Shantoo Togetherness

Been hearing about this place for a minute, and I heard they were off to a bit of a rocky start. I was in the neighborhood and finally decided to try them out. Upon entering, a wave of nostalgia hit me. This was where the classic looking Pizza Hut with the red roof used to be, and I remembered so many times coming as a kid. The layout has completely changed now, of course. And it was great hearing all the reggae and dancehall tunes! There's a big bar, and the place was mostly empty. I was there towards the end of the night. There were just a few groups in there -- one which was celebrating their birthday, so that was cool. I grabbed a seat at the bar and the bartender was updating the playlist and taking care of others there. I learned it was Taco Tuesday and they had some food and drink specials going on -- alright now!I was intrigued at the presence of jerk chicken and curry chicken tacos. I ordered those along with a side of roti and callaloo. The roti and callaloo were everything I could've hoped for. The jerk and curry tacos came in little square dishes, and completely fell apart when trying to pick them up. Given all the juice that comes from the sauces, plus the protein and weight, that was inevitable. They use one tortilla each, and would probably benefit from being doubled up. And given the presentation, I had to fork some chicken out before I could even attempt to pick them up. Unfortunately because of the size of the dishes they were in, anything that fell out immediately hit the bartop. I hope they improve those moving forward --- taco format aside, the jerk & curry were decent. I'm looking forward to returning and trying more things!

Had a taste for something different, so while in the area I decided to try this spot. Pretty much upon entering, still kinda looks like the old Pizza Hut inside, maybe a few changes. There weren't many people inside. The host was a little confused on seating us and the prices, but we did opted to eat there. I ordered the jerk wing special with peas and rice (DRY) and cabbage (average), fried whiting with coco bread( which was considered a side?) and shrimp kabob with peas rice and cabbage. The jerk wing special came with 1 side, but with most Jamaican restaurants, you definitely want the rice peas and cabbage. So I added both. It seems you only get a choice of 1 side to be included with the entree, however you can add other sides as a up-charge based on basic sides or specialty sides.I would say that the wings weren't bad, not sure if I would get them again. The shrimp wasn't on a kabob, so not sure what went wrong there.. maybe no kabob sticks? However, the whiting was delicious, would definitely go back for those. (This made the rating 3 stars)Drinks are bottled or can choices.O, almost forgot the beef patty. Seems to be the average patty that's store brought and warmed up, as well as the coco bread. All in All, it's a 6 out of 10 for me. P.S. please check your receipt. Price charged doesNot reflect menu prices. This Lunch was $74 with tip.

Everything about it from the food to the ambiance was simply exquisite!The location is PERFECT with plenty of free parking, lots of space inside with plentiful tables, chairs, booths and a large inviting bar in the middle of it all. It's so spacious. It's owned by a group of siblings who moved to the DMV from Jamaica 13 years ago.They explicitly state on the menu that they use "Walkerswood" which signals you right away that everyt'ing is irie with the food so anything you order will be authentic and can't be mistaken for cheap Jamaican imitation. So don't start with the "this isn't authentic Jamaican" nonsense. LOL!My dinner companion and I ordered a few different things and tried each other's. We had the jerk wings and got the medium heat and had them add their homemade hot pepper sauce on the side just in case. The wings were tender and juicy and sizeable, not those Cornish hen wings people keep selling us around town elsewhere. Franks Red Hot had NOTHIN' on their hot pepper sauce. I really COULD put THAT isht on everything!I had the curried shrimp, peas and rice and cabbage. The curried shrimp was in a "pot liquor" with peppers and onions and was so delicious I could put THAT isht on everything too! In fact, I saved the leftovers of it, took it home and tossed some air fryer wings and even some steamed shrimp in it. It had the perfect balance of heat and flavor! The peas and rice was fluffy, tender and oooooh the flavor of the coconut milk and spices whinin' together on the plate! Chef's kiss! And the cabbage was perfectly steamed and lightly spiced. Oftentimes, restaurants destroy cabbage and overcook it until it turns brown. And most local DMV Jamaican or Caribbean spots I've tried have peas and rice MUSH with too-hard peas. Well this peas and rice was fluffy, peas soft and the cabbage was GREEN like new money! I also had a side of callaloo. That callaloo was better than what I had IN JAMAICA! It had beautiful fresh peppers and onions and mixed greens, "sweated" together to complement their different flavors and textures with the spices added. Callaloo-jah, that stuff was BOMB!!! My dinner companion had the stewed oxtails and raved about them so much. She said they were perfectly trimmed of fat and gristle which often plagues a good stewed oxtail. But not here! There was zero gristle on them and she remarked how they were so deliciously tender that even the bones were soft enough to chew on. She typically wouldn't dare nibble on bones in a public setting, but she did so shamelessly in Shantoo, not only because of how wonderfully the oxtails were prepared but also because one feels that much "at home" there. I had seen in a couple other people's reviews of this place about a Shantoo mule cocktail. Everyone raved about it so I ordered one. I didn't see it on the menu though, and when I ordered it, they referred to it as a Manchester mule. So just note that if you want to try their version of a Moscow mule. It's the mule, in a mule cup, but with a tropical island twist. It is refreshing, smooth and "sneaky." I highly recommend this cocktail, the ideal complement to an authentic island meal. The prices on everything were surprisingly reasonable too! It's grown increasingly difficult in this climate of extreme inflation to find a good bar or restaurant in the DMV where you don't spend your electric bill for desperately mid food and a few glasses of ice and juice disguised as cocktails. Maybe their prices were so reasonable because they're still fairly new, or maybe it's because they really don't need eggs for much of anything on their menu. Wink wink. The service overall was awesome too! While everyone working in there was very friendly and welcoming, our server was Kyra, an educator in DC who moonlights at Shantoo. She was fun, attentive, and was very engaging. She made great suggestions and made sure we had everything we needed at all times through the evening. Speaking of engaging, two of the sibling owners, Sean and Preston, even pulled up a chair and sat with us to share their story and even a couple of recipe "secrets." Don't worry guys, the recipe secrets are safe with us!

Jamaica, Jamaica!! There is so much luv at this restaurant; I love visiting. Alaina is the best! Her customer service is amazing. The Brothers (owners) are so accommodating and down to earth. The escovitch fish was delicious, flavorful and savory! Rice and Peas and plantains were also great!.Every Friday is Fish Fry Friday there!!! Enjoy the sounds of dancehall and other Caribbean beats.

I journeyed all the way out to Bowie for a separatd event and, while there, I recognized this restaurant from IG so I decided to check it out. For reference, Shantoo sits in the same plaza as Sky Zone. I ordered escovutch fish online and when the quoted time arrived, I entered the restaurant.The space is large and there is a large bar in the middle. My order took a good while longer than the quoted time to be complete so, while I waited, I was able to observe a gentleman who gave 'owner' vibes, interact with the customers at the bar and, for that alone, I'd come back to have drinks - he had great energy!I took my order to-go, so the entire trip home, I was smeling those DELICIOUS scents and I was excited to taste. I didn't love the to-go packaging of my food and I wanted a bit more seasoning on my fish but the spice and taste of the escovitch sauce was perfect!!If in this area again, I would definitely stop here to try more items or to try their Fish Friday menu.

It used to be a Pizza Hut location, so there was a lot of familiarity with the location. However, the food was really great! I like that the portion sizes are very generous too. There was quite a long wait, but as long as the food is good and made fresh, so I definitely didn't mind. I was here on a Sunday, and it seemed very family friendly for everyone to be comfortably served. It's also easily wheelchair accessible. Just has a slow paced home like feel to it, which is great.

Stopped by to finally try Shantoo. We placed a to go order and sat at the bar for rum punches. I was skeptical because of the negative reviews I saw. The rum punch was delicious. We ordered the bone in jerk chicken, brown stew chicken, beef patties, coco bread, rice n peas, cabbage and plantains. We really enjoyed all of our food. I'm glad we finally tried this out. I definitely recommend trying. We were so hungry we forgot to take pictures

I believe Shantoo can do better...it may just take some time but I would be willing to give them another chance. Typical expectations may be missed as you may expect to walk into this establishment to be greeted with the scent of Caribbean spices...maybe I came on a bad night but with a $200 plus meal my family was pretty underwhelmed. These type of reviews are hard to write but it doesn't take much to please us locals, we also want you to succeed.....it may be a while before I return but I will return...Everything tasted like it was their first time preparing...best item was the French fries. Wings are serviceable but the rest of the menu needs a little time to develop. I did indeed enjoy the ample space and parking...full bar and a few live tvs. Hoping to have more content to update my review

It's great to have a nice, new place in the neighborhood. The inside was bright and clean. Staff greeted us as soon as we entered. Air was pumping and music was playing (Jamaican type tunes).Food was good. The owner was there and went table to table introducing himself as folks waited for food.It was a Friday night, 7pmish and we decided on a couples date night. The music is loud. Loud like - club loud. We scanned the code on the table and ordered. A few minutes go by and a server came over to bring water and take our order - we let her know that we placed our orders with the code. Cool.An hour goes by...One plate arrives. 20 minutes go by...Another plate arrived.Let's just say- the kitchen is slow! Eventually, our table is packed with all of our food and the portions were really good for happy hour prices. Close to 9pm, someone pulled out a karaoke machine. That was horrible. The staff is singing and trying to get restaurant goers to sing. That's adding insult to injury! Folks have been waiting so long for their food and now you want to add this to the mix!? Some folks actually got up and left after not getting food. I really hope that this restaurant survives in the neighborhood.They are going to need to get more folks in the kitchen - especially on a Friday night and turn down the music or expect a different kinda crowd. If karaoke is gonna be a thing - make sure there's a sign at the door or something. Everyone isn't up for that kinda of shenanigans.I'll wait a few months before I go back to see if anything has changed.

The way people HYPE EVERYTHING in our area is absolutely absurd to me. After reading reviews, I decided to give this place a try with my mom and daughter. We went in around 2:30-3pm & there were 3 people seated. All of them finishing up. Within 10 minutes we were the only guests in the restaurant. This means the place was empty and not crowded before we even got our food.Upon entry I was disappointed. I'm gonna add pictures because I truly have no words for the atmosphere I walked into. The reviews are claiming how nice and CLEAN this place is and if I could give 0 stars for both, I would. The bathroom and overall ambiance is filthy and has that unclean feel. It was unwelcoming, and doesn't look like a restaurant. I was about to turn around if I wasn't starving. It gives abandoned Island vibes, very low effort when it comes to presentation.The booths are so close together, my 7 year old could barely squeeze in and she's TINY ! We had to move booths because everything in there is so carelessly thrown together. As if they weren't ready to open but they did anyway..? Trash, rags, and bins sitting in multiple booths around the place. I was almost scared to eat here but I gave them a chance because we have no decent carribean food in this area. Upon entry...ZERO greeting. Just "are yall dining in or taking out" and that came 3-5 minutes after just standing at the host stand. Service 4/10 - Host needs more knowledge regarding the menu because pricing on menu, does not reflect prices on the check. Make sure you triple check what they've charged you for because there's absolutely no breakdown given.Our actual server was nice. Very attentive and followed the steps of service very well. No issues there. She greeted us, introduced herself, and checked in multiple times.What's Not authentic: Beef Patties (Costco frozen patties) Coco Bread (not sure, but not good with a side of butter....?)Drink Selection - canned. No fresh juices. No sorrel. No mango juice.Rice & Peas - absolutely no flavor.Overall the food was a 7/10. The presentation of the food was a 8/10Nothing I would rave about or drive 45 minutes again for.