Jamaican restaurant with unique fare – and a bit of Bob Marley – is a Belleville oasis
In little more than a year, a business that started as a food truck is now a sitdown restaurant that’s off to a great start.
Hangover Social Restaurant and Bar, located at 8201 W. Main St. in Belleville, already exceeded the expectations of owner Bevin Brown.
I met with Brown and his wife, Tawana Charis-Brown, at the new Jamaican restaurant to learn more.
A booming business
Hangover Social first opened as a food truck in March 2023. The colorful food truck is a converted school bus (reminding me a bit of “The Partridge Family” bus) and has room for indoor (in-bus?) dining.
The food truck’s commissary – or home base kitchen – was The Weingarten on Route 15 in Belleville.
Brown said the food he provided was so unique that when Hangover Social participated in food truck events, including The Weingarten’s Food Truck Friday events, his lines were much longer than the others’. They sold out of food quickly and had to leave early.
“We were bombarded,” he said.
It wasn’t too long before a decision was made to take the next step and open a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
The couple love to travel and always try without success to find authentic Jamaican restaurants. Brown said he wanted to open a place near a busy highway to draw travelers as well as locals.
They looked at a number of locations, and Chairs-Brown found the West Main Street space. Brown didn’t like it at first because it wasn’t in a high-traffic area.
“We decided to give it a try,” said Brown.
“He loves it here,” said Chairs-Brown.
The space was secured in April. Over the next three months, painting was done and artwork was selected. Structurally the place was ready — they added only a wall to separate the kitchen from the dining space and added a bar.
Hangover Social Restaurant and Bar opened Saturday, Aug. 3.
Brown said the business already exceeded his expectations.
“I’m not sure … might have something to do with the food,” he said.
He still has the food truck, but the restaurant is so busy that he doesn’t really get to use it much now.
An oasis in the desert
“We are so unique,” he said about the restaurant and the food he makes, which is all made fresh every day.
It’s real food, different … and people want it.
The authentic Jamaican fare is what brought the long lines to the food truck and is what brings people to the restaurant, even when it isn’t open.
This interview took place on a Monday, while the restaurant was closed. While I spoke to the couple, several people came in for lunch and left disappointed.
The first one to come in said she hadn’t found any other restaurants in the area that offers what Hangover Social offers and hasn’t enjoyed an authentic Jamaican restaurant since her last visit to Virginia.
She took a photo of the menu with her phone and said she’d be back the next day.
Brown said the most popular menu item is the oxtail with the jerk chicken coming in at a very close second.
Here are some of the menu highlights:
Entrées ($13-$24) – Curry chicken, brown stew chicken, jerk chicken, reggae wings, fried chicken, oxtail. These are served with rice and cabbage;
Seafood (16-$26) – Red snapper, fried catfish, salmon, shrimp, all served with rice and cabbage;
Appetizers ($5-$14) – Wings (jerk/reggae), Jamaican patty, salmon bites, shrimp skewers, soup;
Sides ($3-$7) – Rice, plantains, corn on the cob, cabbage, fries, mashed potatoes and festivals, which are deep-fried cornmeal dumplings with a crispy crust.
A liquor license from the state is still pending, but once granted folks can look forward to events and live music on weekends.
Brown said the goal is to bring fresh life to the west end of Belleville, describing the area as a desert and Hangover Social as the oasis.
Hangover Social will be a place for people to socialize, relax, eat and enjoy themselves. TVs are mounted throughout the restaurant, so sports and Bob Marley videos (which were playing during my visit) can be enjoyed.
Generosity and motivation
Brown is proud of the business and what it brings to the community. They used to take the food truck to East St. Louis and feed the homeless. Now they close a day each week (usually Mondays) to come in, cook and give away food.
His upbringing is part of the motivation behind his generosity. Originally from St. Thomas, Jamaica, Brown said he grew up very poor, which is why it’s important to him that he gives back to the community.
Growing up, there were a lot of nights, a lot of days when they would go without food.
“That’s why we give so much,” he said.
Brown was taught how to cook at an early age. His father, Winston, raised four kids by himself, so everyone had to contribute. By the time Brown was 11 years old, he was in the kitchen, cooking for the family. They all learned to cook, as well as wash clothes and take care of each other, he said.
Winston, now 82, instilled those attributes in his children, according to Brown, who opened the restaurant to make his dad’s own dream come true.
“He always talked about what he wanted … always wanted a restaurant,” said Brown. But it never happened. There were “too many obstacles he had to overcome.”
Wanting to make Winston’s dreams come true, even vicariously, was the main impetus that drove Brown to pursue certain things and to help his dad see himself through him.
“I look up to him so much. I see myself through him every day,” he said. “I’m just trying to make him proud.”
Brown also gives a lot of credit for his recent accomplishments to Chairs-Brown, who convinced her husband to leave a stressful corporate job, which he worked for 15 years, to pursue being his own boss.
He admits to easily getting frustrated and, if it wasn’t for her, ideas he had would not have been realized.
“It’s just a lot of encouragement and support,” said Chairs-Brown.
“Where I am at today, I could not have done it without her,” said Brown. “She’s my rock.”
About Hangover Social Restaurant and Bar
Hangover Social is located at 8201 W. Main St. in Belleville. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
For updates and additional info, call 618-213-6435 or visit the Hangover Social Facebook page.
