Introduction to Jamaican Jerk Villa Bar & Grill
AUBURN GRESHAM — More than 20 years after establishing roots on Auburn Gresham’s 79th Street corridor, a family-owned restaurant has expanded from a no-frills business to a newly designed bar and grill. With a pop of confetti, owner Peter McKnight and local leaders last week marked the official grand opening of Jamaican Jerk Villa Bar & Grill. The restaurant at 642-648 W. 79th St. opened its indoor and patio seating to guests in September.
History of Jamaican Jerk Villa
Jamaican Jerk Villa began serving spiced chicken combos and gooey macaroni and cheese in Auburn Gresham over 20 years ago, when McKnight and his late mother, Vinette, opened the business in 2002 with nothing but “a stove and grill” at 737 W. 79th St., McKnight said. The no-frills restaurant established a name for itself in the community and developed a “loyal following” for its carry-out jerk chicken dishes, McKnight said.
Dewayne G. flips grilled meat during the ribbon cutting for Jerk Villa, 642-8 W. 79th St., in Auburn Gresham on May 23, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Expansion and Funding
The Auburn Gresham location is the family’s second bar and grill, McKnight said. They also own and operate a Jamaican Jerk Villa restaurant at 2216 S. Michigan Ave. When Ald. David Moore (17th), whose ward includes the Auburn Gresham restaurant, found out about the South Loop location, he told McKnight he wanted a similar business in his ward, Moore said. McKnight told Moore if the alderman helped him find a home and funding, the family would make it happen, Moore said.
The restaurant received a $250,000 Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant in 2021 as part of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Invest South/West Initiative, and used that funding to redesign the new 4,600-square-foot space, McKnight said.
An order of grilled catfish, rice and beans and Mac n cheese during the ribbon cutting for Jerk Villa, 642-8 W. 79th St., in Auburn Gresham on May 23, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Community Impact
The grant was a “vital part of the project” because it allowed McKnight to save the vacant building from the city’s demolition court and obtain a bridge loan to “make all this possible,” McKnight said. It cost $1.4 million to build out the bar and grill. “Developments like this are important because it gives people the opportunity to have a
