Liddy’s Kitchen, at 400 N. Second St. in Jackson Ward, is currently open for takeout with dine-in service starting in June.
The building at the corner of North Second and Marshall streets in Jackson Ward has long been a Jamaican restaurant, with the green, yellow and black of the island nation’s flag in fading paint on the brick exterior. When 26-year-old Jared (aka Jay) Brooks, an entrepreneur whose family ties extend to the Caribbean, spotted the space for sale on Facebook Marketplace, he saw it as a sign.
But, he says, the previous owner, who had operated the now-shuttered Jamerican Cuisine eatery there, “didn’t want to sell it to anyone that was going to take away from the Jamaican heritage; he owned it for the last 30 years or so.”
Proving his commitment to the project, Brooks and his family helped the proprietor during the annual 2nd Street Festival; they had meaningful conversations, found shared backgrounds, and Brooks ensured that the spirit of Jamaica would live on in the new business.
Jay Brooks, owner of Liddy’s Kitchen
Now, a younger generation is stepping in and reimagining the potential of the corner Caribbean spot. Next month, Brooks will introduce Liddy’s Kitchen at 400 N. Second St., a full-service Jamaican restaurant named after his mother, the matriarch whose recipes anchor the menu.
“My goal for the business, and just for myself in general, is to provide a whole 360 Jamaican experience,” Brooks says. “It’s just about cultivating that experience, people wanting to come back.”
Since obtaining the building in September 2025, half the space has been converted into a takeout counter, operating since December. The Second Street-facing side is currently undergoing renovations.
Brooks says the restaurant was a bit of a surprise for his parents. While they were helping him move house last year, he suggested they stop by the building; they knew he had already scheduled an appointment to view the property.
“We all came and looked, we just saw so much potential,” he says. “I said, ‘Mom, this would be great. We could really do it,’ and she said, ‘There’s other people that are doing it,’ and I told her, ‘There’s no one doing it like us, that’s our big thing.’”
Raised in Richmond, Brooks says he’s always been a go-getter. As a kid, he cut lawns for allowance. As he got older, his first job in the service industry was aboard his parents’ Dominic’s food truck, and for years he fixed cars and competed at Virginia International Raceway.
“I think the business mindset came mainly from my mom, my dad, because my family’s originally from Jamaica. … They’re strong-willed people,” says Brooks, who also works a small-business specialist for a local bank.
The menu at Liddy’s reads like a recipe box of timeless Jamaican specialties: curry chicken and goat spiced with garlic, thyme and Scotch bonnet, served with rice and peas and steamed cabbage; oxtails simmered low and slow in a rich gravy; jerk chicken, smoked and layered with spices; and savory brown stewed chicken.
“We are pretty tried and true when it comes to keeping it as authentic as possible,” Brooks says. “We do have a little of our own touch to the menu, just to keep it different and offer a new perspective. Certain things, like our oxtails, are No. 1, oxtails are No. 1, goat is No. 1.”
Regarding the jerk chicken, he adds, “We brought the spice, and it worked for everyone … very, very flavorful.”
Guests will also spot Rasta Pasta, a creamy salad with swirly noodles, bell peppers and the choice of shrimp or chicken. Other dishes include golden yellow Jamaican beef patties and coco bread, fried plantains, and jerk wings. For takeout orders, Liddy’s sells Snack Boxes, smaller-sized meals designed for carryout.
Weekend specials rotate through the kitchen as well, Saturday bringing signature baked mac and cheese and banana fritters, pillowy, pancake-like bites of mashed overripe bananas with sugar and spices.
While to-go service is giving customers a sneak peek of what’s to come, Brooks’ vision extends beyond the takeout box to a full sit-down experience, complete with Caribbean-inspired drinks — including a potent, tropical rum punch or, his favorite, gingery spiced sorrel — and backed by a soundtrack of live music.
Liddy’s will offer both cocktails and nonalcoholic sips including fruit punch, lemonade and fresh juices such as carrot, alongside familiar Jamaican soft drinks from Kola Champagne to ginger beer and pineapple soda.
The lead-up to the opening of Liddy’s Kitchen began with reels on social media of sticky, charred jerk wings beginning in March 2024, casually selling plates of Jamaican food on the weekends. It eventually led to catering and events, the family operating under a different name until Brooks suggested branding the concept, committing to it fully and leaning in.
“Once we did, we received a lot of feedback,” he says. “I think I saw the potential of family cooking; food was always something that we came together on. Most, if not all, of our recipes are my mother’s.”
Lydia, aka Liddy, can often be found in the kitchen, her safe space. Wearing an apron, focused and deliberate, she moves through recipes with instinct and memory, translating flavors through her own learned tempo and touch.
“The hardest part was mainly because Mom wasn’t going to be able to write it down,” Brooks says. “A lot of things that we cook are to taste. We had to have someone come step in and shadow her.”
Acknowledging the journey that led to this next chapter, Brooks says, “My family has been nothing but supportive. I soaked up everything that I’ve learned from all my siblings. Now, as those things are shifting, I’m the one that folks are coming to.”
Yet his mother, the matriarch behind the scents, spices and Jamaican specialties at the heart of Liddy’s Kitchen, remains his guiding light, both through the process and within the restaurant that bears her name.
“She’s a really good coach and advisor,” Brooks says. “Stepping into the food industry the first time was an endeavor of hers, and I’ve always been right by her side. This is a paradigm shift almost. Now it’s like, I’m leading the front, and she’s been there the whole time.”
Liddy’s Kitchen is currently open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 2 to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
