Review: Beryl’s Pepper Pot brings Jamaican home cooking to Queen East

Beryl’s Pepper Pot ★ 1610 Queen St. E., 647-748-1400

The popular Ajax restaurant has opened a new location on a not-quite-Leslieville, not-quite-Beaches stretch of Queen East. The specialty is Jamaican home cooking, served in a simple fast-food setting by cheerful staff. The fragrant, herbaceous jerk makes a nice, earthy marinade for soft slices of pork. Long-simmered chicken stew is saucy, savoury with onion, garlic and thyme and disintegratingly tender. Coconut-scented rice, peas and a dollop of sweet coleslaw accompany each dish. Weekend breakfasts specials include wonderfully soft ackee and salty cured cod, underserved by bland, stodgy sides like dry dumplings and brick-hard green bananas.

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