Pura Vida Caribbean Cuisine

Definitely seems like an authentic joint. I was a little disappointed in the quantity of food you get for the price they charge. Tried a couple things, and the taste was good but relatively the same amongst everything. Also keep in mind that seating is very limited inside, only one or two tables that can seat maybe four to five people.

I visited this eat establishment early last year and never got around to writing a review. It's a shame because this place is amazing!!! Absolutely great Caribbean/Latin fusion food. I ordered curry goat with rice, cabbage and macaroni salad. The portions were great and the meat was fall-off-the-bone tender. The inside and outside of the restaurant give you the feeling that you're on an island in the middle of the ocean overlooking a beach. If this place wasn't so far from me I would come every couple of weeks.

The service was friendly and quick, the ambiance was cozy on the inside...just a few tables and some Reggae music in the background. There is outside seating as well.The food was okay, but it just didn't hit the Jamaican flavor I was hoping for...I had the oxtail dinner and a chicken patty.The chicken patty was the most disappointing....VERY salty, not at all flaky, a little too done on the bottom. I only took a couple of bites.The oxtails were flavorful, but they had a little too much fat on them. The rice and peas were delicious. I've never had macaroni salad with corn it it before. It was different, but in a good way. The cabbage was a little too mushy for my likeong,but it was seasoned well.Why 3 stars?‐ no plantains with the dinner (just a couple of pieces should be very included...in my opinion)- that chicken patty!Do I recommend it? Yes. Will I return? Yes.

Pura Vida always seems like it's packed with a bunch of people getting takeout orders. After you eat the food here you will understand why. We got a couple of items on this visit:Beef Patty ($4) - Fragrant, perfectly spiced and slightly hot with a flaky crust, yumJerk Chicken ($15) - The chicken is very tender with a slight spice from the jerk seasoning. The red beans and rice has a great texture, with some heat here from extra jerk sauce around the chicken . The Jamaican cabbage is mixed with visible carrots and has a slight curry powder flavor. The macaroni salad is mixed with corn, carrot, and cilantro in a sweet dressing that's quite oily. The macaroni is super soft - to be honest, a little too soft for my liking.Caribbean Fried Rice, All Meat ($21) - The rice, again, has great texture and is mixed with shrimp, beef, chicken, corn, peppers, onion, cilantro. Great flavor throughout. This dish has inspired me to add jerk seasoning and scotch bonnet the next time I make fried rice. Note: all meat costs $6 more than one meat. Eat at Pura Vida; you won't be disappointed.

Amazing food, amazing service. Very small restaurant. Take out or summer weather for outdoor seating.

Oxtails are ridiculously delicious! They are very accommodating to my rice allergy. It's a family run business.

Out of all the Jamaican spots here in Pontiac, this place, peas and rice is the best. Today I got their jerk chicken and the curry chicken with peas and rice and pasta salad. The jerk chicken is way too spicy for me, but my fiancé loved it, the curry chicken is OK. The chicken is rather small, and I like curry with a little vegetables mixed in, but the pasta salad and the rice are both delicious

Great food and great service. Prices are fair. Only bad thing is building needs maintenance

It is a hidden gem, best Caribbean food I've had by far. The service was wonderful & the place was worth the drive.

The food was a 10 out of 10 , the chocolate cake was very moist, and delicious. Overall I would definitely come back the wait time was about 10 minutes