J J Caribbean - South Orange

J J Caribbean Restaurant is awesome. The patties are delicious and affordable. The best thing about J J Caribbean Restaurant is the owner. She is an amazing human. I have heard so many great stories about her that someone should capture and make a short film about her journey and all she does for this community.

The best beef and cheese on cocoa bread that I have ever had (mainly because the cocoa bread is sublime); this was our go-to place for lunch in high school and some ten years on, I still crave J&J's. On approach, it may not seem like much but what it lacks in appearance, it makes up for in price and the purest deliciousness.

I walked in and heard the cling of a pot cover..I was right on time to get a serving of freshly cooked oxtails. Yummy

This place feels like home. I've been coming here since I was in high school back in the late 2000's, and I've always found comfort in the owner's Jamaican beef patties, served in cocoa bread and occasionally with cheese. Every time I've come back, she has remembered me even when I've disappeared for years, changed my glasses, dyed my hair, or brought in new partners or friends. She's been remembering me for over a decade now, and she always takes the time to talk for a bit and hear how I've been. I always thought she was amazing growing up, but I didn't understand just how amazing she was until 2016. I came into the city from NYU and asked if I could interview her. As it turns out, she had not only been this kind to me, but to all of the students at Columbia High School who would visit her. Students were always filling her store during lunch and after school, and she got to know every single frequenter on a personal level. Some students had difficult situations at home or struggled with school, so her and her husband would even take the time to feed them and tutor them in various subjects. She really treated the kids as though they were her own, and I think based off of what I heard around the school and the way the shop was always full the students really appreciated and respected her. I've always been amazed by the store owners here. They turned this place into so much more than a restaurant: They made a warm home for so many students at CHS. I still visit whenever I can, and would love to see this shop and its owners memorialized in some way one day. I really don't think they get as much recognition for the amazing work they are doing as they should.

The best patties ever. And the owner is just one of the most amazing people to walk this earth. Been coming here since I was in high school. Don't miss out and let all the Columbia high school students beat you to it.