Jerk At Nite

Name: Jerk At Nite
Address: 1100 H St NE, Washington, DC, 20002, US
Telephone: (771) 208-7245

Caribbean restaurant in Washington, DC

Address: 1100 H St NE, Washington, DC, 20002
Phone: (771) 208-7245
Website: jerkatnite.com

About Jerk At Nite

Jerk At Nite is a Caribbean fusion restaurant and food truck operation founded by Howard University alumni, bringing Jamaican, Mexican, and American soul food together under one menu. What began as a single dorm-room hustle has grown into a multi-city brand with locations across Washington, DC, Baltimore, Detroit, and Houston, with Baltimore now serving as headquarters. The menu spans more than 230 dishes, anchored by signature plates like jerk chicken, oxtail, and salmon, all prepared without MSG or preservatives. The kitchen team brings over a decade of professional experience in Caribbean and Jamaican cooking, and the brand describes its approach as fusion cooking meant to be both healthy and affordable. Jerk At Nite has built a loyal following, amassing more than 500,000 Instagram followers and winning OpenTable's Diner's Choice Award in 2025. Guided by the mission to 'Feed the Culture,' the business continues to expand its footprint while staying rooted in authentic Caribbean flavor and quality ingredients. From its original food truck roots to brick-and-mortar storefronts, Jerk At Nite remains focused on serving communities that want late-night, high-quality alternatives to typical fast food.

Jerk At Nite began in 2012 when its founder started selling jerk chicken out of his dorm room in Drew Hall at Howard University. Raised in a Jamaican household centered on home-cooked meals, he saw a gap: after the campus cafeteria closed at 10pm, students had few options beyond standard fast food. He set out to give them something more authentic and satisfying. Demand grew quickly, and the operation expanded from a single dorm room into a full food truck business by 2014, eventually adding more trucks and its first brick-and-mortar storefront on H Street in Washington, DC in August 2023. The founders have described building much of the business themselves, without bank funding, learning construction and operations along the way. The venture has since grown into a multi-city brand spanning Washington, DC, Baltimore, Detroit, and Houston. A pivotal moment came in August 2024 when food critic Keith Lee visited and left a ,000 tip, which the team split between funding customer meals and rebuilding after their original H Street location suffered fire damage.

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