Tony's Caribbean Kitchen

Great Food WHEN THEY HAVE IT! Lacking Service!



I've been here multiple times... somewhere around a dozen. The Oxtail and Jerk Chicken are definitely the best in town. Unfortunately, the service can be really lacking sometimes, and in their rush to get things out, I have had a few undercooked meals (NOT RAW, but the meat didn't 'fall off the bone').



Just today, I went on my lunch break to pick up lunch for myself and 2 coworkers. After waiting in line (2 people ahead of me) for nearly 10 minutes, I was informed that they only had Curried Chicken. I ordered one for myself and went to call my coworkers to see if they were on board with that. 5 minutes later I'm told that the oxtail is ready. I waited another 5+ minutes before it was actually brought out from the kitchen. I should mention that this it usually served cafeteria style, with warming trays, ready to go. A 20 minute wait for lunch to me is unacceptable at a grab and go restaurant.



Finally after arriving back at work to eat, I noticed that there were no side vegetables included in the lunch (The meal comes with steamed carrots and cabbage normally). Being hungry and already late, I didn't want to complain or bring it back. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of both the sauce/gravy and the rice. Very flavorful and a little heat too. The oxtail itself however was undercooked. The meat didn't fall off the bone, the fat hadn't broken down into that melt in your mouth burst of flavor. Instead it was still tough and clinging to the bone and difficult to eat.



The saving grace after today is the number of good meals I've gotten here. The service is usually a little slow (though not nearly like it was today), but only once or twice before have I had a meal I didn't fully enjoy (one time was too salty, another was like today where the meat was undercooked). Despite the fact that they're slow, usually the cashier is very friendly and personable. As my Jamaican friend at work says, "they run on island time".



Also be aware that the prices on the printed menu are never accurate. Always ask if you order by phone, or read the hand written menu on the wall for accurate pricing. There can be a very large gap between the two prices!