Went in on a busy afternoon for lunch. To be completely honest the lack of flavor from the food I had is insulting to Caribbean culture. I had the chicken plate with Cuban black beans and St Lucian rice. The signature bbq sauce was essentially a thinner version of Manwhich. As a whole, it was all very bland and the food temperature was lukewarm. People around us were ordering the salad with almonds and oranges on it, came with some type of bread. Not sure the name but it looked delicious! Maybe I'll try that. If I were to go back I'd definitely order something different because this meal was not the one for me. Our server was great! Can't remember his name unfortunately. However, he was very attentive and even topped off our togo drinks without asking. I noticed he was taking care of nearly every table in the restaurant and still managed to get everything right, never forgetting a thing. Five stars for him! The restaurant is set up like an outdoor patio. There are various 2-4 seater tables with picnic style chairs. The staff quickly accommodated my party of four by combining two tables. Service was quick and efficient not sure if I'd recommend for large groups. read more

Calypso Cafe - Chicken plate, St. Lucian Rice, Cuban Black Beans - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Forgive me Yelp, for it has been 5,076 days since my last review of Calypso. I had a couple of kids, which has meant I have not been frequenting the place as much, but I've reached the age where the kids are now talking about their like of Calypso Cafe as well. I can finally return more! That fruit tea is the second greatest fruit tea I've had, being edged out of first place only slightly by Baja down the street. Thompson Lane I think is the center of the fruit tea universe. All these years later I still only get a couple of things there. Black bean rice nachos and the black bean salad. There's not a lot on their menu that I really enjoy, but those two I really do. My kiddos are fans of both the black bean and chicken nachos and I have requests often to drop in and it's usually when dropping in would result in being stuck in traffic for an hour. Womp womp. They recently reopened for dinner which I have yet to have had a chance to do. It's been on my radar but something about eating a mass of beans before bedtime doesn't appeal to my crew - their loss. Used to be a fan of their carrot cake as well, got to put that on my to-do list. Something about carrot cake and fruit tea and beans just yeah, get that to go. read more

The locals know about it. And you should too. This terrific little café is a warm and inviting restaurant where the choice of foods are plentiful. My colleague and I stopped here for lunch. Not wanting to have something too heavy we both chose the.Lucayan salad. This fresh salad on a plate includes lettuce, marinated chicken, mandarin, oranges, toasted almonds, and their house vinaigrette. It's a terrific tasting salad and the dressing is fantastic. It also comes with cornbread muffins with sprinkled coconut on top. You get two of these. To drink, I tried something new, it's called their fruit tea. It's not a regular tea, it's not a sweet tea, it's a fruity sweet tasting tea. It's delicious but for me one is plenty. read more

Calypso Cafe - menu - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

A Nashville classic. The plates are, obviously, amazing - the Jamaican curry sauce is the bomb. Portions are great, and the sides are always delicious. I love the greens and the bean & corn salad the most. The Lucayan salad is a great complement to the chicken plates too. Around 6pm on a weekday, dine-in service was SUPER fast and not crowded at all. I love that the food comes out so quickly. The restaurant is spacious and clean. Love everything about Calypso - it will always be my quick food go-to. read more

If you are looking for a great lunch spot in the 100 Oaks area, you need to try Calypso! The food and service is awesome! My go too is the Lucayan Salad! Little secret... In the winter I ask that they use warm chicken, it makes it sooo good. And instead of the Boijo Muffins which are very good, I get the Black beans with onions and sour cream. The service is very friendly and fast! This is a locally owned business, sooo please support them and try them today'! read more

See all

I don't see a lot of reviews for their burgers and after trying it, I can see why. I'm not a picky eater and am pretty easy to please especially when I'm hungry, but this was one of the rare times I have been left utterly perplexed at whatever it was I attempted to consume. Their "island burger" comes with a lean beef patty, lettuce, onions, and some bbq sauce (?) on the side which I'm pretty sure was actually salsa and the employees grabbed the wrong sauce. I could scrub the floors with that lean ground beef patty because of how dry, overly cooked, and completely tasteless it was. I took apart the sandwich and examined it for even a tiny hope of seasoning (which the menu says it has), but came up empty. It was the saddest thing. Not sure if the teaspoon of chopped red onions was supposed to add some flavor here. You can add cheese for 0.99 cents, but I'm not convinced anything could save whatever this thing is... maybe the other stuff on the menu is good, but y'all enjoy that lol. read more

Food is always delicious. Best sweet potatos and black beans in town. So hard to pick between the jerk and bbq sauce. Very casual place. Fast service. Healthy yet still comfort food. read more

I was in need of fruit tea. And the Beans and three. The greens are super flavorful, the sweet potatoes are just right, and the muffins... dense and yummy. The place can get full quickly, but the waiters are always attentive. read more

Calypso Cafe - Seating - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

See all

I'm a Nashville native, and this right here is the best chicken in Nashville. Yeah I said it. None of that fried chicken crap. That quarter chicken thigh-delectable. Now if you disagree with me and you're ordering the white meat-that's your own dang fault and you don't have a right to be ordering chicken. Always always order the thighs. Get the black beans and the corn muffins too. Make sure to ask for extra butter for the muffins. And the St. Lucia rice-mix it in with the beans. You're welcome. read more

LOVE Calypso! The Lucayan Salad is THE best. Don't miss a meal here! Wish they had more locations, but it's probably best for my wallet if they didn't. Haha! read more

I am SO excited that Calypso is open for dinner!!!! I picked up last night and had the LUCAYAN SALAD and it is always so good. I love the coconut corn muffins that were a bonus inside the to go box. The portions are HUGE so I enjoyed the second half this afternoon for lunch. The dressing is amazing. I called and it was ready within 10 minutes. The women at the check out were so nice and welcoming! It is very reasonably priced so I didn't feel like I was messing up my monthly budget. They greeted me with a smile. The new owner, David, chatted with me as I checked out. I can't wait to go back! read more

Best salad in Nashville ! Huge portion . Fresh ingredients. Friendly service. Can get a little loud though.

I ordered curry chicken and it is definitely different than 10 years ago. I prefer their old recipes and most likely will not go back. Once you have an idea how something taste based on past and desire that flavor and it changes, it's hard to let go. Others may love the change. read more

This place is going to be a miss for me the next time im craving a sandwich. The tables are too close together. When you first walk in the sign says, wait to be seated. The waiter that greeted me told me to sit anywhere I wanted maybe they should reconsider not using this sign. I sat down and waited until the waitress came by and asked if I was dining alone. I told her that I was, and I'm normally not alone jokingly which she had no type of expression. She then asked what I wanted to drink and I was telling her my order I couldn't decide on a side dish and she seemed to be very impatient. She then came back with my food and my sandwich bun had some sauce on it that I didn't particularly care for. She didn't even ask if I wanted any other condiments and I also had to ask for a straw which I did not get and I decided to go ahead and take the initiative and get it myself. She never came back to check on me then she came with her tablet and it came time for me to pay for my bill. I was very unhappy with the service and the food was just mediocre. There's so many other options out there. This is one place. I will not be going to again. read more

The walls are filthy as another yelped mentioned. They were out of dark meat when we got there....it was about 45 minutes till closing. And people kept on coming until the last minute. My cup was chipped. BUT look past it all because the food is soooooo good. Really good! The greens, slaw, black beans, I favored the BBQ sauce over the jerk. Idk how they make it but it was spicy n sweet n vinegary n amazing. Their desserts were also good, the key lime bar reminded me of the consistency of a pecan pie bar. read more

See all

One of my favorite local restaurants in Nashville! They also have vegetarian options which is always great! read more

See all

This place was delicious! Definitely has a patio vibe for the summer that you can enjoy for the year-round. The service was pretty decent and on top of their check ins at the tables were quick and efficient . You definitely have to try the fruit tea even if you're a diehard sweet tea person! It is super delicious and refreshing! The black beans here are definitely a staple of this restaurant, they use them in a lot of their descriptions of their meals. And for good reason I might add! The taste is perfect and well rounded. Going to have to come back and check this place out to try the other items on their menus. read more

Calypso Cafe - Menu front - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

See all

Love the restaurant Service and food were fast, and tasty. Smell outside front door is nauseating. read more

Great place. Been going for years. Service has always been good as well. I've tried just about everything on menu and my fav's are the salads... but its all yummy read more

Today I was craving some salad and found that this place is known for their salads and sides. I got the black bean salad with chicken, which comes with generous amounts of black beans, sour cream, red onion, tortilla chips, and cheese, with BBQ dressing on the side. It's not necessarily super healthy because of sour cream, etc, but it's definitely hearty and nutritious. All the ingredients here are super fresh, and service was as expected. The BBQ sauce gives a nice, chipotle/tangy contrast to the dish. Food overall is fairly well priced in the area, even more so if you get the regular favorite's beans and three which includes their famous black beans with 3 choices of side. read more

Calypso Cafe - Black bean salad - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

My friend and I met here for lunch at their Berry Hill location after learning it had reopened. Their to-go versus dine-in option was a little confusing to us when we first walked in. There is a line for a cashier and those are the pickup and to-go orders but when you arrive if you want to dine in you just sit at a table. My friend ordered a chicken salad and I ordered the white pulled chicken barbecue plate. Although the black beans and the coconut cornbread muffins as my two sides were just ok I found the chicken to be very bland. For a Caribbean spot I was expecting more flavor. The whole plate really didn't have enough spice or seasoning. The chicken came with a salsa-esque sauce to put on it but I didn't care for that either. Although I really wanted to like this spot my expectations were not met and it fell short. read more

Calypso Cafe - Pulled BBQ White Chicken plate - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

I have always been a regular at the east Nashville Calypso (hate that those doors are closed now!!), but I've also eaten at this one a few times. I had lunch here today for the first time in years. I debated if I was going to drop this 4 star review down to a 3 because the service was kind of disappointing, to be honest. Our waitress wasn't rude, but she also certainly wasn't amicable either. Maybe she was just having a bad day and I totally understand that can happen, but the awkward unfriendly vibe she had just made our lunch a bit ... weird. My toddler was messy while he ate his nachos and I was trying to wipe the extra crumbs off of the table after I was done eating and she came over to help. Which is great, except my mom was also at our table still actively eating her salad, and the waitress picked up my mom's plate to also clean up some stray salad greens around my mom's food. While she was still holding her fork to the plate. It was just... very weird. All of this aside, I LOVE THE FOOD HERE. I have waited years to come back to Nashville and enjoy this food again! Some of my favorites include the black bean salad (which I had today!), the rotisserie chicken, the spiced sweet potatoes, pulled bbq chicken, and the fruit tea. The bbq sauce here is so good! I was not impressed with the kids chips and cheese- it's melted cheese over some pretty standard tortilla chips, so it's just nothing really special (it is supposed to come with a tangy sauce but my son wouldn't have eaten it so I didn't get it). The salads here are always so crisp and fresh, the ingredients in all of my favorite dishes listed above are unbelievably tasty, and the food just tastes like you are taking care of your body with something healthy AND delicious! So you leave full but also feeling really good! 4 stars it is. Because the food really does DESERVE 5 whole stars. read more

Calypso Cafe - Black Bean Salad - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

See all

We had the Black Bean Dip appetizer to start. It's very good the jalapeño peppers are a good contrast to the sweet bean dip. I had the rotisserie Chicken white. Spot on the best chicken I've had very moist and tasty. The coleslaw was delicious as well as the greens. They do have plastic chairs, but the food will make you forget about them. read more

Maybe somebody actually reads this and offers to make it right. This picture is what my "half chicken" and two sides looked like today. Myself and 3 co-workers picked up 'to-go' orders today at 11:40 from the Thompson Ln store. Portions have been getting skimpier over the past couple years from Calypso Cafe' but this is an absolute joke. This picture is supposed to be the HALF rotisserie chicken with two sides. What tiny absurd amount of chicken I did receive tasted amazing but a 6 year old would have left hungry. The callaloo had zero seasoning, vinegar or salt but the hilarious thing is that they actually let someone pay $15 and called this a half chicken. read more

Calypso Cafe - World's smallest "half" chicken. - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

I hadn't eaten here for a few years when I remember giving a sad review, well, this visit isn't much different. Ordered a jerk chicken sandwich with black bean side. The piece of chicken was about the size of a silver dollar so I pretty much just had a jerk sauce sandwich, flavor of jerk isn't really a good representation of the gritty Jamaican palate, but maybe they're just doing their own thing idk. Black beans were better with sweet vinegar red onions and sour cream on top, overall, reasonably tasty. At the end of the day, Calypso is yur typical, simple, run-of-the-mill lunch spot for local cubicle jobs. It's food. For fantastic Jamaican...the Kingston Jamaican truck is outstanding! read more

I have gone here for years, like 25 years! I'm sad this is the last location open - when I come home I go straight here every time. Consistently great and the service can't be beat read more

Wonderful food and service. They were busy (as usual) but everything was spot on! Glad to be able to stop in. read more

Clean and well prepared to best keep Covid away. Menu QR code is on every table so hard copy menus aren't necessary. Staff is masked and provides excellent service. I was there prior to lunch rush, which I recommend if possible. Black bean salad and fruit tea do not disappoint. The spicy barbecue sauce provided for the salad makes it even more scrumptious. They offer free refills on fruit tea and even offer it to go if you so desire. I've been to a multiple locations and this Berry Hill site offers the best parking. I also think it's the only location open for dine in during Covid pandemic. Keep up the great work Calypso!! You are a Nashville staple. read more

Calypso Cafe - Black bean salad and fruit tea - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

I love this place so much. The food is banging. Everything on the menu is great especially the chicken and sides. I am disappointed that they got rid of the orzo salad though. Also, Owen is the best! read more

Calypso Cafe - Black bean salad, bean dip, and chicken with bean salad and sweet potatoes. - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Take-out order this past Monday. Easy menu to understand and clear where to order take-out when you walk in. Very friendly folks working inside and I was asked a couple times if I needed anything. Ordered up the Tropical chicken salad (not too heavy on the mayo) which is their Calypso-roasted and diced chicken, pineapple, lite curry mayo, and raisins served on a bed of green leaf lettuce with two side item (orzo and basil and spiced sweet potato mash with shaved coconut on top). Everything was fresh and ready for me in less than 5 minutes. A very good looking take out meal to say the least and I love that everything stayed separated during my ride back to the office. The orzo was perfect and I preferred it cold, with a nice addition of peas, carrots and a hint of celery). Sweet potatoes were warm and had a nice flavor and texture. A nice treat after my other items. Interior was bright and very clean. Definitely recommend this spot and will check out other items on my next work travels to the area. read more

If I could give more than five stars, I would. My boyfriend and I visit in Nashville and we went to the Calypso Cafe on Thompson Lane. I used to frequent this place years ago and really love the service and food. I am pleased to say that nothing has changed that the food is just as delicious as it was years ago. I remember many fond memories of Calypso Cafe, as many of my friends, and I was down here frequently. As a creative person, I Lover of music and fellowship. Calypso Café is the perfect place to have a great meal at a reasonable price with excellent service. Hats off to Calypso Cafe ! You did it again! read more

I miss the Charlotte Avenue location, but I also understand how hard it is to find people who will work. The 100 Oaks location is a little longer drive, but I so love these restaurants. While I've never had anything that wasn't good at Calypso, my favorite is the half chicken, white meat, with Jamaican Curry. For my sides, black beans and sweet potatoes. When I'm trying to behave, I remove the skin from the chicken, leave the coconut off the potatoes, I pass on the sour cream with the black beans, and I order unsweet iced tea. When I'm not behaving, I'll leave the skin on, along with the coconut and sour cream, and I order fruit tea. Their fruit tea is incredible. Service is outstanding. On a consistency basis, one of my favorite restaurants. read more

I don't leave reviews often but I was moved. This is a good restaurant for people who love bland cafeteria food or are diabetic or high blood pressure bc there are no spices or flavor. Basic bulk ingredients, worst chicken sandwich of all time. The staff, however, were kind and it's a nice atmosphere. read more

We love Calypso but for crying out loud please turn down the music. A few soft surfaces to absorb some of the sound bouncing around would be very welcome, also. If the place is packed, the poor acoustics make everyone need to shout and its a little like dining during a riot. Now to the food. Calypso has consistently good food. Everything I have ever tried has been great. If they are still available, the whole-chicken family meals are a good buy. The Black Bean Salad and Lucayan Salad are highly recommended. read more

The food was really light and refreshing. The waiter was kind of rushed, so we were in and out so quick there wasn't a lot of time to enjoy a sit down meal. read more

Calypso Cafe - Quarter Dark w/ Two Sides Black Bean Salad - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

See all

Came in with my dad for a birthday lunch and felt rushed the entire time by our waiter. We have never been here before and asked a couple questions about things on the menu to which we were given quick and rude sounding responses. The food wasn't warm when it came out and we were both very disappointed with our experience. I will say the fruit tea was good but that's it. read more

One of the first places we ate when we moved to Nashville. A family favorite for sure. I am a fan of the black bean salad.. But my kids love the family meal with a quartered chicken, bean salad, callilou, and black beans. We have enjoyed Calypso in several locations over the years and are so glad they still offer so much good food after all this time. read more

The food is good, I absolutely love the nachos, but the restaurant is DIRTY (nasty-dirty), even Covid didn't clean it up. That's the only thing that keeps me from really enjoying eating there. The staff is upbeat and friendly, and reasonable prices. Hopefully, this temporary closure will result in a much needed cleaning. read more

Great food served hot, friendly service, and a good atmosphere. The barbecue chicken had good flavor.

This is the second time I've ordered from this spot. Pros: Ingredients seem very fresh and salad portions are big/filling. Quick service. Both times I've gotten the black bean salad with pulled white BBQ chicken. Cons: the restaurant itself doesn't appear clean. Black beans have very little flavor, and the "bbq sauce" is very thin and overly sweet. The side of sweet potatoes tasted like hot sweet apple sauce purée with a few chunks of sweet potato. Didn't like that at all. I might be back to try something different. read more

Calypso Cafe - Spiced Sweet Potatoes - Caribbean Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee