The Pink Snapper

Arrived in my order saw that the spot closes at 9pm so that left me 23 minutes to place an order, eat in, and then leave. When I called in my order the lady over the phone immediately informs what time the place. I informed her I am a block a away and I know what I want to order and would be quick. She repeatedly told what time she closes. On top of that I tipped her more than 20% she did not say thank you! Prime example why I do not support black business. Black people are very ungrateful!!!

Simple put, don’t waste your money! It was my first time there and I won’t be going back. The food wasn’t good. Lots of bones, hardly any meat or seasoning. The rice tasted like it was days old and the plantains were not good either.

The regular chef was not there and I pray she comes back. the rice was dry, cabbage smokey and the chicken was dry on the outside and raw on the inside.

DO NOT GO!!! BONES, BONES, BONES
I usually do not leave reviews, but, this place is absolutely horrible.
I am Jamaican and have had jerk chicken cooked by mother, family members, Jamaican restaurants all over NY and Jamaica and the jerk chicken from Pink Snapper is the worst I have ever had in my life. And trust me, I had low expectations. This place is always empty and I understand why.
First, I barely taste the jerk seasoning, it’s more of a sweet, bbq sauce with a hint of jerk seasoning. Fine, I can live with that.
Second and the worst part, they provided me with nothing but chopped up bones? Why cut a leg into 6 pieces? And there was no thigh… Just a chopped leg, maybe two chopped legs? It was really hard to identify what pieces I received because the chicken was cut into small pieces. You couldn’t take a bit without biting into bones.
My suspicion: I arrived at 7pm and there was no one in the shop. The lady quickly told me that she was out of white meat. I think she was out of dark meat as well, but, wanted my $ 8. So, she scraped together the scraps in the pan and threw it in the container. Pretty sad. Just tell me you are out of jerk chicken.
I will never return! Pink Snapper is despicable and I really hate talking bad about my people.

I really, really wanted to like the Pink Snapper. It is perfectly equidistant from my house to the metro. It would be HUGE for me to have a great take-​out spot along my walk home from work. (Yes, I know just how sad that sounds.) I wanted to like this place so much that I visited three times in the past 2 weeks. Three strikes, I’m out.
Strike 1: I arrived at 7:35 pm (they close at 8) on a Thursday. The place was empty, and the one lady working there was cleaning up, ostensibly to close shop. She seemed annoyed by my arrival and announced that the only thing left was curry chicken. I took a large order to-​go. The curry had a nice flavor, but there wasn’t much in the order. It was clear that I had gotten the scraps, as there were far more bones than chicken.
Strike 2: I was in the mood for jerk chicken, so I stopped here around 4 on a Friday. I took my place in line behind only one other person. Still, it took nearly 10 minutes for me to place an order as the customer service here is as nonchalant as I’ve ever experienced. The cashier seemed far more interested in chit-​chatting with her friends than helping the people in line. When I finally got to order, I was told they were out of jerk chicken. This is a Jamaican restaurant. How can they possibly be out of jerk chicken? (For the second time, no less.) Frustrated by the wait and my inability to get what I wanted, I left empty-​handed.
Strike 3: I entered around 6 on a Wednesday. Lo and behold, they actually had jerk chicken; I took a large order to-​go. The jerk chicken had a nice flavor, well-​seasoned and very spicy. But once again, there were a lot of bones. Not the type of large bones you find in traditionally apportioned pieces of chicken, but rather tiny bone splinters that permeated the entire dish. It’s difficult to enjoy a meal when you are taking each bite tentatively, careful to avoid chipping your tooth on an unexpected fragment.
I’m left guessing that The Pink Snapper is built to service the Petworth lunch crowd. If my experience is any guide, they don’t seem to care much about customers who come later in the day. The preparation of food isn’t bad; keep the cook, get rid of the front-​of-​house staff, add high-​quality ingredients and you’d have a take-​out spot that I’d gladly frequent. As it stands, the poor customer service, inconsistent product inventory, and random chicken bones ensure that I won’t be going back anytime soon.

I got the Ox Tail and it was very tender. You could tell it has been cooking for a while, in a good way. I liked the flavor though paired with the seasoned rice with peas it was overall a little on the salty side. I’d probably get regular white rice next time. The entrée came with rice and a coleslaw type side but in a sweeter sauce. I didn’t care for the veggie side but Ox tail was memorable. I also got a patty because it looked homemade through the display heater thing. Good thing I did because it was surprisingly very flaky and the filling was meaty not mushy. It’s usually a hit or miss with patties and this was a hit. I ended up finishing the patty before I even got home and started on my entrée. They close on the earlier side for late bird me and sometimes run out of certain popular dishes by end of the shift.

Not as good as Sweet Mango. Jerk chicken was burned and too sweet. Beef patty lacked spice. Staff is very friendly though and service is very prompt.

The lady was VERY VERY RUDE talk nasty about me while I was sitting in the story she didn’t know I understood EVERYTHING she said

I would have given this place 4 stars for food but the service knocks it down a notch. The poor customer service is well-​documented on Unilocal,but the other reviewers are dead-​on!
I walked in today for lunch, and was not greeted. The lady behind the counter ignored me for almost 5 minutes before finally asking me what I wanted. When I asked her what she’d recommend between the jerk and curry chicken, she said she didn’t have an opinion. And then she disappeared again with my food for another 5 minutes. Another customer came in behind me who had evidently ordered takeout. When the employee finally returned, my food had disappeared and she greeted the other customer. Trying to be nice, the other customer said, «I think she was in line first…» to which the employee replied, «Don’t worry about her, I’m taking care of her.»
… the food was good though. I thought the jerk chicken was well seasoned and moist, and the cabbage and beans/​rice were solid.
Not sure if I want to return though. If you can’t be both, iIt’s best to be either friendly or fast, and Pink Snapper is neither… on the bright side, I’m full, it was reasonably priced and a good quantity of food.
So if customer service bores you and you’re hangry, this’ll do.

I’d say more like 3.5 stars, but I’ll round up to four. They offer the lunch special on Saturdays too, so that’s a good deal – small portion of meat with rice and peas and vegetables and soda for around $ 8. I had the curry chicken and Sahar had jerk chicken.
I thought both meals were good, though I preferred the curry chicken over the jerk. The curry chicken was tender and spicy and I really liked the rice and peas, which can be lacking at other places. I also appreciate that they carry strawberry soda. I didn’t see any sorrel though. I’d like to return to try the patties and coco bread.
There’s many comparisons to Sweet Mango and I think Sweet Mango does a better jerk chicken and all around has more offerings and better service. Service here was barely friendly and music was way too loud. There’s about three small tables inside this tiny restaurant. However, I can see myself returning here, especially for take-​out, due to better parking and less customers than Sweet Mango. But I’m always happy to see another Jamaican restaurant.

The steamed vegetables and the rice and peas are good. That’s all I can say nice about this place. I just ate there for the 1^st time and I had crappy service and I think old jerk chicken with sauce. If you have the patience for attitude and you may as well head a little further down Georgia Ave and go to Sweet Mango.
Wasted money

The Punk Snapper an Sweet Mangos are neck and neck an the best jamaican restaurants carry outs when there on …

Very good jamaican jerk chicken and rice and vegetables, which is what I get for lunch about once a week. The rice is cooked in coconut milk, giving it a softer texture and more flavor than the rice a couple blocks away at Sweet Mango. I think the chicken and vegetable medley is better at Pink Snapper as well. After visiting Pink Snapper for the first time, I don’t think I will ever go back to Mango. It’s just not as good in my opinion – at least it is not as consistent.

I’m not Jamaican so I really don’t know what the food is supposed to taste like.
Jerk chicken was very spicy but flavorless. The fried plantains were very good but it seems they portion of plantains was larger the last time I came. The veggies… tasteless.
The worst part of the restaurant is the service. The cashier always seems to be angry and in a bad mood.

I come from a Caribbean family so I know what island food is suppose to taste like. I believe that Pink Snapper is pretty good but there are a few things that stop me from giving this place more than 3 stars.
The lady in the front appears to be bothered when you ask questions about the menu. I know America is big on customer service and a lot of foreigners come with different cultures, and may not appreciate customer service as much as we do.
As far as the food, the meat portion of the dish is usually pretty good. If you order fish, be prepared to see an entire fish (with the head) sitting in your plate. But it doesn’t seem as if they put as much care in the side items. The rice and cabbage is never good, just okay. Not much flavor.
I haven’t tried their patties but I have heard from two people that they are really good.

Right in the ‘hood, the food was tasty, and a single large portion of jerk chicken, along with a small side of rice and peas, fed the Frogette and I for – and I’m not kidding here – 2 days!
Nuff said.

Heard about this place from a coworker who said it put Sweet Mangoes to shame. So I had to try it.
First the lunch special is UNBEATABLE $ 7 for any chicken meal and a soda. And were not talking a small amount of food. Second you get a plantain with your meal… I took my food to go and was seriously debating going back for more plantains (I’ve had some so/​so experiences so they aren’t usually my favorite item) And lastly the two women there when I went in were so nice and friendly which was a big change from my experience at the prior mentioned place (apparently I should just KNOW???)
Overall I’m satisfied and definitely going back to try the jerk chicken very soon.
Hooray good food in Petworth!

I’d been having a hankering for jerk chicken for a while, so I decided to try out Pink Snapper since it is right down the street from my home. The first time I went (around 6:00pm on a weekday) it was empty and I counted myself lucky not to have to deal with a dinnertime crowd. The staff was very friendly – you can tell the people waiting on you actually have a vested interest in the success of the restaurant. The venue is clean and quaint; and thankfully they avoid one of my biggest pet peeves (you can’t see the kitchen while you’re placing your order). I placed my order: «I’ll have the jerk chicken, please.» They were out of the jerk chicken. Ok. I ordered the curry chicken. Sorry… out of that too. Uhh… curry goat? Nope.
Really?! Soooo, what do you have? Brown Stew? What the hell is that? She gave me a sample… OH! I can deal with that! It was very good and they give you plenty! But, really? I wanted jerk chicken ;o (
A month later (at noon on a Saturday) I decided to try once again: «Jerk chicken… please?» Eureka! It was very good as well – not the best I’ve had, but definitely pretty damn good – and very plentiful. Bottomline: very tasty food, clean space, friendly staff. Clearly they run out of the more popular dishes pretty fast; but even the dishes you weren’t expecting to order as your 2^nd, 3^rd choice is, at least, tasty as well.

I like this place! It’s small, but I the colors, as dumb as that sounds. I had the escovitch fish, which can be pretty bland if done wrong, and it was excellent! Not to mention the staff was very friendly and let us try a few juices before asking our opinion which ones they should carry.
Recommended!

I saw this restaurant couple of weeks back, and I have been looking forward to try their food. Sweet Mango’s food quality has been decreasing, so, I couldnt wait to try this new place.
I went into the restaurant and ordered the chicken curry, the oxtail and my boyfriend got the fried chicken. He liked his fried chicken, he said it tasted home made. The chicken goat and the oxtail were perfectly made, very tender and good flavor.
Each dish, even the fried chicken, came with rice and beans, cabbage, and fried plantains. The rice and beans were ok, but the cabbage was delicious! The plantains were great too — we ordered an extra portion.
We ordered small portions — and they were big! I look forward to coming to this please again and trying their jerk chicken.