Downtown State College is filled with restaurants of every variety, but a new establishment brings a unique taste.

Jamaica Junction Caribbean Cuisine, 120 E. Beaver Ave., opened its doors last Friday with the hopes that State College residents would notice its original Caribbean menu that consists of mostly Jamaican cuisine.

Curry and jerk, a hot spice, are the main flavors that are applied to everything from chicken to salmon.

"The reaction has been pretty good," said the owner and cook, Seymour Anson.

Advertising has been mostly by word of mouth since the restaurant was established only one week after the previous tenants, Bombay Bistro & Grill, had vacated the building, Anson said.

Some of the food that was ordered for the restaurant hasn't even arrived yet, he said.

With a change of ownership there, are certain procedures that must be in place before the establishment is opened.

When switching from a restaurant to another restaurant the process isn't that difficult though, Downtown Business Executive Director Teresa Sparacino said.

"It would be more difficult if it was a retail store switching to a restaurant," Sparacino said.

The quick opening and lack of advertising hasn't deterred people from finding out about the new restaurant.

Nickie Askov and her husband Warren Askov tried the restaurant for the first time yesterday.

"The salad bar was very good," Nickie Askov said.

The couple said they also enjoyed the flags that decorate the front of the restaurant and that the atmosphere inside the building was great.

Tayo Banjo (graduate-media effects) and her friend Carol Braswell (freshman-human development and family studies) said they heard about Jamaica Junction through a friend and decided to try it.

"It's not very often you find a restaurant for people of African descent," Banjo said.

The Caribbean decorations and the music were nice, and a return trip was likely, she said.