D&G Jamaican restaurant
brings a taste of the tropics to SSP

Will fire up specialty Valentine’s menu

By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | February 2025

Tastes of the Caribbean have surfaced in South St. Paul. Jamaican natives Gerald and Delroy Keane opened D&G Jamaican Restaurant in early December in the former Wellness Café at 1025 Southview Blvd. The menu boasts staples of their homeland as well as “fusion” options inspired by other countries, and the brothers are continuing to fire up new items to add.

Co-owner and head chef Gerald Keane has done just about everything in the restaurant industry, from waiting to bartending and sales, and even owned his own restaurant for two years in Jamaica. He immigrated from Jamaica to the United States in 2009, settling in New York, where he worked at an array of restaurants including Korean, Chinese, American, Italian and Jamaican. He moved to Minnesota last spring to be closer to family.

“Immediately when I arrived in Minnesota, I searched for Jamaican restaurants, and the ones that were popping up were few and far between,” he said. “With my menu, I’m able to combine different flavors and create new tastes.”

Popular Jamaican dishes include ox tail, jerk chicken and curry chicken. On the fusion side, big hits are rasta pasta, jerk chicken tacos and a jerk chicken sandwich that’s made with soft cocoa bread and other atypical sandwich ingredients such as cabbage.

“One of the plans that I have is to create a new menu just for Valentine’s Day that’s completely different from what we’re serving now,” said Keane. “I hope to do a jerk steak. I don’t know if that has been done anywhere near here before.” He also noted he will seek a liquor license in the coming months.

The restaurant can seat about 25. It also has a 30-seat private event space available for rent. Additionally, there’s room for outdoor dining on the patio. Other than revamping the food prep area and a few other minor additions, the space was relatively turn-key for the new owners.

Keane said he has enjoyed having the chance to interact a bit more with customers than he did in New York.

“The response has been good,” he said. “People from the community come in and tell us, ‘You’re welcome here. We need you here. We want you here.’ and that’s very encouraging… The most satisfying thing for me is when I prepare a plate and see the satisfaction that people have.”

D&G is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. This spring, be on the lookout for a weekend brunch menu. For more information, call 651-666-3346.

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