Why Locals Wait Up to an Hour for LA’s Best Jamaican Soul Food
BY LOS ANGELES EATER
Original Article Published by Los Angeles Eater
Tev’s & Family Kitchen, a Jamaican soul food restaurant in the Vermont Square neighborhood, is a Los Angeles marvel. Long lines have been a regular occurrence since its opening in January 2024, as diners queue up to get a taste of Tev’s cooking during limited hours that stretch from afternoon to early evening. Regulars may come in from Vermont Square or the surrounding South LA neighborhoods; first-timers may venture out after spotting the restaurant in Instagram and TikTok videos that show loaded plates of oxtails, plantains, macaroni and cheese, jerk chicken, and sweet chile wings, often paired with a delightfully sweet red (tropical punch), blue (blue raspberry), or lemonade Kool-Aid made on-site. Within the Black community, the colors are the actual flavors.
Tev’s Kitchen operates six days a week in this mostly residential neighborhood on West 48th Street between Arlington and Western Avenues, blocks away from the Garifuna Museum of Los Angeles. The spot also maintains a bit of mystery, with owner Tevin Love preferring to remain in the kitchen. While the restaurant promotes its business on Instagram and corresponds with influencers, all of my calls to Tev’s Kitchen went unanswered, even after multiple messages and visits.
Through numerous conversations with staff, I learned that Love was born and raised in Jamaica before moving to the United States at 15 years old and attending Inglewood High School. Love started the restaurant as a pop-up in his mother’s kitchen, before moving it to the current space in 2023. According to one of the security guards, the current location of Tev’s Kitchen was a brothel before Love took it over. During its early days, staff prepared food from the sidewalk while they worked to finish the interior of the restaurant. Health inspectors gave the go-ahead for the business to evolve from its takeout-only format to a full restaurant with a bigger kitchen in September 2024; today, it’s still a family-run operation. From his roots in his mother’s home, Love still keeps the community top of mind. During the holiday season, he donated clothing to residents on Skid Row all while cooking six days per week.
Here’s the scene at Tev’s Kitchen on two separate visits in October 2024 and February 2025.
The line: There is no way around the long wait at Tev’s Kitchen if you show up on a whim. During my October 2024 visit at 2 p.m., I stood in line for 45 minutes with the queue growing behind me as the minutes slowly passed. Even with the long line, staff members and fellow customers told me that some people come every few days because they appreciate the generous servings that can easily become two meals. One woman said that this was her third visit in a week; she planned to bring back something for her grandmother, who also loves Tev’s food. The 2025 ordering system is a bit more streamlined — pre-orders are the way to go. Parking is easiest in the daytime hours but lessens as residents return home from work. Those arriving later might have to come back on another day because Tev’s regularly sells out.
The menu: Tev’s changes its menu six times a week — every day that it’s open — so don’t expect the same thing on every visit. The February 25 menu was all about chicken: wings or chicken tenders tossed with garlic and Parmesan, hot sauce, barbecue, or lemon pepper and served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, broccoli, and that famous Kool-Aid. Most weekends, Tev’s focuses on Jamaican dishes with jerk chicken, oxtails, and short ribs with sides like caramelized plantains or Jamaica’s staple rice and peas. It’s common to find jerk salmon, curry chicken, or even the occasional breakfast specials. Platters are priced starting at $28 with oxtails at $38. A la carte wings are $10, the same price as a side of macaroni and cheese.
The vibe: Tev’s Kitchen resides in a Black neighborhood and is a Black-owned restaurant; most people who frequent the restaurant are Black Angelenos. In a city where the Black population and restaurants continue to dwindle in size, Tev’s maintains a strong presence. (Influencer LA Try Guy noted that Tev’s Kitchen was one of his best meals of 2024.) It’s not uncommon to have people from every part of the city represented in that oft-eternal line. The biggest conversation point for waiting customers is often the long line or strategy around what to order. Inside, the room is stark white with crowd control barrier posts and six tables, while the shaded sail-covered patio can easily seat up to 30. Tev’s crowds represent all ages, shapes, and sizes, and might be busier than usual if there’s an event at the Coliseum or BMO Stadium. Most diners take their food away to eat at home, but a contingent of folks will sit down, hunched over platters of hot jerk pasta or grilled lamb chops on site.
The verdict: Tev’s Kitchen’s food is some of the best and most soulful Jamaican food in Los Angeles. As Southern California restaurants struggle to fill seats in the wake of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, Tev’s remains busy because it consistently makes excellent food for the people who live in Vermont Square. The restaurant has the ideal formula for success, with friendly staff and a menu that is meaningful to the community. The area is filled with restaurants like Fred’s Downhome Burger, Master Burger, numerous fast-food chains, and A1 Burger; Tev’s home-style Jamaican dishes are a refreshing break from the usual. Ultimately, the unfussy setup is part of Tev’s charm: It’s clear that this family just wants to serve their community, and the community is happy to have them there.
