Da Reggae Cafe — Restaurant in Greensboro

Thursday, November 14, 2024 7:15 PM BEWARE!!! Oxtails ARE NOT oxtails and look more like beef neck bones. See pics of the bones from the meal (1st pic).

TL; DR - I ordered an oxtail dinner along with some other side items. When I arrived home and looked at my food, all was as expected EXCEPT the oxtails. I know what oxtails look like, and I did not receive oxtails. The cut of meat I received looked like it could have come from the neck of the cattle, which some people do use beef neck bones to substitute for oxtails. My issue is paying over $20. for a dinner and not getting what I ordered or paid for (oxtails costing approx $10. per pound and beef neck bones $3.) but instead receiving something else. Do the math. The menu states OXTAILS and that is what I should have received. The next day, after speaking with the owner/manager Antoinette and texting her a pic of the bones, she adamantly stated to me, 'those are oxtails bones,' 'Im a woman of God and I would not do that to people.' Either she does not know what oxtails or oxtail bones look like and is not cheating her customers or she does know and is using a cheaper cut of meat and is overcharging her customers OR her distributor is cheating and overcharging her.

As for the food - I was not impressed with the taste of the food. Actually, the smell of the restaurant is deceiving. It smelled so good inside with the fragrant of the spices and the foods being cooked, that I knew I was going to be a repeat customer...NOT. The taste of the food did not match that smell. The jerk chicken tasted plain, lacking jerk flavor. The beef (I refuse to call it oxtails) was okay but could have used more flavor (probably lacking the breakdown of the connective tissue from a true oxtail and would have been better off using beef shins). The plaintains were good, but how do you mess that up? Like someone else stated in a comment, the cabbage was not good and too crunchy and the rice and peas were okay.

I did not experience long wait times as others have stated, as I called my order in. I did not experience rudeness from staff. In fact, I appreciate the discussion with the owner/manager and her offer to show me delivery of products that had come in that day to show they use oxtails. The visit was not necessary. I just wanted to know if I was purposely given the cut of meat I received and it was received by accident. She was adamant about the bones being from oxtails, and that was enough for me.

Good Luck to all patrons. Know what you are eating as best you can.

Pics show actual bones from dinner (1st), as well as what beef neck bones (2nd) and true oxtail bones (3rd) look like. Note only the ONE bone...

Beware they prep a SPECIAL meal if you are cute have your own hair and speak proper english! Ordered roti and beef the first time the meat was not fully cooked and the homemade roti skin stuck to the paper fell apart when trying to remove it from the paper that meal made me vomit thank God for the sensitive stomach! Waited months before going back this time the store bought roti was hard like sand paper overcooked the beef tasted like someone poured a box a salt over it on purpose! The ladies are pretty miserable sems like they hate life and working there..... they listen to the phone ring ring ring put you on hold even when they are not busy I witnessed it. Called an order in arrived to pick it up 30 minutes later it stillllll wasn't ready waited another 20 minutes watched a few customers who didn't call ahead get their order before me they walked in ordered waited bout 5 10 minutes and left with their order while I sat and waited for mine! If you don't literally open and taste your meal at the counter AND you are some kinda cute you most likely will take home that SPECIAL meal made just for you that you will have to trash cuz its not edible! Team meeting owner ASAP no crime in being cute growing your own hair and speaking proper english so to display envy from your miserable staff is very unattractive! Watch out ladies if you're cute got pretty hair of your OWN and are fly yes yes they got a SPECIAL meal for all of your cuteness! They can only get away with that in NC ......they could NEVER sell that burnt knock off Jamaican food in New York or treat beauty...

UPDATE-THIS WAS PRE COVID SO NO EXCUSES, ALSO KEEP READING REVIEWS YOU'LL SEE MANY BAD YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO WAIT OVER 30MINS (AT PICK UP)FOR YOUR FOOD EVEN IF YOU PLACED THE ORDER AN HOUR AGO ONLINE.

ITS NOT AUTHENTIC-JUST DECENT FOR THOSE WHO DONT KNOW ANY BETTER THEY'RE NOT GENEROUS WITH PORTION SIZES (BARELY ANY MEAT AT ALL) CONSIDERING HOW HIGH PRICED EVERYTHING IS. AT OTHER CARRIBEAN FOOD DINERS THAT ARE ACTUALLY AUTHENTIC, I COULD GET A SMALL PLATE FOR LESS THAN $10-COMPARED TO WHAT THEY'RE AVERAGE PLATE/MEAL SIZES FOR WAY MORE THAN $10-AT THE SAME PORTION SIZE.

Only giving it 2 stars because i remember i still ate it to not waste the money so it wasn't unbearable but not good. I'm Caribbean and grew up up north where there is a vast majority of diversity and culture. So i ate it at home everyday and in small shops like this all over NY & MA...it doesn't taste authentic at all. Tasted like an Americanized version yuck. When i realized the taste was off i knew immediately it wasn't authentic. I keep wanting to give them another chance because they're so close to my job and i miss having easy access to Caribbean food, but im afraid i'll be upset again and them high prices aren't appealing. But in the south most people don't know what Caribbean food is suppose to taste like, so they're still successful by always staying busy, but if you want the real stuff try...