The Spot Jamaican Cuisine opened earlier this week in Blackwood NJ in a fully remodeled building across from the Highland High School on Blackwood-Clementon Road.
The new restaurant offers Jamaican cuisine classics from multi-generational family recipes, in an attractively refreshed dining space. The menu includes Jerk Chicken, Curry Shrimp, Fried Chicken, Oxtail, and more… As well as delicious side orders of Jamaican Beef Patties, Plantains… about 10 sides in total.
I stopped in yesterday to pick up a delicious Jerk Chicken lunch and met up with Nickoy who purchased the building a few years ago, and with the entire family chipping has created a true Jamaican dining experience.
More specifically they have opened in the white building across from the Highland High School athletic fields. While the building had been unuse for several years, many locals will recognize the location from the Slack’s Hoagie Shack sign that was previously on the side.
Today the entire building has been refreshed inside and out… brand new! It’s nice to see the unused space brought back to life again! According to a 2013 Patch article its been at least 11 years unused, and more likely closer 15 or more
The remodeling effort was done by Nick’s father Rudolph who I had the pleasure of meeting over the summer when I stopped in to inquire about the new restaurant.
Inside, the building is split basically in half, with the right side focused on the dining room which provides several very comfortable dining booths, and the left side focused on ordering and the kitchen.
It’s a smart use of the space which provides a nice dining experience for customers as the family put a lot of care into the details of the booths, counter area and dining area.
For my lunch I chose the Jerk Chicken with rice & beans and cabbage. When visiting a new restaurant I typically go with the “OG” option and I jerk chicken is definitely one of the classics!
Everything was perfectly cooked with tender chicken bursting with jerk seasoning. The big surprise for me was the two sauces that came with the meal… one of which “brought the heat” in a very flavorful way.
It seems word is already getting out about the new restaurant. When I first stopped in there were several customers dining, but as I was leaving the dining area was bustling and and the parking lot had at probably a dozen cars! It made it tougher for me to capture the interior photos that I pride myself on!
For my Saturday visit the entire staff was the Bennett family!
The recipes have been passed down through generations of the Bennett family, going back to their original Jamaican roots. Today it’s mom Carol who is the keeper of the recipes, and is the main chef at The Spot, preparing the delicious Jamaican cuisine.
When I placed my order it was sister Tanique behind the counter who assisted me… and Nick’s aunt Urilda flew in to help out in the kitchen with the tasty family recipes. Nick has his hands in all aspects of the restaurant, helping to make sure things flow smoothly.
The Spot Jamaican Cuisine – Family’s Perfect Match
While he didn’t know I was stopping in at the time, Nick took some time to sit with me at one of the comfortable booths and talk about his family’s new venture.
The entire family has successful careers in medical and technology, and it seems some other force was at play to guide them into opening the new restaurant.
Nick has several technology and supplier businesses and was looking for storage space in the area around his home… and found the Blackwood-Clementon property which also offers two other buildings behind the road frontage restaurant which were perfect for his other businesses.
Nick was telling me the Bennett’s have a very large family on both his Mother and Father’s sides, and Mom Carol is known throughout the family (and friends) for her delicious Jamaican cooking… and with Dad Rudolph having a successful career in the Construction industry, the property seemed like a perfect match for the family!
The Spot Jamaican Cuisine is open 6 days a week (closed Monday) with hours covering lunch and dinner.
Be sure to follow them on Facebook or Instagram to keep up on the latest for the new Jamaican restaurant.
Links and Location
The Spot Jamaican Cuisine – Now Open!
1571 Blackwood-Clementon Road
Blackwood NJ
609-519-0633