Ruthies Caribbean Kitchen — Restaurant in Vallejo

Where do I begin for this 5 star rating. The food in itself would have come very close to a 5, but it was the hospitality that Ruthie offered us that puts it over the top!

She treated us like family from the moment she emerged from the kitchen. Especially our son, whom paid extra special attention to by preparing him fresh juices to try...one of her personal favorite things to do she says. He had the Gingerade and Sorrel and both were so refreshing and different than anything we had ever had.

The sit down menu is a very scaled down version of the to go and that is only because Ruthie wants to make sure that you are completley satisfied with your dining experience and so dishes that take longer and only served for take out...unless you don't mind the extra wait. We didn't so we tried as much as we could.

Our baby boy had the chicken fettucini alfredo (not pictured because he started way too fast, lol)...not traditional caribbean, but it was delicious! One of the ladies in the kitchen even came out to make sure that he liked everything that was going into the pasta dish..A+ service!

My husband ordered the spicy jerk chicken, with the red beans and rice, and mac and cheese (again picture not possible lol). I had the oxtails, plantains (hubby ate most of them before I could) and roasted veggies. We shared a Dal Puri (dough stuffed with split peas then deep fried..YUM!) and lentil soup also.

On top of all that, Ruthie treated us to samples of jerk shrimp (my favorite) and the pumpkin soup with salt fish. She also served us some extra spicy sauces that my husband couldn't get enough of...he loves a good heat. Everything was bursting flavor and all of the meats were so tender!

All in all we spent almost 2 hours there, but not because the food took that long come out. It was the wonderful atmosphere that Ruthie had created with her charming personality and conversations with the people around us that kept us there.

We will definitely be back...

I hadn't had Caribbean food in so long that when I saw this come up on my search I was super excited. I was not able to get all the items that I planned to order and try, because they did not have lentil soup or any kind of patties (beef, chicken or veggie). My daughter ordered the jerk shrimp, which turned out to be a few tasty and spicy shrimp and a bunch of stir-fry veggies, (like you might get at at a Chinese food restaurant) without much seasoning. My husband got the curry goat which he liked okay, but added salt to the stir-fry veggies and mac & cheese that came with it because he he said it was surprisingly bland for Caribbean food. My son got the fish cakes, (which he liked well enough to eat without a timer) with mac & cheese and stir-fry veggies, which he had a very hard time eating because he didn't like the taste. I got some veggie side dishes since I am not a carnivore; (unsweetened) sweet potatoes, pretty good plantains and some unimpressive red beans and rice (tasted like cloves only...not much else). I really wish this has been a different experience but I cannot say that it was, unfortunately. I guess I have to drive into the city to see if there is super tasty Caribbean food and patties available. Sadly...

FOOD IS OUTSTANDING AND SO IS RUTHIE

I just moved to the American Canyon side of Vallejo and several people advised me to avoid the downtown area of vallejo as it was deemed sketchy. I've long known that great food doesn't have to come from expensive great places, and Ruthies proves that point.

First off, the owner is front and center, knows her food and clearly has a passion for it. She was warm and welcoming and helpful guiding me to what dish I should choose based on my preferences.

As far as Caribbean food is concerned, I had limited exposure, basically jerk chicken. I went out of my comfort zone and had the oxtail (I've also never tried oxtail). Oh boy! It was amazing. Oxtail by nature has a good amount of fat in it, and is served on the bone. This could be a problem for some, but since this was clearly cooked low and slow, and with love, the meat falls off the bone, and the fat is so perfectly rendered it's just an explosion of flavor. Same goes for the rice and beans.

Nothing lacks flavor here and don't be scared if you think the food is going be too spicy. There is a difference between spiced and spicy and they will accommodate no matter what direction you want to go.

TLDR; I wish Miss Ruthie...