Carl’s BBQ & Jerk

About

Caribbean

Price Range : $11-30 ($$)

  • star
    Yelp rating
    4.5 stars

Location

Adress: 285 Silver Ln, East Hartford, CT 6118

Phone: (860) 568-3644

Work Hours

Mon 11:00 am-8:00 pm
Tue 11:00 am-8:00 pm
Wed 11:00 am-8:00 pm
Thu 11:00 am-8:00 pm
Fri 11:00 am-8:00 pm
Sat 11:00 am-8:00 pm
Sun

Business info

  • list_alt
    Takes Reservations
    No
  • directions_car
    Delivery
    No
  • move_to_inbox
    Take-out
    Yes
  • credit_card
    Accepts Credit Cards
    Yes
  • thumb_up
    Good For
    Lunch, Dinner
  • local_parking
    Parking
    Street
  • directions_bike
    Bike Parking
    Yes
  • accessibility
    Good for Kids
    Yes
  • group
    Good for Groups
    No
  • insert_emoticon
    Ambience
    Casual
  • volume_up
    Noise Level
    Average
  • local_bar
    Alcohol
    No
  • transit_enterexit
    Outdoor Seating
    No
  • wifi
    Wi-Fi
    No
  • tv
    Has TV
    Yes
  • fastfood
    Caters
    Yes

Reviews

  • Bill R.

    star star star star star 4 June 2026

    This is the best Jamaican food that you'll find in Connecticut.  I've visited Jamaica twice and this food is even better than the food I had in Negril or Montego Bay.

    Yesterday, myself and five co worker's visited Carl's Jamaican BBQ.  Out of the five of us, only two had eaten there previously.  All of us will order food from there again and recommend it to others.

    I ordered the jerk pork dinner portion which is enough for two meals.  Had I k ow that, I would have ordered the smaller portion.  The pork was out of this world delicious and the rice.was perfectly cooked! Well done!  When I return next time, I plan on ordering the curried goat meal (smaller portion).

    Carl's is more of an take out restaurant so if you are looking for a nice sit down restaurant, this is not the place for you.  However, there are three booths available for eating a sit down meal.

  • Tom D.

    star star star star star_border 4 June 2026

    Stopped in today for lunch, because I was looking for a place to eat near Cabela's, and I had read all the positive reviews from my fellow Yelpers about Carl's BBQ & Jerk.

    Ordered a Reggae chicken dinner, which was $13.  Hefty, generous portion, it was very filling.  Overall, I enjoyed the meal, but I found the chicken to be slightly dry.  And the spice level was fairly strong for me.  I know the Reggae chicken is a combo of jerk and BBQ, so I can imagine the Jerk spice on its own might be too powerful for my tastes.  At times, while consuming the Reggae chicken, my sinuses were being cleared.  Didn't break out in a sweat though, at least.

    I'd come back again, there are really not a lot of good options near Cabela's.  Think next time, I'll go with a pork sandwich.

  • Dan R.

    star star star star star 26 May 2026

    I dropped by tonight to take home something for dinner, and I felt in the mood for curry shrimp. I know that a lot of Jamaican places advertise shrimp, but not many actually seem to sell it on the days I stop in. Just has to be my bad luck.

    I asked if they had shrimp tonight, and the sweet lady behind the counter said, yes they cook it on demand and if I was OK waiting 20 minutes, they could cook it. Yes, I said... go ahead.

    I can't tell you how good it was. I asked about the spice level, and she said the curry was pretty spicy, and she was spot on. There were a lot of shrimp in there, a lot of rice and peas and vegetables, and a lot of smoking hot curry gravy. Absolutely delicious.

    Carl's is quite a sweet place, small and unpretentious with lovely service, and terrific food. Fourteen bucks for that big container of shrimp curry was extremely fair.

    Go see for yourself, try the shrimp and see what I mean.

  • Olga J.

    star star star star star 15 May 2026

    This place is great!  No fast food but real Caribbean style Jamaican cuisine.   Kind and friendly staff and good takeout portions.

  • Sho R.

    star star star star star 15 May 2026

    In the whole Hartford area, I think this is the best Jamaican place. I have been going here for many years. Reggae is something unique to this place. Essentially it is a combination of jerk and bbq sauces. Reggae wings are my favorite item here. Jerk sauce is good too. I like jerk ribs more than jerk chicken. There are a lot of interesting drinks to try. In general I go with sorrel ginger. There are other similar drinks like pineapple ginger which are good as well (assuming you like ginger flavor). One of the Jamaican specialty is the peanut  drinks. I love peanut flavor and i loved it in my drink. Irish Moss drink shown in the picture is actually peanut drink.

People Recommend