Dat Jerk Caribbean Chargrill Coming To The Mall In Columbia

COLUMBIA, MD — Dat Jerk Caribbean Chargrill will open at The Mall in Columbia this month. This will be the fourth location for the restaurant, which offers authentic Caribbean dishes.

The restaurant was founded in 2016 by Richard and Angela Fray, and currently has locations in Lansdowne, Glenarden and Waldorf.

Richard Fray has a Cuban and Jamaican background. He and wife, Angela, ran franchises in southern California 16 years ago. In the meantime, they spent three years developing recipes for their dream restaurant, Dat Jerk Caribbean Chargrill.

The Frays also added other family members to their business, including daughter Morgan, and opened their first location in Waldorf six years ago. According to the restaurant's Facebook page, the menu offers traditional favorites like jerk chicken, jerk pork and oxtail, along with vegetarian options. Customers can choose a bowl, roti (Caribbean wrap-style sandwich) or salad, then select a protein, one of six signature sauces and two sides. There's also a variety of shrimp, sold by the pound, and hot patties.

They achieve the Jamaican jerk flavor by cooking the meat slowly over pimento wood after it's been rubbed with homemade jerk sauce, according to their website.