Taste of the Islands — Restaurant in Plano

The food is great and the staff are friendly, however the owner is extremely unprofessional. My mom who is older and has been recently injured and rendered unable to physically get around, texted Taste of the Islands to order plantains. I drove to Plano from North Dallas and picked up the order and dropped them off at my moms house. My mom found that the plantains weren't very ripe before being fried and thus looked and felt fairly dry instead of plump like they typically are. I got home and received a call from my mom that I need to replace the order and that she texted Taste of the Islands to let them know. I got back to the restaurant and told the owner that my mother needs these replaced and the owner immediately chews me out and says "so you just wait hours and expect them to be fresh???!" Whoah there. Btw, in my experience, fresh, ripe plantains are still plump and nice after even a day and a half. I explained to her that my mom texted and she loudly said "let me check this phone and see if there's a text". As if I were lying. Then I guess she saw the text, got embarrassed for lashing out since her tone changed drastically and she tossed the plantains in the trash and told me to sit down and wait. My anxiety was extremely high so I stood and paced. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen and loudly said "Yeah she always has issues with the plaintains... get the ripest ones.. Were the previous ones old? Yeah because I always serve them fresh..." All while giving me hard suspicious glances and then she disappeared in the back. I felt bad for the staff because I saw them make the plantains fresh when I came in earlier, and I let them know that its not their fault and to take their time with this new batch. I am very patient and I never mind waiting for my order to be completed. This was not the first time that lady was unprofessional and rude to me, and it is not the first time we have had a (minor) issue with our food. It's unfortunate because I'm used to getting great service anywhere I go in Plano but this is the one place that I consistently feel like I have to tip on eggshells. I've been going to this place since I was a child, so I'm not sure what happened for the owner to grow so irritable and agitated. I am extremely upset with this last exchange and if it weren't for my mom preferring to get Caribbean food from a place she already knows, I'd never go back. In the future - just as I take a respectful, logical and professional approach to problem solving - please take the same approach as I when working with the public. You never know what someone is going through, please just fulfill your job to the best of your abilities and expect the best from others. Lead with your best foot forward...

I’ve been coming to this restaurant for many, many years, and it has always been a 5-star experience. It had been a while since my last visit, so I was surprised by the changes—possibly due to new management?

In the past, walking in felt comforting, like a weight lifted off your shoulders. But this time, the atmosphere felt tense and unwelcoming—almost like walking into a courtroom. It was quiet, cold, and not the warm, inviting space I’ve always known.

Things seemed rearranged, and I had trouble finding a particular item. Normally, a staff member would ask how they could help—but no one did. It felt more like everyone was just ready to clock out, rather than focused on the customers.

To top it off, I specifically asked for double cabbage, no rice, and the cashier even wrote it on the receipt. But when I opened the plate, there was rice on it anyway. I brought it to her attention and asked if I should show her the receipt, but she refused and insisted, “I did give you double cabbage.” I explained again that the issue wasn’t the cabbage—it was that I didn’t want rice at all. I asked if she could remake it, and she just repeated herself without listening. Rather than argue, I just walked away.

A few minutes later, a woman approached me—possibly the manager—but she didn’t introduce herself or wear a name badge. She simply asked, “Is there a problem?” I told her what happened and asked what she planned to do about it. She didn’t respond and instead began backing away, so I repeated my question. Again, no real help or resolution was offered.

The meal itself wasn’t great either—mostly fat and barely any meat, which is unusual here. I also ordered roti, and when I asked for it with my meal, the response was confusing and dismissive, like I was supposed to know some new policy.

Unfortunately, this visit was a huge letdown. I paid good money for a meal I didn’t enjoy and received poor service from start to finish. It’s disappointing to say, but I won’t...

I was running an errand in the same shopping center when I saw this place and said what the heck I’ll give it a try. I have never been some where were I paid for Caribbean food. Only experience was a super white friend who claimed they had a good jerk recipe. After eating here I realized my friend doesn’t not have a good jerk recipe at all. This is some of the best food I have ever had. Spicy but not to spicy just enough where you kick your head back and take a breathe and cool down before your next bite. Flavors were enjoyable and separated. Meaning the chicken tasted different from the rice and the rice tasted different than the potatoes. I ordered and less that 2 mins I was out the door and on my way. I made it to my car and before I pulled out the parking lot I put it in park and ate right then and there. I couldn’t wait. Jerk chicken plate with potatoes. Plenty of food for the prices. Leaving flavors out the chicken was juicy and fell off the bone. Rice was tender and not mushy. The fork tender potatoes were perfect. I’ll be back again and again and will be bringing family and friends. Also shoutout to the people behind the counter. They were both very nice and polite. And they seemed to get along with each other well and seemed to enjoy there jobs. Like a place where the people working want...