Elsa's Place

This has to be one of the best places in Jacksonville. Friendly service and great food. I got the Jerk Chicken with Green Beans and Collard Greens. The jerk chicken was really good, had Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Peppers mixed with the chicken and rice. The collard greens were one of the best I’ve ever had too. If you come here, which I highly recommend, you have to get the collard greens. The strawberry cake that came with the meal was really moist and had great flavor.

I always love me some Caribbean food. You won't beat this restaurant's quality. It's the best out here in Richlands!👍🏾

Visiting Jacksonville NC, I was so happy that I found this place. I googled and saw that they had very good so my husband and I decided to try it out. No regrets. We ordered oxtail and goat with rice and peas, macaroni and cheese and fried okra, chicken, roti, and jerk chicken. Got a lot of food and it tasted great, and the price was reasonable. I wish I had a restaurant with great tasting Caribbean food like this in Virginia Beach. I tried them all in VB, and they are all mediocre. Keep doing what you’re doing Mrs. Elsa. Will certainly be coming back to your restaurant when we are back in Jacksonville. Trini to the bone🇹🇹

Pound for pound, this is the best food in all of Jacksonville. I've lived here for over 10 years now. I've eaten at dozens of places, and reviewed many of them, and Elsa's takes the crown without question. That mythical "dingy hole in the wall with incredible food" that everyone refers to in any city you go? This is the one. It's a small little dimly lit old building in the center of old school downtown Jville. It doesn't look very pretty, but letting that deter you from ordering here would be a miscalculation of the highest order. What you will find inside is a small family owned restaurant run by an older lady named Elsa from Trinidad and her sons. The food they cook is prepared with the heart and soul that you will only find in a restaurant like this. Every order is gigantic, and reasonably priced. The rice is to die for, the collard greens will likely be the best you've ever had, the jerk chicken is spicy and full of layers of flavor cooked to perfection, the mac and cheese as a side can't be beaten, I cant imagine a better side of mac and cheese. Fried and smothered pork chops are both excellent. You can also find classic Caribbean favorites here like curry goat (only on certain days) and oxtail, beef patties, fried plantains, cocoa bread, Jamaican ginger beer etc. I've never tried anything here that wasn't incredible. The ONLY downside is that they've recently been working a shorter week and are generally closed a few days a week, so check before you plan to order. Other than that, if you are coming even anywhere close to Jacksonville you owe it to yourself to give this place a shot.

Haven't had jerk chicken in a while. But this little place had a nice variety of everything. I don't usually eat to many vegetables but for some reason I ate it this day. Must have been very hungry. But it's one of those lil hole in the wall joints if you know what I mean. Those usually the best ones right.