This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Exclusive Jerk Bar & Grill is Jermar Elliott’s authentic Jamaican restaurant in South KC’s Watts Mill Plaza — opened September 2024. Elliott was born and raised in Jamaica, opened restaurants there, then launched a Chicago location before bringing his jerk kitchen to Kansas City. Signature jerk chicken, stewed oxtails, tropical cocktails.

Description

Exclusive Jerk Bar & Grill is Jermar Elliott’s love letter to Jamaica — a Jamaican restaurant in South Kansas City’s Watts Mill Plaza that arrived in September 2024. Elliott grew up in Jamaica cooking in restaurants from a young age, eventually opening two restaurants there before expanding internationally. He launched the first Exclusive Jerk in Chicago in 2021 and, with family in the Kansas City area, made the decision to bring his concept here. The Watts Mill space — a former Panera — has been transformed into an island kitchen with serious credentials: Elliott’s jerk chicken is slow-cooked with traditional Jamaican wood smoke techniques, the stewed oxtails represent the soul of Caribbean home cooking, and the seafood menu reflects the full range of West Indian cuisine. Tropical cocktails, local and international beers, and handcrafted drinks complete the bar program. Elliott’s trajectory — Jamaica to the world, then to Kansas City — makes Exclusive Jerk a genuine cross-cultural immigrant story anchored in South KC.

Tier classification

Tier 2 — Jamaica-born, KC-dedicated immigrant operator. Jermar Elliott was born and raised in Jamaica — not KC-born/raised.1 He opened restaurants in Jamaica, then Chicago (2021), before moving to Kansas City and opening here in September 2024. His decision to settle in KC was driven by family connections in the area; Exclusive Jerk KC is not a passive expansion but a community-anchored investment. Tier 2 confirmed: immigrant-owned, KC-dedicated operator, opened 2024.

Last verified: 2026-07-25 · Source: official website food & drink menus (exclusivejerkkcmo.com, SpotHopper), rendered via Firecrawl2 · menu_status: verified · Confidence: High (full priced menu captured from the restaurant’s own website; DoorDash aggregator link was NOT used for prices)

Lunch Specials

  • Jerk Chicken (White) — $14.00 · (Dark) — $12.25 · (Wing) — $14.002
  • Jerk Catfish — $13.50 · Escovitch Fried Catfish — $14.002
  • Curry Goat — $15.00 · Curry Chicken — $13.502
  • Oxtails — $17.50 · Brown Stew Chicken — $12.502

Dinner Specials

  • Jerk Chicken — White $20.50 · Mixed $19.00 · Dark $19.00 · Wing $20.502
  • Jerk Pork — $18.00 · Jerk Catfish — $21.50 · Escovitch Fried Catfish — $21.502
  • Jerk Tilapia — $18.00 · Jerk Shrimp — $22.00 · Curry Shrimp — $22.00 · Stir Fry Shrimp — $22.002
  • Ackee and Salt Fish — $24.00 · Jerk Salmon — $25.00 · Honey Garlic Salmon — $24.002
  • Jerk Lobster — $26.00 · Curry Lobster — $26.002
  • Oxtail — $28.00 · Curry Goat — $24.00 · Brown Stew Chicken — $17.00 · Curry Chicken — $19.002
  • Jerk Lamb Chops — $26.00 · Honey Garlic Lamb Chops — $28.002
  • Veggie Plate — $14.00 · Combination Dinner — $24.002

Jerk Chicken (by portion) & Wings

  • Whole — White $22.00 · Mixed $20.00 · Dark $20.002
  • Half — White $11.00 · Mixed/Dark $10.00 · Quarter — White $5.50 / Dark $5.002
  • Wings — 3 pc $5.00 · 6 pc $10.00 · 8 pc $12.00 · 10 pc $16.00 (Honey BBQ or Buffalo +$1.00)2

Salads

  • Jerk Chicken — $14.00 · Jerk Tilapia — $14.00 · Jerk Salmon — $16.00 · Jerk Shrimp — $16.00 · Chicken & Shrimp — $20.002

Tacos, Burritos & Pasta

  • Jerk Chicken Taco — $3.00 · Nacho — $12.002
  • Jerk Chicken Burrito — $12.00 · Jerk Tilapia Burrito — $12.002
  • Jerk Chicken Alfredo — $16.00 · Jerk Shrimp Alfredo — $18.00 · Chicken & Shrimp Alfredo — $22.002

Sides

  • Macaroni and Cheese / Candied Yams / Red Beans and Rice / Sweet Corn / Garlic Potato / Garden Salad / Plantains — $4.00 each2
  • Collard Greens / Callaloo / Mashed Potatoes / Steam Vegetables — $5.00 each2

Desserts

  • Caramel / Red Velvet / Lemon / German Chocolate Cake — $3.50 each2
  • Taffy Grapes — $3.99 · Cookies — $2.502

Bar & Cold Beverages

  • Tropical Rhythm — $3.00 · Ting — $2.75 · Ginger Beer — $2.502
  • Kola Champagne / Pineapple / Cream Soda / Calypso — $2.50 each · Mystics — $2.252
  • Coconut Water / Water — $2.60 · Canned Pop — $1.002
  • Tropical cocktails, local & international beers, and handcrafted drinks also available.1

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Martin City Telegraph — “Exclusive Jerk Restaurant and Bar Brings Savory Jamaican Cuisine to Watts Mill Plaza” (January 10, 2025) — https://martincitytelegraph.com/2025/01/10/exclusive-jerk-restaurant-and-bar-brings-savory-jamaican-cuisine-to-watts-mill-plaza/ — Confirms: Jermar Elliott (owner-chef); born and raised in Jamaica; opened restaurants in Jamaica before expanding; Chicago location opened 2021; KC location September 2024; Watts Mill Plaza (former Panera); jerk chicken and stewed oxtails as signatures; family in KC area as reason for expansion; “Bold, smoky flavors that capture the essence of Jamaica.” ↩ ↩2

  2. Exclusive Jerk Bar & Grill — official website food menu (exclusivejerkkcmo.com/kansas-city-exclusive-jerk-bar-and-grill-food-menu) and drink menu (…-drink-menu), SpotHopper — full priced menu rendered via Firecrawl and captured 2026-07-25. First-party prices (the only online-ordering link, DoorDash, was NOT used). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27

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On the record — ks.city/registry/exclusive-jerk-bar-and-grill · record updated 2026-07-25