Kensington Jerk & Pasta

What is Kensington Jerk & Pasta? Anchoring Kensington Avenue where the iconic Rasta Pasta once operated, Kensington Jerk & Pasta is the direct continuation of co-founder Mary Neglia’s pioneering Jamaican-Italian kitchen. The operation pairs a bustling walk-up takeout counter at 61 Kensington with a sit-down dining space and rum bar next door. With reggae spinning on the speakers and the aroma of pimento wood and scotch bonnet smoke drifting into the alley, the setting is casual, energetic, and purely Kensington Market.

Kensington Jerk & Pasta Menu & What to Order Island spice balances rich Italian comfort across the board, led by the Irie Fettuccine smothered in Alfredo sauce with jerk chicken and the house Rasta Pasta tossed with gnocchi, ackee, and saltfish. Classic Jamaican cooking is equally formidable, notably the slow-braised oxtail with rice and peas and the coconut-curry scampi linguini. Order The Vatican—a pressed jerk chicken panini dressed with crisp house slaw—and wash it down with a citrusy sorrel rum punch or a cold Ting.

Know Before You Go Seating is strictly walk-in, and while turnover is brisk, lines regularly stretch onto Kensington Avenue during peak lunch hours and Pedestrian Sundays. Street parking in the market is virtually impossible, making the 510 Spadina or 505 Dundas streetcars your best transit approach. The kitchen opens Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., remaining closed Mondays.