Lunch at Ma petite Jamaica London

Ma petite Jamaica describes itself as London’s first Caribbean diner serving authentic Jamaican food. It is a family run Jamaican restaurant founded in 1985 and located in the heart of Camden. With over 30 years experience, this Jamaican inspired restaurant and bar serving the best Jamaican food full of heart and soul.

We were recently invited to check out this family restaurant and try some foods from their menu. From the moment we arrived, we were impressed by the service though felt another pair of hands wouldn’t have gone amiss. Regardless, the service was incredible, food was amazing and the price was just right. Ma Petite Jamaica brings you sun, spirit and soul of Jamaica, something that was evident in their conduct.

Lunch at Ma Petite Jamaica London

London is full of eateries offering cuisine from all over the world and Ma Petite brings you Jamaican food. A few weeks back, I enjoyed Caribbean foods from Trinidad, not something I have had before but loved. Thanks to Ma Petite London, we got to enjoy some Jamaican foods accompanied by delicious drinks.

Lunch is served from 1 pm and we arrived just a few minutes after ready to tuck into the menu. From outside, the restaurant looks really small whilst inside it’s bigger than expected. Upon arrival, we were serenaded with a sweet flow of Caribbean music before we were greeted with a huge smile.

Walking through the restaurant, we were impressed by the decor and we loved the bar area. We were sat close to the kitchen where we could see the chefs cooking up a storm. One thing to note, happy hour starts off at 5 pm until 9 pm on a daily basis. 

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The Food at Ma Petite Jamaica

Ma Petite Jamaica is a jerk and reggae bar, we were eager to try their jerk chicken. Having already heard good things about the restaurant, we definitely had high expectations. I am glad to share that our expectations were met and surpassed. Here is what we ordered from the menu and our thoughts on each dish.

Normally when I visit a restaurant, often I choose mains and dessert but this instance, we chose a starter and mains. The menu wasn’t extensive but it still offered some great choices. Here is what we chose for our starters;

• Sweet Potato & Pumpkin fritters served with chilli jam: These were the best fritters I have ever had outside of my mum’s cooking. It was a great combination of sweet and chilli kick from the jam.
• Chickpea & Pumpkin Curry with grilled roti: For those who are not big on chicken or vegetarian this is a great alternative which my pescatarian sister ate.
• Jerk wings: This is a great option for us meat lovers, loved the flavour and texture of this chicken. The meat was tender and came off the bone pretty easily but tasted delicious.

Mains

All the starter (small plate) items we tried were £6 which is a great price and very filling. Over 10 minutes after we polished off our starter plates, our mains arrived and this is what we tried.

• 1/4 Jerk Chicken served with rice, coleslaw and peas: I know am biased but this is the best jerk chicken meal ever, it was delicious. It was well cooked and fell off the bones quite easily and we enjoyed it. 
• Fried Snapper, vegetable escovitch and cassava wedges: Luciana (Foodiepls) loved her choice, being pescatarian, this satisfied her needs. The snapper was well cooked and melted in the mouth, was really delicious.
• BBQ pork ribs, jerk chicken wings, rice ‘n’ peas and plantain: Mum came along too and she loved her mains though she felt the chicken was overcooked. It’s different to the started jerk wing plate she hard earlier which surprised her. But overall the dish completed itself and loved the selection of ribs, chicken, peas and plantain.

Location: 4 Inverness St, Camden Town, London NW1 7JH, open daily from 12 pm till late. 

*Disclosure: We were guests of Ma Petite Jamaica, regardless all thought share are our own.