Scotthill Caribbean Cuisine — Restaurant in Toronto

The rain started falling as soon as I pulled up. Almost like it would fall up in the hills of St. Ann Jamaica - an afternoon shower, not a drizzle but not too hard and it only lasted a few minutes. Walking up to the restaurant, the Jamaican flag prominently displayed making it clear what this place is all about. The entrance looks average, non pretentious but inviting. Opening the door brings you into another world.

You’re greeted with the sounds of beautiful reggae played at just the right volume (something many places seem to have difficulty doing), as you walk inside you feel the authenticity of the place by the artwork on the wall, the mix of dark and light and the coziness of the bar area all comes together to give you this vibe that you’re in someone’s home. Warm, inviting and comfy.

But I came for food. I couldn’t decide on a single item so I got a combo of jerk chicken and oxtails, rice &peas, coleslaw and a few pieces of fresh vegetables.

The meal was well presented. A small broth was provided to open up the appetite. It was very good and was in the style of a Jamaican vegetable soup. It was the perfect starter.

It’s the best jerk chicken I’ve ever had. It’s done in a style that’s different. Reminds me of jerking on wood fire with the ‘burn’ from the wood sucked onto the chicken. Well seasoned and cooked to the bone. The oxtails were on another level of good. The flavor was sublime and delicate. Everything had a natural, fresh taste. Something about this meal was different. The meal came standard with fried sweet plantains. Again, something I wish more restaurants would do. Then I ate a piece of the fresh vegetables that came with the meal - a piece of the cucumber- then I had to ask about the meal. It turns out, there are some very special things I learned:

It’s an all natural restaurant. No artificial ingredients are used. No MSG.

It’s cooked with love and giftedness. Keith, whom I spoke with, is a gifted chef whose skills came from the Creator and not from another Chef. You can taste the hand of giftedness in every bite.

Btw, I also learned that the name of the restaurant - Scott Hill - is so named after a small community in the hills of St .Ann Jamaica

The best Caribbean restaurant I’ve been to in a long time. Highly recommended if you want real, well cooked, well presented and healthy food. I intend to...

3.5 to be fair… because the food flavour is on point (other than the vegetarian platter I got which was the chana and veggies) but I see what the other reviews are saying about the rice being DRY. What I don’t understand is with the consistent feedback about this, why is it STILL dry ? Does this restaurant not listen to their reviewers ? I see the replies which is why I gave them the benefit of the doubt and gave them a try regardless of the negative feedback…

Mainly what I was disappointed about as I’m sure we can all agree the rice is not the main show (but still important !) is the DRY jerk chicken AND jerk chicken stew. The stew sauce is the only thing that sort of saved the rice and chicken from the dryness. My question is, if it’s the end of the day and the chicken / rice is a little dry shouldn’t you be saucing it up regardless like the stew ? If I had known, I would’ve gotten BOTH stew jerk to moisten up my meals. I did order around 8pm and but I don’t believe the chicken should be too dry if it’s stored right. If it is a little dry by the end of the night I would suggest to at least add sauce to the rice and chicken or at least the option. Another reviewer suggested coconut milk in the rice and I agree, there was not coconut flavour which would’ve been better but would also help fix the dryness. I always make mine with coconut milk and it stays fluffy n moist the whole day so maybe I just got old rice, who knows. All I know is the dry rice is an issue here and I hope they address it because the jerk flavour was on point. Coleslaw is a little on the acidic side but I can’t complain bc I know many prefer it this way and it’s not bad accompanying all the flavours (sweet & spicy)…

Plantain was great, a little expensive compared to all other places but not dry, good flavour. The vegetable soup was sold out and I’m a sucker for a good veg soup so I will be back for that to give them a second try so I can hopefully write a better / updated review. I will try ordering a bit earlier next time so I don’t miss out and hopefully they do listen to their customers constructive feedback! ( fyi this was an...

Scotthill is not your typical Jamaican restaurant — and definitely not your run-of-the-mill Jamaican food. It’s on a whole different level.

We had the pleasure of being served by the owner himself, who actually wasn’t even planning to open that day (Good Friday). We’re so grateful he decided to anyway.

The restaurant is beautifully decorated, and the music instantly makes you smile when you walk in. It’s at the perfect volume — enough to set the vibe but still quiet enough that you can have a conversation without yelling.

Now, the food? Next level. I had the boneless fried chicken, which came with rice and peas, coleslaw, fried plantain, and fresh vegetables — and a sauce I forgot to ask about (but it was incredible). The chicken was fried to perfection, full of flavour. Honestly, I dropped my fork and knife and went in with my hands! The rice and peas had great flavour too, though they were just a little on the dry side. Everything else — the coleslaw, the plantains, the vegetables — tasted fresh and real, like actual vegetables, not just filler.

I also tried the Ocho Rios cocktail — super refreshing and packed with flavour.

My company had the Jerk Chicken and Oxtail meal and the Scott Hill cocktail, all also full of flavour.

One thing that really stood out: they serve a full vegetable soup with your meal. How many places do that anymore? Usually only at the “fancy” spots — which tells you the level Scotthill is playing at.

The owner told us he only uses fresh, organic ingredients, and that all the recipes are his own. You can tell — there’s real love and thoughtfulness in the food. This man is seriously talented.

We’ll definitely be back — many times — and I’ll be recommending Scotthill to everyone. If you get the chance, ask about the story behind the name. It really captures the heart of what this place...