I hadn’t had Jamaican food in a long time… maybe even decades. On Saturday, I made it my mission to find a place that serves good, authentic Jamaican food, so I asked my friends on social media.

I got a lot of solid recommendations:
Mr. Brown’s Lounge
De Jred
Garifuna Flava
Jah Grill
Park Island
Jamaica Island
Jerk.
Safari Lounge

I decided to try Tropical Time, which a friend described as “Half title loan, half jerk hut. Shockingly good food.” Located at 1117 S 1st Ave. in Maywood, it was, in fact, half title loan, half jerk hut.

It was everything I expected (though my bar was floor-scraping low to start with). The cashier was behind bulletproof glass, and food was served through a revolving window. While I waited for my meal, I got to eavesdrop on a DVD bootlegger who apparently had copies of “Coco” and “The Shape of Water” available. Regarding the latter, it’s a pretty movie, but way too arty for my taste (and I enjoy mermen in film).

As for the food…

I went with the jerk chicken dinner, which came with three sides. I opted for yams, beans and rice and plantains. In short: The yams were awesome. The beans and rice were served under the chicken, which allowed them to soak up all the sauce and juice. Fantastic. The plantains were mushy and bland, borderline gross.

The main course, the jerk chicken, was served up like rib tips, chopped up into pieces that had me gnawing off the bone. It wasn’t as flavorful as expected, though a little extra jerk sauce did the trick. And no, “jerk sauce” isn’t code.

Don’t know if I’d go back, especially with a list of other Jamaican places to try. But the jerk chicken was good enough to recommend… be sure to get it with the beans and rice.