Hot Spot Jamaican American Cuisine

I’ve passed this place on my way to the Capitol every day for months and finally decided to stop in yesterday. This place is quickly becoming my favorite Caribbean restaurant in Albany. I’m eating their jerk chicken for the second day straight and will probably return again tomorrow. The jerk chicken is on point but if that’s not your thing you are sure to find something on their extensive menu. They provide excellent service and great food. Don’t lose time like I did. This place is a must try!

Five stars based on my first experience. I ordered online at 6:53pm and estimated time was 750−800pm it is now 745 and I already had my food and I am just relaxing. I ordered fried chicken, rice and peas, my wife had curry chicken, white rice and sweet plantains. I ordered two small orders and I believe one small plate can very well feed two people and have them full. The rice was ON POINT, cabbage was so yummy and buttery, plantains were SWEET and big, curry chicken was not too spicy but juicy and flavorful. My fried chicken had some breading that had such a flavorful taste. I am extremely impressed. This place should be sought out. I didn’t find ONE THING wrong and I can’t say that about the other Jamaican spots because there is always something especially with important things like rice, how sweet plantains should be… etc. you will not find that here. Delivery is fast, food is delicious, and the delivery person was pleasant. PLEASE PLEASE… check this place out. I salute you HOT SPOT, will order again.

I’ve lived about 2 blocks from this place and walked by it probably 100 times. It makes me very sad that I waited this long to try it. I got the large jerk chicken. It was EASILY big enough to feed 2 – 3 people. The chicken is moist, tender, and just the right amount of spice. The rice is not dried out and the cabbage was excellent. The food was ready 5 minutes after I called. What else can you ask for? 11 bucks for almost 3 meals worth of food, super fast, and incredibly tasty.
Don’t shy away from this place like I did. It may not have as many reviews as Dutch Pot, but it’s every bit as good.

I love this place. The service is always excellent, whether the counter person is male or female, everyone is sweet. I always bring my visitors here. The chicken and lamb are both excellent! and the plantains are great! My favorite thing is the ackee and saltfish!

Had very good and flavorful food. The interior is not the best, but the food is very good and affordable. Bold and spicy, just the way I like it.

What a wonderful find in the Capital district, amazing authentic home cooked meals made w/​love & served w/​a happy smile & loud laughters. Feels like your friend’s kitchen & a party in the mouth. Everything we had (Goat curry, dumpling, cabbage, soups, fish) was outta control good & freshly made. Had it with the Cream Soda & Kola.
Will keep going for the food & the love it’s served with, thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Pretty good, solid portions and a pretty decent array of choices. Dutch Pot is a bit better but has fewer choices.

I’ve been here a few times and while the food is good the service is grumpy and lacking. I just ordered jerk chicken to go, drove 20 min in bad weather to pick it up. When I get there, I see her handing a walk in customer jerk chicken and when she gets to me she tells me «oh sorry were out of jerk chicken .» I asked why she didn’t call me back or tell me instead of making we drive 20 min. Her answer was, «I’m sorry.» Won’t go back there again

After my disappointing meal at another Jamaican spot the night before I tried the hot spot.
So the place is not the most appealing from the outside, but the food is delicious and fairly priced. I ordered oxtails, rice & peas, cabbage, and plantains. Everything was great! Well the rice was kinda dry, but the oxtails made up for that. The other negative is that the portion of cabbage given was smaller than what it appeared… i had far more rice than what I thought. The owner and other person working were very friendly as well.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be stopping by very often.
On another note — so this restaurant has seasonal items. Some people maybe unaware of what’s seasonal and what’s not… Don’t be surprised if you try to order something and they don’t have it.

checked out Hot Spot for the 1^st time yesterday — had the jerk chicken lunch special with rice and ital (cabbage) — the jerk was pretty good and the cabbage out of this world — without asking, they put some jerk sauce on the rice — a winning move in my view (I always ask for that anyways and forgot, the universe provides)
checked out the fried chicken, a bit dry, but delicious all the same
good variety of drinks, can’t wait to go back

I’ve been recently craving some jerk chicken, so I decided to check out Hot Spot (formerly Golden Caribbean). The place doesn’t look like much from the outside, but was pleasantly surprised that the interior was very cozy, with a few tables to eat in, though they primarily cater to the take-​out crowd.
Your typical Jamaican/​Caribbean dishes are available – jerk beef/​chicken/​shrimp, stew beef/​chicken, curries, etc. Even the ubiquitous jamaican beef patties.
The jerk chicken was served with cabbage and rice and beans. The chicken was tasty, but unfortunately was served lukewarm and somewhat dry. It seemed like it was made a couple of days ago. I was expecting some freshly made jerk chicken.
The patties are the premade ones you can find in your local supermarket (Tower Isles, Golden Krust are the brands I’ve grown up with). Even this came out of the heated carousel on the counter lukewarm.
There are a lot of bottled drinks to choose from, including some caribbean brands.
I was a little disappointed, but it did satisfy my craving. Overall, a decent place for a quick and affordable lunch. Small plates are $ 8 and large are $ 10 for most dishes.