Island Blend — Restaurant in Toronto

We stumbled upon this gem, which is still in its ‘soft opening’ phase, and oh are we ever glad we did! The establishment is ran by Amar and his family and the food stays true to its Trinidadian and Caribbean roots.

TLDR: Everything is fresh-to-order; so please, anticipate a little bit of a wait. The quality and flavour of the food exceeds expectations; we ordered the ackee and saltfish sandwich, doubles, and saheena. Pricing is more than reasonable. The owner is so incredibly kind and personable. There is some limited high-chair seating and ledges available. We will most certainly be returning!

At first, we ordered the ackee and saltfish sandwich. While waiting, Amar offered us a piece of cassava pudding, which was a lovely and tasty surprise. In regard to the ackee and saltfish sandwich, the bread was incredibly soft and the inside offered a harmonious balance of fresh, savoury, and an approachable level of spice. Upon the first bite of my husband’s sandwich, I instantly regretted not ordering my own. I am still dreaming of their ackee and saltfish sandwich (and would go out of my way for this sandwich alone). While eating, we noted many returning patrons entering Island Blend and placing their orders (leaving for a little while and later returning to pick up their food). After a few guests in a row ordered doubles and saheena, we knew we had to try them. The doubles offered a ‘home-y’ blend of chickpeas and chutney. The saheena provided a surprising burst of flavour alongside a crunchy yet soft texture; I was so glad the order came with 2 pieces.

Aside from enjoying the deliciousness of the food itself, we had a chance to chat with the owner about his journey establishing Island Blend; Amar is most genuine, kind, and caring of his customers and their feedback. Thank you to Amar and his family for such wholesome, tasty, and authentic Trinidadian and...

SO GOOD.

Lovely lovely people running the place. Delicious food (doubles AND roti, i'm set) And they gave my dog a snack! So sweet. That will be Boggsy's first and last double LOL, but I will definitely be back. Their curry is tasty, their double dough chewy and flavourful, their hot sauce was a uniquely sweet and tangy with the classic burn. All fantastic.

I was sad to see the Japanese place leave this spot but thrilled with this new restaurant. Welcome to the neighbourhood Island Blend!

PS. They owner seemed so apologetic and stressed that they had run out of a couple items during their soft open; it sounds like maybe multiple patrons gave them a really hard time for that. People, chill out, it was a SOFT opening, they've not supposed to have it all figured out just yet that's the whole point, hence the super cheap promo prices! Please be kind to this new business and grateful for amazing and affordable food...

Was really looking forward to trying this new slot as I am a lover of all foods West Indian! Not only did the gentleman engage with my wife at all while she was ordering, but then chased her up the road because he had made something wrong so she walked back and still no interaction of sorts. When she came home with the food, everything in the bag had been microwaved to the point it wasn’t even Chewable! Roti microwaved doubles microwaved aloo pie micro waved! Food was also extremely dry! No sauce or gravy of all of it so it was bone dry! I understand the location is probably not too busy and probably makes most of the food in the morning and heats it up for the rest of the day. Just not a great experience although I wish them the best. I’m gonna stick to Mona’s and...