The Best Caribbean in Raleigh

Hady International Food Restaurant

★★★★★ 4.5 (100)

"12/29/2022-This was my first time trying this spot. If you're not familiar with the area you may miss it. It's located within a strip of stores, if not mistaken it's beside a laundromat and barbershop/nail salon. The food wasn't bad but first glance it's looks very oily but it was very flavorful. This was my first time trying egusi (chicken) and fufu. The restaurant was undergoing cosmetic changes and from what I could see it's going to be very nice. They had a couple hand painting the artwork on the wall which was very beautiful along with much talent. The staff is very friendly and didn't mind asking questions for items you are not familiar with. The prices are kind of high but then again you're paying for authentic made to order food. Once I ordered it took about 15 minutes or so to prepare but I was happy it was fresh. The menu offers a wide variety of entrees, appetizers, and drinks. Some of the drinks look freshly made. If I have the taste for egusi I definitely know where to go."

Taste of Jamaica

★★★★☆ 3.8 (136)

"Did is good and at a decent price. The staff is friendly. I don't think they want people to dine in, just pick up and go. I've been 2x since the pandemic and the chairs are always on the tables."

Lee's Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (180)

"Since they're only letting 4 people in the restaurant at a time during corona it seems like every time I drove by this place there was a line. But since Lee's Kitchen is so known and popular in Raleigh and I've never had it, I had to give it a try anyways. Let me start off by saying ubereats and the Lee's Kitchen app both miss a lot of menu items (turkey wings, beef patties, etc.) so if what you want is on there you're lucky but we weren't able to order ahead because of this.The food is really delicious, decent prices, big portions, and hot food. We got turkey wings, white rice, rice and peas, veggies, oxtails, and Mac n cheese. We enjoyed all of it and finished our plates! The veggies is pretty much just cabbage and the Mac is super good. You can get the turkey wings baked, grilled, fried, smothered, etc. but they said the two most popular were smothered and fried so we did smothered. The only complaint we had was that the turkey wing plate didn't have a lot of rice (we thought there'd be more under the wings but it was just that corner.) I'd definitely come back here and get the same thing or try the curry goat. They also have a large variety of different fruit juices and drinks! I definitely see why everyone likes this place."

Jamaica Jamaica

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (156) • $

"Jamaica Jamaica Restaurant is truly authentic Caribbean cuisine the is the true toe recipes of Jamaica's famous food at it's best.Bob Marley would feel right at home with the nutritious vegetarian meals, pescatarian (seafood) meals, goat grabbing meats, pork meals, beef meals, poultry meals, diet conscious dieters meals, low calorie meals, and excellent beverages, served in their indoor dining room, outdoor café tables, take out meals, delivery meals, and catering for large groups.If you have never been to Jamaica Jamaica on highway 55 in Durham, NC.I highly recommend the charming restaurant which also offers live and recorded music from the Caribbean Islands, Of Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Saint Licia, Grenada, Dominica, Saint Vincent, Grenadines, Aruba, Saint Kitts, the Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy,, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Curaçao, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Turks and Caicos, and other Islands too."

Brisas

★★★★☆ 4.3 (87) • $$

"Even the veggies were good! And those Caribbean wings were jamming. My coworkers picked up tacos and beef stew and they were also raving. I can't wait to go back and try some other dishes. The service was excellent and it's a really cool space. I did spot Blantons and Bookers behind the bar for those whiskey lovers."

Mum's

★★★★☆ 3.8 (108)

"I am upgrading Mum's to a 5 star experience. I gave them a chance again today, and my food was delicious. I was feeling home sick today and wanted some Jamaican soup, beef patties, and black cake. My cravings can be that of a pregnant woman. Raised by Jamaican grandparents from Kingston, I know good food. I first tried the curry goat here last year and was pleased. Today, I had the chicken soup, beef patties and a very moist black cake. Soup was excellent with dumpling and carrots. The Patties were nice and spicy. The black cake was a dream. I may need to order a whole cake. Everything was piping hot upon delivery. Thank you mum's for feeding a home sick belly."

Jamaican Grille

★★★★☆ 3.8 (96)

"Ordered via uber eats the jerk and curry chicken sampler with sides of plantain and macaroni and cheese. Beyond delicious. Fast service. Hefty portion."

Jerk Masters

★★★★☆ 3.9 (84) • $

"This is the best and literally the only place where I get Jamaican food in the triangle! The food is consistent and the portion sizes are amazing! I get oxtail and the sauce is never too salty. However, it is very flavorful. I'm going to give it a 10 out of 10 please give this restaurant a try and you will not be disappointed. It is a takeout restaurant, so prepare yourself for that. I also would recommend trying the macaroni and the sweet potato cake."

Angies Jamaican Grill

★★★★★ 4.6 (60) • $$

"Angies was my little secret for about 6 months and I completely forgot to review them. The first time I tried their food I immediately knew they were easily the best Caribbean spot in the Raleigh/Durham area. The food was SO good, portions were big, they are one of the only places with an actually great mac and cheese, and the staff was really friendly.The oxtail is so flavorful and has the perfect amount of everything. They are my favorite oxtails I have tried at a restaurant here actually. The rice is also so good- it is cooked in coconut water and has such a good flavor to it that goes with the food. However this past time I ordered I did not taste it so I'm not sure if they stopped doing that.The rasta pasta is just as good as everyone says. It's definitely enough to split between 2-3 meals or people, and they are very generous with how much oxtail they give you. The whole dish was a 10000/10. Recently, Angies went viral, which is great for them! I would give them some grace as it is probably hard to handle this amount of traffic now. The restaurant used to be fairly empty, they always answered the phone, and the food came out fast. This past weekend I placed an order online and it told me it would take 45 minutes, then when coming in 45 minutes later it took an additional 31 minutes. They also never picked up my calls when I kept trying to check in with how much longer it would take. The restaurant was extremely packed. Also, I ordered curry chickpeas and got curry chicken. I didn't realize until I got home unfortunately.If you want to eat here now I recommend really planning for it but I think the food is well worth it."

Jamaica Bites

★★★★☆ 3.9 (71)

"Mmmm everything was so tasty and the portions were huge! I am still dreaming of that jerk chicken. I would honestly say it's the best one I've had - it was smoky, flavorful, and if you get the spicy sauce, super spicy! The veg stew was also fantastic.I love that your entrees come with cabbage, plantains, and a choice of rice. Get the Callaloo rice and you won't regret it. I think I will be getting that every time I go.Rum raisin cheesecake was a dessert that they had available the day that we came so naturally we had to try it. It was a bit heavy on the rum for my preference but my husband was raving about it!Definitely check them out if you're in the area."

D Chill Spot

★★★★☆ 4.4 (47)

"My 1st time trying Caribbean food and boyyyy was I blown away! It was delicious!!Flavors were very rich and portion sizes were generous.My husband had the jerk wings and I enjoyed the ox tails. Every piece of meat was fall of the bone and tender.I highly recommend sharing!Just a heads up though- if you are shy to spice, the jerk wings DO have a kick. Strange to say but... the plantains were my favorite part of the meal. Everything was wonderful but those plantains were cooked to PERFECTION. You can't really get that anywhere else. Pair the savory goodness of Caribbean chicken with a can of mango drink and you are set for a beautiful date night. We will definitely be back. :)"

Vittles at the Park Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (34)

"I love discovering new restaurants! After getting my brows done I noticed this amazing spot. Soul food and Caribbean food in one location. They offer wings, fish, tenders, jerk chicken and so many yummy sides. Prices are very affordable and you get a lot of food for the price. Service is amazing. The food is cooked to order so call ahead or plan to wait. The food is fresh and flavorful and pretty darn good! The Mac and cheese is moist and cheesy. Just how I like it. The inside is clean and sleeked. I can't wait to try other menu items!"

Island Coconut Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.3 (22)

"Do not sleep on the jerk pork plate from this truck. They will LOAD your container with so many pieces of blackened yet fall-apart tender pork that it'll be hard to open it without it exploding. They leave allllll the delicious fat on, as they should (but not enough places do) so the flavor is intense enough to stand up to the also naturally intense jerk seasoning. The mac and cheese side is great, and the rice and peas are surprisingly coconutty (I guess not hugely surprising given the name of the truck). 'More peas' would be my one nitpick, but it's a small one."

StarBar

★★☆☆☆ 2.2 (45)

"Dear Raleigh Yelpers: Be amazed that I went to a new locally owned business and reviewed it first!Having received an email with a menu with items such as fish and spaghetti, chicken and waffle, and shrimp, turkey wings, porkchops, chicken, and/or fish with grits . . . well I had to give it a try.The business has been open for about three weeks. I arrived for lunch around 11 a.m. - and I was THE lunch customer! I ordered the smothered chicken and grits - fried white meat chicken over grits with gravy. Any southerner knows you have to do grits rights, and this place nailed it! No little cup of grits - it covered the plate and were done perfectly. The chicken was tender and juicy. Wonderful presentation as well on a red squared plate.The sweet iced tea was made from some concentrate - you could tell it wasn't brewed tea. The serving time was about 30 minutes. I would suggest that if they want to have a steady lunch business they may want to have a simplified lunch menu with fewer choices so folks can get in and out on their lunch hours.Lovely facility. Lots of red and black in the design. Second floor has VIP booths and another bar with an aquarium. The lounge I believe is open after 10 pm on weekends."

Caribbean Kicker Food Truck

★★★★☆ 3.5 (8)

"Food Truck Time: Caribbean Kicker at HollyFest in Holly SpringsI tried this food truck at an event and it took a total of 50 minutes from the line to order to receive my food (the majority of time waiting was to get my food). I ordered the Island Shrimp Bowl. It was rice and shrimp with a sauce and seasoning, I wanted more ingredients to the bowl than that. It was good but there was too much rice to the other ingredients and the shrimp were a tad overcooked. The main driver behind my review outside of the basic bowl is the wait time, my husband visited two food trucks and returned before I got my food."