Junction International Market and Jerk Center Caribbean, Jamaican

When the discussion turns to ethnic eats in the D.C. area, Caribbean and/or Jamaican cuisine often gets the shaft. It’s always Ethiopian this, Vietnamese that. The fact is, the District and surrounding areas are crawling with quality Caribbean joints, whether Caribbean Palace, the outstanding Trinidadian takeout in Takoma Park, or the Junction International Market and Jerk Center in Chillum. The sole reason to step foot into Junction is for its jerk chicken; your Styrofoam clamshell comes stuffed with grilled, gorgeously charred bird parts drizzled with the darkest, pepper-flecked sauce you’ll ever lay eyes on. The sauce’s sweetness is, in part, derived from caramel, which helps defuse the fowl’s search-and-destroy level of heat. This is jerk chicken for those who want more than a cosmic burn.

Next up: Liberty Tavern