Teddy's Roti Shop — Restaurant in Washington

I'm always conflicted when I eat at Teddy's. On one hand, the prices are astronomical when compared to the value of the food (particularly when compared to the price of the same dishes in Trinidad). On the other hand, supply and demand sets the price, and when there are few Trinidadian restaurants in the D.C. area, you pay for those home-style dishes that hit the spot. Usually, the economic argument wins - I'll gladly pay for good food that I can't really get elsewhere.

Today, however, the scale tipped to the other end of the spectrum. I ordered "tomato choka" - a simple dish made of tomatoes, onions, and garlic. I was taken aback when I was told this simple dish would set me back $15. I was floored when I got home, and saw what I got for the money.

At home, I opened the bags concealing this $15 delight, and found to my surprise that only about one fifth of the container contained the tomato choka I had ordered. The other four-fifths of the container was filled with channa (chick peas), which I had neither wanted nor ordered.

I called Teddy's to complain. The woman answering the phone informed me that they make the tomato choka from a single can of tomato (CAN??? SACRILEGE!), and they used the channa to fill out the remaining empty space in the container. This infuriated me for two reasons: (1) The first time I ordered tomato choka from Teddy's, my wife commented that the dish tasted like they used canned tomatoes. Teddy overheard and informed us that not only did he not use canned products, but he only purchased organic tomatoes from the Union Market farmer's market. With that much detail, it must be the truth, right? (2) At $15 a pop, you can certainly afford to fill the container with canned tomatoes that cost pennies a pop.

I informed the woman on the phone that Teddy had previously told me he used real tomatoes in the dish, and she informed me that they have always used canned tomatoes. I asked for a refund, and she informed me that if I wanted my money back, I'd have to "deal with Teddy." I asked her if Teddy was there for me to "deal" with, and was informed that he was not even there. (Was I supposed to sit there until he came in tomorrow?) I asked her to call Teddy, and told her I was going to call back in 15 minutes. 15 minutes later, my call went to voicemail, and I went to Yelp.

In the two years I've been coming here, I've gladly spent too much money to eat food that made me feel like I was back in Trinidad. As other reviewers have mentioned, they tend to use channa as filler in their rotis as well, making their high prices seem that much more unreasonable. However, their roti portions are large, so I kept on coming.

After today, I don't think I'll return, and a 30 cent can of tomatoes will ultimately cost them hundreds of dollars worth of business. From now on, Crown Bakery about a mile and a half south of Teddy's on the same avenue (Georgia Ave.) will get all my business. Goodbye to Teddy's $4.00 alou pies, $4.00 doubles, and $15 rotis. Hello Crown Bakery's $22 buffet...

I don't usually leave reviews but I had to for this amazing Trini restaurant! I also don't understand why there is a single negative review because this classic, mom & pop Caribbean restaurant (so rare these days, we have to support !!! ) is a TRUE GEM in DC and is nothing short of... AMAZING!!!! My mom is half Trinidadian and it has been way too long since we had a real, authentic, delicious roti and other Trini food. And wow, were we impressed with Teddy's Roti Shop's food!!! :)

We were immediately greeted by Hannah who is so genuinely nice and sweet, which is also hard to find these days - real customer service. She was warm, friendly, patient and took my order and my parent's order with a smile. Thank you for your hospitality, Hannah! :) Love the old school, no frills vibe because that usually means the food is good and there are no gimmicks. Feels like you're walking down memory lane. The restaurant is clean and well kept. A few tables and chairs but you come here for the food, right???

Now on to the roti..............THE DOUGH ALONE is enough for a 5 star review!!!! The roti dough was soooooo soft and just perfection. I got boneless chicken for mine and the ratio of curried potatoes, juicy chicken even for white meat, and the flavor was just delicious!!! I've had roti that was dry and just nasty and this was NOT that! I'm not exaggerating. It was absolutely amazing. We all devoured our food with our eyes closed and a smile on our faces. And the cabbage????? lol. SOOOOO flavorful just for some simple cabbage! Devoured that, too!!! And you have to get the chicken and beef patties! Omg! There is curried potato in the chicken patty - enough said!!

Run, don't walk to Teddy's Roti Shop!!! If you want to help support one of the few, rare, classic Caribbean restaurants left in DC, please do so because it's sad to see so many of them go. Delicious, delicious, delicious Trini food and happy, warm hospitality - this is your spot! Thanks again, Hannah and to all of you at Teddy's! We will be back soon...

Hands down the best roti in the city. The fillings include curried goat, chicken, or shrimp, as well as veggie options like potato and channa (chickpeas), pumpkin, or spinach. My personal favorite is the pumpkin, the sweetness of which blends nicely with the spice from the potato and channa. Their wrapper is incredible, it's a large round flat bread with a dense chewy texture lightened by the inclusion of ground chickpeas between the flaky layers. They really know what they're doing and it puts other versions around the area to shame.

While the roti is the central item on the menu, the sides and snacks are tasty too. One standout are the doubles, two small circles of puffy bread, brushed with a sweet tamarind sauce and sandwiched around a spoonful of spiced chickpeas. Reminiscent of a puri chaat you might find at an Indian restaurant, but given a Caribbean slant.

They used to make their own juices in house, but apparently there's been some new juice making license that made them stop for a while. Hopefully they'll figure it out because the pineapple ginger juice is sweet spicy heaven (and makes a...