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Address and Contact Information
Address: 129 N Michigan St, South Bend, IN 46601
Phone: (574) 232-0954
Website: https://coolrunningsin.com/
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Cool Runnings Restaurant & Bar | Authentic Jamaican Food | Indiana
Our authentic Jamaican recipes were passed down, and perfected. From our signature Jerk Chicken to Curry Goat and other classic Jamaican dishes, …
Cool Runnings Restaurant and Bar South Bend – Facebook
Details … 129 N Michigan St, South Bend, IN 46601-1603, United States, South Bend, IN, United States, 4660… Links.
Cool Runnings closes in downtown South Bend, but there’s already …
Cool Runnings Restaurant and Bar in downtown South Bend, Indiana, has closed. · Owner Jayson Smith cited staffing challenges as the reason for …
Reviews
AEA Innovations
We enjoyed Cool Runnings. Seems like we came before the party begun ,but the food was great. I had the oxtails, yams and cabbage and my coworker had the jerk wings, cabbage and red beans and rice. Both taste amazing ,food was great! Music was good with a lot of room and a stage.
… moreNevaeh Taylor
My husband and I had high hopes and really wanted to love this place. We recently moved to South Bend and have been making our rounds to try each restaurant. My overall rating was a 6/10 based on service, food, and ambience. Heres the breakdown of the rating:
Jerk Wings: 8.5/10 – great flavor but temperature was warm
Oxtail Stew: 5/10 – good flavor, could have been more spicy. main entree and sides were cold. to be $30 it pretty small portion and wasnt served with any rice and not much juice when the menu says oxtail stew
Sides: Mac n cheese: 3/10 (tasted like box mac n cheese and served cold)
Yams: 3/10 again cold and tasted like straight from a can
Red beans n rice: 7/10 good flavor but cold
Plantains: 9/10 amazing just wish they were hot/warm
Service: 4/10 – got seated quickly but did not get checked on during meal and waited a long time after eating before having to ask for the check.
Ambience: 9/10 – love how it’s decorated, great music even when there isn’t a band
Overall it’s decent. Unfortunately I don’t think we will be back. We got two dinner plates and waters, our total was $61 (with 15% gratuity included)
… moreJerk Wings: 8.5/10 – great flavor but temperature was warm
Oxtail Stew: 5/10 – good flavor, could have been more spicy. main entree and sides were cold. to be $30 it pretty small portion and wasnt served with any rice and not much juice when the menu says oxtail stew
Sides: Mac n cheese: 3/10 (tasted like box mac n cheese and served cold)
Yams: 3/10 again cold and tasted like straight from a can
Red beans n rice: 7/10 good flavor but cold
Plantains: 9/10 amazing just wish they were hot/warm
Service: 4/10 – got seated quickly but did not get checked on during meal and waited a long time after eating before having to ask for the check.
Ambience: 9/10 – love how it’s decorated, great music even when there isn’t a band
Overall it’s decent. Unfortunately I don’t think we will be back. We got two dinner plates and waters, our total was $61 (with 15% gratuity included)
Brian T
Jayson Smith has finally done what other restaurants has tried to do over the years and that’s bring real, authentic Jamaican cuisine to South Bend. From the moment you walk in you get a feeling you might be walking into a Jamaican beach side establishment! There are tiki type canopies over some seating areas, the bars and stage with the colors of Jamaica everywhere! Seating is well placed without being over crowded. The larger bar is well equipped and the smaller secondary bar is as well.
Reggae and popular R&B house music is heard while you’re there.
Our server and service was top notch. We never one time had to look for her if we needed anything. She was attentive and quick. She was so good we tipped her 70% of our total bill. Another couple we know joined my wife and I for dinner excited to test the authenticity of what meals we ordered. We started out with the jerk wings. Perfectly dusted and grilled They were quite delicious. The Jamaican jerk sauce (made and bottled in house) brought on the side taste better than most store bought. I ordered the curry goat, my wife had the jerk burger while our friends opted for the jerk chicken (they got into it before I could get a pre eaten picture) platters. My wife said her burger was perfectly cooked too her specific request it be. Her fries were large and crunchy. My curry goat could possibly be the most tender and juiciest meat I’ve ever ate. You do have to deal with small bones in some of it but well worth it. Platters come with beans and rice and one side. The beans and rice were cooked how rice and beans should be. We chose the Mac and cheese for our side. Creamy, cheesy and the right amount of seasoning. We all really enjoyed it You even get a plantain and it was amazing! Our friends loved the jerk chicken saying it was perfectly seasoned. Just spicy enough for flavor but not overbearing. The drinks were mixed well. The bartender could be a little quicker on getting drinks out but again, this is not an issue compared to how wonderful everything else was for us. The portions of food you get is far more than enough to get full and still have enough to take home.
There was a band setting up while we were finishing up as customers started filling up the place. But we chose not to stay as we all were completely satisfied and ready to get more comfy clothes on for the night!!
Overall, if I could give 10 stars for atmosphere, decor, service, food, drinks and more I would across the board without hesitation. Cool Runnings is a much needed and welcomed eatery this town badly needs. Jayson’s attention to detail brings the eating experience to the customer many restaurants still need to learn how to do!!
Well done Mr. Smith and his staff at
Cool Runnings
… moreReggae and popular R&B house music is heard while you’re there.
Our server and service was top notch. We never one time had to look for her if we needed anything. She was attentive and quick. She was so good we tipped her 70% of our total bill. Another couple we know joined my wife and I for dinner excited to test the authenticity of what meals we ordered. We started out with the jerk wings. Perfectly dusted and grilled They were quite delicious. The Jamaican jerk sauce (made and bottled in house) brought on the side taste better than most store bought. I ordered the curry goat, my wife had the jerk burger while our friends opted for the jerk chicken (they got into it before I could get a pre eaten picture) platters. My wife said her burger was perfectly cooked too her specific request it be. Her fries were large and crunchy. My curry goat could possibly be the most tender and juiciest meat I’ve ever ate. You do have to deal with small bones in some of it but well worth it. Platters come with beans and rice and one side. The beans and rice were cooked how rice and beans should be. We chose the Mac and cheese for our side. Creamy, cheesy and the right amount of seasoning. We all really enjoyed it You even get a plantain and it was amazing! Our friends loved the jerk chicken saying it was perfectly seasoned. Just spicy enough for flavor but not overbearing. The drinks were mixed well. The bartender could be a little quicker on getting drinks out but again, this is not an issue compared to how wonderful everything else was for us. The portions of food you get is far more than enough to get full and still have enough to take home.
There was a band setting up while we were finishing up as customers started filling up the place. But we chose not to stay as we all were completely satisfied and ready to get more comfy clothes on for the night!!
Overall, if I could give 10 stars for atmosphere, decor, service, food, drinks and more I would across the board without hesitation. Cool Runnings is a much needed and welcomed eatery this town badly needs. Jayson’s attention to detail brings the eating experience to the customer many restaurants still need to learn how to do!!
Well done Mr. Smith and his staff at
Cool Runnings
Samuel Felleke
I came in very hungry.And the food was very tasty and delicious. Everything was high point. Very satisfying.
Nice atmosphere as well and music!
Upon check out I was charged a 15 % service charge.. which is a money grab. Tipping should be at the customers discretion. I am removing one star
… moreNice atmosphere as well and music!
Upon check out I was charged a 15 % service charge.. which is a money grab. Tipping should be at the customers discretion. I am removing one star
Stephani Walters
I ordered the jerk wings with red beans and rice with plantains. I use to love this place but I won’t be eating there anymore everything I ordered was so dry! The plantains were like tree bark! I stopped going in because the service wasn’t very good. So I preferred for take out now the food has just gone down hill. So sad! Food used to be amazing!!
… moreOne Persons Opinion
WARNING: This is another business that refuses to pay their employees a livable wage. They add a 20% “service fee” then leave you a place to tip.
If you’re not paying attention you could theoretically leave a 40% gratuity.
OWNERS like this NEED TO DO BETTER.
The food was ok.. Being from Miami I was hoping for more spice.
Ordered Jerk wings.
I still gave a bit more, as my server deserves money she works for..
… moreIf you’re not paying attention you could theoretically leave a 40% gratuity.
OWNERS like this NEED TO DO BETTER.
The food was ok.. Being from Miami I was hoping for more spice.
Ordered Jerk wings.
I still gave a bit more, as my server deserves money she works for..
NATURALLY DAY’S EYE
Service was very good. My waiter was very professional. I loved going to their 1st location in Michigan City. However, today I was able to try jerk catfish without the extra miles. The fish doesn’t look appetizing but, I almost tried to eat up the bones. Lol
… moreL.R. Lucas
Service was slow but it was Sunday, but the mixed chicken was amazing, the “burger” had a twang taste that I wasn’t fond of, shrimp tacos had great flavor, I would recommend if you’re close to restaurant but I wouldn’t drive out of the way, if you like red beans and rice and don’t want to pay $1.00 to change your side, best place to try , do not order the “sweet corn” if you arrive late, it’s just corn overcooked, Mac n cheese, is what they say, just covered in Jamaica seasoning, but again, the chicken is amazing
… moreDonald Eldridge
Stopped in on a referral from the front desk at the courtyard. It was Wednesday and they had a dj with really good music but pretty loud. The jerk chicken was really good and had some spice. It could’ve been spicy-er for me. The red beans and rice with plantains didn’t disappoint either. I will definitely be back.
… moreRicky Jurgonski
*YOU ARE GOING TO BE CHARGED TO SIT DOWN AND EAT IN THEIR RESTAURANT*
TL:DR – Server was good, food was dry, paid 45% on top of the meal total between service charge and tip.
Shame on me for not looking over everything more carefully. Don’t autopilot through this place.
—
Went here for date night; excited to try the South Bend location as I had recently tried the Michigan City one for a company outing and loved it.
My experience was a combination of good and bad. Ultimately I was disheartened.
Katlyn, our server was extremely helpful, patient, and kind.
The food was definitely good in flavor/seasoning; however, the chicken was very dry for both of us.
One other mention about the food is that both times in my experience with Cool Runnings is that there is definitely bones in the meat where you wouldnt necessarily expect— or I am ignorant… but I consider myself among the average diner.
I don’t mind it if I know about, but it is definitely not a fun surprise when it cuts your gums or jabs ya in the throat. A courtesy warning probably should be given from staff.
Also in regards of courtesy, this is where it really goes south for me. Shame on me for not looking closer at the bill and the handheld payment device first. We receive the bill and I click the max tip because I felt she did a good job. Didn’t notice that max was 30%, but shame on me for not looking closer. After I clicked it, I was like hang on a sec, the total charge seems kind of high even for a 30% tip. Well I look back at my receipt and see a 15% charge on top of my bill as a “Service charge” so I asked her- hey just for future reference, not that you dont deserve a good tip- but does this. 15% that I am now seeing go to you as a tip also? She tells me that they put it on all of their dine-ins and that she doesn’t know where that money goes. I said well that would have been a nice thing to know up front when we sat down. She brings me a menu and shows us the fine print at the bottom right. We thank her and we leave.
The longer we were in to our drive back home we just really felt suckered. Feels like a good way to finesse more out of people in plain sight. I would encourage the servers to question where that 15% is going if not in their pocket… because at that point youre just charging over twice the amount of sales tax just to be there.. which is kind of the point of having a giant dining area.
Lesson learned. We will likely be back again earlier in the evening and hoping for a better experience. We’d like to not have to write this place off.
… moreTL:DR – Server was good, food was dry, paid 45% on top of the meal total between service charge and tip.
Shame on me for not looking over everything more carefully. Don’t autopilot through this place.
—
Went here for date night; excited to try the South Bend location as I had recently tried the Michigan City one for a company outing and loved it.
My experience was a combination of good and bad. Ultimately I was disheartened.
Katlyn, our server was extremely helpful, patient, and kind.
The food was definitely good in flavor/seasoning; however, the chicken was very dry for both of us.
One other mention about the food is that both times in my experience with Cool Runnings is that there is definitely bones in the meat where you wouldnt necessarily expect— or I am ignorant… but I consider myself among the average diner.
I don’t mind it if I know about, but it is definitely not a fun surprise when it cuts your gums or jabs ya in the throat. A courtesy warning probably should be given from staff.
Also in regards of courtesy, this is where it really goes south for me. Shame on me for not looking closer at the bill and the handheld payment device first. We receive the bill and I click the max tip because I felt she did a good job. Didn’t notice that max was 30%, but shame on me for not looking closer. After I clicked it, I was like hang on a sec, the total charge seems kind of high even for a 30% tip. Well I look back at my receipt and see a 15% charge on top of my bill as a “Service charge” so I asked her- hey just for future reference, not that you dont deserve a good tip- but does this. 15% that I am now seeing go to you as a tip also? She tells me that they put it on all of their dine-ins and that she doesn’t know where that money goes. I said well that would have been a nice thing to know up front when we sat down. She brings me a menu and shows us the fine print at the bottom right. We thank her and we leave.
The longer we were in to our drive back home we just really felt suckered. Feels like a good way to finesse more out of people in plain sight. I would encourage the servers to question where that 15% is going if not in their pocket… because at that point youre just charging over twice the amount of sales tax just to be there.. which is kind of the point of having a giant dining area.
Lesson learned. We will likely be back again earlier in the evening and hoping for a better experience. We’d like to not have to write this place off.