A Taste of the Caribbean — Restaurant in Albuquerque

My wife and I arrived at the restaurant shortly after it opened, becoming the third and fourth customers. The interior was uncomfortably warm, so I mentioned to the woman—who I later learned was the cook—that it felt hot. She consulted the young man taking food orders and asked if the air conditioner was on; he confirmed that it was. We placed our order—two appetizers and two entrees, along with iced tea and a glass of merlot—and then sat at a table devoid of napkins and silverware. The young man who took our order and processed our credit card displayed neither friendliness nor hostility; he seemed rather unhappy to be there. Within ten minutes of ordering, more customers arrived. After 20 minutes, our tea and wine finally arrived, and the restaurant had cooled to about 78 degrees. As we observed other patrons placing their orders and paying in advance, we continued to wait. It took a full 61 minutes from our arrival for our appetizers to be brought to the table. Meanwhile, the man with his family, who arrived shortly after us, got up from his table and left to feed the parking meter. His family looked equally miserable after waiting for their food. My wife and I spent another five minutes trying to catch the attention of the cashier/server to request plates, silverware, and napkins so we could finally eat. While the chicken wings in mango and habanero sauce were very tasty, the meat patty fell short. After an additional 15 minutes, our fried catfish and Virgin Island spicy chicken salad arrived. We asked for refills of iced tea and wine. The catfish was excellent, but the spicy chicken salad was a major disappointment—I could barely manage a single bite. The chicken didn’t taste fresh. Frustrated, I rose from the table and spent the next two minutes trying to get the attention of the cook, as the young man taking orders was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, the friendly cook emerged from the kitchen. I told her we no longer wanted the tea refills and the wine. She said the tea was ready and brought us the take away cups. We thanked her and left. I remember feeling very sorry for her, but we were so happy to leave that place. The impression I had was she did all the cooking in the kitchen with little to no help. All things considered, it was an unpleasant experience. We feel the poor service and hour long wait for food preparation are reasons enough for us to never to return to A Taste of...

While I am very proud to see a Caribbean Restaurant in ABQ, I am NOT satisfied with the portion sizes commensurate to the prices charged. I’m Jamaican myself and have lived in CA, AL, OH, CT, FL and a host of other cities. The prices are WAY too expensive here in ABQ. And by the way, THIS IS NOT A JAMAICAN RESTAURANT! THE COOK AND STAFF ARE NOT JAMAICAN!

Also, my parents owned our Jamaican Restaurant in CT for many years: Lovebird Jamaican Restaurant. So I am fully aware of what the prices should be.

Example: I ordered a plate of Stew Chicken and got a small size for $13.00. I ordered a side of fried plantains, $5.00. And 1 Goya Cola Champaign, $4.00! This is highway robbery! Let me tell you what I received: 4 small pieces of chicken...not even the whole leg, or thigh or breast. 1 measured cup of rice/peas. 1 spoonful of boiled cabbage/carrots. Total: $25.03

In all the restaurants I’ve been to, chicken is $8.00, plantain is $2.00 and a Cola Champagne is $2.00. So for $12-$15, you get a whole meal and a larger portion of food, that usually allows you 2 good servings. The only food that is expensive is Oxtails, made-to-order Fish and Curry Goat. I can’t even imagine going to this place with a family or friends night out and spending $100-$125 for a family/friends outing! That’s outrageous!

Unfortunately, we have limited options here in ABQ for Jamaican food. I would just cook my own and not pay these outrageous prices this place is charging, the least of which, when they’re giving you small portions...and $4 for a bottle of soda!

I’ve lived here for 8 months. I’ve only been here twice and don’t plan on going back. The first visit, I ordered 2 patties, 2 coco bread and a bottle drink. Total: $22.50. Why?

They charge $4 per Patty, $4 per coco bread, $4 for the drink. That’s $20 already, plus tax! Again way too expensive. Nationwide, patties are $2.50. And any Grace drink is $2.00.

Update: 01/26/2022, I called to ask them what items they have on the menu as it was 4:30pm and they are known to run out of food and the old unprofessional guy hangs up the phone. They have HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! And just for that, I will NEVER SPEND MY MONEY THERE AGAIN! I wish I could give...

We have a large family so I am always checking deals on Groupon. This time, we decided to check out A Taste of the Caribbean and use the Groupon coupon. I didn't buy the Groupon before we went because sometimes businesses would prefer you pay them directly rather than losing extra fees to Groupon. The staff didn't understand that concept so I told them I would just buy the Groupon. That was our 1st mistake. We have food allergies and the waitress was not familiar at all with any suggestions for avoiding the alllergens in question. We ordered and the food that came was disappointing. The vegetables tasted bland and their texture reminded me of frozen veggies. The french fries were also tasted frozen. My $11 plate of jerk chicken was okay but not worth the price. I feel like it was equivalent to fast food. My son odered a chicken sandwich that came with potato salad but instead it came with french fries. We thought they had just run out of potato salad and substituted french fries but instead, when the bill came, we saw they had charged us $4.50 for the fries!!!!! So, my son's chicken sandwich costed $12!!! When I asked, the waitress just shrugged her shoulders. Then, when I went back to Groupon to buy the vocher, Groupon wasn't working and when I showed the waitress and asked if she could just give us the discount, she said no. So, we spent $40 on chicken that was so/so for me and too hot for my daughter, along with frozen fries and veggies. That didn't even include drinks. We were very disappointed. We were wishing for the best but because the food was mediocre along with their lack of willingness to help us out at the end of our meal by taking the french fries off our bill or upholding the Groupon discount, our family won't...