A Caribbean restaurant in DeSoto is earning some buzz for its oxtails and jerk chicken. Called Fire Side Kitchen, it's in a former bakery space at 921 W. Belt Line Rd #112, next to another fun restaurant, A Taste of Cajun.

Fire Side Kitchen is from first-time restaurant owner Jay Whyte, who is serving Jamaican dishes from his grandma’s recipes, prepared with a lighter approach — less greasy than what you might find at the usual Jamaican restaurant.

"It’s about using less butter, less oil — we're trying to aim for a healthier Jamaican food," he says.

Savvy diners rave about the oxtails and jerk chicken, juicy and moist. You get them in a plate with rice and a side of fried plantains, priced from $17 to $28, but the portions are generous enough for two meals. On Wednesday-Friday from 1-3 pm, they offer a lunch special with entree and one side for $12.

Oxtails at Fire Side KitchenFire Side Kitchen

Other menu items include brown stew chicken, curry goat, curry shrimp, jerk shrimp salad, and a Saturday soup of the day. Dessert options include Jamaican rum cake or pineapple upside down cake.

Everything is made from scratch.

“With managing a restaurant, it’s very hands on, so you have to be there to make sure the quality of food is kept up,” Whyte says. “I feel like we stand out from other restaurants because we’re authentic, but not traditional.”

Whyte opened the restaurant in 2024 and now that he's hit his stride, he's adding a bar to serve beer, wine, and tropical-flavored cocktails. He's also adding catering services, for which Whyte has seen high demand.

Whyte moved from Jamaica to Dallas in 2015, and has worked in Mexican, Italian, and other Jamaican restaurants across Dallas. He loved the idea of bringing something to the community, creating a space to share his food with others and see if they like it. And there was no question where he wanted to open.

“For me, DeSoto was a mom-and-pop small business type of community — easily the best choice," he says.