The Guinep Tree

🇯🇲 JAMAICA
📍 1050 Rosecrans Avenue,
Gardena, South Bay
🅿️ Ample parking in plaza
🥤 No Alcohol
📸 All photos by Jared Cohee
for Eat the World Los Angeles

Jamaican restaurants in and around Los Angeles are sometimes known for being a little grumpy. Thankfully what they might lack in a friendly welcome, they usually make up for in flavor. While plenty of disgruntled keyboard warriors have their say online about attitudes, there are usually many less unhappy customers when it comes to the food. This less-than-two-year-old spot in northern Gardena is the best of both worlds.

The restaurant and its colorful sign live in the Strawberry Square Shopping Center, on the corner of Rosecrans and Vermont Avenues, tucked in behind a KFC. They have moved into two adjacent storefronts and have a large dining room, although there were no other customers eating here on multiple visits. Takeaway business was brisk both times though, the area’s Caribbeans obviously had days that were too busy for sit down meals.

While the establishment seems like fast casual, you can ask for a menu and sit down, and things run just like a normal restaurant. Good music will probably be on in the dining room, and despite being the only ones around, the mood will be high. On a recent Monday, the sandwich board outside promoted a buy one get one free special for chicken dishes. An order went in for jerk chicken and stew chicken, although somehow the curry chicken ($22, above) came out instead of the jerk.

Since one was free, a quick decision was made to roll with the error and get the jerk chicken on another visit. Meats are all available to order as sides, but if you choose what they call the “main course” option, you get a big plate (takeout container) of rice and peas, fried plantains, steamed cabbage, and a piece of festival. All the components are really well done here, and since each container is at least two portions, this two for one special was basically four meals.

The chicken feast was supplemented on this occasion by a fresh beef patty ($6, above), instantly one of the favorites in the city. These are pretty self-explanatory, but somehow the fillings and wrapper here are well above average. Of the two plates that ended up on the table on this first visit, the brown stew chicken ($22, below) was by far the preference.

Big hunks of dark meat with a bunch of gravy smothering them and the rice is a recipe for happiness. After sampling both this and the patty, the talent of the kitchen is apparent, and future visits are already being planned. And probably some takeout before departure.

The takeout ends up being a delicious side of curry goat ($17.75, above), which was paired with some red wine for a dinner another night at home. Before leaving, the friendly daughter working the counter offered some tastes of all their lovely homemade drinks like bissap and soursop, all put into variously-sized containers in the bottom of the fridge.

The one that hooked two repeat clients even further was the fresh pineapple and ginger juice ($6, below), which was ordered on the follow-up visit. This had all the right notes of flavor and was not overly sweet or spicy with ginger. The others will all have to be sampled at some point considering how good this was.