Taste of the Islands Restaurant — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

The first time I tried this restaurant was with my wife, we stop by on the way back from church and grabbed some callaloo and salt fish and some fries sweet bread. When tasting the food it was obvious that thecallaloo in Sulphur Springs from the day previous, and the sweet bread also was from the day before and was just heat it up. That was extremely disappointing because I would expect more from a Caribbean restaurant. I decided to give the place a second chance two months later which is today by just purchasing one beef patty and a drink. First the gentleman try to hit me a cold Patty, when I made a comment about the cold patty he said I’ll heat it up for you and he threw it in the microwave which made the patty heart but I was soft and soggy. I don’t believe giving restaurants a bad name without giving him a second chance but this is a restaurant I will never purchase even water from. The patty was disgusting and I’m sure it was purchased maybe from Costco and then heat it up in the store but they try to pass it off as fresh patties.I don’t like to write reviews like this but this restaurant is giving the Caribbean islands a bad name and our food should be fresh and presentable and not like these American restaurants that reheat things that should not...

I visited this location twice back to back just to give it a chance because I heard it was good, both times I was HIGHLY disappointed. The food is not freshly made and does not taste like authentic Jamaican food. I’m Jamaican and love to support my people, but this establishment lacks good customer service. I didn’t even get a hello. The food is below standards and I would not be surprised if a health inspector shut this facility down as it lacks cleanliness. My cabbage was so salty it was not edible. I couldn’t even finish my food, most of which was thrown away. Today the lady behind the counter was going off on a customer for calling and asking about pricing. The only thing I would possibly suggest eating from here is the fried dumplin, that’s it. If you know good Jamaican food, you know it is not here. I will never visit again. Don’t...

I ordered the large oxtail plate with yellow rice. I had mac n' cheese as my side dish. Food came to our table fresh and PIPING hot. Too hot to eat at first but I suppose there could be worst problems in life 🙃. The Mac n' cheese was a bit drier than what I am used to but it was very flavorful. I recommend it. The oxtails should have been the star of the show but they were missing a full flavor profile. However, I will say that I didn't eat it all in the restaurant and took leftovers home. When I warmed my plate later, the oxtails had seem to absorb it's "gravy" and tasted superb. Maybe the extreme heat to which they arrived at the table earlier didn't allow my taste buds a full experience. I would recommend this restaurant. One of my lunch partners this day ordered the jerk chicken wings and commented that they...