I haven't been here in a while but the food is amazing! I got a medium Jerk Chicken (mild), Curry Potatoes and Mac n Cheese with cornbread. Chicken is perfection. Generous portions, fall off the bone, grilled flavors throughout. The Curry Potatoes had a slight zing and were tender and matched well with the jerk. The Mac n cheese...I could do without the spices and zing. Not my favorite but still good. The cornbread was crazy good! Perfect for sopping up the jerk sauce. This is my favorite place for Caribbean food! Sorry no pics. I went in and took no prisoners. read more

The food this time wasn't so bad. My first time having curry goat and I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was this time. read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Curry goat, curry potatoes and rice with peas - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Whenever I want oxtails I make my way to this restaurant and I'm never disappointed. I always order extra on the side for later. read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Nothing tasted here has been anything but amazing. The best entree is the goat curry and the best side is the cabbage. A very very close second is the jerk chicken and the rice and peas. Well done Island Vibes. read more

The Mac n cheese was terrible I'm not sure why they serve that it was the worse I ever had . The pepper steak meat was over cooked and dried out. The jerk chicken meal was very good. The peas was rice was dried out. read more

I go to this place every month or so. I'd go more often if it were more accessible and in a better location. Dont expect friendly service, they're ok just not service conscious. I dont mind because I go for the food & it never disappoints. Huge portions too. If you don't mind the hassle of getting there, I recommend it. read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Large jerk chicken with cabbage and curry potatoes - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

This used to be my regular jerk chicken spot, but after today I'm not so sure. I ordered two jerk chicken dinners and they both came with no jerk sauce or seasoning. Both were just plain grilled chicken, rice and cabbage. The chicken was burnt to a crisp and most of it barely edible. I tried to call the restaurant to inform them of my experience, but couldn't get through their phone line. Reading some of the comments on other websites, I'm wondering if the chef has changed because the service definitely has. Guess another restaurant bites the dust. read more

looking for real jerk chicken -- the kind that's seasoned to perfection, grilled just right, and bursting with authentic island flavor -- Island Vibes is the spot. Hands down, some of the best jerk chicken you can get anywhere around. The flavor hits deep, and you can tell they put heart into every plate. Now, I gotta keep it 100 -- the location is dead center in the trenches. It's definitely in the hood, so don't expect some fancy setup. But trust me, the food makes it worth the trip. You're not coming here for ambiance, you're coming here to eat real food made with soul. If you're about that flavor life and don't mind pulling up where it's raw and real, Island Vibes is a hidden gem you'll be glad you found. read more

Not worth the price, curry goat & oxtail couldn't have been fresh.. small portions tasted like yesterday's batch .. I'm mad I wasted my money. I will not be returning read more

First time at this restaurant. A little drab inside. Was not crazy about there being steps to climb as I have some mobility issues; but I just took my time to climb steps. I mainly came to try the pepper steak. The food items were on a steam table with covers, so you cannot readily see what anything looks like. The only item that was not completely covered was the Mac & cheese, and it looked dried out. I ordered the small pepper steak and decided to try the curry potatoes, as they looked delicious! When I got ready to eat, I noticed the bag was filled with the gravy from the pepper steak; thankfully the bag was leak-proof! They need to use plastic containers with lids for food with liquid...using Styrofoam containers is not a good idea. If you noticed most of the photos show the gravy appearing to have leaked from Styrofoam containers--messy. Now, the taste of the food: The pepper steak had a good taste, and was very tender, but a little dry due to all the gravy being in bag instead of on meat; plus the pepper steak had no green peppers, only onions and carrots (I guess they ran out of green peppers). The meat is cut in chunks instead of thinner slices in which I thought it would be, but that was no big deal because meat was tender. Lastly, those curry potatoes were so delicious...I will definitely get again! I will return and try different items, but will request any items with liquid be put in plastic containers with a lid to avoid any mishaps. read more

I received a very warm, cheerful greeting upon my arrival. This automatically made me feel happy and welcomed. It was 1pm on a Monday, and my order was taken immediately. Everyone was friendly. I took my large order of chicken curry, green beans, and plantains home. The food was still plenty warm, having been nicely sealed. The food was absolutely delicious and I will be back soon to try the jerk chicken! The only reason I give it a 4 is because I prefer my curry to be spicy, and there was no heat to it. Also, I am disabled and it was difficult to get up the stairs. Thank goodness for the railing! read more

I have been trying to find good oxtails since I moved from Los Angeles to Columbus. The two restaurants I have tried so far have let me down, including this one, I have never seen oxtail as small as a baby shrimp. It's sad because the flavors are actually there but for me to pay $22 to get a plate of rice and green beans with very little meat is not OK. Also, it was very dry, I can't even say they were stingy with the gravy because I flat out didn't even get any AT ALL. The beef patty was decent. read more

I love their curry chicken and curry mashed potatoes delish. All of the entrees are good good good, and the portions are great. Thanks for the delicious Caribbean food in Columbus read more

came back a second time for their jerk chicken & must i say!! i love love love love the spicy & barbecue jerk sauce!! it pairs well with their jerk chicken! i paid 27$ for 3 sides of jerk chicken! read more

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I got an oxtail meal from here and it was pretty tasty! The green beans were pretty good. I could literally eat their green beans all the time ...green beans with a side of green beans. They are not stingy with the food! I'd encourage everyone to go here as I've been to other places and none of those places compare. The young lady working was super pleasant and made sure that I was in and out. The wait wasn't long at all. I also got some friend wings with jerk sauce. I probably won't get those again but they weren't nasty in flavor just not what I was expecting. The reason why I took away 1 star is because the website did not reflect what was in the restaurant. So, my bill was more than what I was expecting. Like the price for the wings were almost double what was on the website. Other than that, i still think the food/portions was worth the price. This place is a must try. read more

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I haven't been here in so many years. I remember this being a good island food spot. My husband recently picked up food from here. Stewed chicken and oxtail dinners. The chicken was so dry it wasn't really edible. My mom kept trying to eat it but after chewing it up she'd have to spit it out. We called them about it & they made it right with us. My mom was able to pick up a replacement the next day. She said the remake was good. As for our oxtails, they were tender & tasted good but I wasn't loving the sides. Didn't taste any coconut milk or thyme or anything in the rice & peas. I wasn't ready for the cabbage to have the peas & carrots in it. That's just my preference. To each their own. I'd prefer steamed cabbage without them. And the jerk chicken wasn't really spicy. It might be spicy to other people. The food isn't worth going out of our way to buy again. read more

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Flavor is crazy. The cabbage is very good. The oxtails are some of the best. I found it because Ena's was closed. Glad I did

Have always had the best meals in the city from this place. My comfort, my go-to. I would eat every day if I could. read more

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Best carribean food in the city! Service is always friendly, quick and neat. Building is smaller and only have a few bar seats, best for to go orders. read more

Wow!!! Fantastic I work nearby and all everyone talks about is this place. Kind of understandable, as there aren't many restaurants nearby. But this joint was worth the hype and then some. Absolute best jerk chicken I've had. Yes, better than the famous place down the road and cheaper too. Service was fast and friendly. They have a decent lunch crowd. The food is all fresh with certain items made to order. They have jerk chicken, curry, meat patties, and more. The sides were phenomenal! Best cabbage from any jerk chicken place I've been to. So glad my co workers invited me to come. I have a feeling this will be our go to lunch spot. read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - a meal in a styrofoam container - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I've eaten here before, so the next time I was in Columbus I made sure I stopped. The food is as good as always. The only complaint I have if they were out of curry goat, other than that the food is phenomenal spiced well Curry chicken, jerk chicken, red beans and rice, plantains. If you're ever in Columbus and want some Caribbean food, make sure you stop here read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Curry chicken, Jerk chicken, red beans and rice, plantsins - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Really good food! My husband and I came here Thursday to get dinner. We ordered the jerk chicken dinner with green beans and spicy mac & cheese, the curry chicken dinner with cabbage and rice & peas, and we also ordered jerk wings with spicy potatoes. The food was amazingly cooked to perfection. The seasoning and spicy level were on point, the chicken was moist and tender. The portions were appreciated! We will definitely be back soon! Thank you for the great customer service! read more

I've had island vibes twice now and can't steer away from their jerk chicken, it's seriously amazing! I don't think this restaurant gets enough love. While I haven't had anything but the jerk chicken, I've gone with others who have tried the Curry and loved that as well! read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Jerk chicken, rice and cabbage - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Authentic real portion food. Am just visiting from Phoenix and i only had it this good at Boston. So this took me back. read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Curry goat - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I ordered the large Oxtail dinner with two sides. The Oxtails were about 6 to 7 bones and was small. It is hard to judge them because it was not enough meat. The cabbage and rice and beans taste good. They need to get another meat supplier. The price was $24 not worth it because of the Oxtails. read more

This place is amazing the food is good cabbage is everything my far favorite is the jerk chicken with white rice and cabbage

Best food in the city Jerk chicken has so much flavor not to hot just right!. Love the mac and cheese and greens soul food!! read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Small Small Jerk Chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Amazing jerk chicken, good portion sizes, I'll definitely be coming back here for more.

On the day that I visited this establishment. I was determined to find one of my favourite meals in all of Brooklyn, New York, here in central Ohio. Beef Patty with coco bread. For some reason, the few Jamaican restaurants here in Columbus, Ohio, have beef patties but not coco bread. This is of those places that don't have it. I was disappointed about that but decided to try their Jerk Chicken meal. The jerk chicken cooked very well. It possessed a decent amount of bark on the outside and moist in the middle (if you don't know by now, I do not like saying the word moist). The flavor of this jerk chicken is very subtle but surprisingly full of character with a relatively decent amount of spicy kick to it. To accompany this main meat meal, I ordered the steamed cabbage and rice and peas. Putting a little of everything is definitely a must. The combination of all these flavors pretty much leaves you into a trance. At the first bite, I just sat there in awe of what was happening with this excellent flavor profile. I would alert you to order your food ahead of time and get it to go. This place is not to sit down restaurant. This is like one of those spot-on triple D. You know the quintessential hole in the wall with great food. read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Chicken Tikka Masala. It was good. - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Food is great and extremely authentic. I have never had a bad dish on the menu. The portion to price size is very good and almost unable to find with other restaurants. Staff is always polite but can be a little faster when preparing your food. read more

Located in hood, these green building oddly placed brings butterflies to my stomach. It doesn't look like much on the outside so don't let that be why you pass it up... You'll want to call ahead and order. Usually takes 15 minutes to prepare. Parking is located either on side of building (in between the no parking signs) or there is a church parking lot in the back. This place stays busy at lunch. Hence the call ahead. Food is cooked fresh daily and you caN smell jerk chicken all the way down the block. Prices are very reasonable and you receive a ton of food (a small portion is easily 2 meals or can be shared). I ordered jerk chicken with sides oF cabbage, rice and peas with jerk sauce on top (this fixes the consistency from dried to moist) and a side of sweet plantains. The jerk chicken was probably the best I have ever had. It has a nice nice kick to it. The bark out the outside of the chicken is so flavorful and the chicken almost falls off the bone. Rice and peas were okay and of course sweet plaintains are always good! They have drink options in the cooler except they are not cold at all. They have a variety of Jamaican sodas. My favorite was the grape as it tasted like my favorite soda no longer made now (Welch's grape soda). I also got a Ting which is the Jamaican version of fresco (sparkling grapefruit soda). I am looking forward to returning soon as I can as I'd like to try the brown stew chicken and the curry chicken! read more

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Yum! I had the oxtails with rice & peas and cabbage. Side of Mac and cheese. It was one of those days where I had a hankering for some Caribbean love. The meal was excellent. Flavorful without being too salty. I will make it a point to visit them more oftenb read more

I absolutely LOVE this place!!Their food is a 10/10. Well seasoned and fresh. Highly recommend. Curry chicken is my favorite. read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Curry Chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

The people was nice they was kind and that there was a team that was working very hard to fix the meals there was only four people but they was able to get all of the work done. written by my son.. my son had the brown stew and Mac and cheese. The small it was 6.00 and he only aTe half, he is 11 years old My husband had goat with two side potatoes the med it was 12.00 he say it was good I got the oxtails with cabbage and plankton, it was 12.00 read more

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Not the friendliest staff, but who cares as long as they don't spit in my food, even then, if that's what the secret ingredient was in the jerk chicken, if my wouldn't stop me from getting it again. It was DELICIOUS. read more

The Jerk chicken was really good but to my surprise rice and peas don't come with the dish. You specifically have to ask for it on the side which I've never seen before. I had Mac and cheese and plantain as my sides and the macaroni was phenomenal. I'll definitely be back read more

I first tried this place in Columbus around 2012, I was introduced to this place by a few colleagues and they were scared since it was in the "Ghetto", so we went as a group of four from the Easton area and when we arrived the news was there interviewing the owner. We went in and was greeted by the lady full of life and was super friendly and she helped all of us with our orders. I order the Jerk Chicken with Peas & Rice and Cabbage, it was so so so so good. Everyone was happy and raving about their dishes and we ended up going again within a week lol. I have introduced so many people to this place and it always results in positive feedback. I've also had oxtails and they are the bomb.com, too. I have had numerous dishes there and the only one that kinda disappointed me was the curry chicken and that might be due to the lack of spiciness, which is a personal preference and nonetheless it was still delish! If you want some good Carribean food that isn't gonna break your pocket and pretty consistent, head on over to Island Vibes Kitchen. My ranks are as follows: Food 4.5/5 Service 4.5/5 Establishment 3/5 read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Jerk chicken, cabbage, peas and rice. - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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First time trying this spot! The food was very good the place is just a order and pick up. I loved the jerk chicken and the beef patty I had . My hubby had the stew it was tasty also. We would love to go back and try other menu items . So we will definitely go back ! It's probably best to order ahead . I like that I can see them cooking the food also. read more

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I have had this place bookmarked forever, but it just isn't quite handy for me. Last week, it was- I passed it several times, so I finally said "it's lunchtime, and this is on the way." Now, I need to find reasons to get back this way, because I had an incredible meal. It is a tiny place, but there are some seats if you want to eat there. (It seems to do almost entirely carryout orders, though, and the seats were mostly used by people waiting.) Service was friendly and efficient- lots going on, a little greeting of regulars. It was clean, and the kitchen looked clean too- you can see pretty much everything. Prices are incredibly good, for the quality and quantity. Parking is iffy- the most obvious spot is on the sidestreet, but it is marked "no stopping" and probably should be avoided- I saw semis trying to squeeze through there. I ordered the curry goat. Probably the first time I had that was at the reggae club that used to be near 5th and Joyce, and I have liked goat ever since. This was a good version: tender, marinated meat, bone-in but easy to eat, on top of my chosen sides: savory cabbage, and moan-inducing peas and rice. I also got some jerk wings, which were meaty and, though ordered spicy, just barely hot. They came with another side, and I got fried plantains- tasty and crispy, nicely caramelized. I also got a beef patty just because: essentially, it is a turnover with seasoned ground beef inside, and was very good. Portable, tasty, and quintessentially Jamaican. There is sweet potato pie in a case by the counter. It was little tartlets, and almost as moist as pudding; it's from a bakery. There are some Caribbean drinks in another cooler. I want pretty much everything else on the menu, so I will be back: brown stew, oxtail, other curries, etc. read more

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Brown stew chicken with steamed cabbage and rice & peas. O-M-G. This was the best plate of food I've had in recent memory. If I ever find myself on death row, this Brown stew may just be my last meal. This food trifecta totally hit the spot. The brown stew chicken was melt in your mouth and fall off the bone soft. The cabbage was buttery, yet retained a good firm consistency, pairing well with the tender chicken and the pillowy rice. The rice was surprisingly flavorful with hints of coconut milk. It's also important to note that "peas" refer to kidney beans in this case. The portions were generous. You would be hard-pressed to find both a bigger and better dish for $8. It's quite the steal in my opinion, as I would pay double the price for the same dish. The service was friendly and the lady behind the counter was helpful in helping me choose a plate. Like others have mentioned, Island Vibes is take-out only with a very modest physical appearance (both inside and outside). They also have limited parking and are located in the Linden neighborhood (which I hear isn't the best) As long as you know what to expect and don't mind a hole-in-the-wall experience, Island Vibes offers some great food at a very reasonable price. I will be back for sure. read more

Island Vibes Restaurant - Brown stew chicken with steamed cabbage and rice & peas - Caribbean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio