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Cafe Connection

4.4 (246 reviews)
ModerateCafes, Caribbean
Closed • 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

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CAFE CONNECTION ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Cafe Connection

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Reviews With Photos

Jerk Chicken Burrito

I read on here that The jerk Chicken burrito was a flavor bomb and they weren't lying this was absolutely delicious

Mint Lemonade and Plate with half jerk chicken and half Curry Chicken
Catherine B.

If you are on your lunch break, I highly recommend this place! The food was delicious and the owner Debbie is a sweetheart. Please support this business because the food is truly amazing. Definitely get their homemade peanut dressing on the salad and their refreshing mint lemonade. Will definitely come back again!

Rachel K.

I've been meaning to stop by Cafe Connection for a long time, but I kept missing them as they're open M-F 11am-3:30pm. It's perfect for the Downtown crowd, but I tend to do more exploring on the weekends. I was walking back to my car after some meetings and saw they were open and took my chance! As I entered, I was greeted with the delicious smell of Caribbean food. When I made it to the counter I asked for their recommendation and ended up getting the chicken curry plate. I also ordered a chicken and a beef patty to take home and got a half sorrel half mint lemonade for my drink. The staff was so friendly and was telling me about all their favorite dishes. I need to come back to try more soon. As I left, I took a sip of my drink and that completely won me over. The Sorrel (hibiscus) and mint lemonade mixed is so flavorful and refreshing. The portion sizes were generous and everything came out to $35.84 after tip and will easily be at least two meals, maybe three. I'm excited for my next visit already!

Curry Chicken with Coconut Rice with  Black Eyed Peas
Sammi T.

The service here is great and very personable. And the food is superb. I can tell they put much care into everything they do.

Tracy L.

Cafe Connection impressed me being my first time! To start, service was wonderful! The staff was very nice and welcoming. I ordered the curry chicken which came with coconut rice and a salad which I got peanut dressing. I thought the salad was good, although I wish it was a cold salad versus warm and mixing into my chicken. The chicken was delicious and tender. The rice was good although it didn't taste like coconut. If you're in the downtown Sac area and looking to try something new, highly recommend this spot! I'll be back!

Curry Chicken Roti Wrap
Ian S.

You've read about the prompt service at the counter - check. You've read about the cleanliness of the shop and the convenient location across from the capitol - check. You've read about the delicious food and ample portions - check. I got a curry chicken roti, which was conveniently wrapped (although it would also be great as a plate). The roti is filled with white and dark meat boneless chicken and potatoes, so it's easy to eat without having to navigate through weird pieces of bone or anything - definitely a plus - and if Keith Lee were to ever drop by, this place would blow up like crazy because the seasoning on everything is excellent. What you haven't read *enough* about is the amazing couple who run Cafe Connection. The fact that this little place has stood the test of time, in and out of Covid, and for 18 years, is simply a testament to Ken and Debbie - some of the most down to earth, warm, and genuine people in the game. They have events and are truly involved in the community. All in all, this is a great spot to get your fix of fast, easy, and very tasty Caribbean cuisine.

Half curry half jerk chicken plate.
Radora L.

Absolutely will be returning! The Jerk chicken was Smokey and flavorful and the Chicken curry was rich and savory! Definitely can tell it was slow cooked to perfection. Shared a plate with my husband for lunch and it was plenty to leave us both satisfied.

Vanessa S.

I've gone here a few times now and always like to stop by after going to the Cathedral. I haven't tried the other food except for the patty; they have 3 (chicken w\potatoes, ground beef and veggie (which is like the samosa ingredients). All $4.85 each. My favorite is the veggie and chicken. It reminds me so much of an empanada but super-sized. They call it "Patty" in the Caribbean from what I take it. I like the dough, the filling and just how it is the right size for a quick lunch. They provide 1 container of the tamarind sauce however I think the sauce is a little too watery. Also, they will not give you extra if you buy more than 1 patty and will put in the container (see pic) which I think is good for 1 patty. The service can be slow at times when they still have to bake the patties and they run out during the lunch hour. Parking can be tough in this area and if the sauce can be less watery I think it would help. I give this place a 3.5 which rounds to 4.

Jerk Chicken
Mike R.

The Curry Chicken & Jerk Chicken are amazing. Great assortment of drinks. Solid amount of indoor seating available. The hot sauce is phenomenal, but Hot! Recommend giving it a try for lunch!

Chicken sandwich with bacon and avocado on rye

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

This place is delicious, hits the spot for some solid Caribbean food and good service.

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8 years ago

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6 years ago

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2 years ago

Generous portions, good flavor. Very nice service, very clean. Reasonable price. I will be back.

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2 years ago

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9 years ago

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

Amazing food!!!! The Oxtails on Friday are off the charts. Must try if you like the carribean food:)

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

The jerk chicken burrito was a flavor bomb, 100% worth ordering. But it desperately needed a sauce of some kind to help make it less dry.

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10 years ago

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

10/10 homemade and delicious. Flavors are rich and unique. Island music jamming. Would always recommend

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4 years ago

Must must must you must order the ox tail stew outstanding. Delicious took me back to the Caribbean. God bless the Chef

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13 years ago

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4 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

Great food, better people, and if you can catch the tails on a Friday, you're winning! Lol

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

Some of the best Caribbean food ever and the staff was so nice. Definitely recommend this place and the prices are great

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When I want comfort food and island vibes, Dubplate Kitchen has me coming back again and again for…read moretheir delicious vegan Jamaican plates. Yelp has me clocking trips here going back to when they first opened in 2018 and I must say they just keep getting better! I'm always warmly greeted when I stop in and enjoy the relaxed vibes while I wait for my takeout order- chatting with the friendly staff and listening to the great music they play while my food is prepared fresh to order. The vegan oxtail, which they make in-house, is my absolute favorite. The plate comes with rice and peas, salad, and plantains. If they have vegan Jamaican Patties available I always get some of those as well (pro tip: they reheat well). Sadly, those veggie-stuffed pastries are frequently sold out, so if you see them get them! When cold weather comes around, I'm all about the Ital soup. It's so simple and flavorful. If I feel a cold coming on this soup is one of my favorite remedies. It's also worth noting that the vegan options have really expanded over the years, and made from scratch, which I definitely appreciate. Dubplate is in my regular rotation for a reason. Check them out!

my main reference to caribbean food is back a yard…read more oxtail - excellent. might be better than backayard jerk chicken - not as good as backayard brown stew chicken - it was ok. a bit of a sweet and savory type of dish. curry chicken - just tasted like a basic yellow thai curry rice portions were good. expensive for the portions, but seems par for caribbean food. staff, especially the cashier lady, was very friendly.

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Bodega Kitchen & Cocktails

Bodega Kitchen & Cocktails

4.3(268 reviews)
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Bodega Kitchen and Cocktails is located in the corner of a plaza and could easily be missed. Don't…read morelet that happen to you as this hidden gem serves up very flavorful cuisine. With authentic flavors and food items, there's not many like it around town. Bodega serves up food from the Caribbean Islands. One of their most popular dishes is their jerk chicken. They have this both as a chicken wing appetizer and as a plated dinner. I personally really enjoy white meat when it comes to chicken and the dinner plate was leg and thigh so I opted to go with the wing appetizer. My only complaint about it was its size. I thought it could have had more wings as I thoroughly enjoyed each one with the jerk sauce I added to it. The wings were very crisp on the outside and full of flavor. Adding the jerk sauce or their house made hot sauces enhanced the flavor even more. I could really see myself coming just for these wings! I also had the Cubano sandwich. This hot, pressed sandwich has ham, cheese, pickles, and mustard. It's a popular item that also is bursting with flavor. The combination of all the ingredients was mouthwatering. It comes with a side of fries to round out the meal. Service at Bodega was very nice. We found the servers to be very patient with us and the food came out reasonably. I was specifically there for a birthday party where we had cake being served from outside the restaurant. Bodega has a cake cutting charge, but seeing our tiny cake they waived it for us! It's a cute restaurant and definitely different than many you will find around Sacramento. If you're in the pocket area, Bodega is well worth a visit!

Recently visited this location! Trendy bodega vibe bar/restaurant, definitely felt it walking in…read more We were able to seat ourselves, and our server was quick to see us. We ordered the plantain nachos, jerk chicken, guava shrimp, and pineapple upside down cake. Our party ordered margaritas, which they said was on the stronger side. Our food was good, we also ordered yucca fries but our server forgot. Our favorite was their plantains. Their dessert was a bit dry, but flavor was good. All in all, good experience.

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We've stopped into Sol Cubano for some fun casual dates as well as with friends when we were all…read morecraving Cuban food. Parking can be a little tough during peak hours but there's usually spaces available in the parking lot, even if they're further down the business strip. With breakfast, lunch, and dinner options Wed-Sat they have a good variety of items to choose from. If you're a coffee person, there's is delicious and strong. My personal favorite is the Cuban sandwich, but we love exploring new items on the menu and have been working our way through it. Some other items we've tried and enjoyed are the shredded beef omelette, tostones rellenos, papa rellena, along with flan for dessert. The best way to explore the menu is by sharing items with friends. if you like hot sauce, theirs is also delicious and goes well on a lot of their dishes. The team here is so sweet and we're always happy to dine at Sol Cubano.

My friends and I came to this spot on a whim and we love this hidden gem…read more As soon as you walk in you can smell the spices and see the guava/guava + cheese rolls. Hostess was friendly, prompt, and seated us quickly. I love the inside decor and the feeling of being on the island. I plan to come back again and introducing this spot to my other friends! I hope they open a location closer to midtown Sacramento, I'm sure it'd be a hit

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Sol Cubano
Sol Cubano - Inside the empanada filled with seasoned ground beef

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Lola's Lounge - Pastelon

Lola's Lounge

4.0(827 reviews)
1.1 mi•Downtown
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Lola's caught my eye when I was visiting Willie's, a different Sacramento favorite, and their menu…read moredrew me in. You don't see a lot of Puerto Rican centric restaurants in California much less Sacramento so I was excited to try something different. We sampled a smorgasbord of different menu items but the two that really stuck with me and the ones that I will be back for were the Cubano sandwich and the chopped cheese. The beef in the chopped cheese was well seasoned and it felt light but filling at the same time. The tanginess of the pickle in the Cubano really balances out the heavier pork ingredients. The bread was so crunchy I could have made an ASMR video just based on the crunch. Both dishes were common if you are familiar with or spending time in New York, but it's really awesome that there's a place in Sacramento to go when you are craving a chopped cheese or Cubano. The restaurant was clean and the service was top notch. I wish other restaurants would leave a small carafe of soda at the desk so we don't have to ask for refills. There's a lot more of the menu to explore so I think another visit is in my future. I just hope I won't panic and just order the chopped cheese, but that wouldn't be the end of the world.

After watching a movie at Tower theater, my friends went to Lola's for a late dinner. This is my…read morefirst time going to a Puerto Rican restaurant so I was excited. The ambience was pretty open, with nice dim lighting that complimented the dark tones of the restaurant. There was some kitschy decorations that added to its charm. Our server was very friendly and was able to answer any questions we had. My friends had the vegan bowl and they said it was really delicious and looked amazing too. I got the starter pozole and a mocktail from their Halloween menu. The starter size was perfect for me and I've only ever had Mexican pozole so this was a delicious experience. As opposed to a red broth from tomatoes it was much more meat/salt forward and the meat was cooked perfectly and the hominy delicious. To me it was a bit too salty but the fresh lime wedge helped with that. The mocktail itself was sweet and exactly what I wanted it to be. I would love to come back and try out their other food items!

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Jerk Shack - I've arrived at Jerk Shack, which was today's last stop on my "rib tour" at the 2nd Annual Placer County Fair Rib Cookoff.

Jerk Shack

5.0(2 reviews)
20.7 mi

Jerk Shack is a local food truck and catering pop-up restaurant vendor, operated by a husband and…read morewife team, and headquartered in Rocklin, CA. Jerk Shack specializes in the cuisine of Jamaica, as the husband is a native of Kingston, Jamaica, and has been cooking since he was a young man. Kansas City met Kingtson at the 2nd Annual Placer County Fair Rib Cookoff! Jerk Shack is a food truck that provides catering service and sets up shop at special events, such as farmers markets, corporate and private parties, local breweries, and county fairs. The truck has a presence at the weekly "Farmers Market," held every Tuesday at Fountains of Roseville. I certainly need to pay the event a visit! The restaurant had a large pan of ribs, ready to serve to hungry rib-loving customers. Like all the restaurants in the rib cookoff, after each rack of ribs is removed from the grill, the rack is cut into individual servings. Tickets for the event were sold in lots of 5 tickets for $10.00, and can be used in any combination at all of the 25 teams participating in the event. Since the tasting time was limited to only two hours - I wish it was a couple hours longer - I chose to only visit three vendors, and enjoy five ribs from each vendor, to allow me to chit-chat with the staff, take photos, and enjoy the delicious ribs. The amazingly friendly owners of Jerk Shack, Shaun and Myisha Parker, treated me, and all of their customers like members of their family. These folks know how to grill/smoke amazing "Kansas City style" pork ribs, with a Jamaican twist. My order of five amazingly-delicious pork ribs, from the kitchen of Jerk Shack. This fine restaurant was my last rib stop for the day, as I only had the opportunity to visit three restaurants in the short two-hour period the rib tasting part of the event lasted. The rib cookoff rules required all ribs to be cooked "Kansas City style," as there was a certified Kansas City rib judge on hand, to ensure ribs were cooked in that genre of barbecue. Jerk Shack is a Jamaican restaurant, and it must have taken a "little doin'" for them to alter their Jamaican recipes to Kansas City standards, but the accomplished the feat with class and style! My five ribs were large, tender, juicy and seared on the outside to a nice "crust," yet moist and tender inside. The ribs were definitely cooked "Kansas City style," but you could definitely taste a hint of Jamaican in the ribs and the sauce, as I suspect the ribs were cooked using pimento wood - flown in from Jamaica - and the sauce was sweet, and just a little spicy, with a hint of Jamaican flavor. Whatever the heritage of these ribs, this was delicious barbecue! Kingston met Kansas City at the 2nd Annual Placer County Fair Rib Cookoff in Roseville, at Jerk Shack! Jerk Shack grills amazing pork ribs! Despite the fact that the cuisine of Kansas City and Kingston are thousands of miles apart, I simply loved Shaun and Myisha's delicious Kansas City style ribs, with a Jamaican slant. I'll be looking for Jerk Shack at The Fountains at Roseville, or another area "foodie" event in the near future.

I just had Jerk Shack ribs at the Placer County Fair rib cook off, and they were the best ones…read morethere! Deliciously sweet and tangy, perfect tenderness. Also, great personality and interaction with people. "Respect!"

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Jerk Shack - My order of five amazingly-delicious pork ribs, from the kitchen of Jerk Shack. I loved these ribs!

My order of five amazingly-delicious pork ribs, from the kitchen of Jerk Shack. I loved these ribs!

Jerk Shack - The restaurant has a large pan of ribs, ready to serve to hungry rib-loving customers.

The restaurant has a large pan of ribs, ready to serve to hungry rib-loving customers.

Jerk Shack - I'm a happy guy, as I'm ready to enjoy five delicious pork ribs, from the talented grill of Jerk Shack.

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Cafe Connection - cafes - Updated November 2026

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