One Love Cafe

Having enjoyed OneLove several years ago, I resolved to find it over Christmas 2015 for its terrific Jamaican food and unique, homey atmosphere. We called the restaurant ahead — they said the 800 Main St location was closed and moving to a new location across the street, to be opened in January 2016. Maybe another Unilocaler will be able to update us on the new location.

This is the best Jamaican you’ll ever have! Venice catered my wedding and people are still raving about her jerk chicken, callaloo and plantains. She was able to do the vegan thing and the carnivore thing and travel 4 freaking hours to cater a wedding in Maine. In addition to her food being out of this world good she is lovely. If you want to have a fantastic dinner, stop by One Love. If you want to have people exclaiming this is the best food they’ve ever had at a wedding, hire her. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

I adore this café and Venice. I used to live just down the street from this yummy gem. I miss it. Venice treated us like family and we felt welcomed and taken care of each time we walked through the door. My daughter was healthily addicted to those delicious fried plantains and she had a time keeping Mommy from sneaking some bites for herself. Soooo many good veg options.

The food is unbelievable! All home made! My husband and I go here at least once a week. We love that it’s BYOB. The atomosphere is great, people who work there are so welcoming! We have introduced so many people to the place all of whom have been VERY impressed!

This place is a hidden treasure of Massachusetts.
I found myself in Worcester during a foot journey across the state. (Yes, I walked from Pittsfield to Hingham.) A friend of mine who moved to Boulder after attending Clark University told me I HAD to find One Love Café and eat there. So I trekked over, got there slightly before lunch hours, and ended up being the first diner of the day.
The jerk chicken I had was outstanding. Possibly the best I’ve had in America. It was tender, bursting with flavor, liberally spicy, and very affordable. And then there’s Venus, the owner and chef. I had such a blast chatting with her throughout the meal. We compared travel stories, particularly those involving long walks (given the nature of my trip) and had many laughs. Before long, I felt like I was eating lunch in Venus’s living room or kitchen as opposed to a traditional restaurant.
Stop combing through other Worcester dining options: just put on your coat and head straight to One Love for the cuisine and the vibes.

The service was great, what a friendly atmosphere! My husband ordered jerk chicken and I ordered jerk tofu from their lovely vegan menu, and they were both excellent. We didn’t know it was BYOB, next visit will come w a bottle of wine.

Went there today with my partner and Venus was cordial and extremely helpful with suggestions. The food was over the top and so was the staff!

Upon first entering this hole in the wall place my boyfriend and I thought we found a jem and while the service was exceptional the food was not as exceptional. My boyfriend ordered the oxtail but we were advised that there wasnt any more and to pick something else. Then, a few minutes later we were advised that my bf could have a mix between the last of the oxtail and some goat. The goat was gamey and the oxtail overly salty. The rice and peas was tasteless. I got the chicken, it was not edible. It was much too salty. I am so sorry to give a negative review of this cute place but it’s just not worth the hour it took to sit there for less than mediocre food that got me sick when I came home.

Best jerk chicken and curried goat EVER!
After our looonng roadtrip from Chicago, we were looking for some comfort food. The bf stumbled upon reviews for One Love amidst reviews for seafood, Viet and the typical chains. THIS was what we needed, for sure.
One Love is small, but cozy. It’s almost like being at someone’s house for dinner. We were greeted immediately when we walked in, but noticed that there was only one lady there [and she was cookin’ AND takin’ orders at the same time!]. She gave us some water and also pieces of watermelon to put in the water glasses. After debating our options, we settled on the cod cakes, meat patties, jerk chicken and curried goat.
EVERYTHING was delicious! Like, honestly the best tasting food that we have had in a while. I really loved that the goat was soo flavorful and came with an avocado and plantains to kinda cut the flavorfulness. The bf loved the jerk chicken and, even though it was a little to spicy for him, he couldn’t stop eating it! Too good, too good!
The best part is that it tastes like it’s made with some TLC — you can’t beat that! The nice woman was cooking and jamming out to all this amazing music at the same time. There is such a nice vibe in One Love. If we’re ever in Worcester again, we are definitely coming back!

Very friendly owner… well worth a visit…

Ended up here pretty randomly one evening on a drive from the berkshires to the Northshore. Had to walk through a pretty sketchy area to get here but it ended up being worth it. The jerk chicken was incredibly flavorful, perfectly spicy, falling off of the bone with really complex spices. The rice and beans were also moist and flavorful. The portions are substantial and pretty much everything is under $ 13. The waiter (who was also the cook) was sincere, attentive, personable, and knowledgable. The atmosphere was charming and super cozy. lots of attention to detail from start to finish. Great place for a date (but definitely drive esp. if it’s after dark because as said before, not the safest neighborhood). I plan on going back on a Thursday when there is a $ 10 buffet and sometimes live performances. OH AND ITS CASH ONLY!

We went here as a last min discovery before going to the movies and we were not disappointed. Super cute, loved the music, the vibes and the food. The staff was so nice. The atmosphere is really chill but also great for an intimate dinner date. It’s byob although with Ting on the menu who needs booze! They also bring you water that had frozen watermelon in it! It was so good! I got the curried goat which was cooked to perfection and seasoned wonderfully. They were out of rice and peas but had coconut milk rice which was equally delish. I will def make the 45 min drive up from boston again to go here!

I placed a order for take out over the phone which went to the owners phone not the person cooking. So the owner somehow relayed my order to the cook and about 20 minutes later I show up and he is cooking plantains and has not even started my order. The place was empty and there was no reason to not have my food ready. I waited another 20 minutes and wasted most of my lunch for the food. When I did get my food back to my job it looks very nice. I did enjoy the food although it was overly salty and the portions were small. The atmosphere looks nice but for someone ordering take out I would suggest against it.

It is always very good food, with a wonderful charismatic leader! A true cultural experience here in lil olé Worcester!

I had the privilege of being one of the few people able to squeeze into this lovely little restaurant on buffet night.
I LOVED the special little touches of this restaurant like the watermelon in the water pitchers, the colorful glasses, the quotes and signs on the walls, the live music, the BYOB and the lively presence of the owner Venice. Customers would walk in and immediately greet her by name with a big hug. GREAT AMBIANCE (not fancy, just FUN).
Onto the food:
The buffet consisted of 3 entrees. The first entrée was stewed chicken, followed by jerk chicken, then curried goat. You kind of have to wait to try all of these things since she serves the entrees one at a time. But it’s well worth it. There was also rice, sauteed veggies with great spices, salad with beets and fresh fried plantains. Everything was super delicious, no complaints here.
Negatives:
Since the entrees are served one after the other you have to pace yourself (not a regular buffet style). And She’s the only one working, so you can’t expect a lot of attention. Though I thought she did a pretty good job, all things considered.
One Love takes cards, but the night I went her credit card machine was not working.
She doesn’t serve her full menu, at least on buffet night. This was a little disappointing because I really wanted to try her chocolate cake and other veggie options.
I would definitely go back and would recommend it if you go with an open mind and wanting to try something different.

Venus is a home cook who knows how to infuse comfort food with serious flavor. The last time I was there I had a Vegetable Roti that I am still thinking about several weeks later. I only wish there were more patrons! A gem of a restaurant.

We went to ONE LOVE in worcester for dinner this weekend. It got rave reviews on Unilocal– so we went to check it out. Our expectations were high, and the food came up way below par. Sorry– No Love for One Love. The area was the first thing that sketched us out– having to constantly check on the car wasn’t relaxing at all.
The place was small and cute– props for that and the fact that the owner was the ONLY one there– doing all the cooking, setting the tables, cleaning, and taking phone calls. We did have to wait a bit but we hoped it would be worth it. I had my eye on the pumpkin soup to start– she didn’t have it available. He ordered the chicken wings to start– she didn’t have them available. OK– no big deal. So she gave us plantains as a started instead– meh– they were alright.
We then got our main dish. I ordered the Coconut Chicken and he got the Jerk Chicken. They looked the same and tasted exactly the same. We barely had any chicken in the dish, but there were plenty of bones! I nearly cracked my tooth… carefully eating every bite was a huge pain in the butt. There were pieces of mystery meat in there too that totally sketched us out. We finished up our «meals» and paid as we overheard another group order. One girl wanted the Jerk chicken and the owner said she was all out… So clearly she gave us the end of the batch, all the bits and pieces?!! So disappointed– but hey, at least we got to BYOB. My take-​away. Go on Tuesday maybe because she is closed on Monday, so maybe she cooks all fresh stuff on Tuesday?

One love was truly a divine experience. As others have said, it is run by one woman. One magnificent, friendly, and motherly woman who I wanted to bring home to cook delicious, authentic Caribbean food for me every night.
I was pleasantly surprised to find such a cute and cozy place in a not-​so-​fabulous neighborhood of Worcester. It was cutely decorated by hand-​painted drawings, pretty blue bottles, and mementos from the Caribbean. We entered on a Friday evening, and we were the only patrons at that time. We were warmly greeted by the owner, chef, and server. All of which are the same person. She put a pitcher of delicious looking watermelon infused ice water on our table and gave us our menus.
After perusing the delicious sounding menu for a while, we ordered the curried goat and jerk chicken. Unfortunately, they were out of goat, so I went with the curried chicken. We also ordered an appetizer of the fried plantains since my husband had never had them before.
The wonderful owner then proceeded to excuse herself to dash across the street. We were slightly befuddled at where she was going until she came back with an armful of ripe plantains. We gushed over how amazing it was that she would run to the market to buy them instead of telling us they were all out.
Soon enough, our plantains were delivered to our table and boy were they fresh, sweet and perfectly fried. The main course was next and everything was so very tasty. I had my curried chicken wrapped in the authentic, savory bread. My husband’s jerk chicken came with some fantastic rice and peas. The jerk chicken was a little salty for my taste, but everything else was very good.
I wish I had known prior to my visit that they were BYOB, but it’s good to know for future reference.
Overall, it was a very good experience and I look forward to my next visit when I am in Woo-​town. Hopefully they have the goat and maybe I’ll try the ox-​tail.

Wow!
This place is small; the sun-​filled little enclosed porch was decorated with all shapes and sizes of blue and yellow glassware; the walls were covered by paintings depicting Jamaican life, and of course, of Bob Marley.
Be aware that there is a relatively long wait for food, especially if you are not the only people in the restaurant. This is only because the owner is the sole cook in the kitchen, which is open and I loved seeing her pots and pans, charred and steamy, sitting on a four range stove. The small restaurant felt like home from the moment I pushed open the old screen door, even though I’m not Jamaican and have never been to Jamaica. That’s a feeling you rarely get from restaurants.
I had a sorrel (Jamaican hibiscus drink) and my coworker had a Ting (Jamaican soda), both were very interesting and refreshing. The owner also put a large jug of water with watermelon chunks floating on top, also refreshing.
For entrees, I had the jerk pork. The owner asked me what spice level I wanted, I said high, and oh it was definitely strongly-​spiced. Lucky for me, I like my food flavorful. The entire dish was unbelievable! The meat was so tender, full of amazing flavors that I don’t recognize, and sits in a brown broth. The portion was big. Still, I finished not only my meat, but also the rice and beans and pickled cabbages (sides that came on the plate). I came close to licking my plate clean. I had jerk chicken sandwiches before but they were nowhere near as good as this.
My two coworkers had the curried chicken and the oxtail. I tried the curry chicken. It was also heavily spiced and very tender. My coworker did not like her oxtail. She said the «chunks» were too large. Normally oxtails are cut much smaller and manageable.
We were disappointed to find out there were only one or two dessert options available (vs. the longer list on the menu). The owner makes the desserts herself in batches on the weekends and she had not gotten to make some of the items we were interested in.
All in all, what a great place to take an adventuous friend for lunch or date.

I have been dying to try this place out after seeing all the good reviews and I finally had the chance to drive down and give it a try. I had no idea this place was where it was at. I used to drive by here occasionally.
The place was very small but comfortable and had a very home-​y feeling to it. There was two other tables occupied. One table were definitel regulars, chatting up the waiters and the owner. The other table was definitely first-​timers as well but they seem to have really enjoyed their meal. As we sat down, we were given water that contained watermelon slices. Kinda cool in my book! We looked over the menu, and decided to be a little adventurous, I ordered the curried goat and my brother got the jerk chicken, mild. Service was a bit slow but eventually we were given plates of salad with again, watermelon slices, the salad was a great starter, it contained mixed greens, blue cheese, and a tangy dressing, just enough to settle our stomach til the entrée arrived.
Finally, when the entrée arrived, I couldn’t wait to dive in. The curried goat was so delicious and the meat so moist. The rice and beans also was just perfect. and together, it did not disappoint. My brother’s jerk chicken was also divine. A bit spicy for being mild but we managed. All in all, this place truly rocks and I am so glad I ventured out of my comfort zone and tried jamaican food. Definitely coming back again and bringing the whole gang!