Negril: One Night in Jamaica

By Ivy Farguheson,
Photos by Julie Wiatt

For many Americans, Jamaica is one of those destination spots that they dream of vacationing in for one moment of their lives. Tell anyone that you are going to Jamaica for Christmas or Spring Break, and his or her eyes will instantly roll over in jealousy. Americans frequently return from their time in Montego Bay or Kingston or some resort regaling friends with stories of great weather, great music, and great food. Well, maybe you have yet to make that trip to Jamaica and you're sick and tired of hearing friends come back tanned and stuffed feeling fantastic and refreshed. Maybe the envy is getting to you. Don't worry. Maybe you won't get to Jamaica anytime soon, but you certainly can have the Jamaican food experience right here in Silver Spring at Negril, the Jamaican Eatery.

Curried shrimp roti

Negril is one of those places that you've probably driven by a million times on your way to get to Georgia Avenue or Safeway and never even thought about going into. But plenty of people have. Located on Thayer Avenue, one block east of Georgia Avenue, amid Chevy Chase Bank and Safeway, Negril has been open in Silver Spring since 1985, serving tons of people. When you enter this establishment, you see first your very typical carryout counter space with a menu above the cashier. To the left, though, is a sit-down space with bright, but not obscene, colors, which appear to be freshly painted. Music plays in the background, a sort of "smooth" reggae, as it were, which is not played so loudly that you can't have a conversation, but loud enough to bop your head to while you wait for your food. The ambiance isn't perfect as far as restaurants are concerned, but this is not the Jamaican version of the Olive Garden, either. It isn't trying to sell you a stereotypical culture for the night.

Cod cakes

But it is trying to sell you food and that it does well and at a relatively low cost to you. They offer enough food for the vegetarian and the carnivorous types amongst you, but, be warned, Negril is not a low-fat diet kind of place, evident by the standard Jamaican appetizers: Cod Fish cakes and beef patties. The Cod Fish cakes, while good, are deep-fried and doughy. It will take you a couple of bites before you even taste much cod and the flavor will be offset by the oil and bready nature of the cake. It is provided with a dipping sauce, all other aspects of the cake overtake the cod's flavor. If it's flavor you crave, go straight for the beef patties instead. Very similar to an empanada, patties are a pastry filled with a spicy layer of beef, but unlike empanadas, there is a serious kick to the Beef Patties at Negril. You won't need to drink any water or anything after you take a bite, but you will want another bite as soon as you take your first one down. For the veggies in your group, Negril offers a vegetable pattie, which doesn't have the same spicy kick, but does have a sweeter pastry for quite an interesting taste. It's not a dessert kind of sweet, but it is a refreshing taste that gets your taste ready for your flavorful entrée.

Sorrel, fruit punch, and Irish Moss

No Jamaican restaurant would be complete without some standard Caribbean cuisine: Jerk Chicken, curried entrees, and a Roti of some kind. Negril offers all three, with the Jerk Chicken surpassing the others in any contest, although the Curried Shrimp Roti comes in a close second. The Jerk Chicken entrée is unbelievably good and authentic. Compared to all else on the menu, it appears to be the most genuinely Jamaican item there. After one bite of the greatly seasoned chicken, which falls right off the bone on to the plate with rice, peas, and greens, you will feel like you are instantly in Kingston. Or more like the town of St. Elizabeth's, eating in some family friend's kitchen on Sunday afternoon. It is that good. The curried Shrimp Roti, with shrimp and potatoes wrapped in flat dough, is good also, but, unfortunately, you will run out of shrimp before potatoes and then you're left eating a curried potato roti without the same punch of the shrimp version.

Like all restaurants, there are things done well and things done not so well. The same is true at Negril where the vegetarian menu leaves much to be desired. The Curried vegetables come in a nice portion and are tasty enough, but they do not meet the muster of the meaty and seafood options. They do offer a vegetable lasagna which is as good as any other lasagna, but chances are, the last thing you're craving when going out for Jamaican cuisine is an Italian dish and one must wonder why they offer lasagna in the first place. Well, they do and it is good, but again, it is no veggie-like Jerk Chicken. Truth is, there are many other cuisines that do vegetarian food very well. Thai cuisine comes to mind. Jamaican food does not and such is the case at Negril.

After eating foods with such powerful flavors, you probably will not be in the mood for a large dessert. Negril is prepared for that because their dessert options are limited and are in small portions, which may be just as well. This does not mean that they aren't good, but your taste buds may be in sensory overload by the time dessert comes around. There are some good choices, however. If you are in the mood for coconut, try the Gizzada, a small pie shaped dessert for one (or two), with the taste of a macaroon. It is dense and rich, but not overpowering, which is what you'll want after the entrée. They also offer a pretty good Rum Cake slice and a Plantain Tart, with a much softer sweet flavor that may be the perfect end of your "Night in Jamaica" theme.

Rumcake and plantain tart

When you have finished eating at Negril, you will definitely feel the need to take a little walk around downtown Silver Spring to work off some of your food. Unfortunately, this will awaken you to the fact that you still have not gone to Jamaica, but are walking around an American urban area with people rushing and blowing horns on Georgia Avenue. That's all right, though, because at least you'll be able to speak candidly to your friends about eating authentic Jamaican food. You just don't have to tell them it was in Montgomery County.

Negril the Jamaican Eatery is located at 965 Thayer Avenue in Silver Spring, MD, with branches in Gaithersburg, Mitchellville, and Washington DC. Their hours are from Mon.-Thur. 11am-9:30pm; Fri 11am to 10pm; and Saturday 11am-9:30 pm.

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