Taste of the Caribbean

Ahhh. I remember when this used to be THE spot for Caribbean food in the West End, but oh my how things have changed. I would not recommend this place to anyone seeking to find good Jamaican food, although I suppose it is possible some could be sold there on some days.
First things first, getting into the restaurant is difficult. Parking is very hard to find. There are few spots out front and parking in the West End Mall and crossing Lee Street doesn’t seem like the best of ideas, but I guess would work if the food was worth it.
The ambiance inside is terrible. No loud Jamaican music of any kind. The guy behind the counter had an apron that misspelled Caribbean. (I assure you that anyone from the region will have the correct spelling of the Sea, Beer and Indian tribe burned into their head at a young age.) Feeling a little wary, I ordered a beef patty and Sorrel.
The beef patty was terrible and I have absolutely no idea how you mess up putting a Tower Island beef patty under a heat lamp. (The answer is to not put that brand down.) It was leaking and lacked any semblance of spice. In fairness, even decent JA restaurants may not get the patty correct. But then I ordered Sorrel. Now its close to Christmastime, so Sorrel pretty much is in perfect season for restaurants given its popularity as a Christmas drink. Unfortunately, this Sorrel made too much use of Ginger — or something highly acidic. That’s not a good look. If you cannot make the two required fundamental easy dishes of WI cuisine, then I’ll have to pass on the rest.

This place deserves more love. I never even try anything except the patties because they are so good – that and their coco bread are world class. Stick to the basics and you’ll be more than fine.
Their patties held me down thru college.

Talib is a brave soul! My co-​worker is here about once every two weeks. I used to order too until I did the pickup once. Once was all it took. The place was drab and dirty. I did say dirty right? Although I am male, I am a visual person. I like my food prepared in clean places and not just the counters!
The food is ok, my wife makes better curry goat than they do. I’ll never be back.
To clarify, my wife is German. :)

What, no Jamaican accent to greet me at the door??? In fact, there were no Jamaican accents to be found anywhere in the place! Not a good sign for a ‘Jamaican’ spot. Well, I had low expectations from the beginning since the location is a rinky dink store front across from West End Mall with limited seating.
The food was well, about like the accents, not too inviting. It was ok for a quick ‘jerk’ fix, but not anything I would highly recommend. Despite this I return to this place regularly. It’s the coco bread baby! They make the bread fresh daily. They also make the bread for their patties. This place gets three stars purely because of this. I wait at the door for them to open some days. So, if you see me at the door… holla at ya boy! Accent optional…