JERK MAKIN SHACK
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★★
District: Food truck
Jamaican food
Perfect For: Casual Dining; Lunch; Takeout
Standout Dishes: Jerk Chicken; Curry Goat; Festival; Beef Patty
Jamaican food holds a very special place in my heart. After my wife and I married in 2019, we spent a week in Jamaica for our honeymoon. It was there that I experienced jerk chicken and fell for the boldly spiced poultry. There was a jerk chicken shack I visited three times during that week… and I’ve been chasing that flavor sensation ever since.
And it had eluded me for more than seven years… until I visited the Jerk Makin Shack, a food truck that opened in spring of 2026. On the first bite of the truck’s jerk chicken, I back on the Jamaican beach with my new wife once again.
But I’m confident you don’t have to have personal ties to Jamaican cuisine to have a good time at this food truck. As long as you can get behind great vibes and explosive flavor, you’ll dig this truck.
Jerk Making Shack typically posts up to serve lunch and dinner at 7110 Dodge St, though it tends to move around on Saturdays. A bright green truck with yellow trimmings that mimics the Jamaican flag, you can’t miss it.
It’s also hard to miss the grill out front, which cooks the chicken, pork, and other proteins. Not only does it send forth a wondrous smell, but it’s a nice reminder that the food is fresh and prepare on-site.
The staples of the menu are jerk chicken and pork and braised oxtails, along with a host of side dishes. But the truck offers a host of other rotating dishes, including a jerk chicken wrap, loaded fries and mac & cheese, and curry goat.
It’s important to note that while this cuisine is often heavily spiced, it’s not spicy as in hot. They’re just very forward in flavor, and that’s a welcome addition to the Omaha restaurant scene.
But the star of the show is the Jerk Chicken, and does it ever star. The plate comes absolutely loaded with the aromatic poultry, as it’s served with I’d estimate at least 3/4 lb. of tender, juicy strips of chicken. It’s saucier than most versions I’ve had, but that’s a welcome improvement, as both the sauce and seasoning give the chicken a robust savory mix of spice and sweetness. There’s also a pleasant smokiness from the grilling process.
The Curry Goat is nearly as good. The meat could be more tender, but it has a pleasant chew, and it bathes in a rich, silky gravy that’s comforting and deeply savory with a bit of a lingering back-of-the-throat heat. And the cubed potatoes simply melt on the tongue.
Made fresh each day, the Beef Patty, a handheld staple of Jamaican cuisine, in an absolute must-try. The flaky, tender pocket is filled with rich, aggressively seasoned beef. Rich, greasy, and oozing flavor, it’s a hand pie on steroids. Jerk Makin Shack also offers patties stuffed with chicken and beef and cheese.
Each platter comes with two sides, the best of which is easily the Festival. These thumb-sized dumplings epitomize the old Pringles slogan: “once you pop, you just can’t stop.” They’re like a cross between sweet cornbread and hushpuppies, as they have a coarse, textured exterior and sweet, chewy insides. They’re insanely craveable.
The Rice & Beans aren’t overly flavorful on their own, but they provide a great base for the protein you choose. The starches dutifully soak up the chicken marinade and gravy, injecting extra boosts of savory flavor into each bite.
The Fried Plantains are a bit wetter than any version I’ve had before, which is a bit surprising at first. But they have a brilliant sticky sweetness and a rich caramelized flavor. If the edges were a bit crispy, this side dish would be a real home run.
And the Coco Bread isn’t much on its own, soft and mildly sweet, it’s a perfectly passable roll. But it’s mission in life isn’t to be eaten alone. It’s to soak up all the leftover sauces and gravy on your plate, a job it does masterfully.
The truck is run by a mother-daughter combo that couldn’t be more sweet and welcoming. If you’re new to Jamaican food, they’re happy to explain the dishes and flavor profiles so you feel confident ordering.
But given my experiences, I find it hard to believe you won’t enjoy your meal regardless what you order. The flavor practically leaps out of these to-go boxes, as Jerk Makin Shack boldly brings to Omaha a cuisine it’s largely lacked for far too long.