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.
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.
Anne-Sophie says
yum, i will test during my next stay in london🙃🤤
Heather says
Yum, this looks fabulous. The sweet potato fritters sound absolutely delicious and will definitely make it to our travel list.
Sarah | Boo Roo and Tigger Too says
I’ll have to recommend this to my husband next time he is in the capital for a meeting – right up his alley
Alaina Monster says
I love the atmosphere of this restaurant. The food looks amazing too!
Nina says
Great review! I love the atmosphere of this restaurant! I really wish that Utah had more Jamaican food.
Shirin says
Looking so yummy.. my mouth is watering 😀
Zee says
That sounds yummy! …and now I want Jamaican food🤣🤣. It is good to taste different cuisines from around the world.
Miranda says
I agree, I always make a point of trying other cultural cuisines especially when I am traveling
Nate says
My friend from college was just talking about jerk chicken and how we want to make it for our xmas party!
Miranda says
Awww how cool, good luck with that. It’s one of the best cuisines I have tried
Helen Clark says
Oh wow everything looks and sounds so good! I love how bright and vibrant the restaurant is too, looks such a fun place to eat.
Dena Jayne says
Ooo everything just looks so yummy! I’m such a foodie, I bet I’d love this place!
Candace says
This is such a lovely place!! I’m in love with the concept. I’m a food lover so I would love to visit this place. The jerk chicken and BBQ Pork Ribs look so good.
XO
Candace
http://www.thebeautybeau.com
Joan says
Love the interior of the hotel, I ate jerk chicken yesterday let’s just say I m still day dreaming about it. Plus those sweet potato fritters look amazing. I need to find an authentic Jamaican restaurant to visit close by.
Miranda says
I am still dreaming about the fritters, best I have ever had apart from the ones my mum makes
Joanna says
I don’t think I have ever had Jamaican food before, so I would be interested to going to this restaurant next time I’m in London. From everything you have chosen, I think I would go for the sweet potato fritters and the snapper as a main. They sound so delicious.
Wendy Lemeric says
I haven’t tried this cuisine but by the looks of it, it’s something I’d dig. Looks like you had an awesome gastronomical experience.
Stephanie says
I’m a big fan of Jamaican food and this place looks amazing! I’ll have to check it out next time in I’m London x
Michelle Murray says
We went to a Caribbean restaurant for the first time recently. The Jerk chicken was amazing. Looks like your food was delicious too.
Shar says
This looks so delicious and all this talk about food is making me hungry now. Thanks for sharing!
Traci Frett says
Looks delicious! Glad you guys a good time! Your pictures made me so hungry!
Rachael says
Okay so those fritters sound amazing. I have never tried Jamaican food before but it sounds tasty.
Latte Lindsay says
This looks like such a fun place to eat! I will have to give this place a go the next time I am over in London 🙂
Rikki Ridgeway says
Oh my goodness, this post is making me so hungry. The food looks so delicious, and mouth watering.
Atila Irmes says
Mmm! They BBQ ribs look delicious! I add BBQ sauce to everything, I just love it so much! 😂
Treasure Every Moment says
Oo this looks like a lovely place to eat and a cuisine I don’t have very often. That needs to change as all the food looks delicious 🙂
Vinay Dhakal says
Wow. It sounds really good environment. I would love to visit there.
Nate L. says
Wow, the jerk chicken looks A-m-a-z-i-n-g! My mouth is watering as I type this! Thanks for the wonderful post!
April says
Yum! sounds like a wonderful place to be with my girlfriends and the prices are reasonable too! I think I would really like the sweet potato fritters but everything that you featured here looks amazing! ..thanks for sharing!
Olivia Jade says
Love this post! Sounds like a fantastic environment, I’d love to visit here. The pricing also seems really good and definitely worth it!
Rebecca | AAUBlog says
oh Jamaican food is the best! Will check it out next time I’m in London 🙂