Back A Yard Caribbean American Grill

Solid good food, cheap, a little hole in the wall place. The place is small so definitely come early or get take out. The oxtail and jerk pork and Mac and cheese are amazing! The jerk chicken was a bit over cooked but the taste was great. I don’t know how authentic this is but I sure love the food.

OMG. Wow. For the duration of my meal, I was in heaven on Earth!
This place is so good, I am 100% confident that if you go any time of the day and order anything on the menu, you will love it! I ordered the Jerk Chicken and Pork for $ 13. The chicken was savory, the pork was tender and melted in my mouth, the jerk sauce was magical, the salad was fresh and helped me cool off from all the hot sauce I put on my chicken, the rice and beans were tasty, and the fried plantains… it was love at first sight. My friends sat there and watched me slowly eat my plantains (which I saved for last) with my eats closed, savoring every precious bite! We also ordered these fried corn pies, which tasted like funnel cake!
This is one of those hole-​in-​the-​wall places that makes you believe that the best things on Earth come in simple packages.
This is one of those places, that you can’t go wrong ordering anything off the menu. Everything is good!
This is one of those place that you go to with friends, and don’t say a single word the whole time, because each person is busy enjoying every moment of the best damn meal they’ve had in a long time!
I could go on forever raving about this place, so let me just end it here. 6-​stars. Go see for yourself~

Wow. I didn’t believe it was possible to get this sort of authentic Caribbean food outside of the islands.
Been there three times at this point and have gotten the Jerk Chicken, which comes with dirty rice and plantains, all three times. The spices are fantastic and the chicken ungodly savory. The portions are such that you can have a couple pieces of chicken and then save some for later. The fried plantains are also made to perfection and a delicious golden brown on the outside with a soft center.
The place can get a little crowded for lunch with a line frequently out the door but definitely worth the wait. Also, half the building is a laundromat so you can kill two birds with one stone!

Last time I was in town I met a friend here to get a quick bite. We stumbled upon this place and decided to check it out; I’m so glad we did!
The chicken was marinated perfectly, the sauce was tasty and spicy, and the price was very affordable. Great spot to grab lunch and the food came out fast.
The only downside is that it’s a small space so you might be scrapping to find a table.
Don’t be deterred by the surroundings — this place is completely legit!

JERK CHICKEN AND FRIED PLANTAINS!
that is all you really need in life!
i highly recommend this place, it is absolutely delicious, bring a friend and share the plates!

So delicious every time, even over many years. Love the jerk chicken and the jerk salmon.
Get the corn festive for an extra serving of veggies.
I could eat the beans and rice on their own they are so yummy.
If you have room for dessert the key lime pie is great too.
They can get busy on weekends, so best to call in your order ahead of time. We usually call when we are leaving Mountain View and it’s usually ready by the time we get there (15 min drive)

Dropped by for lunch to see if this place was legit and was it ever!
Food takes long to come out during lunch as its busy and they’re also taking to-​go orders. The wait was worth it as the food was amazing. The chicken and oxtail were tender and had great flavor. There was also a spicy sauce on the side that added the perfect kick.
The portion was very generous. I can’t wait to return!

Tiny hole-​in-​the-​wall in the not-​nicest-​area of Menlo Park. Very easy to miss as the restaurant is located on a residential street parallel to Willow Rd. Only 6 tables inside (with 3 tables for only 2 person seating). Not outdoor seating. Parking can be difficult to find as it’s only residential parking. Busy during prime dining times so I suggest placing your order to-​go over the phone.
My typical order:
Curried Goat & Oxtail (Daily Special)
Corn Fritters
First time I tried Back A Yard was as a delivery from Fluc and my BF and I really enjoyed the food. The meats are very tender and very flavorful. Not spicy either! Corn fritters tastes like deep fried corn bread. If the to-​go order was good, I was curious how it was actually dining there. Fritters were a lot more crispy eating there.
Service is ok. If you need something, you go to the cashier counter. Food took about 30min to come out, so if you’re in a rush, take your food to-​go.
Credit Cards accepted
NOTE: EXAMINE your food before digging in though! My one slice of cucumber for the salad had a decent-​sized piece of mold growing on it. Pix:
I informed them, and they didn’t care. Why I had to dock a star. =/

This is easily one of the most delicious meals you’ll find near Palo Alto.
This location gets quite crowded for lunch, but the food is well worth the wait. I can personally vouch for the jerk chicken meal which is absolutely addicting and comes with a side of fried plantains, rice, etc. The jerk sauce is a bit spicy, which I love, and the plantains are just a little bit sweet. It’s perfect. The plates run a little big, so you definitely get your money’s worth.
My esteemed eating companions have also vouched for the pork, so feel free to try that one too.

Since this is a Caribbean place, I felt I had no choice but to order the jerk chicken meal. I came with four coworkers and it took pretty long for our food to arrive, perhaps 20 minutes, but maybe that is because we were a relatively large dining party. Back A Yard gives out so much food! The jerk chicken plate came with two legs and two breasts – enough meat for days, for me – two lumps of rice and beans, fried plantains, and salad. The jerk chicken seasoning is tangy and peppery, and they give you a small extra cup of sauce on the side but I didn’t need to use it as the meat was already adequately flavored. The chicken is cooked well, tender all the way through and not difficult either to saw with a fork and knife or bite from your hands. As usual, I very much enjoyed the rice and beans (carb lover forever), which were soft and tasted like they were cooked together in a savory broth. The salad is nothing special but perfectly decent, leaves with vinegar-​based dressing and a couple of plain tomato slices which served to refresh the palate in between bites of the flavorful chicken and heavy fried plantains. There was definitely not a balance of vegetables to the other food groups, but who cares because it was delicious. The meal came out to ~$ 10, but I incorporated the leftovers into multiple meals the following two days so it’s worth the money.
My coworker ordered for us a plate of corn festivals to share and raved and hyped them up, but I thought they were just alright. Basically fried corn dough, from what I could tell. They were not that sweet or salty or strongly flavored in any way. Granted, they achieve the average delicous-​ness that all fried foods do, but nothing more. They are extremely dense.
We arrived at perhaps 10 til noon, and were able to pushed two tables together in their very small indoor dining space to seat all of us. However, by the time we left at around 12:40pm there was a much longer line to order and the place was much more packed. I would say get there before 12pm if possible to beat the lunch time rush. Not a light meal, so beware the food coma if you are heading back into the office!

My coworkers and I came for a weekday lunch and sat inside since the patio tables were taken. We each ordered at the cashier (for here), waited patiently for our orders to arrive, and ensured our numbers were in clear sight of the waiters. While waiting I imbibed a mango passionfruit juice that was stellar and full of fruity flavor (unsure if artificial or not, but tasted great). About thirty minutes in and many dine-​in and take-​out orders past, we inquired about the status of our orders… which had been packaged to-​go on the counter and had sat there for about twenty minutes! We were outraged, naturally, but scarfed down our lunches as quickly as we could as our hour was drawing to a close. We asked for extra of the jerk sauce which they obliged due to their transgression (it’s usually about 55 cents per extra sauce I believe).
Food wise, my jerk chicken lunch plate was amazing and came with fried plantains, rice, chicken enough for two meals and a side salad. I smothered everything in the zesty jerk sauce that went especially well with the already tender dark meat chicken.
In a nutshell, DELICIOUS place for lunch and the portion sizes are HUGE. Great value for ~$ 15 for what would be enough for two small meals. Would definitely return again!

The oxtail here is great. Reminds me of my trips to the Caribbean. I’d keep coming back for the oxtail, despite… other problems.
Food: ³⁄₅
Service: ²⁄₅
The jerk chicken was alright, but like another Unilocaler posted, I ALSO FOUND A STICKER IN MY JERK CHICKEN. This is like the kind of sticker you may find in raw meat packages. The sticker said «Wednesday /​Miercoles». Meanwhile, I was eating on Saturday night. Was the chicken bought on Wednesday? Was the chicken MADE on Wednesday? In terms of taste, it was good, but wasn’t the best jerk chicken I’d had. The chicken itself tasted low-​quality, and I thought this before I found the sticker.
We had a bad service experience here — a few kids behind the counter wrapped up in their own conversation and not paying attention to customers. Considering there were 2 only tables eating, and 3 employees behind the counter, you would think someone would be paying attention. There was an almost 1:1 ratio between staff and customers — it was not understaffed by any means! Our takeout order was forgotten and we waited 30 mins for it, while watching people come in after us, order the same things, and get their food. I don’t expect much service from hole in the wall places, but waiting here was painful.

Recently, I found myself in Palo Alto for an 11:00 AM meeting, flying in early from Las Vegas where I’d been fortunate enough to visit the wonderful Lotus of Siam and eat a few good meals prepared by various elements of the Palms Hotel culinary staff.
I landed in San Jose early and motored to the aforementioned meeting, stopping at a Starbuck’s near Stanford University to get some coffee and a bite to eat. So far so good.
The meeting went great – maybe a little long, but that was a positive. I knew that I had a tight schedule as my departure flight that afternoon was scheduled for 2:50 p.m., but I was hungry and excited to find a good restaurant with the help of all of you Unilocalsters.
And I found this place in Menlo Park – what turned out to be very close to where I was and very convenient to the 101, which would help me get quickly to the airport. With over 1400 ratings and an aggregate of 4.5 stars, I had to try it. And I’m glad I did!
It’s a small, nondescript location in a tiny strip mall, with a handful of tables and several more inside. There was a line (good sign), and the tables were mostly full even though it was toward the end of the lunch hour (which actually created quite a sense of urgency for me).
The décor is island-​centric, with a beachy feel and color scheme. Island scene murals grace the walls, loud music thumps through the overhead, and there’s a real sense of energy because of it and the friendly guy behind the counter.
I probably waited in line for 10 minutes to place my order. At one point, due to my abbreviated time window, I almost left. Thankfully, I didn’t.
Interestingly, there were only 4 people in front of me. But the staff here is limited in size, so the people working the counter also were bring food to tables and bus them. It’s part of the charm of the place.
They have a robust regular menu on the wall overhead, but it’s also simple enough that one isn’t overwhelmed trying to make a decision. A great selection of pork, chicken, beef, and fish. On the side walk was a daily special board listing curried goat dishes and another fish option or two, plus juices and «must-​haves,» of which I ordered a side of Mac and cheese. To go with my Mac-​n-​cheese, a jerk por

HOLE IN THE WALL looking joint (although prices are a bit high i guess each plate has a lot of food, so you can probably share a plate and an appetizer with a friend)
thank goodness there’s seating inside even though a lot of people were ordering to-​GO
—Oxtail daily special comes with 2 scoops of rice&beans, salad, and fried plantains: YUMMY tender oxtail with stewed carrots! the sauce was perfect over the rice
They ran out of dressing when we came so our salads were served plain (too bad they didn’t bother to warn us or apologize, we had to ask)
NOTE: they close early, 8pm on a weeknight so get in early!