I grew to pride myself on my ability to practice extreme amounts of restraint and discipline in…read morerecent years, and, like with many of the habits I fixate on, I did not practice this in moderation and allowed it to bleed into most spheres of my life. This included my dining habits. I used to frequently deny myself small pleasures like baked goods, coffees, and restaurant outings, prioritizing my outrageous savings goals every time I felt the urge to indulge in an "unnecessary spend". Over time, I became quite the expert at pointing to sidewalk sandwich boards with enticing menu items, saying "that sounds so good!", and continuing onward, the thought of actually purchasing the food never crossing my mind. I've since met my original savings goals and grown as a person (ever so slightly). And I am now knee-deep in the obligatory quarter-life crisis that seems to hit every over-achieving asshole 2 years post-grad. It is a phase that I can only describe as both invigorating and soul-crushing. I am finding myself growing bolder and more inquisitive with every passing day. I'm registering for lessons in extreme sports I only learned about mere hours before, I'm saying yes to impromptu cross-country and international trips, and I'm also finally allowing myself to get a plate of jerk chicken when I want some damn jerk chicken. My mother and I happened to park right by this small Caribbean joint in New Brunswick while meeting with my sister earlier today, and I kept staring at the restaurant, marveling at the menu items painted on the black sandwich board by its front door: "Oxtail, curried chicken, plantains, jerk chicken, rice and peas, stew beef...That sounds so good" "Go get it!" My mother said. Now, I would previously have come up with an excuse to avoid making the purchase. But as I have just explained, I've entered a very Bourdainian time of my life. So I wasted no time--I sprang out of my seat and walked into Cool Runnin's with a smile plastered to my face. Everything inside just felt *right*. It was a tiny restaurant with harsh, white lighting and no seating inside. The walls were painted a buttery yellow with touches of coral and green throughout. There were two fridges that were packed with small slices of rum cake and an assortment of juices. The counter at the front was small and adjacent to a wire frame shelf that was lined with several brands of plantain chips. It felt like I had wandered into a small, roadside store in Kerala. The woman who took my order was lively and warm and had a thick Jamaican accent that made every exchange feel like a hug. She was operating on island time; she moved slowly, joking with me as she poured the rice, chicken, cabbage, and sauce into my takeout container. And she paused, several times, to take bites of a cinnamon apple cake she had just baked. The container was wrapped in a plastic bag, which she sealed with a small pink sticker: "Here ya go, babygirl", she said, handing me the bag. I don't think I could have smiled any wider. I skipped back into my car, beaming. The food was, to no one's surprise, incredible. The chicken was sweet and a bit spicy. The meat was practically falling off the bone. The sauce and rice complemented each other beautifully, and the simplicity of the cabbage balanced out the otherwise heavy dish. My parents loved it too. I will be back to try more menu items. Or perhaps to get this jerk chicken again but on mac and cheese next time...

Real Jamaican cuisine. Love the Goat roti…read more They also have baked goods which are delicious

The food was underwhelming. The Octopus was not grilled enough. Needed to have a light char. The…read moreshrimp was over done and hard. My Marisco was very good but my friend could not eat his sole which was battered and soggy. Service was decent.

TLDR: decent food and seafood with good service…read more The ambiance and service of the restaurant were great. Staff was always around our table prepared to portion food, change plates, fill water, etc. They were helpful and friendly through the entire meal. The menu has a promising selection of seafood and Spanish classics. Our party primarily ordered seafood dishes. The quality of ingredients is good, but some of the preparation fell short. The shrimp appetizer was slightly overcooked and mealy, and the special broiled red snapper was similarly dry. I enjoyed the octopus, flavorful with a satisfying chew, and veal cutlets, well fried and sauced. There might have been an off day with some of the seafood preparation, but I can't see myself coming back soon - maybe if I wanted paella. Based on one experience I wouldn't come back for the seafood especially considering the relatively high price of items.

Everyone enjoyed the ribs, and everyone else enjoyed what they ordered, which included chicken,…read morechicken cutlet (I think), and a burger. Everyone also enjoyed the fries, which is included in most meals. Also, the "white rice" is more of a pilaf (as it includes bits of carrot and peas), which was also tasty. The hot sauce by the table is sour and a bit hot. While I didn't personally enjoy it, I've tasted something similar at other BBQ joints, so it's more about personal preference. Note: the ribs don't need sauce as it uses a dry rub. I just tried the hot sauce as I was curious. Note: this placed used to be a restaurant called Brasa; hence, why you'll see "brasa" in their website's URL but not on the sign outside. Also, the portions are huge; no one finished everything. I ordered the full plat of ribs to share with someone else and we still had left overs. Will definitely return if I'm in the mood for BBQ. P.S. if you dine in and eat BBQ, you may want to take some napkins from the bathroom. The table has cloth napkins which don't so a good job at getting the oil off your fingers. Just don't use the napkins from the bathroom for anything other than getting the oil of your fingers before you wash your hands.

I found this place on Yelp and decided to give it a try--glad I did. It's a little off the beaten…read morepath, but definitely worth it. The food was absolutely delicious. At first, I didn't smell much when I walked in, but the owner was kind enough to let us check out the kitchen--and boom, that wood-burning setup was fired up and doing its thing Great experience overall, and I'll definitely be back.

My family has been ordering from Planet Chicken for years and the food has been consistently good…read morewhether we're dining in or grabbing takeout. My go-to is the chicken with rice and green sauce. That green sauce deserves its own fan club. The lomo saltado is another favorite and always hits the spot. Always a solid choice when craving Peruvian food!

Good food and nice service. I'd recommend this place if you're looking for Peruvian food…read more - PESCADO FRITO (Fried fillet blue snapper w/rice and french fries) - LOMO SALTADO DE CARNE (Peruvian style beef sautéed w/onions, tomatoes served with rice and french fries) - CUARTO DE POLLO A LA BRASA (Quarter roasted chicken)

It's jury duty season, and my go-to lunch spot is Caribbean Café. Conveniently located right on the…read morecorner near the courthouse, it's the perfect place for jurors who, like me, don't want to venture too far and risk being late returning. The café gets busy during lunchtime, but the staff is always warm, friendly, and welcoming. They offer both prepared meals and à la carte options. I chose black beans, white rice, pork, and yucca with onions, and everything was absolutely delicious. The portions are generous, the food is flavorful and authentic, and the prices are very reasonable. If you're serving jury duty or are in the area, I highly recommend stopping by!

One of my favorite food spots in New Brunswick. The food is reasonably priced and has great flavor…read more I like their tres leche cake too. I am not out that way that much but when I am I look forward to coming here.

Your online ordering menu gives prices and sides for combo orders. And each option says pick x…read moreitems from below. But there is nothing below to choose from, and clicking on any of the option boxes does nothing.

Perfectly cooked seafood boil with generous portions. I live in the area and can believe it took me…read morethis long to try it. You will not be disappointed. Served like a true boil on a paper lined table. Sauces were delicious. Service was quick and polite.

I've had the hardest time finding consistently good Caribbean takeout food in NJ, so one day I…read moredecided to go with something familiar, Golden Krust, and I'm so glad I did. Back in NYC, Golden Krust is usually the go to spot for patties, but this location has completely changed my perspective because the full menu is worth exploring. Every time I've ordered, the food has been fresh, flavorful and consistently good. Whether it's the curry dishes, jerk chicken, oxtail, soups, porridge, or their variety of patties, from beef to vegetable, everything has been satisfying. They also stock Caribbean favorites in the fridge, like carrot juice, which is the perfect addition to the meal. One thing that genuinely surprised me was the customer service. I wasn't expecting much the first time I walked in, but every visit has been pleasant. The staff is friendly, my orders are accurate, and the service is consistently good. And, if you know Caribbean take out restaurants, you know the joke: most times the best food comes with the roughest customer service. Thankfully, that's not the case here. The warm service actually matches the quality of food, and that's one of the reasons I keep coming back. To top it off, parking is available, and there's even a drive thru, which makes grabbing a quick meal even more convenient. If you've been searching for solid Caribbean takeout, this location is definitely worth a visit.

I wish I could give this place ZERO stars! This is by far the worst Golden Krust location I've ever…read morebeen to. The customer service is absolutely terrible. Unfortunately, the majority of the women I've encountered at this location have very unpleasant attitudes. I literally just left after trying to order a patty and pay using Apple Pay. The woman at the window was extremely rude, impatient, and unprofessional. I politely explained that I needed to tap my phone on the payment terminal for Apple Pay to go through. Instead of simply assisting me, she kept trying to tell me how to use my own Apple Pay. She then became irritated, slammed the window in my face, and told me I needed to come inside to make the payment. At that point, I shared a few words with her and drove off. There was absolutely no reason for that level of attitude over something as simple as making a payment. If you come to work dealing with customers, basic professionalism and respect should be expected. The line at this location is rarely even long, so there's really no excuse for treating customers this way. If an employee cannot communicate respectfully with customers, perhaps she should be working behind the scenes instead of at the window. I literally just left this location, and after this experience, I will NOT be returning. Management seriously needs to address the customer service and professionalism at this location.

Tired of the same ole "fried" chicken that is usually soggy? How about fries so soft it makes you…read morewonder if they were fried at all? Well not here. Chicken is tender and juicy and still crispy even after the 10 minute drive home. And the fries. Yes they were still crispy too. Food is way better than the other local chicken places. Lamb is tender and juicy. Rice is quite tasty. Banana pudding is waiting to be devoured. Only issue I had here was the corn. Maybe a little butter in the foil to give it a butter flavor other than the overly soft water taste. Nothing a little salt and butter could fix but more of a recommendation. And always keep the cold salad away from the hot food. Soggy salad isn't as tasty. No I didn't take stars away. Cause well frankly it wasn't like the corn was ruined. Gentleman at the counter was friendly. Prices are reasonable. Can't wait to try the other items on the menu.

Ive ordered a few times from here in the past and every time it just got worse and worse and today…read morewas the last time that my office is ordering from here. We wrote down very clearly on a piece of paper everyone's order so as to not have any mistakes... EVERY SINGLE ORDER WAS WRONG im allergic to onions so I asked for a no salad and no onion with my Halal rice, combo platter, and guess what, a ton of onions all over my food I had two other coworkers who's request for no onions, or also met with extra onions on top instead My other coworkers asked for salad with their combo platter and got nothing Additionally, the portion of chicken on top of the rice platters was about 2/3 of what they used to put and was the equivalent of basically half of one chicken breast thinly cut. So basically all I got was rice with a sprinkle of chicken. We used to come here off them because the price was right but the frustration over not getting anything correct on our orders is just not worth saving a dollar or two