes of bright color. The service was good, our waitress and other staff were very pleasant. I cannot recommend this place for eating. Myself and no one in my party will go back there. Very unsatisfying.
(1)
LaVerne J.
First off it is hard to find a good caribbean spot and Irie is a good restaurant. Food is amazing ( curry goat roti, oxtail are my favorites) and music is usually on point. I would love to them 5 stars but the service ........ Is..... So ..... Slowwwwwwww..... It takes forever to get the food. I love this place but it always takes a while for the food. They are very friendly and apologetic but they need more staff. I would love to see this restaurant become top in the area but they can't if they don't improve on that part of their service.
(3)
Missy C.
I recently discovered this gem while shopping at Wegmans. It's located off to the side of Woodmoore Town Center and can easily be missed. I love the food as well as the staff. The food isn't exactly traditional, but I appreciate the contemporary twist on Jamaican food. The staff is very nice, the atmosphere is great and they play good music. Food: Brown Stew Chicken: Good Fried Chicken: Good Jerk Chicken: Very Good Cabbage: Good Callaloo: Ok
(4)
Sophie C.
Not sure what happened but once they opened this location after closing the spot at the BLVD, it all went down hill. The food is inconsistent and the drinks aren't that good either. It's really too bad because they are in a prime location to have their pick of customers but they need to step it up big time in order to have customers return. My last lunch ($76.00) will likely be my last visit there. My food was quite bad and so was my sister's. I was hoping for a great experience it since it was her first time trying Caribbean cuisine but no!!
(2)
Asewe O.
For this to be a new establishment I would have expected the customer service to be a bit better. We went in on a Friday night around 10 for drinks and appetizers to find very few customers there. Dispute advertising as bar and grill there was no cocktail menu at the bar.Our waitress was friendly enough but the disappointment came when our drinks arrived. Our vodka and cranberry came in a short glass only 1/4 of the way filled. It was exactly 3 sips. Once the bill came we saw that they had charged us $10.50 for the drink. When we questioned the charge we were told that we were given a shot of liquor and that was what we paid for and that was also the reason the glass was not filled. Isn't vodka and cranberry your most basic of drinks? How can you try and justify giving a quarter of a glass when your new restaurant sits empty on a Friday night? The bartender was sure to chime in and say, "well I gave them the other drinks for a discount so that should cover ghetto difference". A drink menu and some lessons in customer service will go a long way in helping Irie.
(1)
Gregory P.
The funny thing about this place is that it has the ability to be an award winner. The neighborhood is looking for a place away from Jasper's and Outback with a little better atmosphere. Its amazing that the owner of this place doesn't look at the reviews and make adjustments. Now to be honest I have never had a meal or brunch here but the wings at the bar are good. I will continue to go here understanding what to expect. Captain P
(2)
Tawny E.
I went to this restaurant just to get out of the house on a glorious sunny evening. I entered the restaurant around 6 PM. I will say that the ambiance is very inviting and the decor is great. My hostess/waitress was incredible and friendly. That was the great. Now it is time for the unfortunate ugly truth... The food was decent but dreadfully slow. The restaurant is great but will have to do something urgently such as advertising to church communities because there were only three tables with customers, which from the reviews is a common occurrence.
(3)
M S.
Be careful eating here. I wasn't going to post this because everyone at Irie is so nice. But after eating the no codfish in it cakes and roti my stomach started to hurt 20 minutes later (around 6:00pm). I was in the emergency room by 11:30pm that same night. Irie please be careful with your food prep and storage.
(1)
Anita H.
Loved the food, and thought the service was excellent. Their rum punch is tasty, and gives a good "punch." I hope to keep coming back.
(4)
Falana R.
OK....I gave them another shot because I love the food there despite my first visit where the service was incredibly slow. This time around was much better and everyone was on point. Everything was perfect. Will be back to check out some live music.
(3)
Waylon K.
Great food. I was going to complain about them not having happy hour specials, but they just started them recently.
(5)
Shen P.
Had a great experience at Irie Bar and Grille! Dined in and had the rasta pasta which was AWESOME! The ambience of the restaurant is much to be desired. The restrooms were clean, service was excellent from server (Ben), and food was delicious which I could tell was cooked to order. It was a great experience. However, I wish I didn't have to enjoy my experience in silence. There was no music playing in the background as most West Indian restuarants would.
(5)
Joe B.
I just spotted this new restaurant a couple nights ago as I was driving through the Woodmore Town Center (Wegman's shopping center). Tonight (Saturday) my wife and I decided to give it a try. We arrived at about 8pm, and the only other customers were on their way out the door. This is not your average Jamaican carry-out. This is a cloth napkin full service restaurant. Our waiter (Ben) told us they'd just opened a couple weeks ago and were still working out a few issues, but I honestly couldn't find any. We received excellent friendly service from our waiter, and delicious well prepared and presented food. The portions were large and the bill very reasonable. One appetizer, two entrees, one glass of wine for $50. We'll be back.
(4)
Eric S.
The food was not that bad, I'd give them three stars on the meal but the service is really lacking. I did not have really high expectations considering the restaurant is in a shopping center but the waiter and bar staff really blew it. I had the Ox Tail and it was tender and full of flavor, the sides were fine but the staff was very slow and I had to ask for everything. Can i place a drink order before dinner? Do you have specials? Do you have a desert menu? He came with the check and we still wanted desert then came with another and we wanted an after dinner drink. Hopefully he will be fired before anyone reading this goes there.
(2)
Lia M.
While I would not have chosen Irie, I don't think it's a bad choice--3.5 stars. It's a (relatively) upscale Jamaican restaurant, with a nice bar and big dining area. Unfortunately, we were there at 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday, and so was the DJ. While I did love the music, it's not exactly what I was hoping for during my meal. Service was excellent and I wish I remembered our server's name. We each had a rum punch, plus we shared the appetizer sampler (jerk chicken wings, mini beef patties, plantains, and codfish fritters) and the jerk pork with plantains and rice and peas. I highly recommend the sampler platter, especially if you are with a group. The dry-rub jerk wings were spicy and tender; the beef patties flavorful; plantains were perfectly caramelized; and codfish fritters were crisp and mostly cod, not much filler. The jerk pork was delicious (and spicy)! I don't often see jerk pork, so I was excited. The rice and peas, however, had no flavor, which was disappointing. The rum punch lacked much alcohol, which was also disappointing. Can you get better Jamaican food at a much lower cost? Absolutely. At Irie, you definitely pay for ambiance. But if you're looking for atmosphere (or a place to dance), go to Irie.
(3)
Jen G.
We enjoyed dinner here for my mom's birthday. (For the record, we are Jamaican) . I recommend getting the escovietch veggies and sauce on the side if you get the fried snapper. It's overpowering compared to other escovietch that I've had. The jerk drumettes were the truth! If you get the jerk chicken then you may want to get the jerk sauce on the side as some in our party found it overpowering as well. The callalloo was very good. The cabbage was meh. I'm a bit mystified at them charging a premium for fried plantain and spinach as sides. I think that's really odd and just doesn't sit right with me as plantain is a staple with Caribbean food. The Irie Platter was a good sample as an appetizer and we split it amongst five of us and everyone was able to get a taste of the various offerings. Happy to have a nice sit down Jamaican place in town. **side eye** they charged us gratuity for a party of 5? Suspect.
(3)
Ireyna P.
I love the Image Band, Awesome music! The bartenders suck! Food for thought- don't keep my change and assume that I want to leave you a tip, it doesn't work that way. Plus, all she did was pour me a glass of wine. The food is always way too spicy, so I just stopped eating there :( My tip- eat and drink before you get there and you won't be disappointed. Sad but true. ..
(3)
Cire S.
STEREOTYPICAL NASTY ANTI-CUSTOMER ATTITUDES, FROM OWNERS, AND TOTALLY IGNORANCE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE AT THAT LITTLE CAFE. EXPLAINS WHY THEIR LOCATION AT THE BOULEVARD SANK LIKE THE SS MINNOW ON GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. NOT THE VIBE YOU'D EXPECT. Don't waste your time; there are other businesses who deserve support. We supported Irie to the tune of $178, but when there was an issue, a $12 overcharge due to misinformation from their untrained staff, these people had no idea how to handle it. Instead of a quick resolution, the owner vented off like a steam engine, citing that he's been in business since 1995 and know all about customers and how they try to boss businesses around. Really? I was not interested in his issues with his other customers. My request was to respect my patriotism and properly correct the billing, which he said he was "too busy" to deal with. "if you continue to support us fine, and if not that is fine too." Wow! Perhaps loosing their hair at that Boulevard location and not realizing they were bald (customerless) until they were forced to close their door has not yet registered in their thick heads. This guy says he knows customers, but he is clueless of his own issues. If they cannot handle the restaurant business, they should find something else to do. I've lived in this community since before the first brick was laid to build that shopping center and will be here when Irie Grille goes out of business. It is sad that some of us cannot break the cycle of business ignorance. I was going to dispute the $12 with my bank, but I've realized that they obviously need the money more than I do. These squirrels are simply trying to scrape up all the nuts they can get before that winter dry season.
(1)
Sabrina H.
2/1/13 -After my friend and I were seated it took Traci, our waitress, a while to come to our table. We sat down before another couple, yet she had taken their order first. :( Then she stared at my friend before she finally took our order and reminded us that the night will become busier because of the atmosphere. (Reggae band plays on a Friday night.) We ordered Curry chicken kid meal and the red snapper with a pepper vinaigrette. The food was very tasty and well season. I DEFINITELY enjoyed the food, and the music was GREAT. The service SUCKED. Traci said that she was going to leave the bill on the table since it was so "busy." After she had given us the check she appeared to be rushing us by taking our plates away while we had food on them. :( I might check this place out when the place is not that "busy." I hope I won't receive the same waitress! Oh, the atmosphere was composed of ages 40 and above.
(3)
Dominique W.
5 stars for the bartender who waited on me - very friendly, 5 stars for the atmosphere - great decor! But the FOOD, which is one of the most important aspects of a restaurant was not good. I ordered a simple beef patty and I've had better beef patties from crap shack, in the cut, closet sized Jamaican spots. Not much BEEF at all, NOT SPICY at all, and completely DRY! How do you mess up a freakin beef patty. Must have been left over from the previous night.
(2)
Chuck D.
After leaving the Copper Canyon Grill Happy Hour I would walk across the parking lot to Irie Bar and Grille. Irie Bar and Grille has it regulars and I must admit I'm one of them. The food is way too spicy at times and the service is okay but it can be better. They do have live music on Fridays but the dance floor is small if you call moving tables out the way a dance floor.
(3)
Will F.
Great Parking..nice decor......compliments dwindle from there. Had the jerk wings...cold..dry..so-so flavor. Must be a drinking hole...stick to happy hour drinks..leave food in the kitchen!
(2)
Richard W.
I've been to Irie four times and have yet to get good service. I sit in the bar area, either at the bar, or in a booth in the bar area. The wait time is longer than average something as simple as refills. You have to order everything you want as soon as you get the servers attention or you're going to be hungry, thirsty, or missing that extra cup of bleu cheese. In regards to the food & drink, I don't have complaints. I've had the jerk salmon and brown stew chicken entrees. They're on point! I like my food spicy, so that doesn't bother me. The peas and rice are flavorful and the vegetables taste fresh. You get nice sized portions of the food. The jerk drumettes are the truth. I get them every time. The rum punch is good, but they don't have any draft beers so bottle is where you'll live if you have a taste for beer. On food alone, I'd rank this place higher, but the services really does drag you down when you want to eat, drink, and have a good time.
(2)
Jamica L.
The food was great but it took entirely too long for the food to get to us. There was a live band also that added to the carribean experience. I'll definitely check it out again.
(3)
Angel B.
Ran in there for an alumni event. It was just about empty save a few people at the bar. The food took a long time to come out. The jerk chicken wings were not spicy at all to me. I got a jerk shrimp caesar salad. It was delicious, just not spicy like I expected. Wait staff is friendly and attentive.
(2)
Kida B.
Omg! Came here for Paintnite...the services were Horrible my bill for two was $75.00 for happy hour which I ordered 3 glasses of wine. The food was cold and then they added a gratuity...(smh) poor customer service . I've been waiting here for like 1hr for them to bring me the check. Wow poor services don't eat here.
(1)
Ebony K.
Food was good but manager doesn't give a crap about the customers. I waited for an hour for my food...ridiculous!
I just left here and I was pleasantly surprised :-) most of the restaurants or cafes in the large area are usually uptight & stuffy but this is a nice spacious spot. The food was very well seasoned/nice portions for your money's worth. Plus they have a live band & on Wednesday karaoke. Will be going back soon :-)
(3)
Nik M.
In an unfamiliar place, but among Friends. Service was great. From the time I got there to the time I left, I was completely satisfied. I got there during HH and was pleased with the drink specials and wings. Although I went alone and waited for a friend to join me, but I didn't really feel alone. The atmosphere and the other patrons there were relaxed and engaging I felt like I was among friends. By the time I was to order food I wasn't hungry, but the food was so good, I eat it anyway.... It was good! I will go back and enjoy the space and the food again, even if I'm going alone. The folks around the bar were very pleasant and chances are I won't feel like I'm by myself Cheers Irie!!!
(4)
Diana M.
If I could give no stars I would. I always like to support new place and especially Carribean spots. We went in, got menus and were told we could order at the bar. We stood there for a few minutes while four folks behind the bar laughed and chatted. One young lady finally tapped the male bartender and let him know we were waiting. He said something snarky and smart ass and they all started laughing an they still made us wait. We got so upset we just left. Horrible customer service and overpriced anyways. Never again. Typical PG county rudeness.
(1)
Drew P.
Irie. I am semi-regular here, but I have always sat at the bar. Because of my party size, I sat at a table today. First, the good: Love their strong drinks and delicious food. That has always been on point. I love the music and the karaoke nights too. Now the bad: Our server came like every 20 minutes, so we barely got to take advantage of Happy Hour. The restaurant is mostly empty, and we would stare at him and he would look at us & just keep walking. Also, they were out of jerk drumettes, the most popular item in the happy hour. He never checked on us regularly. The service here is below par, I have seen the other reviews. For it to be empty, AND to be Caribbean, I expect better. It's also too bad that they closed 8:30 for a staff meeting today, but hopefully they're addressing some of these issues. AND 18% gratuity was automatically added on for a party of 4. I'll add that out of courtesy but no more. Pros: Delicious food, SANJAY: the best bartender Cons: Service is hit or miss.
(3)
Charles C.
The food here is pretty good but over priced! At other Caribbean restaurant you can get twice the portion for the amount you pay for one year. The service was nice and friendly and very attentive.I will go here again but maybe I'll try to Friday night live band. All appetizer like $10 then your main dish is probably going to round out to be $22.
(3)
Cristine C.
Saturday evening date night at Irie Bar & Grille. I've seen and heard of this place but finally visited one rainy Saturday evening. We arrived around 730 and we were seated immediately in a booth. There was music, which was good, but definitely too loud to have a good conversation. The food was very good - I had the Rasta Pasta which was SO good. I asked for vanilla The service was just right - we didn't feel abandoned nor was the server all over us. The bar area seemed small, but there's a full bar, television, and seemed pretty lively. I'd give it another try.
(4)
Giselle L.
5 stars for their Rasta Pasta but their service is terrible. You always have to wait a super long and unreasonable amount of time. Today I called in my order they said 15-20 min I ended up waiting 40+ min.
(3)
Maria G.
In all fairness I should be giving them no stars, but that is not an option. I do carry out a lot. Because the service is still important. I cannot honestly rate IRIE bar and Grill because after the first phone call when no one answered, I thought maybe something was wrong so I dialed again. After 10 rings, someone actually didn't pick up, and asked me to hold. After being on hold for five minutes I decided to hang up and call Friday's....(see my zero star review for Friday's).
(1)
Synedra B.
I came here to listen to some music while I wait for my reservation at another restaurant. The atmosphere is really inviting. The bartender was very nice and attentive. Great Place to hang out.
Went on a Wednesday evening (karaoke night) the food was "ok" the ambiance was cool and not overly crowded
(3)
Jae S.
The place itself is very nice. The staff was ok...not super friendly. The was just ok. The jerk wings tasted more like wings that were grilled, no jerk flavor at all.
(2)
Brooke T.
Out to dinner with the Sawrahs and wanting to find some place chill to eat. Our original choice had a 80 minute wait...(no seriously) so we decided to try this place instead. Location: In the same shopping center as the Wegman's, Old Navy and the like, pretty decent signage easy to spot. Ambiance: Pretty chill from what I could tell, I didn't get an island vibe though.... There was a birthday party going on so there was a DJ. I'm not sure if this was regular occurrence or not. If it is, I like it. Totally jammin to some old reggae tunes while eating is a plus for me. Food/Drank: Started with some rum punch, I thought it was just delightful, others thought it may have been a bit too strong. Hey no problems here. As an app, we got the jerk egg roll. I thought they were pretty tasty, I loved the dipping sauce that it came with. Now for the entree, I got the chicken roti. I must say upon initial consumption I was slightly underwhelmed; however, it improved with some peppa sauce. I think it was good enough for a restaurant. I mean it isn't like Auntie's but when is it ever when you go out? I thought that the shining star of the entree's was the jerk shrimp. It was seasoned nicely, and had a good kick. Service: Our server was attentive, and helpful, my only issue was that the service was just sllloooow. They really should improve on this. I mean seafood doesn't take long to cook, and I'm sure they weren't back there cooking the roti on a tawa. Seriously, do better. I hear they have a brunch, I'd like to come on back and try it out. I'd also like to try dinner again too. Who knows, maybe the birthday party threw the service off.....
(3)
Keke B.
Love love love this place in Friday nights and brunch on the weekend! Friday nights consist of live reggae band who can play and sing reallllyyy good! Music isn't too loud allowing you to sit and eat at a table or talk at the bar. The drinks and food are amazingggg! Food is well seasoned and you can taste alcohol in your drinks as opposed to being water down. Great wide selection of Caribbean dishes and appetizers. People also come here and dance and have a good time as well. Older crowd here. If you want a seat come early. Place can be packed but there's still enough room to have your own personal space standing. Weekend brunch is like $30 unlimited plates! Everything from your average brunch food of waffles and grits to entree plates of fish and callaloo. Love it here, I have no bad things to say lol
(5)
Temitope F.
I went for the sunday Brunch... Food was waaayyyy overpriced, food mediocre at best, service was decent, drinks were awesome, but im not comfortable paying $30 for an average selection of food choices.
(2)
Dee B.
I'm reviewing its night scene. I stood at the bar for twenty minutes, trying to get the attention of one of the six bartenders working, and none of them helped me. They helped people next to me that came after me, though. -_- I very well couldn't say "excuse me" loud enough because of all the music blasting inside. I'll eat here for brunch, or any other meal for that matter. But as far as night life, I wasted my time and gas.
(2)
Toya J.
The ambiance here is nice and I like the crowd of people that it attracts. The waitstaff here are nice and very professional. Now for those of you who are die hard Caribbean and African foodies this ain't your mama's cookin' by no means. It's not the best jerk or curry in town, but there aren't very many upscale Caribbean food restaurants, so this puts them in a class all by themselves. I had the jerk spring rolls, which were filled with fresh vegetables, but the chicken was just plain grilled. I could not taste any jerk whatsoever. If your into steamed vegetables the broccoli and the spinach looked really good. My friends enjoyed their rum runners, as I was just doing wine, which I thought was reasonably priced; a number of selections at $6.50 a glass. We did have one complaint about the jerk wings that came in a bowl?? Uhhhh... being cold on the bottom. I didn't bother to sample them. This is the sort of place where you go for good strong drinks and in our case there was a jazz showcase of live entertainment they had going on Saturday and I hear on Thursdays they have Karaoke. As long as there's entertainment paired with this restaurant I'll come back. This restaurant has a lot of potential, but if they want people to come for the food, they really have to "put their foot" in those Caribbean recipes. Note-this place does not come up on the GPS. Just so you know its in the same shopping center as the Wegmans across from Copper Canyon Grill.
(3)
Aimee C.
We stopped in for a late lunch on a Sunday...and wish we hadn't. My chicken tenders were okay. The jasmine rice on the other hand was great!! My husband's jerk salmon came out after I had finished my meal. So we sent it back and asked to have it removed from the check. They were nice about removing it and the hostess came by to check on things but it was too late. We won't be back. Too bad because we wanted to support this new restaurant but just can not. It was the typical Prince George's county stereotype. And we deserve better and won't get there til we expect better.
(1)
Tonya L.
If this was the last Jamaican restaurant in the state of Maryland....I would pass by and wave "bye Felicia!" and venture into DC. The atmospere is nice as long as you are drinking and socializing. But if you feel the desire to eat, BEWARE. I don't know who wrote the menu, but they didn't talk to the cook(s)...words like succulent, savory and spicy (on the menu) turned into dry, flavorless, and dull on my plate. Nothing had Jamaican spice/flavor on my ENTIRE plate, let alone any salt and pepper. And to make matters worse, I had to wait a half an hour to eat what tasted like absolutely nothing close to the carribean. I won't waste my time again.
(1)
Dy F.
If I could give it no stars I would. I placed an order on 28 March at 10:19 pm via phone and was told my order would be ready in 15 minutes. I arrive only to be told that they had no record of my order and that they stopped taking orders at 9:30 pm. I asked well why didn't the person who took my order tell me that, they stated they had no idea who took my order. All I was offered was a sorry after driving to the location and showing my call history to the hostess. I've brushed off the past long waits but this was the last draw for me. I will NOT be back.
(1)
Tish L.
just was reading the suggestions I want to come for my birthday july 13th.
(5)
Afiya R.
I love going to Irie. The rum punch is so good..the appetizers and Jerk wings are good. Went for brunch and the breakfast had tasty jamaican Cuisine from Ackee & Saltfish, Callaloo & Saltfish, Liver, I could keep going but just go taste for yourself. The staff is nice and the live band on a Friday night is always excellent.
(4)
Rokeya J.
I've only gone here for take out but the food is pretty good. A bit over priced in my opinion. They do have lunch specials so I usually try to stick to that. The ambiance is nicer than your average caribbean restaurant so I suppose that the reason for the high prices.
(4)
Kenneth B.
The decor is outstanding. The prices are unrealistic for the dishes with no Caribbean flavor. The peas and rice tastes like minute made rice mixed with sugar. I would not even recommend the Jerk chicken because it doesn't have the taste to be labeled Jerk. The music is very loud and does not complement the name of the place.
(1)
Joni C.
We were early for a Friday evening 6p, not busy, maybe at the bar it was because it took forever to get a cocktail. Getting a second was near impossible. The food was very good but the service took away from that. Customer service does not seem to be important. I badly wanted to like it because its very close to our home.
(2)
Shayla J.
I adore this place if only for the Escoveitch Snapper. I get it with either the redskin potatoes and cabbage or the white rice (with brown stew chicken gravy) and cabbage. It is CONSISTENLY amazing. DO NOT get the jerk chicken or the rice and peas. The jerk chicken was my first meal there and it almost turned me off from the place, but they redeemed themselves with the snapper. Most times I've been there, the service has been painfully slow, so don't go there if you're famished...or just have a snack before you get there lol...They have a live band on Fridays I believe.
(4)
Rebecca C.
The food is pretty awful. If you want good Caribbean food try The Muffin Man. The drinks were terrible. On several Occasions they told me there was no bartender so I could only get juice and a liquor added. -_-
(2)
Stacia G.
Had them for dinner and the food had no Wow factor. The beef pattie was the only good item I ordered and to pay almost $40, I was expecting better flavors and portions. The Curry Goat was good and the potatoes. The jerk chicken was good but the rice and peas needed flavor and the cabbages on both orders was disgusting. I had to add garlic, salt, and pepper but that didn't add to them needing to be cooked a little longer. Again, I order two entrees and a beef pattie for $37 and could have spent less at better Jamaican restaurants in MD.
(1)
Lindsey B.
If there was a way that I could give this place a negative star rating I would. I'm not the customer that goes to a restaurant and expects nothing but perfection so this isn't one "those" reviews; however, I am the customer that at the very least expects to be treated respectfully with the hope that there is a slight possibility that I will leave the restaurant satisfied. Irie Bar and Grille was a pure DISAPPOINTMENT. I arrived at the restaurant at 9:30 and was a part of a nice sized party. The server took our drink orders (mine was a WATER) and came back shortly thereafter to get our food orders (mine was jerk shrimp). Because our party was pretty large, I knew I was going to have to exercise patience for my food (even though shrimp cooks pretty quickly), but what I didn't expect was that by 11 o'clock, everyone else in my party would have received their meals and I had nothing (by the way, I still hadn't received a water refill at this point). What happened next was unimaginable.... It was 11:30 by this point and I hadn't eaten YET. Everyone in my party had eaten and paid so I approached the server and asked when could I expect to receive my food, and to let her know that I was beyond disappointed, unimpressed, and honestly appalled that no one in the restaurant (the server, manager, etc) would have thought to offer me an appetizer of some sort to hold me over until the chef got back from the body of water the he/she clearly had to go to in order to catch my shrimp, clean it, and cook it, while the rest of my party had already been served their meals. She stated that I was speaking too loudly with her (anyone who has been to this restaurant knows that the music in this place is loud enough to deafen anyone that comes in with mediocre hearing abilities; therefore you have to shout even to the person sitting next to you) and felt that because she wasn't the chef that it wasn't her responsibility to cook my food and had nothing to do with the reason that my food hadn't arrived. I will admit that there were a few choice words that came out of my mouth in response to her lack of tact/concern as you can imagine that by this time, I was pissed. My food finally came out of the kitchen shortly after 11:30 while I was in the middle of the 'back and forth' with the server. Her response was, "here is your food. Do you want it? Because if you don't, we can just take it back to the kitchen." HOW RUDE! I left Irie Bar and Grille to escape controversy but knew there would be no way that I would ever return. I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy because even though the food could've been spectacular (I would never know) it's not worth the lack of tact that the staff has for their customers. I actually called Irie Bar and Grille the next day to let the manager know of my experience. Not only was she fully aware that my food order was incredibly late in coming out, but she was without remorse and asked "what do you expect me to do about it at this point?" Again, no tact. Please, do yourself a favor and 1) do not go to Irie Bar and Grille and/or 2) if you do, do to a different location and/or 3) if you must try it, please lower your expectations so that you won't be disappointed should your experience be anything similar to mine.
(1)
Gbade O.
Ordered the jerk chicken. I think I figured out how they cooked it. They boiled the chicken. Then pressed it on both sides with hot iron to make it look like it's grilled. They then mix ketchup with BBQ sauce, then spread it on the chicken with a recently used tooth brush. Or at least, that's how it tasted. Ha!
(1)
Lolita P.
Disappointed... in the service and food. Took over 20 minutes for my carryout order. Meanwhile there was 1 couple, who already had their food, at least 4 staff members at the bar dancing to videos on the screen and 3 staff members outside (on the phone, wrestling and/or smoking). No one seemed concerned about me do I had to ask for my food and wallah... it appeared once the server went to check. Jerk chicken was dry. No thanks....never again.
(1)
Sara B.
Irie Bar and Grille is a disappointment!! For Sunday we made reservations for 4pm. We placed an order for drinks and did not get our drinks till 4:45pm! Our waitress proceeds to tell us that there will be a 45 min delay on the food because brunch was over crowed. In other words it would be an hour or more till we get our food. Why didn't she explain that to us before we sat down??.. We were not going to wait so long for food and we asked to speak to the manager. She wasn't even apologetic and did not even comp our drinks. We left and plan to never return. Irie Bar and Grille has the worst customer service and the food is overpriced. Be prepared to wait forever before getting served!
(2)
Karl C.
I am a frequent patron and while I agree that the price may be a tad high, much of this may be due to the volume of patrons. During lunch you can find less than 1/2 dozen people while across the lot at Copper Canyon probably a good 100, and the food at CC is not as flavorful. I hope the community continues to support this locally-owned business
(4)
Shaun D.
Place has potential BUT the overpriced food and bad customer service is a turn off for me. The two stars are for the rasta pasta that's once again overpriced but pretty good.
(2)
barbara s.
I have dined at Irie on 3 occasions and overall my food was good but what concerned me was security although this place is located in a nice area. Twice I had come on a Friday and the place operates like a mini nightclub. You will encounter very loud music rendered by a live band or dj, people dancing and even the bathroom entry blocked by bar patrons. Honesty, I don't know if Irie is licensed to operated in this fashion.But This place is a small venue that needs to consider if its going to be in the restaurant business or be a night club and get some security!
(3)
K S.
The only reason I visit this establishment is because it's literally right around the corner. But that's as good as it gets, if I could give a negative rating, I would. I waited 40 minutes for a cup of tea and a glass of water... 40 minutes.. There were two parties in the dining area, including me. Then the food came.. Salty as what I imagine Red Sea to be, greasy and wasn't properly cooked. And to add insult, they up charge for everything.. By far the worse Jamaican food I've had. The bartender stood around watching people while the one waitress hardly did anything.
(1)
Lawrence H.
One could say it was our own fault for bringing our son to Irie on a Saturday night at 7:40 but he wasn't the problem.... Our first impression was a good one and the highlight of our dining experience. We were greeted by the staff with big smiles and they immediately prepared a table for us. The dining room was only half full but they placed us at the back with a high chair and made a point to let us know a band was coming on at 8 and we were in the back because it wouldn't be as loud. Our waitress immediately came over with menus, gave her recommendations and then asked us what we wanted to eat. She answered our questions about the different types of food and what each item was. We ordered and she began to walk away. I had to stop her and ask if we could have some drinks. 20 minutes later, the manager from the front came over to ask how we were doing and see if we'd been helped yet. She saw we didn't have menus or drinks so she was concerned. We told her we had ordered but were still waiting on our drinks. She promptly flagged down another server and got us our waters. Shortly after 8, a DJ started to play. His set up is in the back of the room, about 10 feet from where we were sitting. He had one speaker and continued to play with the volume. It never got below a nice talking level and at one point my wife and I started texting our conversation because we couldn't hear each other over his music. It was ok music but it wasn't Jamaican and it just kept getting louder. By this time the dining room had filled up and a line was forming at the door. This only increased the noise level as more and more people had to keep yelling over each other for just simple conversations. After about 30 minutes, our waitress came back to see how we were doing and to tell us that our food was going to be another 20 minutes. She explained that the large party next to us was delaying the kitchen. We can understand this and being later on a Saturday night it is slightly expected. At this time I started to notice multiple waiters walking around with multiple plates. They would stop at random tables, ask if that was what they ordered and then walk to the next table to repeat. I also saw 2 plates come out to the party of 15. 5 minutes later another 2 plates would come out and we'd be reminded by another employee that "the large party" had delayed our food. Finally, after 50 minutes our food made it out to us. I will say it was good but our sides were warm, not hot or fresh. Also, my snapper was tiny. I knew it would still gave the bones in and head on but I expected it to be larger for what I was paying. At 8:30 the band came on. He is a jazz musician with a multi-piece band. He wasn't bad and it was a special occasion but the best part about his set was they turned off the DJ. We might go back for lunch or an early dinner during the week but I highly doubt it. The food was ok and the staff was friendly but they were very, very slow. It seemed like no one on the wait staff knew what was going on and they had zero processes.
(3)
Tasha P.
I've had take-out many times from here and sat in at the bar once. Overall I've enjoyed the food here but think it's way over-priced. Anytime I pay $15 for chicken I'm upset. I mean, the brown stewed chicken is good but not THAT good. They have karaoke and live music through the week too.
(3)
PierAngeli M.
I went to Irie Bar and Grille on a Friday night to celebrate my birthday. We ordered drinks and appetizers. I ordered the jerk spring rolls, another friend ordered roti and soup. The spring rolls were tasty with a wonderful, flaky crust and was bursting with tasty veggies and chicken. Also, I tasted my friend's roti and she almost stabbed my hand with her fork (LOL). We received excellent service. Our waitress, Lauren was friendly, upbeat and attentive. Also, she was knowledgeable about the menu t and made great food recommendations. The drinks were great, too. They had a great live band that played great music. The crowd was attractive, fun and I had a great time. I can't wait to go back.
(4)
Kareem C.
I only go to this place because its convenient and the plantains are good. Shall I say more . . . .
(2)
Karim B.
I want to this restaurant for a birthday gathering. The service was friendly and timely even though we had a large party. I ordered the curry chicken roti. It was good although a bit salty. About 3 to 4 days later I returned back for lunch. It was around noon and I sat at the bar. I was the only 1 in the restaurant in the service was still extremely slow. I sat at the bar waiting for service and even though there was a server who sat at the opposite end of the bar I still had to wait a considerable amount of time before I got a menu and a drink poured for me. Also how can you call yourself a caribbean restaurant and not have ginger beer? Who's buying them up? Is it that difficult to stock?
(2)
Carol lyn C.
I usually go to restaurants in DC and sometimes in Alexandria. It is hard to find a good Caribbean restaurant, and I am glad I found IRIE Bar & Grille. We went to the bar for ahppy hour and dinner. The bartender, Mel, has such great energy and really made the experience a pleasant one. Great food at a great price. The service was a little slow, but I didn't seem to mind because we were having a nice time at the bar. I was going to order the oxtail, but went with the Ackee and Saltfish...one of my favorite Jamaican dishes. I wish it would have had more fish. Nevertheless, it was delish. I will be back for the oxtail.
(4)
Felix D.
Try the jerk spring rolls and spinach dip. The bartender Wanda makes excellent drinks and her customer service was very good.
(5)
Dawn A.
I made reservation for my church sisters - Amen - on the day of Whitneys' funeral(just a plug for my girl). The spot was relatively empty at 3 pm on a Saturday, but that didn't deter us as it JUST opened. The hostess was also our server and was very accommodating and friendly. I am part Grenadian, but all others have no West Indian in them and seldom eat this type of food. Needless to say, there were questions galore. The server answered all to our satisfaction and even went to the kitchen to address a few that she was unable to answer. We ordered the salmon salad(the BOMB), jerk chicken, curry chicken and Jamaican friend chicken. Everything was very good, but it did take a while to come out. We had NO issue with this as we knew our food was being cooked to order. Our drinks remained filled and the server checked on us at great intervals. In the words of the Terminator - I'll be back!
(4)
Patrick M.
My girlfriend and I stopped in for their Sunday brunch. For $20 per person, you get a Mimosa and a brunch buffet. I'd be ok with this except that the food was flavorless, cold and there was barely anything left as they didn't restock the trays at 2:30 even though their brunch doesn't end until 3. And on top of this, the service was slow and we had to ask for our drink orders to be taken. Overall, a terrible experience. No chance they'll be seeing us again, or any other people judging on their other Yelp reviews.
(1)
FoodChick F.
We went here for a weeknight dinner. Three entrees were served. Jerk chicken - Chicken was dry and tasteless, it had a little heat but nothing resembling jerk flavor. Sides selected for this dinner were red potatoes that were nicely flavored with herbs and plain ol' tasteless green beans. Ordered the dahl roti. Roti was tasteless and on the dry side so it fell apart. The dahl filling had no moisture or that light gravy. It was just 4 chunks of potatoes, green veggie and way too many chick peas. I prefer my vegetable roti to have lentils this had none; and, did I mention an over abundance of chick peas. It should be called a chickpea roti. The seasoning of the dahl was good but the dahl was devoid on moisture/gravy. I love roti and I admit I may be spoiled because a friend makes them from scratch every Sunday and you can eat the delicious roti as a treat alone. At Irie Bar & Grille the roti are flavorless so you need to have it with something. Our party also had the barbeque short rib dinner. One piece of meat was tough and needed to be cooked longer. The sauce was okay, nothing to draw you back to the restaurant. The restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere, sort of a mod decor of wood with earth tones and splashes of bright color. The service was good, our waitress and other staff were very pleasant. I cannot recommend this place for eating. Myself and no one in my party will go back there. Very unsatisfying.
(1)
LaVerne J.
First off it is hard to find a good caribbean spot and Irie is a good restaurant. Food is amazing ( curry goat roti, oxtail are my favorites) and music is usually on point. I would love to them 5 stars but the service ........ Is..... So ..... Slowwwwwwww..... It takes forever to get the food. I love this place but it always takes a while for the food. They are very friendly and apologetic but they need more staff. I would love to see this restaurant become top in the area but they can't if they don't improve on that part of their service.
(3)
Missy C.
I recently discovered this gem while shopping at Wegmans. It's located off to the side of Woodmoore Town Center and can easily be missed. I love the food as well as the staff. The food isn't exactly traditional, but I appreciate the contemporary twist on Jamaican food. The staff is very nice, the atmosphere is great and they play good music. Food: Brown Stew Chicken: Good Fried Chicken: Good Jerk Chicken: Very Good Cabbage: Good Callaloo: Ok
(4)
Sophie C.
Not sure what happened but once they opened this location after closing the spot at the BLVD, it all went down hill. The food is inconsistent and the drinks aren't that good either. It's really too bad because they are in a prime location to have their pick of customers but they need to step it up big time in order to have customers return. My last lunch ($76.00) will likely be my last visit there. My food was quite bad and so was my sister's. I was hoping for a great experience it since it was her first time trying Caribbean cuisine but no!!
(2)
Gregory P.
The funny thing about this place is that it has the ability to be an award winner. The neighborhood is looking for a place away from Jasper's and Outback with a little better atmosphere. Its amazing that the owner of this place doesn't look at the reviews and make adjustments. Now to be honest I have never had a meal or brunch here but the wings at the bar are good. I will continue to go here understanding what to expect. Captain P
(2)
Tawny E.
I went to this restaurant just to get out of the house on a glorious sunny evening. I entered the restaurant around 6 PM. I will say that the ambiance is very inviting and the decor is great. My hostess/waitress was incredible and friendly. That was the great. Now it is time for the unfortunate ugly truth... The food was decent but dreadfully slow. The restaurant is great but will have to do something urgently such as advertising to church communities because there were only three tables with customers, which from the reviews is a common occurrence.
(3)
M S.
Be careful eating here. I wasn't going to post this because everyone at Irie is so nice. But after eating the no codfish in it cakes and roti my stomach started to hurt 20 minutes later (around 6:00pm). I was in the emergency room by 11:30pm that same night. Irie please be careful with your food prep and storage.
(1)
Anita H.
Loved the food, and thought the service was excellent. Their rum punch is tasty, and gives a good "punch." I hope to keep coming back.
(4)
Falana R.
OK....I gave them another shot because I love the food there despite my first visit where the service was incredibly slow. This time around was much better and everyone was on point. Everything was perfect. Will be back to check out some live music.
(3)
Waylon K.
Great food. I was going to complain about them not having happy hour specials, but they just started them recently.
(5)
Shen P.
Had a great experience at Irie Bar and Grille! Dined in and had the rasta pasta which was AWESOME! The ambience of the restaurant is much to be desired. The restrooms were clean, service was excellent from server (Ben), and food was delicious which I could tell was cooked to order. It was a great experience. However, I wish I didn't have to enjoy my experience in silence. There was no music playing in the background as most West Indian restuarants would.
(5)
Joe B.
I just spotted this new restaurant a couple nights ago as I was driving through the Woodmore Town Center (Wegman's shopping center). Tonight (Saturday) my wife and I decided to give it a try. We arrived at about 8pm, and the only other customers were on their way out the door. This is not your average Jamaican carry-out. This is a cloth napkin full service restaurant. Our waiter (Ben) told us they'd just opened a couple weeks ago and were still working out a few issues, but I honestly couldn't find any. We received excellent friendly service from our waiter, and delicious well prepared and presented food. The portions were large and the bill very reasonable. One appetizer, two entrees, one glass of wine for $50. We'll be back.
(4)
Eric S.
The food was not that bad, I'd give them three stars on the meal but the service is really lacking. I did not have really high expectations considering the restaurant is in a shopping center but the waiter and bar staff really blew it. I had the Ox Tail and it was tender and full of flavor, the sides were fine but the staff was very slow and I had to ask for everything. Can i place a drink order before dinner? Do you have specials? Do you have a desert menu? He came with the check and we still wanted desert then came with another and we wanted an after dinner drink. Hopefully he will be fired before anyone reading this goes there.
(2)
S O.
I went to this spot last night (3/30/12), I must say, I've had better service. The food was ok but the customer service needs improvement.
The music was absolutely great! But that's as far as it goes. After a long week and a long day at work I was looking forward to meeting 5 of my friends there (which I organized). Upon my arrival I requested from the hostess for seating for 4 people, she says to me " this is the only table available" the table had 3 chairs and was squeezed in between two other tables. I said to her "will this hold 4 people". She then says to me "are you sure they are coming" I said to her "I said it was a party of 4". So she seats us in a "family booth"- and there were three of these booths empty. Now I arrived about 7:30 pm and one of my friends arrived at 7:45 up to this point noone has come over to the table to introduce themselves as the server. About 8 pm still no one has come over and I stop the hostess and ask her to have someone come over, she says to me "they come when your entire party arrives" so I said to her " I would like to order while we are waiting". So she says she will go get someone. At 8:20 still noone has come over to the table and I see several servers going back and forth to all the tables around us but noone comes to our table. At 8:25 I decide to get up and leave. I stop to let the hostess know this was totally ridiculous and is the most terrible experience I have ever had and that I have a medical condition and I needed a cup of soup or a glass of water and not even a glass of water was I offered.
(1)
Asewe O.
For this to be a new establishment I would have expected the customer service to be a bit better. We went in on a Friday night around 10 for drinks and appetizers to find very few customers there. Dispute advertising as bar and grill there was no cocktail menu at the bar.Our waitress was friendly enough but the disappointment came when our drinks arrived. Our vodka and cranberry came in a short glass only 1/4 of the way filled. It was exactly 3 sips. Once the bill came we saw that they had charged us $10.50 for the drink. When we questioned the charge we were told that we were given a shot of liquor and that was what we paid for and that was also the reason the glass was not filled. Isn't vodka and cranberry your most basic of drinks? How can you try and justify giving a quarter of a glass when your new restaurant sits empty on a Friday night? The bartender was sure to chime in and say, "well I gave them the other drinks for a discount so that should cover ghetto difference". A drink menu and some lessons in customer service will go a long way in helping Irie.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Chuck D.
After leaving the Copper Canyon Grill Happy Hour I would walk across the parking lot to Irie Bar and Grille. Irie Bar and Grille has it regulars and I must admit I'm one of them. The food is way too spicy at times and the service is okay but it can be better. They do have live music on Fridays but the dance floor is small if you call moving tables out the way a dance floor.
(3)Will F.
Great Parking..nice decor......compliments dwindle from there. Had the jerk wings...cold..dry..so-so flavor. Must be a drinking hole...stick to happy hour drinks..leave food in the kitchen!
(2)Richard W.
I've been to Irie four times and have yet to get good service. I sit in the bar area, either at the bar, or in a booth in the bar area. The wait time is longer than average something as simple as refills. You have to order everything you want as soon as you get the servers attention or you're going to be hungry, thirsty, or missing that extra cup of bleu cheese. In regards to the food & drink, I don't have complaints. I've had the jerk salmon and brown stew chicken entrees. They're on point! I like my food spicy, so that doesn't bother me. The peas and rice are flavorful and the vegetables taste fresh. You get nice sized portions of the food. The jerk drumettes are the truth. I get them every time. The rum punch is good, but they don't have any draft beers so bottle is where you'll live if you have a taste for beer. On food alone, I'd rank this place higher, but the services really does drag you down when you want to eat, drink, and have a good time.
(2)Jamica L.
The food was great but it took entirely too long for the food to get to us. There was a live band also that added to the carribean experience. I'll definitely check it out again.
(3)Maria G.
In all fairness I should be giving them no stars, but that is not an option. I do carry out a lot. Because the service is still important. I cannot honestly rate IRIE bar and Grill because after the first phone call when no one answered, I thought maybe something was wrong so I dialed again. After 10 rings, someone actually didn't pick up, and asked me to hold. After being on hold for five minutes I decided to hang up and call Friday's....(see my zero star review for Friday's).
(1)Synedra B.
I came here to listen to some music while I wait for my reservation at another restaurant. The atmosphere is really inviting. The bartender was very nice and attentive. Great Place to hang out.
(4)Stacia G.
Had them for dinner and the food had no Wow factor. The beef pattie was the only good item I ordered and to pay almost $40, I was expecting better flavors and portions. The Curry Goat was good and the potatoes. The jerk chicken was good but the rice and peas needed flavor and the cabbages on both orders was disgusting. I had to add garlic, salt, and pepper but that didn't add to them needing to be cooked a little longer. Again, I order two entrees and a beef pattie for $37 and could have spent less at better Jamaican restaurants in MD.
(1)Hope L.
***THIS RATING IS FOR HAPPY HOUR, JERK WINGS AND CHOCOLATE CAKE ONLY*** I have been to this location a few times for happy hour. All of the bartenders can make a mean margarita!! I hear the rum punch is delicious but I've yet to try it. My experiences at the other location in Capital Heights has turned me off from their food so I typically play it safe and order the same thing off the happy hour menu every time I come here which is an order of jerk wings. If you are familiar with my reviews you know that I am very picky about my chicken. These jerk wings are just ok and can be hit or miss. The ones I got last Friday were very blah... little jerk seasoning...not enough salt...baked to the point of them being dry. One thing I've noticed when I go here is that the jerk seasoning consistently taste THE SAME so I've come to the conclusion that this is just how they choose to make their jerk seasoning and it's just "tolerable" to me. I was convinced by my friend to at step out of my box a little and try there chocolate fudge cake. SMH WWwhhhhyyyy?? Let's just say the cake at Wegman's is better. Come on Irie Café' please get it together...I want to like you so bad....UUUggghhh!! LOL Bottom line: IMO don't knock it until you try it AND I'm curious to know how others rate there chicken. Everyone has different taste buds and while I may not like the jerk wings you may love them. I will be coming back to check the most recent reviews to see if things change... Keeping it 100; I am only giving them 2 stars because 1. All of the bartenders are nice 2. They have good happy hour prices and last a little longer than some surrounding restaurants. 3. I am always greeted by the host with a smiling face 4. The establishment looks to be tidy 5. They have live bands on Friday nights and other special nights. I will be returning soon to try out a few more dishes and will update my stars after.
(2)David L.
I just left here and I was pleasantly surprised :-) most of the restaurants or cafes in the large area are usually uptight & stuffy but this is a nice spacious spot. The food was very well seasoned/nice portions for your money's worth. Plus they have a live band & on Wednesday karaoke. Will be going back soon :-)
(3)Nik M.
In an unfamiliar place, but among Friends. Service was great. From the time I got there to the time I left, I was completely satisfied. I got there during HH and was pleased with the drink specials and wings. Although I went alone and waited for a friend to join me, but I didn't really feel alone. The atmosphere and the other patrons there were relaxed and engaging I felt like I was among friends. By the time I was to order food I wasn't hungry, but the food was so good, I eat it anyway.... It was good! I will go back and enjoy the space and the food again, even if I'm going alone. The folks around the bar were very pleasant and chances are I won't feel like I'm by myself Cheers Irie!!!
(4)Diana M.
If I could give no stars I would. I always like to support new place and especially Carribean spots. We went in, got menus and were told we could order at the bar. We stood there for a few minutes while four folks behind the bar laughed and chatted. One young lady finally tapped the male bartender and let him know we were waiting. He said something snarky and smart ass and they all started laughing an they still made us wait. We got so upset we just left. Horrible customer service and overpriced anyways. Never again. Typical PG county rudeness.
(1)Lia M.
While I would not have chosen Irie, I don't think it's a bad choice--3.5 stars. It's a (relatively) upscale Jamaican restaurant, with a nice bar and big dining area. Unfortunately, we were there at 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday, and so was the DJ. While I did love the music, it's not exactly what I was hoping for during my meal. Service was excellent and I wish I remembered our server's name. We each had a rum punch, plus we shared the appetizer sampler (jerk chicken wings, mini beef patties, plantains, and codfish fritters) and the jerk pork with plantains and rice and peas. I highly recommend the sampler platter, especially if you are with a group. The dry-rub jerk wings were spicy and tender; the beef patties flavorful; plantains were perfectly caramelized; and codfish fritters were crisp and mostly cod, not much filler. The jerk pork was delicious (and spicy)! I don't often see jerk pork, so I was excited. The rice and peas, however, had no flavor, which was disappointing. The rum punch lacked much alcohol, which was also disappointing. Can you get better Jamaican food at a much lower cost? Absolutely. At Irie, you definitely pay for ambiance. But if you're looking for atmosphere (or a place to dance), go to Irie.
(3)Jen G.
We enjoyed dinner here for my mom's birthday. (For the record, we are Jamaican) . I recommend getting the escovietch veggies and sauce on the side if you get the fried snapper. It's overpowering compared to other escovietch that I've had. The jerk drumettes were the truth! If you get the jerk chicken then you may want to get the jerk sauce on the side as some in our party found it overpowering as well. The callalloo was very good. The cabbage was meh. I'm a bit mystified at them charging a premium for fried plantain and spinach as sides. I think that's really odd and just doesn't sit right with me as plantain is a staple with Caribbean food. The Irie Platter was a good sample as an appetizer and we split it amongst five of us and everyone was able to get a taste of the various offerings. Happy to have a nice sit down Jamaican place in town. **side eye** they charged us gratuity for a party of 5? Suspect.
(3)Ireyna P.
I love the Image Band, Awesome music! The bartenders suck! Food for thought- don't keep my change and assume that I want to leave you a tip, it doesn't work that way. Plus, all she did was pour me a glass of wine. The food is always way too spicy, so I just stopped eating there :( My tip- eat and drink before you get there and you won't be disappointed. Sad but true. ..
(3)Briana R.
Decent Jamaican Spot...I definitely don't find it authentic but still good flavors. Pros: Some of the food selections, specifically- Jerk Chicken entrée, Jerk chicken spring rolls, Jerk Chicken salad, spinach dip...they are all great and make sure you get the sesame ginger sauce, it makes the everything that much better for a dipping sauce. Cons: Wait times, even when there aren't too many customers, you will be waiting awhile, even for the servers to bring your drinks out. The prices, I think the prices are a bit steep for what they are giving you, especially compared to what you may get at other spots. Oh yeah- nice ambience, dim lighting, cool vibe.
(3)J K.
Went on a Wednesday evening (karaoke night) the food was "ok" the ambiance was cool and not overly crowded
(3)Drew P.
Irie. I am semi-regular here, but I have always sat at the bar. Because of my party size, I sat at a table today. First, the good: Love their strong drinks and delicious food. That has always been on point. I love the music and the karaoke nights too. Now the bad: Our server came like every 20 minutes, so we barely got to take advantage of Happy Hour. The restaurant is mostly empty, and we would stare at him and he would look at us & just keep walking. Also, they were out of jerk drumettes, the most popular item in the happy hour. He never checked on us regularly. The service here is below par, I have seen the other reviews. For it to be empty, AND to be Caribbean, I expect better. It's also too bad that they closed 8:30 for a staff meeting today, but hopefully they're addressing some of these issues. AND 18% gratuity was automatically added on for a party of 4. I'll add that out of courtesy but no more. Pros: Delicious food, SANJAY: the best bartender Cons: Service is hit or miss.
(3)Angel B.
Ran in there for an alumni event. It was just about empty save a few people at the bar. The food took a long time to come out. The jerk chicken wings were not spicy at all to me. I got a jerk shrimp caesar salad. It was delicious, just not spicy like I expected. Wait staff is friendly and attentive.
(2)Kida B.
Omg! Came here for Paintnite...the services were Horrible my bill for two was $75.00 for happy hour which I ordered 3 glasses of wine. The food was cold and then they added a gratuity...(smh) poor customer service . I've been waiting here for like 1hr for them to bring me the check. Wow poor services don't eat here.
(1)Ebony K.
Food was good but manager doesn't give a crap about the customers. I waited for an hour for my food...ridiculous!
(1)Charles C.
The food here is pretty good but over priced! At other Caribbean restaurant you can get twice the portion for the amount you pay for one year. The service was nice and friendly and very attentive.I will go here again but maybe I'll try to Friday night live band. All appetizer like $10 then your main dish is probably going to round out to be $22.
(3)Cristine C.
Saturday evening date night at Irie Bar & Grille. I've seen and heard of this place but finally visited one rainy Saturday evening. We arrived around 730 and we were seated immediately in a booth. There was music, which was good, but definitely too loud to have a good conversation. The food was very good - I had the Rasta Pasta which was SO good. I asked for vanilla The service was just right - we didn't feel abandoned nor was the server all over us. The bar area seemed small, but there's a full bar, television, and seemed pretty lively. I'd give it another try.
(4)Giselle L.
5 stars for their Rasta Pasta but their service is terrible. You always have to wait a super long and unreasonable amount of time. Today I called in my order they said 15-20 min I ended up waiting 40+ min.
(3)Brooke T.
Out to dinner with the Sawrahs and wanting to find some place chill to eat. Our original choice had a 80 minute wait...(no seriously) so we decided to try this place instead. Location: In the same shopping center as the Wegman's, Old Navy and the like, pretty decent signage easy to spot. Ambiance: Pretty chill from what I could tell, I didn't get an island vibe though.... There was a birthday party going on so there was a DJ. I'm not sure if this was regular occurrence or not. If it is, I like it. Totally jammin to some old reggae tunes while eating is a plus for me. Food/Drank: Started with some rum punch, I thought it was just delightful, others thought it may have been a bit too strong. Hey no problems here. As an app, we got the jerk egg roll. I thought they were pretty tasty, I loved the dipping sauce that it came with. Now for the entree, I got the chicken roti. I must say upon initial consumption I was slightly underwhelmed; however, it improved with some peppa sauce. I think it was good enough for a restaurant. I mean it isn't like Auntie's but when is it ever when you go out? I thought that the shining star of the entree's was the jerk shrimp. It was seasoned nicely, and had a good kick. Service: Our server was attentive, and helpful, my only issue was that the service was just sllloooow. They really should improve on this. I mean seafood doesn't take long to cook, and I'm sure they weren't back there cooking the roti on a tawa. Seriously, do better. I hear they have a brunch, I'd like to come on back and try it out. I'd also like to try dinner again too. Who knows, maybe the birthday party threw the service off.....
(3)Keke B.
Love love love this place in Friday nights and brunch on the weekend! Friday nights consist of live reggae band who can play and sing reallllyyy good! Music isn't too loud allowing you to sit and eat at a table or talk at the bar. The drinks and food are amazingggg! Food is well seasoned and you can taste alcohol in your drinks as opposed to being water down. Great wide selection of Caribbean dishes and appetizers. People also come here and dance and have a good time as well. Older crowd here. If you want a seat come early. Place can be packed but there's still enough room to have your own personal space standing. Weekend brunch is like $30 unlimited plates! Everything from your average brunch food of waffles and grits to entree plates of fish and callaloo. Love it here, I have no bad things to say lol
(5)Temitope F.
I went for the sunday Brunch... Food was waaayyyy overpriced, food mediocre at best, service was decent, drinks were awesome, but im not comfortable paying $30 for an average selection of food choices.
(2)Dee B.
I'm reviewing its night scene. I stood at the bar for twenty minutes, trying to get the attention of one of the six bartenders working, and none of them helped me. They helped people next to me that came after me, though. -_- I very well couldn't say "excuse me" loud enough because of all the music blasting inside. I'll eat here for brunch, or any other meal for that matter. But as far as night life, I wasted my time and gas.
(2)Toya J.
The ambiance here is nice and I like the crowd of people that it attracts. The waitstaff here are nice and very professional. Now for those of you who are die hard Caribbean and African foodies this ain't your mama's cookin' by no means. It's not the best jerk or curry in town, but there aren't very many upscale Caribbean food restaurants, so this puts them in a class all by themselves. I had the jerk spring rolls, which were filled with fresh vegetables, but the chicken was just plain grilled. I could not taste any jerk whatsoever. If your into steamed vegetables the broccoli and the spinach looked really good. My friends enjoyed their rum runners, as I was just doing wine, which I thought was reasonably priced; a number of selections at $6.50 a glass. We did have one complaint about the jerk wings that came in a bowl?? Uhhhh... being cold on the bottom. I didn't bother to sample them. This is the sort of place where you go for good strong drinks and in our case there was a jazz showcase of live entertainment they had going on Saturday and I hear on Thursdays they have Karaoke. As long as there's entertainment paired with this restaurant I'll come back. This restaurant has a lot of potential, but if they want people to come for the food, they really have to "put their foot" in those Caribbean recipes. Note-this place does not come up on the GPS. Just so you know its in the same shopping center as the Wegmans across from Copper Canyon Grill.
(3)Aimee C.
We stopped in for a late lunch on a Sunday...and wish we hadn't. My chicken tenders were okay. The jasmine rice on the other hand was great!! My husband's jerk salmon came out after I had finished my meal. So we sent it back and asked to have it removed from the check. They were nice about removing it and the hostess came by to check on things but it was too late. We won't be back. Too bad because we wanted to support this new restaurant but just can not. It was the typical Prince George's county stereotype. And we deserve better and won't get there til we expect better.
(1)Shayla J.
I adore this place if only for the Escoveitch Snapper. I get it with either the redskin potatoes and cabbage or the white rice (with brown stew chicken gravy) and cabbage. It is CONSISTENLY amazing. DO NOT get the jerk chicken or the rice and peas. The jerk chicken was my first meal there and it almost turned me off from the place, but they redeemed themselves with the snapper. Most times I've been there, the service has been painfully slow, so don't go there if you're famished...or just have a snack before you get there lol...They have a live band on Fridays I believe.
(4)Rebecca C.
The food is pretty awful. If you want good Caribbean food try The Muffin Man. The drinks were terrible. On several Occasions they told me there was no bartender so I could only get juice and a liquor added. -_-
(2)Lindsey B.
If there was a way that I could give this place a negative star rating I would. I'm not the customer that goes to a restaurant and expects nothing but perfection so this isn't one "those" reviews; however, I am the customer that at the very least expects to be treated respectfully with the hope that there is a slight possibility that I will leave the restaurant satisfied. Irie Bar and Grille was a pure DISAPPOINTMENT. I arrived at the restaurant at 9:30 and was a part of a nice sized party. The server took our drink orders (mine was a WATER) and came back shortly thereafter to get our food orders (mine was jerk shrimp). Because our party was pretty large, I knew I was going to have to exercise patience for my food (even though shrimp cooks pretty quickly), but what I didn't expect was that by 11 o'clock, everyone else in my party would have received their meals and I had nothing (by the way, I still hadn't received a water refill at this point). What happened next was unimaginable.... It was 11:30 by this point and I hadn't eaten YET. Everyone in my party had eaten and paid so I approached the server and asked when could I expect to receive my food, and to let her know that I was beyond disappointed, unimpressed, and honestly appalled that no one in the restaurant (the server, manager, etc) would have thought to offer me an appetizer of some sort to hold me over until the chef got back from the body of water the he/she clearly had to go to in order to catch my shrimp, clean it, and cook it, while the rest of my party had already been served their meals. She stated that I was speaking too loudly with her (anyone who has been to this restaurant knows that the music in this place is loud enough to deafen anyone that comes in with mediocre hearing abilities; therefore you have to shout even to the person sitting next to you) and felt that because she wasn't the chef that it wasn't her responsibility to cook my food and had nothing to do with the reason that my food hadn't arrived. I will admit that there were a few choice words that came out of my mouth in response to her lack of tact/concern as you can imagine that by this time, I was pissed. My food finally came out of the kitchen shortly after 11:30 while I was in the middle of the 'back and forth' with the server. Her response was, "here is your food. Do you want it? Because if you don't, we can just take it back to the kitchen." HOW RUDE! I left Irie Bar and Grille to escape controversy but knew there would be no way that I would ever return. I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy because even though the food could've been spectacular (I would never know) it's not worth the lack of tact that the staff has for their customers. I actually called Irie Bar and Grille the next day to let the manager know of my experience. Not only was she fully aware that my food order was incredibly late in coming out, but she was without remorse and asked "what do you expect me to do about it at this point?" Again, no tact. Please, do yourself a favor and 1) do not go to Irie Bar and Grille and/or 2) if you do, do to a different location and/or 3) if you must try it, please lower your expectations so that you won't be disappointed should your experience be anything similar to mine.
(1)Gbade O.
Ordered the jerk chicken. I think I figured out how they cooked it. They boiled the chicken. Then pressed it on both sides with hot iron to make it look like it's grilled. They then mix ketchup with BBQ sauce, then spread it on the chicken with a recently used tooth brush. Or at least, that's how it tasted. Ha!
(1)Lolita P.
Disappointed... in the service and food. Took over 20 minutes for my carryout order. Meanwhile there was 1 couple, who already had their food, at least 4 staff members at the bar dancing to videos on the screen and 3 staff members outside (on the phone, wrestling and/or smoking). No one seemed concerned about me do I had to ask for my food and wallah... it appeared once the server went to check. Jerk chicken was dry. No thanks....never again.
(1)Sara B.
Irie Bar and Grille is a disappointment!! For Sunday we made reservations for 4pm. We placed an order for drinks and did not get our drinks till 4:45pm! Our waitress proceeds to tell us that there will be a 45 min delay on the food because brunch was over crowed. In other words it would be an hour or more till we get our food. Why didn't she explain that to us before we sat down??.. We were not going to wait so long for food and we asked to speak to the manager. She wasn't even apologetic and did not even comp our drinks. We left and plan to never return. Irie Bar and Grille has the worst customer service and the food is overpriced. Be prepared to wait forever before getting served!
(2)Karl C.
I am a frequent patron and while I agree that the price may be a tad high, much of this may be due to the volume of patrons. During lunch you can find less than 1/2 dozen people while across the lot at Copper Canyon probably a good 100, and the food at CC is not as flavorful. I hope the community continues to support this locally-owned business
(4)Shaun D.
Place has potential BUT the overpriced food and bad customer service is a turn off for me. The two stars are for the rasta pasta that's once again overpriced but pretty good.
(2)barbara s.
I have dined at Irie on 3 occasions and overall my food was good but what concerned me was security although this place is located in a nice area. Twice I had come on a Friday and the place operates like a mini nightclub. You will encounter very loud music rendered by a live band or dj, people dancing and even the bathroom entry blocked by bar patrons. Honesty, I don't know if Irie is licensed to operated in this fashion.But This place is a small venue that needs to consider if its going to be in the restaurant business or be a night club and get some security!
(3)K S.
The only reason I visit this establishment is because it's literally right around the corner. But that's as good as it gets, if I could give a negative rating, I would. I waited 40 minutes for a cup of tea and a glass of water... 40 minutes.. There were two parties in the dining area, including me. Then the food came.. Salty as what I imagine Red Sea to be, greasy and wasn't properly cooked. And to add insult, they up charge for everything.. By far the worse Jamaican food I've had. The bartender stood around watching people while the one waitress hardly did anything.
(1)Lawrence H.
One could say it was our own fault for bringing our son to Irie on a Saturday night at 7:40 but he wasn't the problem.... Our first impression was a good one and the highlight of our dining experience. We were greeted by the staff with big smiles and they immediately prepared a table for us. The dining room was only half full but they placed us at the back with a high chair and made a point to let us know a band was coming on at 8 and we were in the back because it wouldn't be as loud. Our waitress immediately came over with menus, gave her recommendations and then asked us what we wanted to eat. She answered our questions about the different types of food and what each item was. We ordered and she began to walk away. I had to stop her and ask if we could have some drinks. 20 minutes later, the manager from the front came over to ask how we were doing and see if we'd been helped yet. She saw we didn't have menus or drinks so she was concerned. We told her we had ordered but were still waiting on our drinks. She promptly flagged down another server and got us our waters. Shortly after 8, a DJ started to play. His set up is in the back of the room, about 10 feet from where we were sitting. He had one speaker and continued to play with the volume. It never got below a nice talking level and at one point my wife and I started texting our conversation because we couldn't hear each other over his music. It was ok music but it wasn't Jamaican and it just kept getting louder. By this time the dining room had filled up and a line was forming at the door. This only increased the noise level as more and more people had to keep yelling over each other for just simple conversations. After about 30 minutes, our waitress came back to see how we were doing and to tell us that our food was going to be another 20 minutes. She explained that the large party next to us was delaying the kitchen. We can understand this and being later on a Saturday night it is slightly expected. At this time I started to notice multiple waiters walking around with multiple plates. They would stop at random tables, ask if that was what they ordered and then walk to the next table to repeat. I also saw 2 plates come out to the party of 15. 5 minutes later another 2 plates would come out and we'd be reminded by another employee that "the large party" had delayed our food. Finally, after 50 minutes our food made it out to us. I will say it was good but our sides were warm, not hot or fresh. Also, my snapper was tiny. I knew it would still gave the bones in and head on but I expected it to be larger for what I was paying. At 8:30 the band came on. He is a jazz musician with a multi-piece band. He wasn't bad and it was a special occasion but the best part about his set was they turned off the DJ. We might go back for lunch or an early dinner during the week but I highly doubt it. The food was ok and the staff was friendly but they were very, very slow. It seemed like no one on the wait staff knew what was going on and they had zero processes.
(3)Tasha P.
I've had take-out many times from here and sat in at the bar once. Overall I've enjoyed the food here but think it's way over-priced. Anytime I pay $15 for chicken I'm upset. I mean, the brown stewed chicken is good but not THAT good. They have karaoke and live music through the week too.
(3)Dominique W.
5 stars for the bartender who waited on me - very friendly, 5 stars for the atmosphere - great decor! But the FOOD, which is one of the most important aspects of a restaurant was not good. I ordered a simple beef patty and I've had better beef patties from crap shack, in the cut, closet sized Jamaican spots. Not much BEEF at all, NOT SPICY at all, and completely DRY! How do you mess up a freakin beef patty. Must have been left over from the previous night.
(2)PierAngeli M.
I went to Irie Bar and Grille on a Friday night to celebrate my birthday. We ordered drinks and appetizers. I ordered the jerk spring rolls, another friend ordered roti and soup. The spring rolls were tasty with a wonderful, flaky crust and was bursting with tasty veggies and chicken. Also, I tasted my friend's roti and she almost stabbed my hand with her fork (LOL). We received excellent service. Our waitress, Lauren was friendly, upbeat and attentive. Also, she was knowledgeable about the menu t and made great food recommendations. The drinks were great, too. They had a great live band that played great music. The crowd was attractive, fun and I had a great time. I can't wait to go back.
(4)Kareem C.
I only go to this place because its convenient and the plantains are good. Shall I say more . . . .
(2)Tonya L.
If this was the last Jamaican restaurant in the state of Maryland....I would pass by and wave "bye Felicia!" and venture into DC. The atmospere is nice as long as you are drinking and socializing. But if you feel the desire to eat, BEWARE. I don't know who wrote the menu, but they didn't talk to the cook(s)...words like succulent, savory and spicy (on the menu) turned into dry, flavorless, and dull on my plate. Nothing had Jamaican spice/flavor on my ENTIRE plate, let alone any salt and pepper. And to make matters worse, I had to wait a half an hour to eat what tasted like absolutely nothing close to the carribean. I won't waste my time again.
(1)Dy F.
If I could give it no stars I would. I placed an order on 28 March at 10:19 pm via phone and was told my order would be ready in 15 minutes. I arrive only to be told that they had no record of my order and that they stopped taking orders at 9:30 pm. I asked well why didn't the person who took my order tell me that, they stated they had no idea who took my order. All I was offered was a sorry after driving to the location and showing my call history to the hostess. I've brushed off the past long waits but this was the last draw for me. I will NOT be back.
(1)Tish L.
just was reading the suggestions I want to come for my birthday july 13th.
(5)Jae S.
The place itself is very nice. The staff was ok...not super friendly. The was just ok. The jerk wings tasted more like wings that were grilled, no jerk flavor at all.
(2)Afiya R.
I love going to Irie. The rum punch is so good..the appetizers and Jerk wings are good. Went for brunch and the breakfast had tasty jamaican Cuisine from Ackee & Saltfish, Callaloo & Saltfish, Liver, I could keep going but just go taste for yourself. The staff is nice and the live band on a Friday night is always excellent.
(4)Rokeya J.
I've only gone here for take out but the food is pretty good. A bit over priced in my opinion. They do have lunch specials so I usually try to stick to that. The ambiance is nicer than your average caribbean restaurant so I suppose that the reason for the high prices.
(4)Kenneth B.
The decor is outstanding. The prices are unrealistic for the dishes with no Caribbean flavor. The peas and rice tastes like minute made rice mixed with sugar. I would not even recommend the Jerk chicken because it doesn't have the taste to be labeled Jerk. The music is very loud and does not complement the name of the place.
(1)Joni C.
We were early for a Friday evening 6p, not busy, maybe at the bar it was because it took forever to get a cocktail. Getting a second was near impossible. The food was very good but the service took away from that. Customer service does not seem to be important. I badly wanted to like it because its very close to our home.
(2)Cire S.
STEREOTYPICAL NASTY ANTI-CUSTOMER ATTITUDES, FROM OWNERS, AND TOTALLY IGNORANCE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE AT THAT LITTLE CAFE. EXPLAINS WHY THEIR LOCATION AT THE BOULEVARD SANK LIKE THE SS MINNOW ON GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. NOT THE VIBE YOU'D EXPECT. Don't waste your time; there are other businesses who deserve support. We supported Irie to the tune of $178, but when there was an issue, a $12 overcharge due to misinformation from their untrained staff, these people had no idea how to handle it. Instead of a quick resolution, the owner vented off like a steam engine, citing that he's been in business since 1995 and know all about customers and how they try to boss businesses around. Really? I was not interested in his issues with his other customers. My request was to respect my patriotism and properly correct the billing, which he said he was "too busy" to deal with. "if you continue to support us fine, and if not that is fine too." Wow! Perhaps loosing their hair at that Boulevard location and not realizing they were bald (customerless) until they were forced to close their door has not yet registered in their thick heads. This guy says he knows customers, but he is clueless of his own issues. If they cannot handle the restaurant business, they should find something else to do. I've lived in this community since before the first brick was laid to build that shopping center and will be here when Irie Grille goes out of business. It is sad that some of us cannot break the cycle of business ignorance. I was going to dispute the $12 with my bank, but I've realized that they obviously need the money more than I do. These squirrels are simply trying to scrape up all the nuts they can get before that winter dry season.
(1)Sabrina H.
2/1/13 -After my friend and I were seated it took Traci, our waitress, a while to come to our table. We sat down before another couple, yet she had taken their order first. :( Then she stared at my friend before she finally took our order and reminded us that the night will become busier because of the atmosphere. (Reggae band plays on a Friday night.) We ordered Curry chicken kid meal and the red snapper with a pepper vinaigrette. The food was very tasty and well season. I DEFINITELY enjoyed the food, and the music was GREAT. The service SUCKED. Traci said that she was going to leave the bill on the table since it was so "busy." After she had given us the check she appeared to be rushing us by taking our plates away while we had food on them. :( I might check this place out when the place is not that "busy." I hope I won't receive the same waitress! Oh, the atmosphere was composed of ages 40 and above.
(3)CL S.
So I went here for the first time last Tuesday. First impression....nice décor, not too crowded. Had a seat at a booth while waiting for my friend to show up. Waited for a good 10 minutes before the waiter finally came over. By that time, my friend was there and we were ready for our drinks. I ordered vodka and cranberry juice and my friend ordered a Cosmo. The waiter left to get our drinks only to return and ask my friend whether she wanted rum or vodka in her Cosmo!!! HUUUHHH????? I just shook my head in disbelief and prepared for the worst...considering how things started! YIKES!! Needless to say, my friend had to explain that rum is not in COSMOS!! Anyway, so I ordered the short ribs with roasted potatoes and callaloo. They are out of short ribs. Ok, so I ordered the ox tails with the same side orders. My friend got the curried shrimp, rice and beans and callaloo. So our food comes. I have ox tails with rice and beans and callaloo. Ummmm....excuse me, I ordered potatoes and callaloo. The waiter says, I thought you said the same side orders.....the same as your friend's. Uhhh no, I said the same side orders that I ordered with the short ribs..which you were out of and so I got the ox tails. Deep sigh and shaking my head. Anyway, the food was good. Service...not so good. Not sure if I'll be back. It will be interesting to see if they even stay open for much longer.
(2)T D.
The music was absolutely great! But that's as far as it goes. After a long week and a long day at work I was looking forward to meeting 5 of my friends there (which I organized). Upon my arrival I requested from the hostess for seating for 4 people, she says to me " this is the only table available" the table had 3 chairs and was squeezed in between two other tables. I said to her "will this hold 4 people". She then says to me "are you sure they are coming" I said to her "I said it was a party of 4". So she seats us in a "family booth"- and there were three of these booths empty. Now I arrived about 7:30 pm and one of my friends arrived at 7:45 up to this point noone has come over to the table to introduce themselves as the server. About 8 pm still no one has come over and I stop the hostess and ask her to have someone come over, she says to me "they come when your entire party arrives" so I said to her " I would like to order while we are waiting". So she says she will go get someone. At 8:20 still noone has come over to the table and I see several servers going back and forth to all the tables around us but noone comes to our table. At 8:25 I decide to get up and leave. I stop to let the hostess know this was totally ridiculous and is the most terrible experience I have ever had and that I have a medical condition and I needed a cup of soup or a glass of water and not even a glass of water was I offered.
(1)S O.
I went to this spot last night (3/30/12), I must say, I've had better service. The food was ok but the customer service needs improvement.
(2)Karim B.
I want to this restaurant for a birthday gathering. The service was friendly and timely even though we had a large party. I ordered the curry chicken roti. It was good although a bit salty. About 3 to 4 days later I returned back for lunch. It was around noon and I sat at the bar. I was the only 1 in the restaurant in the service was still extremely slow. I sat at the bar waiting for service and even though there was a server who sat at the opposite end of the bar I still had to wait a considerable amount of time before I got a menu and a drink poured for me. Also how can you call yourself a caribbean restaurant and not have ginger beer? Who's buying them up? Is it that difficult to stock?
(2)Carol lyn C.
I usually go to restaurants in DC and sometimes in Alexandria. It is hard to find a good Caribbean restaurant, and I am glad I found IRIE Bar & Grille. We went to the bar for ahppy hour and dinner. The bartender, Mel, has such great energy and really made the experience a pleasant one. Great food at a great price. The service was a little slow, but I didn't seem to mind because we were having a nice time at the bar. I was going to order the oxtail, but went with the Ackee and Saltfish...one of my favorite Jamaican dishes. I wish it would have had more fish. Nevertheless, it was delish. I will be back for the oxtail.
(4)Felix D.
Try the jerk spring rolls and spinach dip. The bartender Wanda makes excellent drinks and her customer service was very good.
(5)Dawn A.
I made reservation for my church sisters - Amen - on the day of Whitneys' funeral(just a plug for my girl). The spot was relatively empty at 3 pm on a Saturday, but that didn't deter us as it JUST opened. The hostess was also our server and was very accommodating and friendly. I am part Grenadian, but all others have no West Indian in them and seldom eat this type of food. Needless to say, there were questions galore. The server answered all to our satisfaction and even went to the kitchen to address a few that she was unable to answer. We ordered the salmon salad(the BOMB), jerk chicken, curry chicken and Jamaican friend chicken. Everything was very good, but it did take a while to come out. We had NO issue with this as we knew our food was being cooked to order. Our drinks remained filled and the server checked on us at great intervals. In the words of the Terminator - I'll be back!
(4)Patrick M.
My girlfriend and I stopped in for their Sunday brunch. For $20 per person, you get a Mimosa and a brunch buffet. I'd be ok with this except that the food was flavorless, cold and there was barely anything left as they didn't restock the trays at 2:30 even though their brunch doesn't end until 3. And on top of this, the service was slow and we had to ask for our drink orders to be taken. Overall, a terrible experience. No chance they'll be seeing us again, or any other people judging on their other Yelp reviews.
(1)FoodChick F.
We went here for a weeknight dinner. Three entrees were served. Jerk chicken - Chicken was dry and tasteless, it had a little heat but nothing resembling jerk flavor. Sides selected for this dinner were red potatoes that were nicely flavored with herbs and plain ol' tasteless green beans. Ordered the dahl roti. Roti was tasteless and on the dry side so it fell apart. The dahl filling had no moisture or that light gravy. It was just 4 chunks of potatoes, green veggie and way too many chick peas. I prefer my vegetable roti to have lentils this had none; and, did I mention an over abundance of chick peas. It should be called a chickpea roti. The seasoning of the dahl was good but the dahl was devoid on moisture/gravy. I love roti and I admit I may be spoiled because a friend makes them from scratch every Sunday and you can eat the delicious roti as a treat alone. At Irie Bar & Grille the roti are flavorless so you need to have it with something. Our party also had the barbeque short rib dinner. One piece of meat was tough and needed to be cooked longer. The sauce was okay, nothing to draw you back to the restaurant. The restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere, sort of a mod decor of wood with earth tones and splashes of bright color. The service was good, our waitress and other staff were very pleasant. I cannot recommend this place for eating. Myself and no one in my party will go back there. Very unsatisfying.
(1)LaVerne J.
First off it is hard to find a good caribbean spot and Irie is a good restaurant. Food is amazing ( curry goat roti, oxtail are my favorites) and music is usually on point. I would love to them 5 stars but the service ........ Is..... So ..... Slowwwwwwww..... It takes forever to get the food. I love this place but it always takes a while for the food. They are very friendly and apologetic but they need more staff. I would love to see this restaurant become top in the area but they can't if they don't improve on that part of their service.
(3)Missy C.
I recently discovered this gem while shopping at Wegmans. It's located off to the side of Woodmoore Town Center and can easily be missed. I love the food as well as the staff. The food isn't exactly traditional, but I appreciate the contemporary twist on Jamaican food. The staff is very nice, the atmosphere is great and they play good music. Food: Brown Stew Chicken: Good Fried Chicken: Good Jerk Chicken: Very Good Cabbage: Good Callaloo: Ok
(4)Sophie C.
Not sure what happened but once they opened this location after closing the spot at the BLVD, it all went down hill. The food is inconsistent and the drinks aren't that good either. It's really too bad because they are in a prime location to have their pick of customers but they need to step it up big time in order to have customers return. My last lunch ($76.00) will likely be my last visit there. My food was quite bad and so was my sister's. I was hoping for a great experience it since it was her first time trying Caribbean cuisine but no!!
(2)Asewe O.
For this to be a new establishment I would have expected the customer service to be a bit better. We went in on a Friday night around 10 for drinks and appetizers to find very few customers there. Dispute advertising as bar and grill there was no cocktail menu at the bar.Our waitress was friendly enough but the disappointment came when our drinks arrived. Our vodka and cranberry came in a short glass only 1/4 of the way filled. It was exactly 3 sips. Once the bill came we saw that they had charged us $10.50 for the drink. When we questioned the charge we were told that we were given a shot of liquor and that was what we paid for and that was also the reason the glass was not filled. Isn't vodka and cranberry your most basic of drinks? How can you try and justify giving a quarter of a glass when your new restaurant sits empty on a Friday night? The bartender was sure to chime in and say, "well I gave them the other drinks for a discount so that should cover ghetto difference". A drink menu and some lessons in customer service will go a long way in helping Irie.
(1)Gregory P.
The funny thing about this place is that it has the ability to be an award winner. The neighborhood is looking for a place away from Jasper's and Outback with a little better atmosphere. Its amazing that the owner of this place doesn't look at the reviews and make adjustments. Now to be honest I have never had a meal or brunch here but the wings at the bar are good. I will continue to go here understanding what to expect. Captain P
(2)Tawny E.
I went to this restaurant just to get out of the house on a glorious sunny evening. I entered the restaurant around 6 PM. I will say that the ambiance is very inviting and the decor is great. My hostess/waitress was incredible and friendly. That was the great. Now it is time for the unfortunate ugly truth... The food was decent but dreadfully slow. The restaurant is great but will have to do something urgently such as advertising to church communities because there were only three tables with customers, which from the reviews is a common occurrence.
(3)M S.
Be careful eating here. I wasn't going to post this because everyone at Irie is so nice. But after eating the no codfish in it cakes and roti my stomach started to hurt 20 minutes later (around 6:00pm). I was in the emergency room by 11:30pm that same night. Irie please be careful with your food prep and storage.
(1)Anita H.
Loved the food, and thought the service was excellent. Their rum punch is tasty, and gives a good "punch." I hope to keep coming back.
(4)Falana R.
OK....I gave them another shot because I love the food there despite my first visit where the service was incredibly slow. This time around was much better and everyone was on point. Everything was perfect. Will be back to check out some live music.
(3)Waylon K.
Great food. I was going to complain about them not having happy hour specials, but they just started them recently.
(5)Shen P.
Had a great experience at Irie Bar and Grille! Dined in and had the rasta pasta which was AWESOME! The ambience of the restaurant is much to be desired. The restrooms were clean, service was excellent from server (Ben), and food was delicious which I could tell was cooked to order. It was a great experience. However, I wish I didn't have to enjoy my experience in silence. There was no music playing in the background as most West Indian restuarants would.
(5)Joe B.
I just spotted this new restaurant a couple nights ago as I was driving through the Woodmore Town Center (Wegman's shopping center). Tonight (Saturday) my wife and I decided to give it a try. We arrived at about 8pm, and the only other customers were on their way out the door. This is not your average Jamaican carry-out. This is a cloth napkin full service restaurant. Our waiter (Ben) told us they'd just opened a couple weeks ago and were still working out a few issues, but I honestly couldn't find any. We received excellent friendly service from our waiter, and delicious well prepared and presented food. The portions were large and the bill very reasonable. One appetizer, two entrees, one glass of wine for $50. We'll be back.
(4)Eric S.
The food was not that bad, I'd give them three stars on the meal but the service is really lacking. I did not have really high expectations considering the restaurant is in a shopping center but the waiter and bar staff really blew it. I had the Ox Tail and it was tender and full of flavor, the sides were fine but the staff was very slow and I had to ask for everything. Can i place a drink order before dinner? Do you have specials? Do you have a desert menu? He came with the check and we still wanted desert then came with another and we wanted an after dinner drink. Hopefully he will be fired before anyone reading this goes there.
(2)Lia M.
While I would not have chosen Irie, I don't think it's a bad choice--3.5 stars. It's a (relatively) upscale Jamaican restaurant, with a nice bar and big dining area. Unfortunately, we were there at 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday, and so was the DJ. While I did love the music, it's not exactly what I was hoping for during my meal. Service was excellent and I wish I remembered our server's name. We each had a rum punch, plus we shared the appetizer sampler (jerk chicken wings, mini beef patties, plantains, and codfish fritters) and the jerk pork with plantains and rice and peas. I highly recommend the sampler platter, especially if you are with a group. The dry-rub jerk wings were spicy and tender; the beef patties flavorful; plantains were perfectly caramelized; and codfish fritters were crisp and mostly cod, not much filler. The jerk pork was delicious (and spicy)! I don't often see jerk pork, so I was excited. The rice and peas, however, had no flavor, which was disappointing. The rum punch lacked much alcohol, which was also disappointing. Can you get better Jamaican food at a much lower cost? Absolutely. At Irie, you definitely pay for ambiance. But if you're looking for atmosphere (or a place to dance), go to Irie.
(3)Jen G.
We enjoyed dinner here for my mom's birthday. (For the record, we are Jamaican) . I recommend getting the escovietch veggies and sauce on the side if you get the fried snapper. It's overpowering compared to other escovietch that I've had. The jerk drumettes were the truth! If you get the jerk chicken then you may want to get the jerk sauce on the side as some in our party found it overpowering as well. The callalloo was very good. The cabbage was meh. I'm a bit mystified at them charging a premium for fried plantain and spinach as sides. I think that's really odd and just doesn't sit right with me as plantain is a staple with Caribbean food. The Irie Platter was a good sample as an appetizer and we split it amongst five of us and everyone was able to get a taste of the various offerings. Happy to have a nice sit down Jamaican place in town. **side eye** they charged us gratuity for a party of 5? Suspect.
(3)Ireyna P.
I love the Image Band, Awesome music! The bartenders suck! Food for thought- don't keep my change and assume that I want to leave you a tip, it doesn't work that way. Plus, all she did was pour me a glass of wine. The food is always way too spicy, so I just stopped eating there :( My tip- eat and drink before you get there and you won't be disappointed. Sad but true. ..
(3)Cire S.
STEREOTYPICAL NASTY ANTI-CUSTOMER ATTITUDES, FROM OWNERS, AND TOTALLY IGNORANCE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE AT THAT LITTLE CAFE. EXPLAINS WHY THEIR LOCATION AT THE BOULEVARD SANK LIKE THE SS MINNOW ON GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. NOT THE VIBE YOU'D EXPECT. Don't waste your time; there are other businesses who deserve support. We supported Irie to the tune of $178, but when there was an issue, a $12 overcharge due to misinformation from their untrained staff, these people had no idea how to handle it. Instead of a quick resolution, the owner vented off like a steam engine, citing that he's been in business since 1995 and know all about customers and how they try to boss businesses around. Really? I was not interested in his issues with his other customers. My request was to respect my patriotism and properly correct the billing, which he said he was "too busy" to deal with. "if you continue to support us fine, and if not that is fine too." Wow! Perhaps loosing their hair at that Boulevard location and not realizing they were bald (customerless) until they were forced to close their door has not yet registered in their thick heads. This guy says he knows customers, but he is clueless of his own issues. If they cannot handle the restaurant business, they should find something else to do. I've lived in this community since before the first brick was laid to build that shopping center and will be here when Irie Grille goes out of business. It is sad that some of us cannot break the cycle of business ignorance. I was going to dispute the $12 with my bank, but I've realized that they obviously need the money more than I do. These squirrels are simply trying to scrape up all the nuts they can get before that winter dry season.
(1)Sabrina H.
2/1/13 -After my friend and I were seated it took Traci, our waitress, a while to come to our table. We sat down before another couple, yet she had taken their order first. :( Then she stared at my friend before she finally took our order and reminded us that the night will become busier because of the atmosphere. (Reggae band plays on a Friday night.) We ordered Curry chicken kid meal and the red snapper with a pepper vinaigrette. The food was very tasty and well season. I DEFINITELY enjoyed the food, and the music was GREAT. The service SUCKED. Traci said that she was going to leave the bill on the table since it was so "busy." After she had given us the check she appeared to be rushing us by taking our plates away while we had food on them. :( I might check this place out when the place is not that "busy." I hope I won't receive the same waitress! Oh, the atmosphere was composed of ages 40 and above.
(3)Dominique W.
5 stars for the bartender who waited on me - very friendly, 5 stars for the atmosphere - great decor! But the FOOD, which is one of the most important aspects of a restaurant was not good. I ordered a simple beef patty and I've had better beef patties from crap shack, in the cut, closet sized Jamaican spots. Not much BEEF at all, NOT SPICY at all, and completely DRY! How do you mess up a freakin beef patty. Must have been left over from the previous night.
(2)Chuck D.
After leaving the Copper Canyon Grill Happy Hour I would walk across the parking lot to Irie Bar and Grille. Irie Bar and Grille has it regulars and I must admit I'm one of them. The food is way too spicy at times and the service is okay but it can be better. They do have live music on Fridays but the dance floor is small if you call moving tables out the way a dance floor.
(3)Will F.
Great Parking..nice decor......compliments dwindle from there. Had the jerk wings...cold..dry..so-so flavor. Must be a drinking hole...stick to happy hour drinks..leave food in the kitchen!
(2)Richard W.
I've been to Irie four times and have yet to get good service. I sit in the bar area, either at the bar, or in a booth in the bar area. The wait time is longer than average something as simple as refills. You have to order everything you want as soon as you get the servers attention or you're going to be hungry, thirsty, or missing that extra cup of bleu cheese. In regards to the food & drink, I don't have complaints. I've had the jerk salmon and brown stew chicken entrees. They're on point! I like my food spicy, so that doesn't bother me. The peas and rice are flavorful and the vegetables taste fresh. You get nice sized portions of the food. The jerk drumettes are the truth. I get them every time. The rum punch is good, but they don't have any draft beers so bottle is where you'll live if you have a taste for beer. On food alone, I'd rank this place higher, but the services really does drag you down when you want to eat, drink, and have a good time.
(2)Jamica L.
The food was great but it took entirely too long for the food to get to us. There was a live band also that added to the carribean experience. I'll definitely check it out again.
(3)Angel B.
Ran in there for an alumni event. It was just about empty save a few people at the bar. The food took a long time to come out. The jerk chicken wings were not spicy at all to me. I got a jerk shrimp caesar salad. It was delicious, just not spicy like I expected. Wait staff is friendly and attentive.
(2)Kida B.
Omg! Came here for Paintnite...the services were Horrible my bill for two was $75.00 for happy hour which I ordered 3 glasses of wine. The food was cold and then they added a gratuity...(smh) poor customer service . I've been waiting here for like 1hr for them to bring me the check. Wow poor services don't eat here.
(1)Ebony K.
Food was good but manager doesn't give a crap about the customers. I waited for an hour for my food...ridiculous!
(1)Hope L.
***THIS RATING IS FOR HAPPY HOUR, JERK WINGS AND CHOCOLATE CAKE ONLY*** I have been to this location a few times for happy hour. All of the bartenders can make a mean margarita!! I hear the rum punch is delicious but I've yet to try it. My experiences at the other location in Capital Heights has turned me off from their food so I typically play it safe and order the same thing off the happy hour menu every time I come here which is an order of jerk wings. If you are familiar with my reviews you know that I am very picky about my chicken. These jerk wings are just ok and can be hit or miss. The ones I got last Friday were very blah... little jerk seasoning...not enough salt...baked to the point of them being dry. One thing I've noticed when I go here is that the jerk seasoning consistently taste THE SAME so I've come to the conclusion that this is just how they choose to make their jerk seasoning and it's just "tolerable" to me. I was convinced by my friend to at step out of my box a little and try there chocolate fudge cake. SMH WWwhhhhyyyy?? Let's just say the cake at Wegman's is better. Come on Irie Café' please get it together...I want to like you so bad....UUUggghhh!! LOL Bottom line: IMO don't knock it until you try it AND I'm curious to know how others rate there chicken. Everyone has different taste buds and while I may not like the jerk wings you may love them. I will be coming back to check the most recent reviews to see if things change... Keeping it 100; I am only giving them 2 stars because 1. All of the bartenders are nice 2. They have good happy hour prices and last a little longer than some surrounding restaurants. 3. I am always greeted by the host with a smiling face 4. The establishment looks to be tidy 5. They have live bands on Friday nights and other special nights. I will be returning soon to try out a few more dishes and will update my stars after.
(2)David L.
I just left here and I was pleasantly surprised :-) most of the restaurants or cafes in the large area are usually uptight & stuffy but this is a nice spacious spot. The food was very well seasoned/nice portions for your money's worth. Plus they have a live band & on Wednesday karaoke. Will be going back soon :-)
(3)Nik M.
In an unfamiliar place, but among Friends. Service was great. From the time I got there to the time I left, I was completely satisfied. I got there during HH and was pleased with the drink specials and wings. Although I went alone and waited for a friend to join me, but I didn't really feel alone. The atmosphere and the other patrons there were relaxed and engaging I felt like I was among friends. By the time I was to order food I wasn't hungry, but the food was so good, I eat it anyway.... It was good! I will go back and enjoy the space and the food again, even if I'm going alone. The folks around the bar were very pleasant and chances are I won't feel like I'm by myself Cheers Irie!!!
(4)Diana M.
If I could give no stars I would. I always like to support new place and especially Carribean spots. We went in, got menus and were told we could order at the bar. We stood there for a few minutes while four folks behind the bar laughed and chatted. One young lady finally tapped the male bartender and let him know we were waiting. He said something snarky and smart ass and they all started laughing an they still made us wait. We got so upset we just left. Horrible customer service and overpriced anyways. Never again. Typical PG county rudeness.
(1)Drew P.
Irie. I am semi-regular here, but I have always sat at the bar. Because of my party size, I sat at a table today. First, the good: Love their strong drinks and delicious food. That has always been on point. I love the music and the karaoke nights too. Now the bad: Our server came like every 20 minutes, so we barely got to take advantage of Happy Hour. The restaurant is mostly empty, and we would stare at him and he would look at us & just keep walking. Also, they were out of jerk drumettes, the most popular item in the happy hour. He never checked on us regularly. The service here is below par, I have seen the other reviews. For it to be empty, AND to be Caribbean, I expect better. It's also too bad that they closed 8:30 for a staff meeting today, but hopefully they're addressing some of these issues. AND 18% gratuity was automatically added on for a party of 4. I'll add that out of courtesy but no more. Pros: Delicious food, SANJAY: the best bartender Cons: Service is hit or miss.
(3)Charles C.
The food here is pretty good but over priced! At other Caribbean restaurant you can get twice the portion for the amount you pay for one year. The service was nice and friendly and very attentive.I will go here again but maybe I'll try to Friday night live band. All appetizer like $10 then your main dish is probably going to round out to be $22.
(3)Cristine C.
Saturday evening date night at Irie Bar & Grille. I've seen and heard of this place but finally visited one rainy Saturday evening. We arrived around 730 and we were seated immediately in a booth. There was music, which was good, but definitely too loud to have a good conversation. The food was very good - I had the Rasta Pasta which was SO good. I asked for vanilla The service was just right - we didn't feel abandoned nor was the server all over us. The bar area seemed small, but there's a full bar, television, and seemed pretty lively. I'd give it another try.
(4)Giselle L.
5 stars for their Rasta Pasta but their service is terrible. You always have to wait a super long and unreasonable amount of time. Today I called in my order they said 15-20 min I ended up waiting 40+ min.
(3)Maria G.
In all fairness I should be giving them no stars, but that is not an option. I do carry out a lot. Because the service is still important. I cannot honestly rate IRIE bar and Grill because after the first phone call when no one answered, I thought maybe something was wrong so I dialed again. After 10 rings, someone actually didn't pick up, and asked me to hold. After being on hold for five minutes I decided to hang up and call Friday's....(see my zero star review for Friday's).
(1)Synedra B.
I came here to listen to some music while I wait for my reservation at another restaurant. The atmosphere is really inviting. The bartender was very nice and attentive. Great Place to hang out.
(4)Briana R.
Decent Jamaican Spot...I definitely don't find it authentic but still good flavors. Pros: Some of the food selections, specifically- Jerk Chicken entrée, Jerk chicken spring rolls, Jerk Chicken salad, spinach dip...they are all great and make sure you get the sesame ginger sauce, it makes the everything that much better for a dipping sauce. Cons: Wait times, even when there aren't too many customers, you will be waiting awhile, even for the servers to bring your drinks out. The prices, I think the prices are a bit steep for what they are giving you, especially compared to what you may get at other spots. Oh yeah- nice ambience, dim lighting, cool vibe.
(3)J K.
Went on a Wednesday evening (karaoke night) the food was "ok" the ambiance was cool and not overly crowded
(3)Jae S.
The place itself is very nice. The staff was ok...not super friendly. The was just ok. The jerk wings tasted more like wings that were grilled, no jerk flavor at all.
(2)Brooke T.
Out to dinner with the Sawrahs and wanting to find some place chill to eat. Our original choice had a 80 minute wait...(no seriously) so we decided to try this place instead. Location: In the same shopping center as the Wegman's, Old Navy and the like, pretty decent signage easy to spot. Ambiance: Pretty chill from what I could tell, I didn't get an island vibe though.... There was a birthday party going on so there was a DJ. I'm not sure if this was regular occurrence or not. If it is, I like it. Totally jammin to some old reggae tunes while eating is a plus for me. Food/Drank: Started with some rum punch, I thought it was just delightful, others thought it may have been a bit too strong. Hey no problems here. As an app, we got the jerk egg roll. I thought they were pretty tasty, I loved the dipping sauce that it came with. Now for the entree, I got the chicken roti. I must say upon initial consumption I was slightly underwhelmed; however, it improved with some peppa sauce. I think it was good enough for a restaurant. I mean it isn't like Auntie's but when is it ever when you go out? I thought that the shining star of the entree's was the jerk shrimp. It was seasoned nicely, and had a good kick. Service: Our server was attentive, and helpful, my only issue was that the service was just sllloooow. They really should improve on this. I mean seafood doesn't take long to cook, and I'm sure they weren't back there cooking the roti on a tawa. Seriously, do better. I hear they have a brunch, I'd like to come on back and try it out. I'd also like to try dinner again too. Who knows, maybe the birthday party threw the service off.....
(3)Keke B.
Love love love this place in Friday nights and brunch on the weekend! Friday nights consist of live reggae band who can play and sing reallllyyy good! Music isn't too loud allowing you to sit and eat at a table or talk at the bar. The drinks and food are amazingggg! Food is well seasoned and you can taste alcohol in your drinks as opposed to being water down. Great wide selection of Caribbean dishes and appetizers. People also come here and dance and have a good time as well. Older crowd here. If you want a seat come early. Place can be packed but there's still enough room to have your own personal space standing. Weekend brunch is like $30 unlimited plates! Everything from your average brunch food of waffles and grits to entree plates of fish and callaloo. Love it here, I have no bad things to say lol
(5)Temitope F.
I went for the sunday Brunch... Food was waaayyyy overpriced, food mediocre at best, service was decent, drinks were awesome, but im not comfortable paying $30 for an average selection of food choices.
(2)Dee B.
I'm reviewing its night scene. I stood at the bar for twenty minutes, trying to get the attention of one of the six bartenders working, and none of them helped me. They helped people next to me that came after me, though. -_- I very well couldn't say "excuse me" loud enough because of all the music blasting inside. I'll eat here for brunch, or any other meal for that matter. But as far as night life, I wasted my time and gas.
(2)Toya J.
The ambiance here is nice and I like the crowd of people that it attracts. The waitstaff here are nice and very professional. Now for those of you who are die hard Caribbean and African foodies this ain't your mama's cookin' by no means. It's not the best jerk or curry in town, but there aren't very many upscale Caribbean food restaurants, so this puts them in a class all by themselves. I had the jerk spring rolls, which were filled with fresh vegetables, but the chicken was just plain grilled. I could not taste any jerk whatsoever. If your into steamed vegetables the broccoli and the spinach looked really good. My friends enjoyed their rum runners, as I was just doing wine, which I thought was reasonably priced; a number of selections at $6.50 a glass. We did have one complaint about the jerk wings that came in a bowl?? Uhhhh... being cold on the bottom. I didn't bother to sample them. This is the sort of place where you go for good strong drinks and in our case there was a jazz showcase of live entertainment they had going on Saturday and I hear on Thursdays they have Karaoke. As long as there's entertainment paired with this restaurant I'll come back. This restaurant has a lot of potential, but if they want people to come for the food, they really have to "put their foot" in those Caribbean recipes. Note-this place does not come up on the GPS. Just so you know its in the same shopping center as the Wegmans across from Copper Canyon Grill.
(3)Aimee C.
We stopped in for a late lunch on a Sunday...and wish we hadn't. My chicken tenders were okay. The jasmine rice on the other hand was great!! My husband's jerk salmon came out after I had finished my meal. So we sent it back and asked to have it removed from the check. They were nice about removing it and the hostess came by to check on things but it was too late. We won't be back. Too bad because we wanted to support this new restaurant but just can not. It was the typical Prince George's county stereotype. And we deserve better and won't get there til we expect better.
(1)Tonya L.
If this was the last Jamaican restaurant in the state of Maryland....I would pass by and wave "bye Felicia!" and venture into DC. The atmospere is nice as long as you are drinking and socializing. But if you feel the desire to eat, BEWARE. I don't know who wrote the menu, but they didn't talk to the cook(s)...words like succulent, savory and spicy (on the menu) turned into dry, flavorless, and dull on my plate. Nothing had Jamaican spice/flavor on my ENTIRE plate, let alone any salt and pepper. And to make matters worse, I had to wait a half an hour to eat what tasted like absolutely nothing close to the carribean. I won't waste my time again.
(1)Dy F.
If I could give it no stars I would. I placed an order on 28 March at 10:19 pm via phone and was told my order would be ready in 15 minutes. I arrive only to be told that they had no record of my order and that they stopped taking orders at 9:30 pm. I asked well why didn't the person who took my order tell me that, they stated they had no idea who took my order. All I was offered was a sorry after driving to the location and showing my call history to the hostess. I've brushed off the past long waits but this was the last draw for me. I will NOT be back.
(1)Tish L.
just was reading the suggestions I want to come for my birthday july 13th.
(5)Afiya R.
I love going to Irie. The rum punch is so good..the appetizers and Jerk wings are good. Went for brunch and the breakfast had tasty jamaican Cuisine from Ackee & Saltfish, Callaloo & Saltfish, Liver, I could keep going but just go taste for yourself. The staff is nice and the live band on a Friday night is always excellent.
(4)Rokeya J.
I've only gone here for take out but the food is pretty good. A bit over priced in my opinion. They do have lunch specials so I usually try to stick to that. The ambiance is nicer than your average caribbean restaurant so I suppose that the reason for the high prices.
(4)Kenneth B.
The decor is outstanding. The prices are unrealistic for the dishes with no Caribbean flavor. The peas and rice tastes like minute made rice mixed with sugar. I would not even recommend the Jerk chicken because it doesn't have the taste to be labeled Jerk. The music is very loud and does not complement the name of the place.
(1)Joni C.
We were early for a Friday evening 6p, not busy, maybe at the bar it was because it took forever to get a cocktail. Getting a second was near impossible. The food was very good but the service took away from that. Customer service does not seem to be important. I badly wanted to like it because its very close to our home.
(2)Shayla J.
I adore this place if only for the Escoveitch Snapper. I get it with either the redskin potatoes and cabbage or the white rice (with brown stew chicken gravy) and cabbage. It is CONSISTENLY amazing. DO NOT get the jerk chicken or the rice and peas. The jerk chicken was my first meal there and it almost turned me off from the place, but they redeemed themselves with the snapper. Most times I've been there, the service has been painfully slow, so don't go there if you're famished...or just have a snack before you get there lol...They have a live band on Fridays I believe.
(4)Rebecca C.
The food is pretty awful. If you want good Caribbean food try The Muffin Man. The drinks were terrible. On several Occasions they told me there was no bartender so I could only get juice and a liquor added. -_-
(2)Stacia G.
Had them for dinner and the food had no Wow factor. The beef pattie was the only good item I ordered and to pay almost $40, I was expecting better flavors and portions. The Curry Goat was good and the potatoes. The jerk chicken was good but the rice and peas needed flavor and the cabbages on both orders was disgusting. I had to add garlic, salt, and pepper but that didn't add to them needing to be cooked a little longer. Again, I order two entrees and a beef pattie for $37 and could have spent less at better Jamaican restaurants in MD.
(1)Lindsey B.
If there was a way that I could give this place a negative star rating I would. I'm not the customer that goes to a restaurant and expects nothing but perfection so this isn't one "those" reviews; however, I am the customer that at the very least expects to be treated respectfully with the hope that there is a slight possibility that I will leave the restaurant satisfied. Irie Bar and Grille was a pure DISAPPOINTMENT. I arrived at the restaurant at 9:30 and was a part of a nice sized party. The server took our drink orders (mine was a WATER) and came back shortly thereafter to get our food orders (mine was jerk shrimp). Because our party was pretty large, I knew I was going to have to exercise patience for my food (even though shrimp cooks pretty quickly), but what I didn't expect was that by 11 o'clock, everyone else in my party would have received their meals and I had nothing (by the way, I still hadn't received a water refill at this point). What happened next was unimaginable.... It was 11:30 by this point and I hadn't eaten YET. Everyone in my party had eaten and paid so I approached the server and asked when could I expect to receive my food, and to let her know that I was beyond disappointed, unimpressed, and honestly appalled that no one in the restaurant (the server, manager, etc) would have thought to offer me an appetizer of some sort to hold me over until the chef got back from the body of water the he/she clearly had to go to in order to catch my shrimp, clean it, and cook it, while the rest of my party had already been served their meals. She stated that I was speaking too loudly with her (anyone who has been to this restaurant knows that the music in this place is loud enough to deafen anyone that comes in with mediocre hearing abilities; therefore you have to shout even to the person sitting next to you) and felt that because she wasn't the chef that it wasn't her responsibility to cook my food and had nothing to do with the reason that my food hadn't arrived. I will admit that there were a few choice words that came out of my mouth in response to her lack of tact/concern as you can imagine that by this time, I was pissed. My food finally came out of the kitchen shortly after 11:30 while I was in the middle of the 'back and forth' with the server. Her response was, "here is your food. Do you want it? Because if you don't, we can just take it back to the kitchen." HOW RUDE! I left Irie Bar and Grille to escape controversy but knew there would be no way that I would ever return. I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy because even though the food could've been spectacular (I would never know) it's not worth the lack of tact that the staff has for their customers. I actually called Irie Bar and Grille the next day to let the manager know of my experience. Not only was she fully aware that my food order was incredibly late in coming out, but she was without remorse and asked "what do you expect me to do about it at this point?" Again, no tact. Please, do yourself a favor and 1) do not go to Irie Bar and Grille and/or 2) if you do, do to a different location and/or 3) if you must try it, please lower your expectations so that you won't be disappointed should your experience be anything similar to mine.
(1)Gbade O.
Ordered the jerk chicken. I think I figured out how they cooked it. They boiled the chicken. Then pressed it on both sides with hot iron to make it look like it's grilled. They then mix ketchup with BBQ sauce, then spread it on the chicken with a recently used tooth brush. Or at least, that's how it tasted. Ha!
(1)Lolita P.
Disappointed... in the service and food. Took over 20 minutes for my carryout order. Meanwhile there was 1 couple, who already had their food, at least 4 staff members at the bar dancing to videos on the screen and 3 staff members outside (on the phone, wrestling and/or smoking). No one seemed concerned about me do I had to ask for my food and wallah... it appeared once the server went to check. Jerk chicken was dry. No thanks....never again.
(1)Sara B.
Irie Bar and Grille is a disappointment!! For Sunday we made reservations for 4pm. We placed an order for drinks and did not get our drinks till 4:45pm! Our waitress proceeds to tell us that there will be a 45 min delay on the food because brunch was over crowed. In other words it would be an hour or more till we get our food. Why didn't she explain that to us before we sat down??.. We were not going to wait so long for food and we asked to speak to the manager. She wasn't even apologetic and did not even comp our drinks. We left and plan to never return. Irie Bar and Grille has the worst customer service and the food is overpriced. Be prepared to wait forever before getting served!
(2)Karl C.
I am a frequent patron and while I agree that the price may be a tad high, much of this may be due to the volume of patrons. During lunch you can find less than 1/2 dozen people while across the lot at Copper Canyon probably a good 100, and the food at CC is not as flavorful. I hope the community continues to support this locally-owned business
(4)Shaun D.
Place has potential BUT the overpriced food and bad customer service is a turn off for me. The two stars are for the rasta pasta that's once again overpriced but pretty good.
(2)barbara s.
I have dined at Irie on 3 occasions and overall my food was good but what concerned me was security although this place is located in a nice area. Twice I had come on a Friday and the place operates like a mini nightclub. You will encounter very loud music rendered by a live band or dj, people dancing and even the bathroom entry blocked by bar patrons. Honesty, I don't know if Irie is licensed to operated in this fashion.But This place is a small venue that needs to consider if its going to be in the restaurant business or be a night club and get some security!
(3)K S.
The only reason I visit this establishment is because it's literally right around the corner. But that's as good as it gets, if I could give a negative rating, I would. I waited 40 minutes for a cup of tea and a glass of water... 40 minutes.. There were two parties in the dining area, including me. Then the food came.. Salty as what I imagine Red Sea to be, greasy and wasn't properly cooked. And to add insult, they up charge for everything.. By far the worse Jamaican food I've had. The bartender stood around watching people while the one waitress hardly did anything.
(1)Lawrence H.
One could say it was our own fault for bringing our son to Irie on a Saturday night at 7:40 but he wasn't the problem.... Our first impression was a good one and the highlight of our dining experience. We were greeted by the staff with big smiles and they immediately prepared a table for us. The dining room was only half full but they placed us at the back with a high chair and made a point to let us know a band was coming on at 8 and we were in the back because it wouldn't be as loud. Our waitress immediately came over with menus, gave her recommendations and then asked us what we wanted to eat. She answered our questions about the different types of food and what each item was. We ordered and she began to walk away. I had to stop her and ask if we could have some drinks. 20 minutes later, the manager from the front came over to ask how we were doing and see if we'd been helped yet. She saw we didn't have menus or drinks so she was concerned. We told her we had ordered but were still waiting on our drinks. She promptly flagged down another server and got us our waters. Shortly after 8, a DJ started to play. His set up is in the back of the room, about 10 feet from where we were sitting. He had one speaker and continued to play with the volume. It never got below a nice talking level and at one point my wife and I started texting our conversation because we couldn't hear each other over his music. It was ok music but it wasn't Jamaican and it just kept getting louder. By this time the dining room had filled up and a line was forming at the door. This only increased the noise level as more and more people had to keep yelling over each other for just simple conversations. After about 30 minutes, our waitress came back to see how we were doing and to tell us that our food was going to be another 20 minutes. She explained that the large party next to us was delaying the kitchen. We can understand this and being later on a Saturday night it is slightly expected. At this time I started to notice multiple waiters walking around with multiple plates. They would stop at random tables, ask if that was what they ordered and then walk to the next table to repeat. I also saw 2 plates come out to the party of 15. 5 minutes later another 2 plates would come out and we'd be reminded by another employee that "the large party" had delayed our food. Finally, after 50 minutes our food made it out to us. I will say it was good but our sides were warm, not hot or fresh. Also, my snapper was tiny. I knew it would still gave the bones in and head on but I expected it to be larger for what I was paying. At 8:30 the band came on. He is a jazz musician with a multi-piece band. He wasn't bad and it was a special occasion but the best part about his set was they turned off the DJ. We might go back for lunch or an early dinner during the week but I highly doubt it. The food was ok and the staff was friendly but they were very, very slow. It seemed like no one on the wait staff knew what was going on and they had zero processes.
(3)Tasha P.
I've had take-out many times from here and sat in at the bar once. Overall I've enjoyed the food here but think it's way over-priced. Anytime I pay $15 for chicken I'm upset. I mean, the brown stewed chicken is good but not THAT good. They have karaoke and live music through the week too.
(3)PierAngeli M.
I went to Irie Bar and Grille on a Friday night to celebrate my birthday. We ordered drinks and appetizers. I ordered the jerk spring rolls, another friend ordered roti and soup. The spring rolls were tasty with a wonderful, flaky crust and was bursting with tasty veggies and chicken. Also, I tasted my friend's roti and she almost stabbed my hand with her fork (LOL). We received excellent service. Our waitress, Lauren was friendly, upbeat and attentive. Also, she was knowledgeable about the menu t and made great food recommendations. The drinks were great, too. They had a great live band that played great music. The crowd was attractive, fun and I had a great time. I can't wait to go back.
(4)Kareem C.
I only go to this place because its convenient and the plantains are good. Shall I say more . . . .
(2)Karim B.
I want to this restaurant for a birthday gathering. The service was friendly and timely even though we had a large party. I ordered the curry chicken roti. It was good although a bit salty. About 3 to 4 days later I returned back for lunch. It was around noon and I sat at the bar. I was the only 1 in the restaurant in the service was still extremely slow. I sat at the bar waiting for service and even though there was a server who sat at the opposite end of the bar I still had to wait a considerable amount of time before I got a menu and a drink poured for me. Also how can you call yourself a caribbean restaurant and not have ginger beer? Who's buying them up? Is it that difficult to stock?
(2)Carol lyn C.
I usually go to restaurants in DC and sometimes in Alexandria. It is hard to find a good Caribbean restaurant, and I am glad I found IRIE Bar & Grille. We went to the bar for ahppy hour and dinner. The bartender, Mel, has such great energy and really made the experience a pleasant one. Great food at a great price. The service was a little slow, but I didn't seem to mind because we were having a nice time at the bar. I was going to order the oxtail, but went with the Ackee and Saltfish...one of my favorite Jamaican dishes. I wish it would have had more fish. Nevertheless, it was delish. I will be back for the oxtail.
(4)Felix D.
Try the jerk spring rolls and spinach dip. The bartender Wanda makes excellent drinks and her customer service was very good.
(5)Dawn A.
I made reservation for my church sisters - Amen - on the day of Whitneys' funeral(just a plug for my girl). The spot was relatively empty at 3 pm on a Saturday, but that didn't deter us as it JUST opened. The hostess was also our server and was very accommodating and friendly. I am part Grenadian, but all others have no West Indian in them and seldom eat this type of food. Needless to say, there were questions galore. The server answered all to our satisfaction and even went to the kitchen to address a few that she was unable to answer. We ordered the salmon salad(the BOMB), jerk chicken, curry chicken and Jamaican friend chicken. Everything was very good, but it did take a while to come out. We had NO issue with this as we knew our food was being cooked to order. Our drinks remained filled and the server checked on us at great intervals. In the words of the Terminator - I'll be back!
(4)Patrick M.
My girlfriend and I stopped in for their Sunday brunch. For $20 per person, you get a Mimosa and a brunch buffet. I'd be ok with this except that the food was flavorless, cold and there was barely anything left as they didn't restock the trays at 2:30 even though their brunch doesn't end until 3. And on top of this, the service was slow and we had to ask for our drink orders to be taken. Overall, a terrible experience. No chance they'll be seeing us again, or any other people judging on their other Yelp reviews.
(1)FoodChick F.
We went here for a weeknight dinner. Three entrees were served. Jerk chicken - Chicken was dry and tasteless, it had a little heat but nothing resembling jerk flavor. Sides selected for this dinner were red potatoes that were nicely flavored with herbs and plain ol' tasteless green beans. Ordered the dahl roti. Roti was tasteless and on the dry side so it fell apart. The dahl filling had no moisture or that light gravy. It was just 4 chunks of potatoes, green veggie and way too many chick peas. I prefer my vegetable roti to have lentils this had none; and, did I mention an over abundance of chick peas. It should be called a chickpea roti. The seasoning of the dahl was good but the dahl was devoid on moisture/gravy. I love roti and I admit I may be spoiled because a friend makes them from scratch every Sunday and you can eat the delicious roti as a treat alone. At Irie Bar & Grille the roti are flavorless so you need to have it with something. Our party also had the barbeque short rib dinner. One piece of meat was tough and needed to be cooked longer. The sauce was okay, nothing to draw you back to the restaurant. The restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere, sort of a mod decor of wood with earth tones and splashes of bright color. The service was good, our waitress and other staff were very pleasant. I cannot recommend this place for eating. Myself and no one in my party will go back there. Very unsatisfying.
(1)LaVerne J.
First off it is hard to find a good caribbean spot and Irie is a good restaurant. Food is amazing ( curry goat roti, oxtail are my favorites) and music is usually on point. I would love to them 5 stars but the service ........ Is..... So ..... Slowwwwwwww..... It takes forever to get the food. I love this place but it always takes a while for the food. They are very friendly and apologetic but they need more staff. I would love to see this restaurant become top in the area but they can't if they don't improve on that part of their service.
(3)Missy C.
I recently discovered this gem while shopping at Wegmans. It's located off to the side of Woodmoore Town Center and can easily be missed. I love the food as well as the staff. The food isn't exactly traditional, but I appreciate the contemporary twist on Jamaican food. The staff is very nice, the atmosphere is great and they play good music. Food: Brown Stew Chicken: Good Fried Chicken: Good Jerk Chicken: Very Good Cabbage: Good Callaloo: Ok
(4)Sophie C.
Not sure what happened but once they opened this location after closing the spot at the BLVD, it all went down hill. The food is inconsistent and the drinks aren't that good either. It's really too bad because they are in a prime location to have their pick of customers but they need to step it up big time in order to have customers return. My last lunch ($76.00) will likely be my last visit there. My food was quite bad and so was my sister's. I was hoping for a great experience it since it was her first time trying Caribbean cuisine but no!!
(2)Gregory P.
The funny thing about this place is that it has the ability to be an award winner. The neighborhood is looking for a place away from Jasper's and Outback with a little better atmosphere. Its amazing that the owner of this place doesn't look at the reviews and make adjustments. Now to be honest I have never had a meal or brunch here but the wings at the bar are good. I will continue to go here understanding what to expect. Captain P
(2)Tawny E.
I went to this restaurant just to get out of the house on a glorious sunny evening. I entered the restaurant around 6 PM. I will say that the ambiance is very inviting and the decor is great. My hostess/waitress was incredible and friendly. That was the great. Now it is time for the unfortunate ugly truth... The food was decent but dreadfully slow. The restaurant is great but will have to do something urgently such as advertising to church communities because there were only three tables with customers, which from the reviews is a common occurrence.
(3)M S.
Be careful eating here. I wasn't going to post this because everyone at Irie is so nice. But after eating the no codfish in it cakes and roti my stomach started to hurt 20 minutes later (around 6:00pm). I was in the emergency room by 11:30pm that same night. Irie please be careful with your food prep and storage.
(1)Anita H.
Loved the food, and thought the service was excellent. Their rum punch is tasty, and gives a good "punch." I hope to keep coming back.
(4)Falana R.
OK....I gave them another shot because I love the food there despite my first visit where the service was incredibly slow. This time around was much better and everyone was on point. Everything was perfect. Will be back to check out some live music.
(3)Waylon K.
Great food. I was going to complain about them not having happy hour specials, but they just started them recently.
(5)Shen P.
Had a great experience at Irie Bar and Grille! Dined in and had the rasta pasta which was AWESOME! The ambience of the restaurant is much to be desired. The restrooms were clean, service was excellent from server (Ben), and food was delicious which I could tell was cooked to order. It was a great experience. However, I wish I didn't have to enjoy my experience in silence. There was no music playing in the background as most West Indian restuarants would.
(5)Joe B.
I just spotted this new restaurant a couple nights ago as I was driving through the Woodmore Town Center (Wegman's shopping center). Tonight (Saturday) my wife and I decided to give it a try. We arrived at about 8pm, and the only other customers were on their way out the door. This is not your average Jamaican carry-out. This is a cloth napkin full service restaurant. Our waiter (Ben) told us they'd just opened a couple weeks ago and were still working out a few issues, but I honestly couldn't find any. We received excellent friendly service from our waiter, and delicious well prepared and presented food. The portions were large and the bill very reasonable. One appetizer, two entrees, one glass of wine for $50. We'll be back.
(4)Eric S.
The food was not that bad, I'd give them three stars on the meal but the service is really lacking. I did not have really high expectations considering the restaurant is in a shopping center but the waiter and bar staff really blew it. I had the Ox Tail and it was tender and full of flavor, the sides were fine but the staff was very slow and I had to ask for everything. Can i place a drink order before dinner? Do you have specials? Do you have a desert menu? He came with the check and we still wanted desert then came with another and we wanted an after dinner drink. Hopefully he will be fired before anyone reading this goes there.
(2)S O.
I went to this spot last night (3/30/12), I must say, I've had better service. The food was ok but the customer service needs improvement.
(2)CL S.
So I went here for the first time last Tuesday. First impression....nice décor, not too crowded. Had a seat at a booth while waiting for my friend to show up. Waited for a good 10 minutes before the waiter finally came over. By that time, my friend was there and we were ready for our drinks. I ordered vodka and cranberry juice and my friend ordered a Cosmo. The waiter left to get our drinks only to return and ask my friend whether she wanted rum or vodka in her Cosmo!!! HUUUHHH????? I just shook my head in disbelief and prepared for the worst...considering how things started! YIKES!! Needless to say, my friend had to explain that rum is not in COSMOS!! Anyway, so I ordered the short ribs with roasted potatoes and callaloo. They are out of short ribs. Ok, so I ordered the ox tails with the same side orders. My friend got the curried shrimp, rice and beans and callaloo. So our food comes. I have ox tails with rice and beans and callaloo. Ummmm....excuse me, I ordered potatoes and callaloo. The waiter says, I thought you said the same side orders.....the same as your friend's. Uhhh no, I said the same side orders that I ordered with the short ribs..which you were out of and so I got the ox tails. Deep sigh and shaking my head. Anyway, the food was good. Service...not so good. Not sure if I'll be back. It will be interesting to see if they even stay open for much longer.
(2)T D.
The music was absolutely great! But that's as far as it goes. After a long week and a long day at work I was looking forward to meeting 5 of my friends there (which I organized). Upon my arrival I requested from the hostess for seating for 4 people, she says to me " this is the only table available" the table had 3 chairs and was squeezed in between two other tables. I said to her "will this hold 4 people". She then says to me "are you sure they are coming" I said to her "I said it was a party of 4". So she seats us in a "family booth"- and there were three of these booths empty. Now I arrived about 7:30 pm and one of my friends arrived at 7:45 up to this point noone has come over to the table to introduce themselves as the server. About 8 pm still no one has come over and I stop the hostess and ask her to have someone come over, she says to me "they come when your entire party arrives" so I said to her " I would like to order while we are waiting". So she says she will go get someone. At 8:20 still noone has come over to the table and I see several servers going back and forth to all the tables around us but noone comes to our table. At 8:25 I decide to get up and leave. I stop to let the hostess know this was totally ridiculous and is the most terrible experience I have ever had and that I have a medical condition and I needed a cup of soup or a glass of water and not even a glass of water was I offered.
(1)Asewe O.
For this to be a new establishment I would have expected the customer service to be a bit better. We went in on a Friday night around 10 for drinks and appetizers to find very few customers there. Dispute advertising as bar and grill there was no cocktail menu at the bar.Our waitress was friendly enough but the disappointment came when our drinks arrived. Our vodka and cranberry came in a short glass only 1/4 of the way filled. It was exactly 3 sips. Once the bill came we saw that they had charged us $10.50 for the drink. When we questioned the charge we were told that we were given a shot of liquor and that was what we paid for and that was also the reason the glass was not filled. Isn't vodka and cranberry your most basic of drinks? How can you try and justify giving a quarter of a glass when your new restaurant sits empty on a Friday night? The bartender was sure to chime in and say, "well I gave them the other drinks for a discount so that should cover ghetto difference". A drink menu and some lessons in customer service will go a long way in helping Irie.
(1)