Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill

Review Highlights

Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill is a counter-service Jamaican restaurant tucked into a Brays Oaks strip mall in Houston. Keith Lee and his family visited after seeing the restaurant’s Instagram post about someone stealing their tip jar, and after it came in as one of the most highly recommended spots from his Houston followers. It was a takeout experience — the restaurant doesn’t do phone orders, so the family ordered at the counter and brought everything back to try and rate.

• ·Brown stew chicken — falls apart just by touching it, with crispy skin and deep seasoning throughout; Keith called it “the best plate I’ve had since I’ve been here” and gave it a 9.8 out of 10, later declaring it “a 10”
• ·Jerk chicken — a “spice cabinet chicken” with layers of seasoning but noticeably dry on its own; the house gravy transforms it completely, taking it from a 6 out of 10 to an 8.7 out of 10 — “this sauce is incredible, I’ll eat this whole plate if I got the sauce”
• ·Ackee and saltfish with rice and peas and plantains — an acquired taste with a unique, distinctive flavor; the plantains were delicious and the dish was well-seasoned, though Keith admitted he’s “personally not the target audience”; 7.5 out of 10
• ·Jamaican beef patty — dry with a texture that Keith felt resembled something frozen, with very little meat in the middle; “I’m not a huge fan of this one”; 4 out of 10

Keith called this “some of the best food we had in Houston” — high praise given Houston’s famously deep and diverse food scene. After seeing how good the food was and learning the stolen tip jar only contained about $50 to $60, the family replaced it with $1,000, paid for everyone’s food in line, and left additional tips for the staff. The brown stew chicken alone, he said, was a destination-worthy dish.

About

A counter-service Jamaican restaurant tucked into a Brays Oaks strip mall, run by Chef Terron — a Jamaica native who trained at the Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, and Marriott before opening his own spot. Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2017, it’s widely regarded as setting the standard for Jamaican food in Houston, known for impossibly tender stews and curries served in generous, no-frills styrofoam trays.