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The smell of jerk chicken, plantains, and the spicy taste of Ginger Beer… no you are not in Jamaica, and no you are not on Fulton Ave in Brooklyn, New York, but you are at Jiallos’ African Caribbean Cuisine located at 4202 West 56th Street Indianapolis, IN 46254. A friend, and I had lunch on a nice sunny Thursday afternoon. This was my first venture to Jiallos, but as an experienced “foodie” I am very familiar with Caribbean cuisine, and was quite excited! I knew I was in the right place when I saw the cooler stocked with Ginger Beer, Champagne Kola, and Mango juice which are beverage staples in many Caribbean restaurants.
We both ordered Curried Goat which comes with rice and peas (red beans and rice to those of us in the Midwest), and cabbage. We added plantains one of my favorite dishes for an additional two dollars. As my mouth watered, and my mind anticipated the arrival of the food, we went outside to take the picture of the restaurant facade. When our food arrived I was amazed at the large heaping portion sizes. The goat was very tasty, and filling. The plantains and cabbage added a nice compliment to the meal. The red beans, and rice were superb and their stock base was not over bearing. As I drank my Champagne Kola( a non alcoholic soda from Jamaica that resembles a light cream soda flavor), and devoured the tender goat I thought to myself 1) This will not be my last visit and 2) I no longer need to travel to an island for this tropical cuisine. My only critique was that the meal took awhile to arrive so make sure you have time on your lunch break. The meal was so hearty that both my colleague and I had to take to go boxes. During the conclusion of our meal the owner Muhammed Jiallo, a native of Guinea, located in West Africa came out, and spoke to all of his customers. He even took a moment to have a very pleasant conversation with us. Please visit Jiallos for a unique dining experience in Indianapolis, with a great owner that knows how to deliver Hoosier Hospitality and great food. I give Jiallos a 9 on a ten point scale.
Hatch @ Jiallos
