The canonical version and where to order it.
Chicken marinated in allspice, scotch bonnet and thyme then grilled dark, plated with plantains beside the beach at Santa Monica's Caribbean stalwart.
Jerk seasoning is Jamaican, built on allspice and scotch bonnet, and it has anchored Santa Monica's beachfront since Cha Cha Chicken opened its painted patio at Ocean and Pico in 1996. The family-run kitchen's jerk and coconut fried chicken plates, eaten outdoors with BYOB bottles, made the dish a local beach-day ritual.
1 editor pick for Jerk chicken in Santa Monica, ranked by editorial score. All Santa Monica signature dishes · Jerk chicken across every city.
Also in: Bristol.
Cha Cha Chicken has smoked jerk chicken under the palms on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica since 1996, a family-run Caribbean shack steps from the beach.
OrderJerk chicken plate with fried plantains
TipIt runs one of the most lenient BYOB policies in town; bring a bottle and eat coconut fried chicken outside.
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