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    Chez Olga

    4.4 (264 reviews)
    ModerateCaribbean
    Open 11:00 am - 8:30 pm

    Chez Olga Photos

    Business Info

    CHEZ OLGA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Chez Olga

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    Menu
    Matthew K.

    My son recommended this place for lunch and he was spot-on. The food was just fantastic. It tasted so flavorful and fresh. And our server was just awesome, calling my mother-in-law Mama and my wife Queen. The food was hot, both temperature hot and spicy hot. I chose a 3 on the 1-5 scale and I think next time I should go with a 2. The 3 definitely had some nice kick! My wife got a 1 on her dish and she said she would call it a "medium" heat. I would love to come back the next time I am in Grand Rapids and try some of the other items such as the jerk chicken.

    Goat curry
    Kerry F.

    It's always delicious! I was humbled however. Worth noting when asked how spicy you want your food and you say five thinking you're getting medium. Make sure their scale goes to 1-10 not 1-5. It was totally worth the pain.

    Chez Olga pasta
    Calista S.

    Food is amazing! I ordered the mago passion fruit drink which was delicious. They are also BYOB. We ordered the pasta which had tons of veggies and was delicious. We also got the goat curry which was equally as delicious but I did which there was some veggies in that too to complement it. We will be back for sure regardless. Servings are huge. Staff was helpful with deciding on level of spice. It was small inside so call ahead for large groups. We had a group of about 10 and ended up being the only people in there for most of the time, tons of take out orders.

    Pasta Chez Olga
    Jane N.

    Long-time fan even before Robert Irvine's Kitchen Impossible came in 2019. Love: Griyo Ak Ban-nan appetizer - the fried pork with fried plantains, sauce, and coleslaw. The coleslaw is way too spicy for me, but so good! The entire family loved this. Ragu Goat is my go-to! A nice sweet sauce. Sooo good. My daughter liked her Curry Chicken (lots of protein, no veg), and my husband liked the Pasta Chez Olga that had a nice variety of veggies. 0-5 spice level - the Caribbean heat is no joke! Choose lower than you would at other restaurants. I get a 0, my husband orders it at a 10 spice level - one of the few places where you get the heat AND flavor. Plan to wait longer as they have a small kitchen and staff.

    Menu

    This was absolutely delicious Jamaican food! Tender chicken, flavorful sauce, generous serving of rice and beans, served fresh and steaming hot!

    chez olga sauté
    Delanie M.

    i've always heard that the food at chez olga is delicious and flavorful but it even exceeded those expectations. you know you loved a meal when you bring it up 5 more times after you've left. when you see reviews about how flavorful the food is... believe them. each dish we had was an umami, savory, dream that left nothing to be desired. we started with the plantains - they were crispy, salty, and the slaw had such a unique spice. I had the vegan jerk pasta with tofu. it was sweet, spicy, and cheesy. my partner got the curry with tofu and i loved the flavor. though it was a curry, there were so many other flavors layered throughout the sauce. the chez olga sauté was the best dish on the table though. the tomato based sauce was like nothing i've ever tasted before. this dish was the epitome of umami. my mouth is watering just thinking about it. most of the menu items can be made vegan. the flavor of everything we tried was delicious.

    Pasta Chez Olga with tofu
    McKenzie K.

    I had a great experience at Chez Olga and enjoyed the spiciness of the dish I ordered (level 3- good heat if you like spicy without being overwhelming). I got the Chez Olga Pasta with tofu as I am vegetarian (and appreciated all of the vegetarian friendly options that were on the menu). We had to wait a bit for the food as everything is prepared fresh to order- but it was well worth it. Everything tasted amazing. I can't wait to come back for more.

    Inside...small but intimate
    Michele B.

    This iconic building is home to a fantastic restaurant. I've never had Haitian food before and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. My husband surprised me with a visit here for my birthday. I gotta say, he knocked it out of the ballpark with this one. We didn't have a reservation, but this was a Wednesday evening, so we were hopeful. The people helping us were courteous, and maybe a bit curt, but it was busy and it was steaming hot outside, so I think we all were a bit edgy. We ordered 3 entrees and an appetizer to share...just in case nobody was sure about committing to something they were unsure of. The Creole Sampler is a good place to start. Gives you a little bit of everything and that sauce to dip in was WONDERFUL! Almost like a sweet and sour sauce or duck sauce. But not as viscous and very well balanced. We ordered the Chez Olga Saute. That combination of spinach, tomato and onion was GOOD! Flavorful and delicious! We ordered it with chicken. The Jerked chicken was also a wonderful choice. Chicken fell right off the bone. And the beans and rice...YUM!!!! Third entree was the Gumbo. This was also amazing. Slightly sweeter than I expected but still so good! Everything was ordered with a heat index of about 3. "Hot but tolerable" is what we were told and they were not wrong! The slaw that came with the appetizer was delicious and vinegary...but pretty spicy. So be mindful of that.

    Creole Sampler. Everything in it is delicious!
    Jim W.

    I can't believe it took me so long to try this place. Last night, our friends were telling us how amazing Chez Olga is, so we decided to try it out right away. The restaurant is very cozy and has plenty of tables for a smaller restaurant, but it also can fill up quickly. The food is all amazing. So many delicious options it's difficult to choose. Even all the dishes that were coming out to other tables looked so amazing I wanted to try them all, haha. They don't mess around with their spice levels, my wife and I love spicy food and we got level 4 spice which was perfect. It definitely has some serious heat without turning into a painful level of heat (for people who like spicy food). The service was outstanding! This is a family owned, local business that makes everything fresh, so come with the mindset your dinner will take a while...but it is well worth the wait. Olga herself was doing an amazing job serving all the customers. She is super sweet and it was so enjoyable talking with her. They do fill up quickly so I would highly recommend a reservation on the weekend. Also, come early. At about 8pm on this Saturday night they switched to "takeout only" because of how many orders they were getting. I can't wait to go back to try some of the other entrees and I'm looking forward to eating my leftovers tomorrow!

    Pasta chez olga
    Laurel S.

    Wow- if you are a spice person, this place is for you. My husband and I ordered one entree to share as we weren't very hungry. We got the pasta chez olga with level 1 spice. I am honestly unsure how anyone orders a level hotter than that. It was spicy!! Even though it was spicy, the flavor was very much there. The portion size is massive. We had a whole third portion to take home. Small place and service is not super quick, but worth the wait. Excited to go back and try more!

    Jerk Chicken (spice level 1)
    Ali P.

    My parents come here all the time and if I lived closer, I would too. This place is incredible. The owner is a hoot and she does an amazing job. The food is always hot and seasoned to perfection. Watch the spice level, she means business. Five of us went and everything was delicious. The outside of the building is so cool and the inside is very welcoming. I will definitely be back. Highly recommend.

    Sheilisa D.

    I've heard so many great things about Chez Olga. I finally had the pleasure of trying it out with my dad & friends. 5 stars for the Caribbean Fried Rice. You can add beef, shrimp or chicken. My friends ordered the curry which was also very good. The flavors in the food and spice level were perfect. I would visit here every-time I'm in Grand Rapids. The owner was very sweet, she had a great personality! Extremely cute and chic inside as well :)

    Vegetable curry
    Kirstin T.

    The food here was amazing and the staff were so friendly. We can't wait to come back and enjoy authentic food again. The atmosphere was charming as well. The spicy slaw was amazing and next time I will get some to go too! The food is spicy and I was happy with a level 1 but the slaw is probably 2-3.

    Entrance

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    3 months ago

    Incredible food! The slaw is delicious, and the service is wonderful. Cute vibe inside a cool building.

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    4 months ago

    Great service and food. Always loved coming there and the staff there are well mannered and great.

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - Chez Olga

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    Jamaican Daves - Jerk Chicken

    Jamaican Daves

    3.8(48 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $

    asoline. Probably my favorite meal I've ever had in Grand Rapids. I'm sick of people always try…read moreto spice it up. This was delicious spicy with the coleslaw with the crispy this of that doughnut thing, bro it was delicious. I even got to hear the gentleman say Wahgwaan

    We were excited to find this place. We drove 30 minutes from Wayland…read more We arrived at 12:15 pm; found a handwritten sign: "I'll be back by 1:00pm" Ugh. We left and came back an hour later. Store was open on 2nd try. First impression: Empty. Lights are off. Dark inside. One friendly man running the show. Smells delicious. Greeted promptly. Store quiet, except for quiet talking among clientele. There were other customers already ordering. I ordered jerk chicken and curry chicken. $16 each meal. Chef disappeared into the dark kitchen. Order took about 10 minutes. Jamaican trinkets were on sale in a glass case. Bob Marley earrings, etc. Huge airbrush mural on the wall was nice. *Some quiet reggae music would have added to the ambiance. I took my food home and split the 2 orders 3 ways with my 2 teenagers. The CHICKEN was very tender, almost too tender. Nice flavor. Dryer than I expected. Jerk flavor was preferred, but curry was also good. (Better cold) COLE SLAW was great with a fresh citrus taste. The RICE was thick and pasty like oatmeal, and had some fruits in it. It took up half the tray, and most of it landed in the trash. Even The donut or CARNIVAL, is interesting, as were the plantains. We are not familiar with Jamaican cuisine, so can't judge it for authenticity. The flavor was a nice experience, but not really our thing. Good luck. Nice guy! I'm probably just too Caucasian for this place. ;-)

    Photos
    Jamaican Daves - Monday photo.

    Monday photo.

    Jamaican Daves - Curry Chicken

    Curry Chicken

    Jamaican Daves

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    Tropicala Taste

    Tropicala Taste

    4.9(12 reviews)
    5.0 mi

    Tropicala Taste is located in a strip mall in Kentwood near Horrocks. I made plans to meet my…read morefriend Carly H there for dinner and took Nate with me. We were greeted right away when we walked in by Nick, the owner. He is so friendly, kind, and his smile is infectious! He told us about some of the popular menu items and we planned what we wanted to order. Nate and I got the whole tilapia, jerk wings, and a side of plantains. Carly got the same thing as well as some other items to-go to take home for her husband. We sat down and enjoyed the bright and cheerful space as Nick started on our food. He was the only one working so we figured we'd have time to catch up which was nice. Nick asked if we eat beef, and we said yes so he said something about making us a traditional dish - ok! We're all adventurous foodies so we were excited. Nick's energy was infectious and he was so excited that we were open to trying new things. He brought out some flaky pastries stuffed with ground beef - sort of like an empanada. They were so tasty! The meat was flavorful and he encouraged us to try adding some of the spicy chili oil to the accompanying coleslaw and then eating it all together. The chili oil totally added a kick of spice that lingered but wasn't overpowering. Just a drop or two was enough! Our wings came out next - Carly said they might be her favorite wings in all of GR! They were spiced but not spicy hot, and perfectly fried. The jerk rub was a little salty but the flavors were great. I would definitely get them again. The plantains were some of the best I've had! Sometimes they can be dry or tough, but these were crisp on the outside and tender inside, slightly sweet and delicious! The fish came out last and it's a show stopper - the whole fish is deep fried to perfection and a huge portion to share between two people. It was juicy and not overcooked, with beans, rice, and an herbaceous green sauce to drizzle over everything. I loved trying this fun hole in the wall spot with delicious food - I encourage you to try it too! It's unique and interesting, with flavors you don't find everywhere. Plus, Nick is so wonderful and truly made me feel like I was an old friend dining at his home. I can't wait to try the chicken and pasta dishes!

    I nice place to visit, if you have a hankering for fried foods. Great chicken, fish, especially the…read moretilapia is my fav. The owner was friendly. I felt as if we have been friends for years. The feel was inviting. Only downside was it was a bit greasy.

    Photos
    Tropicala Taste
    Tropicala Taste - 1/4 Chicken with Sweet Plantains Meal

    1/4 Chicken with Sweet Plantains Meal

    Tropicala Taste

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    Chez Olga - caribbean - Updated May 2026

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