Jerk Chicken News

Island Spot restaurant brings Dallas more Jamaican joy with new location

Island Spot is famous for its fine Jamaican food.

Island Spot

If you're of the belief that Dallas-Fort Worth does not have enough places to get jerk chicken, then there's good news from The Island Spot: This Jamaican restaurant concept with locations in Carrollton and Oak Cliff is expanding, with a new location in the works for Farmers Branch, at 12900 Josey Ln.

Their goal is to open on Jamaican Independence Day, August 6, depending on construction and permitting.

Island Spot specializes in Jamaican food and tropical cocktails, particularly those made with Jamaica's trademark spirit, rum. Jerk chicken is the star of the menu but they also offer oxtail, coconut shrimp, BBQ ribs, and plantains, as well as a variety of curry plates including shrimp, goat, tilapia, chicken, and tofu — a result of a strong Indian influence on the island, says owner Richard Thomas.

A native of Jamaica and former consultant for McKinsey, Thomas opened the first Island Spot in Carrollton, at 2661 Midway Rd. #105, in 2010, followed by a second location in Oak Cliff, at 309 W. Jefferson Blvd. in 2016.

"The first time I came to Dallas, I visited a Jamaican restaurant, no longer open," he says. "The food and space were so underwhelming. I realized there was an opportunity to do good, authentic Jamaican food here. I wanted to change the way people experience our food and our culture."

That includes creating an immersive decor, with a colorful design that replicates the feeling of a restaurant in Jamaica, featuring elements such as corrugated zinc, bamboo columns, and wooden walls.

Placemats include an explanation of key words that are part of the menu, some in Patois, the language spoken preponderantly in Jamaica.

The bar is two-fold, incorporating a regular bar with a full drink menu, as well as a rum bar with 40-plus rum brands from the Caribbean. Rum is served solo, in rum flights, and in signature rum-punch cocktails, often in beautifully exotic colors. Of course, there is Red Stripe beer, brewed in Kingston, Jamaica.

Thomas grew up in a modest neighborhood in Jamaica, and his mom did all the cooking. To recreate that childhood experience, he put her together with a consulting chef to create a menu and bring it to life. All locations have a "mom Joyce’s kitchen" sign, to honor her influence.

Some of their dishes boast a fun twist, like their jerk version of salmon topped with a mango-red pepper chutney, or their "Jamaican fried chicken," highly spiced and with a golden brown crust. They're open for lunch and dinner, and also do a festive weekend brunch with mango mimosas.

But the experience is about more than flavorful food. "My intention is to create a true cultural immersion that makes a visit fun and exciting," Thomas says.

openings

Sandwiches and sips

New Lower Greenville spot Walkers' blends wine bar, restaurant and market

Photo courtesy of Walkers'

Walkers' Wagyu Ribeye au Jus.

A new all-day concept is debuting on Lower Greenville: Called Walkers', it's a new American restaurant-sandwich shop, market, and wine bar from siblings Rosemary Walker-Green and Russell Walker.

Located at 3016 Greenville Ave., next to Window Seat Coffee and Favor the Kind, Walkers' will open June 19; reservations are available now.

According to a release, Walkers' (yes, the name really is plural-possessive), is designed to shift with the rhythm of the day: a neighborhood market and sandwich counter during daytime hours, then a full-service restaurant and wine bar in the evening. Walkers’ will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 11 pm.

During the day, the space operates as a market with made-to-order sandwiches and salads available until 3 pm, along with grab-and-go offerings through closing. The wine bar opens at 4 pm, followed by dinner service from 5-11 pm.

Walkers' sandwich stack.Photo courtesy of Walkers'

Made-to-order sandwiches and salads include:

Italian – Lady Edison salumi, mortadella, provolone, hot giardiniera mayo, lettuce, tomato, vinegar, olive oil
Turkey – Green Goddess, cheddar, avocado, pickled onion, lettuce
Cherry Tomato – Barley, sherry vinaigrette, cucumber, celery, parsley, lemon
Steak Salad – Cabbage, carrots, onion, mojo verde, cilantro, cherry tomato

Their evening wine bar menu features:

Spanish Anchovy Toast with butter and pickles
Sturgeon with potato chips & caviar
Beef Tongue with créme fraiche and mojo verde

The dinner menu transitions to high-end, seasonal dishes, ranging from lighter, shareable plates to larger, entree-sized portions, including:

Pâté en croûte with green strawberry and Dijon
Zeppo beets with berries and macadamia
Agnolotti with English peas and sheep’s cheese
Lamb with labneh and mint
Golden chicken with chestnut mushroom and chard
Skate wing with tomato and Calabrian chili

Walkers' Cherry Tomatoes and Agnolotti.Photo courtesy of Walkers'

The beverage program includes vermouth-forward cocktails and a wine list (chosen by co-founder Walker-Green) focused on small-production and sustainably minded producers from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, California, and Oregon, with a rotating retail selection also available for purchase, according to the release.

Walkers’ will also feature a well-edited retail market with specialty goods sourced from Texas, California, New York, and Europe, alongside the restaurant’s food and wine program. (Think: La Belle Vie from Austin, Austin Honey Company, Inez Olive Oil from Santa Ynez, California, Bonilla la Vista Potato Chips from Spain, and Raazi Tea from Brooklyn, New York.)

Co-founder Rosemary Walker-Greene is an Advanced Sommelier with experience at The NoMad in New York and Los Angeles, Rustic Canyon in Los Angeles, and Carbone in Dallas, while co-founder Russell Walker brings an operational background from his luxury wood flooring company.

“Our goal is to create a place that welcomes and inspires our community, that makes people remember that the most important thing in life is connection… and we believe the best way to do that, to connect, is at the dinner table, with great food and wine, and the people we care for the most," says Walker in the release.

Helming the kitchen is chef Aldon Reyes, who previously worked at Georgie and Le PasSage in Dallas and spent six years at San Diego’s Juniper & Ivy. The dining room is overseen by general manager and certified sommelier Nancy Tran, whose résumé includes Napa Valley’s PRESS and Charlie’s, as well as Dallas restaurants Le PasSage and Rose Café.

“Cooking at Walkers’ is about honoring great ingredients and the people who grow them,” says Reyes. “Every dish we put on the menu is a reflection of the relationships we’ve built with our farmers, our purveyors, and our guests.”

Designed by the acclaimed Kevin Klein Design, the Walkers' space includes a curved stone bar, market shelving, and a mix of seating that transitions from daytime counter service to evening dining. The restaurant and bar side spans approximately 1,360 square feet with 43 dining room seats, 12 bar seats, and two 12-foot drink rails for standing room on busy evenings, the release says. The Market spans an additional 950 square feet with 6 seats at the sandwich bar, 6 table seats, and seating for around eight at the communal table near the entry.

“We want to gather our community in the kind of restaurant we are always searching for — one that feels alive, honest, and rooted in intentional hospitality,” says Walker-Greene.

lower greenville sandwiches wine bar openings