Tri-C Culinary Grad Opens Second Irie Location

Omar McKay brings Irie Jamaican Kitchen to the west side, with opening of Old Brooklyn restaurant

Winter may be on its way, but you can still get a taste of the tropics in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood.

Today, Cuyahoga Community College Culinary Arts graduate Omar McKay opens his second Irie Jamaican Kitchen location at 4162 Pearl Road. The new restaurant allows west siders to enjoy McKay’s unique take on Jamaican cuisine, which he’s been serving at Irie’s 621 E. 185th St. location since 2016.

“It feels good to see your dreams come true, to have an even bigger steppingstone with the opening of a new location,” McKay said during a pre-opening event on Saturday.

Irie is a counter-service restaurant that allows customers to choose from bowl and box entrée options, with traditional Jamaican favorites including jerk chicken and beef, curry chicken, stew chicken and oxtail; and sides including rice and peas, cabbage and fried plantains. Vegan entrée options are available.

A full menu is available on Irie’s website.

The Old Brooklyn location is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.

“This is the culmination of years of hard work, just continuing to build the brand,” McKay said. “I’m using a lot of what I learned at Tri-C. My instructors there showed me not only the culinary side of restaurants, but also the business side. 

“It made me unafraid to take risks as far as expanding my business, and just trying something different — introducing a lot of new people to Jamaican food.”

December 04, 2019

Erik Cassano, 216-987-3577 or erik.cassano@tri-c.edu