The P Jays Take Out

You could walk by or drive by P Jays and never notice it. It’s located inside an alley in a small plaza on Kennedy Rd just North of Huntingwood Dr in Scarborough. It’s really unfortunate because the food is really good authentic Jamaican food.
I ordered a small jerk dinner meal ($ 8.75 tax included) with rice and peas with oxtail gravy over it. The chicken was fantastic, perfectly done skin and seasoning and the meat was tender and juicy. The rice and peas were nice and moist and the oxtail gravy was rich and flavourful. The plantain was also really good. The only thing that wasn’t too good was the coleslaw which wasn’t creamy enough.
If you are looking for good authentic Jamaican food in upper Scarborough at a reasonable price, definitely try out P Jays.

I hate using cliches so calling a place a hidden gem generally makes me cringe, and although this place is not really a «gem», it is no doubt hidden. Although bookmarked since forever, I’ve never really had the time nor the energy to look for this place so when I chanced upon it when I was visiting this plaza, I was über excited. My mother was complaining about me walking around the plaza and not going with her straight to the doc’s office, but wandering sure has its rewards.
I ordered a small take-​out oxtail with rice and peas and a small take-​out jerk pork with rice and peas. As another reviewer said below, the rice and peas are a bit mushy, but i do think they taste the best this way. The jerk pork was definitely not as good as the jerk porks I had in Jamaica — not as tender and not as juicy. But the oxtail and its gravy were mouthwatering good — just writing about it now makes my mouth water.
It’s not super cheap at $ 9 for a small (including tax) but the portion was more than i can handle though my brother says a small would not generally be enough for him. So together, two smalls was enough for the two of us.
Don’t get me wrong: although it’s not a perfect place with every facet and every dish being 5 stars, I am still giving this a five-​star rating because it’s not easy finding Caribbean food this good in this neighbourhood.

Great patties. Looks like they’re sourced some Randy’s or they are very similar. Great jerk chicken and prices are decent. Gotta keep your eyes peeled for it though as it’s not easily seen from Kennedy Road. Will definitely return.

Wow. What a fantastic meal. As others have already pointed out, it is a hidden gem, tucked away in an unassuming strip mall past Huntingwood. I got the mixed dinner combo (oxtail and curried goat on top of rice and peas with a side of slaw) and added a jamaican patty on top of it — which are also made on site i believe and was delicious btw. I was hoping to buy an imported ginger beer to complement my meal but unfortunately they dont carry it anymore.
My meal came to around $ 15 and it was absolutely glorious. It is truly only a take-​out joint, so no seating. I will be returning way more often since it is within short driving distance of where I work. Highly recommended place!

Pjays is the best hidden gem in Scarborough for Jamaican food!
Fave items: ox tail with rice and peas, beef patty and chicken fricassee.

I love the foooodd here! My boyfriend ordered just the Jerk chicken meal which was $ 10 for a large takeout box (great deal if you ask me) I ordered the ox&chicken meal which was $ 12 for a large! !! AND YUMMMMYYYY! I couldn’t finish it all so i had to split for dinner aswell! BUT I’M COMING BACK FOR MOREE!

This place is my first experience with Jamaican food. I first tried their jerk chicken with fried plantain, and I loved it. The chicken is juicy and tender. I tried a different thing each time, and nothing had ever disappointed me. Their menu is small and you can try them all in one time if you are throwing a party :) Their veggie patty is yummmm!
^^ The jerk chicken is better than those I had in Jamaica. I’m glad that I had given P Jay’s my «first» ^^

I couldn’t wait to write this review after finishing my meal. It’s hard finding a place that serves up top quality oxtail. I have had my share of oxtail and most places serve them overly salty or the meat is overly fatty with very little meat. Not P Jays though, its done perfectly here. For $ 12 you get a whole lot of fall off the bone meat, rice and peas which is nicely sauced up so its not dry, a side of coleslaw and finally a nice caramelized plantain which really surprised me (5 Stars).
I also tried the beef patty and it was pretty good. Flaky crust and moist meaty center (4 stars)
Just like others have said this place is really well hidden. As you drive by you won’t find any signs and even if you try using street view on google maps it will not reveal anything. You have to walk into this tunnel-​like area to find this place.
4.5 stars

This place is hidden but it’s one of Scarborough best kept secret. This food is real authentic jamaican food. Their prices are so great and reasonable. I got a large box of half oxtail with curry goat and rice and peas with coleslaw for $ 12 flat! Amazing deals in there, the food is so amazingly good and authentic. This is coming from a jamaican born and raised in jamaica. Trust me, find this place and you’re happy you’ve found it. It’s right after huntingwood on Kennedy north. Great little spot. Oxtail is so juicy and tender and full of rich flavour. Will go again forever, highly recommended spot.

Mmm… I recently came back and tried the ox tail. The ox tail sauce is perfect with the rice and peas.

P Jays is hidden. Even all these years that I’ve driven on Kennedy road. The tiny undesirable plaza it resides doesn’t appeal to too many people as you see the barebone convenient store, a few chiropractors, an office here and there and less than a handful of take-​out restaurants.
P Jays is hidden as it doesn’t face directly from the main Kennedy road. You have to walk-​thru an open internal pathway and during dark nights it can be your trial-​runs for the true ghetto-​ness of more southern regions of Scarborough. P Jays closes roughly 8pm, so it’ll never get dark enough but there might not be too many souls around if you travel alone. 3.5’d
Definitely the typical west-​indie carribean take out shop setup: old-​school analog register, fridge full of west-​indie beverages, a basic handwritten blackboard menuboard, swing-​door leading to the kitchen, and the hot pepper sauce bottle next to the register. Same old same old.
Mix (2 choice of protein $ 11.00 tax included) —
From a choice of Oxtail, Curried Goat, Fricasse Chicken, Jerk Chicken, Stew Peas (Fridays only), I got Jerk Chicken & Curried Goat which came with Rice & Peas, Slaw and a couple pieces of Plantains.
Curry Goat has good overall spice flavour not too overwhelming while the meat is tender enough without falling apart on it’s own. The Jerk spice on the BBQ Chicken was just as good and the Chicken was BBQ’d nicely. Slaw is a-ok’d.
Small complains making the meal hard to chug was that the Rice & Peas were quite mushy. Secondly the Jerk Chicken was chopped into 3 pieces which created some miniscule bone shatters, so please do not chug but rather chew carefully. Enjoy.
Ting’s brand Old Jamaican Ginger Beer ($ 2.00 tax included) -
This is a Jamaican brand Ginger Beer but tasted more like Lemonade sweetness with small hints of Ginger kick. Unlike the ones I’ve had before where it has enough kick to make Scotch Bonnets feel weak. The sweetness and fizz definitely makes this a Ginger Beer for the uninitiated.

Very small menu, but everything they sell tastes great

Best spicy beef patties. Spice is just right, pastry isn’t too buttery. Sooo good.