This restaurant could be amazing, and let me just say the portion size and flavor are on point. However--and this is a big however--when you enter the restaurant, it looks clean, but it is definitely not. This restaurant has a serious roach infestation. I mean baby German roaches. I'm praying that's not where the flavor came from. I hope this is a wake-up call for them to do an extremely deep cleaning and to get a company in to help eradicate that infestation. read more

Island Tropics - Oxtails large plate - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Every time I'm in Jacksonville or driving thru you can best believe I'm pulling up tractor & trailer. Imma need dem oxtails Mac n cheese & rice. Don't forget my soursop smoothie. The staff make the place feel like I'm in my aunty kitchen back in ocho rios. Aunty being running that place. She doesn't play about giving A+ customer service love it read more

Island Tropics - Oxtails & cabbage - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Flavor town bay bay! I ordered the Brown Stew chicken, Curry chicken and the fried red snapper. All were pretty good with great flavor! Got the cabbage, peas and rice, and Mac n cheese as the sides. The sides were good and all paired together perfectly! The only complaint I have was the cocoa bread. I was expecting a soft bread similar to a dinner roll but it was just meh. If you are looking for a Jamaican spot check em out! Located on North main near downtown. Will definitely be back! read more

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The customer service for this to be a Jamaican restaurant was great, 5 Stars!. Continuously we go to Jamaica restaurants and are not greeted or greeted with unknown and unnecessary hostility, stank faces, little interaction. That was not the experience here. The owner greeted us with big personality and a loud presence as well as her voice was loud. Not at all bad, all good in my book. I also have a loud presence so we matched instantly also I told her I'm a hugger and wanted to her for her giving me a warning greeting and she did. The food portions were very good. They packed the containers pretty well. I ordered jerk chicken, rice and peas and I think cabbage and the macaroni and cheese did not look appealing so I didn't get it. The cabbage was nasty to me. No seasonings. Jerk chicken wasn't flavorful at all just a bit of spice. It looked quite appealing. Looks are deceiving. I asked for it spicy if it isn't already. They aid they can make those adjustments I'd have to wait. No problem. I asked about seasonings and flavor to ensure they understood the assignment. So spicy with not flavor. Cooked well but lacked other fundamental seasonings to make it tastes as jerk chicken should. I know I was underwhelmed with the entire order. Most of it was not nasty. It was just okay like a strong 5 out of 10. The owner, staff and patrons were bragging on how spectacular the food was. I literally said I'm making a review and if this food isn't as good as you all claim I'm putting that in my review so please stop talking about it. Nope the continued and understandably especially for the owner and staff whose cooking. They take pride in their work. I also got a smoothie that I was assured was all fruit. I could tell they used a powdered mix. It was good. I wanted fruit though. My body needed the natural fruit. That was the initial reason for going to that establishment, to get a real fruit smoothie. My cousin order snapper, rice and peas. It was good. Better than my food. I reacall her eating a lot from my container as I picked around it. The first few bites were cool as the food was super hot and I could taste watered it was made with. As it cooled down it began to taste more bland and I added condiments in an attempt to restore flavor. Good good is good you can eat cold and still enjoy it. So that was a negative for me. And it was not all nasty just definitely didn't hold up to the hype. I wouldn't eat there again but I encourage others to try it. I did enjoy the atmosphere and the customer service. read more

Island Tropics - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Stopped in for lunch since I was close by. It was right at noon and shortly after I ordered, the line got long! The lady at the counter was helpful and patient. I ordered a large portion if brown stew chicken, rice & peas, and cabbage. Wow, big servings! I got two large chicken legs and a thigh, plus the two sides (they also have mac & cheese, and plain rice; other sides available as an upcharge). I did have to wait for about 15min for my to-go order to be ready, but for the flavor and the price ($14), I was ok with it. I sat and waited in their dining area, which was small but it seems that they have a second larger area for when it's crowded. Definitely clean and pleasant overall. I'll go back again because there were other options I'd like to check out. read more

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Service is quick,fresh food awesome smoothies and never a wait. Restaurant gives a very clean smell and appearance.

Love the food, love the portions I can eat twice off one meal. The atmosphere is excellent and the server are very friendly. I give then five read more

The oxtails were tough and no flavor. The cashier was very opinionated about how tired she was. She was a little annoyed.

Island Tropics is my favorite Jamaican restaurant in Jax but today you truly disappointed me!! Drove across town foe curry chicken to get mostly onions and peppers???? What happen to the chicken and potatoes??????? One drumstick and that's all???? And the Mac and Cheese was off today.....Called and the phone just rung and rung and then someone would pick up and hang it up without addressing their customers concerns???? Guess I'll have to find another spot!!! read more

Asked for chicken soup and every spoonful was covered with oil. Almost an inch of oil floating at the top of my soup, couldn't eat it. read more

Island Tropics - Oil floating at the top of my chicken soup, making my lunch inedible. - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

‍‍ I'm not sure if I came to the restaurant on the wrong day,but this is not Jamaican Carrot Juice . This looks like cereal,I guess there are good days and bad days. The Carrot Juice was $10.00. read more

Island Tropics - Island Tropics Carrot Juice - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Great authentic Caribbean food. Huge portions and resonance prices. I can't wait to got back. The fresh smoothies are also amazing. read more

Island Tropics - Oxtail, red beans and rice and cabbage. - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Very nice clean facility. Food is excellent. Great service Nice and hot Curry Goat read more

Island Tropics - Food. Very. Very. Good. Here - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

This is homecooked Caribbean food that you get at a friend's house. This is - you come in and order - you maybe wait a little bit because there's lots of orders before yours - grab a Red Stripe, and wait for the deliciousness. Their brown stew chicken- *chef's kiss*. When you get some rice and peas- ask sweetly for some oxtail gravy over it. The cabbage is good, but their okra side dish is out of this world!!! You have to like okra - but it's garlicky with thyme, onions, and a little tomato. If you know Jamaican food, you know you're getting fresh thyme stalks. The food is so good, and if you're cool, you'll get the most amazing hospitality! read more

Island Tropics - Brown stew chicken, peas and rice with oxtail gravy, cabbage, and a side of okra. - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

I paid 24 dollars for ackee and salt fish with mac and cheese and rice. 1. the ackee and salt fish barely had salt fish in it let alone barely any seasoning or spice. 2. the mac and cheese was oven cooked and the cheese was rubbery on top with more oil in it than cheese. 3. I got a juice which was hot kool-aid. I was better off driving across town for what I paid for in the quality that I received it in. Never again. read more

We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon excited about having good Jamaican food. We ordered Oxtails, rice and beans. cabbage I had plaintains and hubby had mac and cheese as the second side. It's was busy and as soon as we came in the line was quickly out the door. This is more of a take out spot they have a few tables for dine in about 2 or 3. They have plenty of carribean drink options in the fridge, some beers even canned crown apple and peach tea. I was personally surprised because I didn't know you could get Crown in can. This place was clean and they had a good process of getting orders and keeping things moving. Warning know what you want because when it's your turn to order indecisiveness will be met with a firm sense of hurry up and order because "we ain't got time for that" my words but that was the feeling and it didn't turn me me off totally, I respected it because the delivery was firm but playful. The portion sizes were plentiful. As we were waiting for our food, I drank my sorrreal and ginger drink that was so good but unfortunately that is where the good experience ended for us. We were so excited to scratch our Jamican food itch that we dug in as soon as we got home. It was hot and plenty but immediately at the first bite I got that "oh no" feeling. You know that feeling when you realize you just spent $$ for a meal that will not give you that "oh yeah" serotnin release we foodies live for. I kept eating in hopes it was a rush to judgment but sadly it wasn't. Where did they go wrong, everything was set for a good food experience. The reveiws, music, vibes, the line out the door, serving size and my yummy drink. What they got right was the oxtails were cooked well tender, and nice sizes, rice cooked well, texturely the Cabbage was cooked wel. What was missing? It was flavor. It was not a bad tasting, it was no taste or flavor at all. I could not believe how much flavor was lacking from this Jamican meal. So I added salt and it made all the difference. But when have you ever had to add salt to properly seasoned Jamican meal? NEVER! Hubby asked me how was it, I tried to hide my disappointment so I wouldn't sway his opinion but I cant hide anything from him. I told hubby he would have to add salt to enjoy and he did and it was ok. We have a saying when we are stuck eating something because we don't want to waste food, $$ and don't want to cook. That saying is "it will make a poop". Was is bad enough to not eat No, was it so good we were planning our next trip back No . It filled our bellies for the day. We both said maybe it was an off day for the cook which could happen but for us it was a big miss. We wanted so bad for this to be a good experience because we were craving Jamican food but this place had us planning a trip to our Favorite spot "Spices" to scratch our Jamaican food itch. read more

The food was great, I read the reviews online and decided to try it and I was not disappointed. My husband had the curry chicken and I had the veggie plate. I will visit again! read more

Island Tropics - The food was great, I read all the great reviews online so I decided to it try and I am not disappointed. - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Island Tropics... We've had this love hate relationship for about two years based off of the customer service that was given to me upon entering one late evening. Since then I've always heard people ranting and raving about how authentic it is, and once I hear someone talking about how a restaurant reminds them of home, then I put my pride aside and try things for myself! After every bite all you would hear was, "mmmmm..." "Ooh..." And it was just that good! The plantains (my fave), to the Mac and cheese (with a little twist), to the jerked shrimp (which is another fave of mine), to the rice and peas! The ONLY thing I DESPISE.... Is the cabbage! It's the worse cabbage I've ever tasted, bland and definitely needs some revising!!! If you're looking for some memorable Caribbean food then Island Tropics is worth your time! Happy Yelping... read more

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Friendly authentic Caribbean food in Jacksonville. I thought I would never find this place. I've had this bookmarked for awhile. After leaving what I hope was a great interview I had my GPS direct me to the location. I completely passed it by and did the biggest and fastest doughnut in the middle of Main St. There were no cops around so I was good! I'm still have no idea where parking is located. I parked behind the restaurant on some side street. As soon as I opened the door I inhaled the great woody barbeque smoke just after 10am. A Caribbean restaurant that starts on time (this is rare- trust me). I walk into the clean empty restaurant and warmly greeted by a beautiful Island woman. I couldn't place her accent, but she quickly tried to assist me with ordering. I had no idea what I wanted. There were so many options and the lovely smells had me even more confused. I grabbed a chicken patty and a smoothie as I thought some more. Both items were made to order and fresh and tasted delicious. I have to come back to try out more. Plus there were flyers about the Lounge and Poetry sessions. I will definitely be coming back. read more

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The food was decent. Cooked well done. The jerk chicken had an odor of lighter fluid and not a lot the actual jerk seasoning for my taste. Cabbage was fresh and tasted good. Overall a good Caribbean takeout restaurant. The place was packed and had a constant flow of people coming in so the staff appeared to be a little stressed. Overall a good place to pickup come Caribbean eats. read more

Absolutely Delicious!!!! The food was excellent and authentic. I ordered Oxtails with Rice and Beans and my Boyfriend ordered the Jerk Chicken with Two sides Mac and Cheese and Cabbage. SO much food for such a great price! If you are looking for a full review of this restaurant check out our YouTube channel! -@IlousandjennellTV read more

My favorite jerk chicken in Jax!!! I'm so happy this gem is in the Springfield neighborhood. If you love amazing Caribbean food, than you should absolutely try this place. Sooooooo good. read more

Absolutely and I mean absolutely, try the brown stew chicken and oxtails! I know it's easy to pass by but don't! Try it out and see won't you be back for more. First I'll say, what a traditional Jamaican meal they serve here! You will get everything from the rice and peas, to the chicken soup, the oxtails, cabbage, brown stew chicken, and Mac and cheese, just to name a few! There's always someone that greets you and they don't take long, serving your food right up in front of you. Don't worry, you will get more than enough to satisfy you for maybe lunch AND dinner! Some days, their line will even be well out the door. The locals know the routine! From the hospitality, to the delicious native sodas and food, don't pass this place up! You will not be disappointed! read more

Food is so fresh and delicious and the portions are massive. Definitely worth the money you spend deafly gonna be going back in the oxtails by far my favorite thing on the menu. read more

Always amazing food. I only chose to write a review for these folks because I was just making sure they were still open at the time I'm used to(covid). And scrolled to find some of the most inaccurate reviews of this place. I first started frequented island tropics when I was going to school and had a budget. I'd bike down, order my veggie chunks and rice and peas with Mac n cheese. Those meals sustained me through my stint in college. There's only 4 restaurants in Jacksonville that I crave on the random(perhaps you can relate). But let me say that island tropics is at the top of my list. Ox tails, amazing! Snapper, amazing! Veggie chunks, just delicious(ask for extra gravy if you like it dripping.) Large portions, friendly staff and patrons with a cup full of authenticity. Whom ever has wrote a single negative thing about this business is surely some ill-minded competitor. read more

It's the vibe & the food for me! I like to feel connected to the places I visit and that was my experience! My guest & I had oxtails & jerk chicken respectively and it was delicious from the inside out! read more

Good food, nice people the oxtail is And the jerk chicken is We go there at least once a week! read more

Ackee, salt fish, dumplings, ox tails, Mac n cheese, cabbage, rice... AMAZING!!!!! Will be coming back read more

Island Tropics - They serve you so much food like your grandmas house on Sunday!! - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

When I say I love this place I love eating here. This is my 3rd time eating here and every time I come I try something different. This place never disappoints me. Although the prices are steep, it's definitely worth it for the amount of food you get and those wonderful flavors you get when you bite into it. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere reminds me of my aunts home. I say you should try it if you love island food. I will be back as always. read more

Island Tropics - Oxtails plate - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

The hours say open til 10pm, however it's 830 pm and they're closed. Tried to call thinking maybe they are pick up only, but no answer. Heard great stuff so I was excited, but an update to the business hours or COVID mitigation's would be nice. read more

Let me start with the positives: the owner and staff was very friendly, the restaurant sitting area was clean and they've a wide assortment of drinks. I ordered: spicy beef patties, roti skins, goat and chicken soup, curry goat and oxtail and plantains on the side. As a born and raised Caribbean woman who is an excellent cook I think I'm qualified to say this food was plain disgusting!!!!! The patties were salty, whoever is cooking is over salting every single dish at this restaurant. What they're calling roti is more like a chapati from India. That was nothing like a buss up shot/paratha that Trini's make in the Caribbean. The soups were the same curry goat and curry chicken that they sell as an entree that they added a hell off a lot of water too and is calling that soup. It was not just tasteless but salty as well. The poor plantains were extremely greasey and one big blob instead of individuals pieces. The curry goat entree was tasteless and salty and over cooked. It's like the cook has no idea about fresh green seasoning OR pepper to spice up the meat. The rice and peas tasteless and the cabbage tasteless. The oxtail is supposed to be brown stew but obviously no burnt sugar was used in the making, no seasoning, over cooked where the meat is just like mush. Basically the food here is tasteless and plated like pig slop or dog food. I regret every bit of the$50 I spent here. If you're not a Caribbean person who was raised on island cooking then yeah this will be amazing food for you but if you know the real deal then this mediocre farce will be very unacceptable. read more

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This restaurant is very good! There are real Jamaicans cooking and running the store. The food could use a little bit more flavor but overall it is good with a great price! Their smoothies are amazing! read more

For the price the amount of food is nice. Can definitely split your plate. But again... no seasoning. Cabbage is overcooked and no seasoning. I'm jamaican . I know what I like if I eat somewhere else besides my home. I haven't had island tropics in years. And I went to sunrise Caribbean up the street last week and loved my food. Tried island tropics today and wish I could get a refund. I literally live close by and just came home with my food and I'm not pleased. I'll stick to sunrise Caribbean or so famous jamaican and seafood on 103rd... read more

Island Tropics - No seasoning. Over cooked cabbage with no seasoning. Mac and cheese is jerk style. Didn't care for that. Rice over cooked. - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

My absolute favorite Jamaican restaurant. The food is great. The drinks are on point.

I ordered oxtails with lots of gravy, rice and beans, and cabbage. They give HUGE portions for a price you can't beat. Flavor wise... WOW. Everything was so good! read more

Island Tropics - Oxtails with cabbage and rice. Sooo good!!! - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Excellent service, amazing Sorrel...this place has THE BEST Caribbean food I've tasted since moving Jacksonville!!! read more

Island Tropics - Jerk Mac n cheese. YUMMMM - Caribbean Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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I had Oxtails, Husband had curry goat. A lot of fat on the curry goat. Ox tails were tough. They give you a lot of rice and peas they give you the overcooked cabbage Little meat The peas were not cooked. As you look at my pictures you can see where the meat Is kept. I was not impressed I'm sorry to say I will not be going back. read more

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Oxtail was undercooked and hard, I could barely bite into it. Mac and cheese not well mixed, cheese sitting on top of plain noodles. Expensive for very poor quality would not recommend to my worst enemy. read more

The food is delicious and the help is very friendly!!! You get large portions on their plates. Definitely recommend them!!!

The food here does not have seasoning. I wish they'd use coconut milk to make their rice. I've tried most of their menu. I will say that I like that they are open on Sunday's, and they do give a good amount of food. I just wish they seasoned their food. (FYI: the best thing is their ackee and saltfish) read more