Thanks to Sheryl T for introducing me to another gem I don't often make the trip down the Drive, so it was especially nice to have a solid lunch recommendation. The prices are very reasonable, the ambiance is casual and welcoming, and the service is good--but the real star is the food. I ordered the fish sandwich, and it was pure comfort on a rainy day. I also had a taste of the jerk chicken, which was fantastic. Next time, I'd love to try more of the menu, especially the curry and oxtail. I'd definitely recommend this spot for great Caribbean food and cozy comfort eats. read more

Riddim & Spice - Fish sandwich with coconut bread - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Riddim and Spice, you need to start a loyalty card or VIP discount system. You are my number one comfort meal with all the variety of carbs and super yummy gravy joint. Finally stepped out of my comfort zone, kind of .... and ordered a chicken soup (soup is available on weekends only) and tried a fried dumpling. Those two will be on my rotation from now on. Tip for those who don't like super moist/soggy rice, you can request them to put the gravy/entree on there bottom and rice on top for takeaway. Why, still one point off... I'm waiting for you to add a more substantial vegetable dish, like a stewed veggie to your menu to round off the menu and to open a little later to 930pm. read more

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I went here last Thursday for lunch. I've heard of this place through word of mouth. I was browsing the menu to decide what to get. Lunch special sounded like a decent deal it really was decent! I had curry chicken with rice, salad and a potato. Food was so yummy. I can never find something this great anywhere in Vancouver. Chicken was tender and fresh when my food came out. Nowadays the cheapest food you can find would be around $15. Anyways, rice, salad and potato were pretty good. Rice had some beans with some seasonings in it. R&S was so worth it. The lunch special deal was too good to be true. I still can't believe this was about $10 for this tasty Jamaican food. Two thumbs up for the whole experience! read more

Cheap eats with superb, tasty quality is becoming rare on Commercial Drive these days. We've been eating at this joint for a long time now. Consistent quality. I LOVE the goat curry. Goat is super pricey when I can find it at a butcher. This is a perfectly spiced, tasty goat curry. Their lunch special basic Jerk or curry chicken, rice and salad is also extremely affordable. We also have to buy extra Jamaican patties, especially their beef pies to take home. These can often be a whole meal if I save them for the next day with a homemade salad. Sometimes surprised this place is not constantly busy like other lesser than restaurants on the drive. read more

Haven never tried Jamaican food, I was excited to try this place after I saw an Instagram reel talking about the $7.99 lunch special. There were two options (Jerk chicken or Curry chicken) and it was great that the lunch special was offered at dinner time as well. I enjoy the sauce that came with the chicken and felt like it was quite filling and well balanced (esp with the salad). My friend and I also split a Jamaican patty ($3.50) which was more flavourful and spiced than frozen ones I've had before. While the mango shake ($5.99) was very refreshing, there was a gingery beer aftertaste that I wasn't the biggest fan of. Overall, I felt like it was quite tasty and great value, definitely a must-try if you're in the Commercial Drive area. The staff were also very kind and welcoming read more

Riddim & Spice - Mango Shake - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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My friend and I saw a video recommendation for this place and decided to try it for ourselves. It seemed pretty authentic and the restaurant had a nice tropical theme with plants and straw decor. When we walked in, we were greeted and asked if if was our first time there. The staff (maybe the owner) welcomed us and the waitress who took our order was very nice too. Unfortunately, I was told that the ackee and saltfish was only available on Fridays, so I couldn't order it. The waitress recommended the oxtail and so we ordered the jerk chicken lunch special ($7.99) and oxtail ($15.99), along with a beef patty ($3.50) to share. Everything was really good! The oxtail meat was so tender and also had some fatty parts too, which had lots of flavour. The jerk chicken was a chicken thigh covered in a sweet, smoky sauce (but I think my first experience at another restaurant was better). Both of the meals came with rice and salad, which made it very filling. I personally liked the oxtail more than the jerk chicken, but the price of the jerk chicken lunch special is a really good deal. The patty was decent, though I think it was just sitting in the oven, so it tasted a bit stale, but still pretty tasty! I would back here to try the ackee and saltfish. read more

Riddim & Spice - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Been craving Jamaican patties as missing home and bought a veggie patty $4.50 and a chicken $4.50 patty, but didn't know they are not made at the restaurant, only the beef one but I don't eat beef. I tried to ask what was the flavoring whether jerk or curry but she said 'just chicken' so not sure what that meant. Then I went back ro try their food as ordered the lunch special, chicken curry which comes with rice and it was good but kept adding their house hot sauce. There was flavor but the hygiene of this restaurant can improve so was a bit nervous. But if you're looking for a hole in the wall with very reasonable prices in Vancouver, lunch as was only $10, which is unheard of these days. But I ordered the corn bread and it was very dense but it did not taste like traditional corn bread. I asked what was in the corn bread but she did not know. Perhaps I was disappointed as had another flavor in mind. read more

Craved some Jamaican food and ended up on Commercial Frive so this was an easy destination. The place smells familiarly of Caribbean spices that make you salivate. It's no surprise this place has a loyal following of regulars. When we were outside contemplating, a man coming out just told us to go in and how the food was amazing and we wouldn't recommend it. We ordered the large size Oxtail & a small Jerk Chicken. There was definitely a large volume of oxtail and for the price, I found it fair. Nice mix of fatty pieces along with more meaty ones. The Jerk Chicken is delicious here. The Regular size came with 2 large size chicken legs . The rice and sides it came with was enough to have some for leftovers. Preference wise, the Jerk Chicken was a definite winner. I was tempted to get the patties here but the reviews deterred me from doing so & they didn't look too appetizing. I wish there were more places to go for authentic Jamaican but this has been a favorite of mine for quite a while. read more

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This place has been around for years and I have only just discovered it. Somehow this was not on my radar when I used to work in this area. Never too late. The lunch special is really affordable at $7. The portion is not very big but it is still filling for me. You have a choice of jerk chicken or curry chicken. I only get the jerk chicken which is a bit spicy but the heat is manageable. It comes with rice and beans and salad. You can ask for hot sauce if you want it spicier. I tried a bit of the oxtail and that was so tender. My friend said it's the ultimate comfort food. I like the ginger beer (Grace brand) which has a strong gingery taste. Great place for very tasty and affordable food. This has become one of my go to restaurants now. Cash and debit only. Street parking is available. read more

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Tasty and surprisingly cheap Jamaican restaurant along Commercial Drive. Parking is available on the side streets. The place does look pretty dumpy, and has a nice tropical theme. Don't let the bare bones look fool you. The walls looks like they're part of a hut. Staff are friendly and helpful. The meals here are very reasonably priced. I had the oxtail dinner, which comes with rice and salad. Definitely comfort food. Decent portion of meat, which is served stewed with potatoes. I was pretty happy. I also tried their Jamaican patty. To be honest this was rather lacking. I was expecting something crispier or flakier. This thing seemed half-baked. Honestly I'd skip this one. Wouldn't mind coming back, though I'd stick to the main courses. read more

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Been meaning to check out Riddim & Spice Restaurant for quite some time. It's a Caribbean & Jamaican spot right across the street from 4 Brothers Pizza and Fire Pizza. We dropped in on a Friday (right at noon). The inside is no frills but a good amount of people were grabbing takeout. Menu consists of appetizers, lunch specials & combos, main courses and rotis. They also had corn bread and gizzada (coconut pastry) at the counter. Nothing on the menu was spicy. - Beef pattie ($3.50) - menu says $3.00 but we were charged more. Hard to find good patties in town but this was serviceable. - Jerk chicken lunch special ($6.50) - one piece of jerk chicken with rice and salad. Jerk chicken had good flavour. It's a nice small sized sampler plate. - Combo ($21.50) - 2 meats (we went with oxtail and goat curry), rice & peas and salad. Both meats were tender but lacking that wow factor. Happy to have tried it once but the search for great Caribbean/Jamaican continues. read more

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I think those commenting on the jerk chicken have never tried real jerk chicken before. This in inauthentic and sad that there aren't many other spots in the city read more

Really enjoyed the food here! Their oxtail plate was huge and very affordable items. The patty's were nicely filled and flaky. I think they do a great job and have a lot of regulars that come by to grab their favourites. Definite comfort food and more of a relaxed and very casual dining. The commercial area has a bunch of goodies so it makes for a nice day of eating and supporting local! read more

Riddim & Spice - Curry goat and oxtail combos - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Did it the Jamaican way today @ Riddim & Spice (via UberEats) They must've been busy (Yes!), as they ran out of vegetable roti & had a few veggie patties left But we were VERY happy with their chicken roti & (large) oxtail & rice dinners + the veggie patties that we could get our hands on! Oxtail meat was very soft & tasty and the rice & beans flavourful read more

Riddim & Spice - (Large) Oxtail & rice, side salad, vegetable patties, chicken roti - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Delicious food, chill vibes, good prices, great service. Be careful with the hit sauce bottle here it's real hot sauce. Be prepared to get big portions and bones in the meat. 100% worth it. These meals will really fill you up. Take your time and enjoy or just grab a paddy if you're in a rush. Enough space inside to accommodate a bigger group. Not as fancy if you want a sit down dinner but I could go here every day and never get disenchanted. read more

Certainly rustic ambience, but friendly service for sure. A diverse clientele, but no trouble experienced. Food was ok, perhaps I was expecting more punchy flavours. read more

This is one of my go to Jamaican jerk chicken hole in a wall Got that super chill vibe, ain't anything fancy about this place but the food is homely and legitimately delicious. I would highly recommend you come in for jerk chicken and beef patty. It's a no frills place for sure, but let's be honest who doesn't want a good deal and even a better flavour meal, which is authentic and also made so fast you don't have to wait for your food to be served as well My friend introduced this place to me and now I've been back a couple times and I can't fault the food. If you don't want something boujie and want to just chill and eat some authentic real food this is definitely the place to be. Give it a go people, don't shy away from a deliciously made meal and it's definitely worth the value you are paying for it. Winter is coming and you need to stay warm my foodies. read more

Riddim & Spice - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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No table service, no follow up! I ordered a large jerk chicken and rice for $20.00 and got two rib bones and no chicken! Stay Away! read more

The jerk chicken is fall off the bone. It wasn't as spicy as I thought it was gonna be. It's good if your in Vancouver. But I've had better read more

Riddim & Spice - Jerk chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

R&S is only there to satisfy your craving for Oxtail stew. I hear the jerk chicken is also very tasty .

Been coming here for 30 years. Waaaay back when it was called 'Nuff Niceness. This was my go-to place when I lived in Vancouver in the early 90's. It's still my Go-to even though I moved back to NYC. André and his family are awesome people. Gives this place terrific atmosphere. Unfortunately I could only give it five stars (deserves ). Also I live 3,000 miles away in another country and time zone, so I don't get here as often as I'd like. Best Jerk Chicken in North America!!! read more

Came from Washington state for the weekend and this was the first place we stopped!The food was delicious and that atmosphere was all good vibes. True Jamaican comfort food . read more

First time having Jamaican and my date brought me to this spot to try their jerk chicken. It's run by a wife and husband and it's kind of a hole in the wall joint decked out with a straw hut inside where their cashier counter is. We got there towards the end of the night and they ran out of their Jamaican patties and their oxtail. We shared the chicken curry and jerk chicken. I thought the meats were quite tender and fell off the bone. Between the two, I liked the jerk more as it grows on you with every bite. Will come back the next time I have a craving for Jamaican and hopefully they have their patties. read more

Riddim & Spice - Jerk chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Our first visit to R and S was for takeout Jerk Chicken. The food was tasty and the portions generous. I'll order from them again.

This is actually one of my go-tos when I am in British Columbia. I usually order the beef patties and goat, but this time I got curry chicken roti. It was hearty and delicious. The beef patties are always a hit with me; the roti was flavorful and spicy. Just the way I like it. Comes with rice, salad, and coconut bread. Pro Tip: If you like sauce, try the yummy tangy hot sauce (which I believe to be banana based but am unsure). read more

Riddim & Spice - Beef pattie and curry chicken roti. - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Alright. Now this place is something I have been curious about but my jamaican cuisine arsenal is not say, at the top of my game. However, yesterday, I went with a friend who's mission was to go eat at this place. She's from the Caribbean and craved food from home. So, that totally bumped my food game up to 5 stars on this. She went through the menu. Asked the waitress a few things and realized the one thing she saw on the menu and was really excited about was the roti which she called 'skin.' Anyway, the server said they didn't make their own but they just used regular wraps. "So, not the way it's done back home." She ordered the curry goat. I had the fried chicken and rice. We were both happy with the food. My chicken was flavourful and the rice tasty too. The accompanying salad was just that - green filler. The place ain't fancy by no means but give it a shot for something different. read more

Got take out from this place today for lunch, ordered jerk chicken Roti to go. Got to the office and I open my containers of food up and instead I got a DIY roti kit. Salad was so small (see photo), store bought salad kit which filled only 10% of the container it was in. your supposed to serve coleslaw with Caribbean food!! When you order roti the jerk chicken should all be wrapped up in the roti ready to go, what the heck is this? You may be able to fool a few west coasters with this but not this Toronto guy who has eaten some of the best Caribbean food around. Also didn't know about the lunch special until after I paid and waited around for my food and noticed a folded over lunch special ad, asked why they didn't have the lunch special posted in am obvious place and his response was "you'll be happier with what you ordered anyway." ??? Avoid this place. read more

Riddim & Spice - This is what you get when you order Roti, a DIY kit with a few pieces of store bought american salad kit, so cheap! - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

After many, many years living in big cities with sizable Jamaican populations, and several more living in a small city with NO Jamaican population, I was thrilled to see Riddim & Spice across the street from a store we visited while in Vancouver. "Coco bread! Spice bun! Jerk chicken patties!" were running through my head, even though we had just eaten dinner earlier. We decided we couldn't pass up the opportunity since my husband hadn't had a lot of Jamaican food in his lifetime, so we crossed the street and went in. The requisite Bob Marley was playing on the speakers and the shopkeepers were friendly. Some of the menu was out but we never found out what, because we mainly wanted small bites. There was only one kind of patty available, which we ordered, along with some coco bread and a homemade punch. The punch was VERY good but I was disappointed in the coco bread and patty. We were there towards closing and I think both were just past their prime. However, the coco bread didn't have the slightly sweet finish and chewy texture that I love so much, and the patty, although spicy, was hard and relatively tasteless. I hope we went on an off night. The staff was very nice and there were several patrons eating inside. We might come back and give it another shot if we're in the area. read more

It's just ok, nothing to brag about, very cheap portions. This amount compared to Toronto or NYC, ni comparison. Oxtails cut into smaller pieces? Not much meat all fat and grizzle, honestly I make way better oxtails, you can best believe that. Also they know it's one of the best sellers, shouldn't they have it ready when they're doors open, come back and its sold out? Ppl gi cause there's nowhere else, I think it's more the location and convenience more than anything. Either charge little more, serve bigger sized tails, don't serve customers chintzy, either you're in business or not. Please improve. Thank you read more

The Patties & Jerk Chicken were really good, Service is great. Lookin forward to tryin the Curry goat read more

Riddim & Spice - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I don't know what the hell happened to this place!!! It has been the same cook, nice enuff guy for at least 15 years but the patties just are not the same anymore. I was a steady customer when I lived on the Drive and continued to be when I moved to Burnaby but the last 3 visits have been progressively worse and worse. First off, they hire the most STUPID counter staff of any restaurant I have ever been to. Its a revolving door and I never see the same girl from month to month. The last two managed to get my order wrong both times, its bad enuff when it happens once. The patties once rivelled the great Jamaican Patties you get in Toronto, now those are Jamaican Patties. Now you get weird mustard yellow pasty dough with something I can't quite make out, a little of it mind you, stuffed in between. Yuck, I threw the last order out. Never again Riddim & Spice, even for free. read more

Years ago, I was introduced to Jamaican food by my roommate/boyfriend. I hadn't yet travelled to the Carribbean- so many of the tastes and ingredients were totally foreign to me... The novelty has not worn off. I don't know what it is about Ackee fruit. I'm kind of in love. They have Ackee and saltfish here, easily on the top of my most often desired dishes. Curried goat... Jerk chicken of course... and Patties too. The only reason I don't move in or set up camp outside is the fact that they don't have callaloo. I still have dreams about the callaloo and saltfish my boyfriends mother used to make. Damnit. Now I'm craving it again. read more

On a damp Vancouver day we trudged in looking for a little spice to warm us up. Riddim n Spice is a casual, plastic table-cloth, easy-on-the-decor eatery right on the Drive. It's the sort of place that checked the hip factor in at the door in exchange for reggae tunes and good eats. A transportive experience with friendly staff and regulars, you could almost be on a beach, man. We started off with the patties (spicy beef and a chicken). They were huge, over-sized, tasty if not a little under-stuffed (more pastry than filling). We washed these down with ginger beer. hmmmm...ginger beer. now that's the spice ticket! Full from the patties we opted to split the Jerk Chicken roti lunch; a leg quarter of chicken liberally slathered in jerk sauce and served w/ a side salad and roti. While the roti was steaming and the salad was a nice contrast, the jerk didn't do it for me. It just didn't have enough spice (and I prefer a dry jerk rub to a wet marinade/sauce). For the budget minded it was a great alternative to the Reef, I'd like to go back and try the curries since they seemed to be the 'order of the day'. read more

This place is interesting. It's a little dive on Commercial Drive serving Jamaican food. I don't know how authentic it really is because I've never been shown exactly what true Caribbean food should be like. The jerk chicken was okay, I had nothing to compare it to though. I ordered the chicken in a roti dish, which I guess was okay too. However, I come from an Indian background and to me, it just tasted like a much milder version of a chicken curry that my mom can make and we eat with roti too. The food took a while to come out too. The menu isn't terribly large, but some of the other things the other party guests ordered looked interesting. At the end one girl ordered the casava or yam bread cake thing... Which was essentially a very dense quick bread. It tasted like Banana Nut Bread but with A LOTTTTTTTTT of ginger in it, the spiciness of which hits you at the end after you've swallowed a bite. Overall, it was an interesting experience. I'd like to try a caribbean restaurant with someone from the Caribbean so I know what it should be like. read more

The food was alright. The sorrel (hibiscus) was the best thing they had. Like everyone else serving beef patties, they were frozen and not homemade. The waitstaff seemed off. The owner is unorganized, but very nice. I went the weekend of the Caribbean Festival and of all the Jamaican food I had that weekend this was the best. By the way, if you can make it to the Caribbean Festival, do so!! Honestly, Vancouver's Jamaican food scene seems to be slipping. By the way, if you can make it to the Caribbean Festival, do so!! It's the last weekend of July every year. read more

Are there a few days ago.. Had the "special chicken jerk" the portion was very small. I left the place hungry.. And this rarely happens to me. The rice was ok, the chicken was over flavored and the atmosphere was weird.. Nothing authentic about this place.. It wasn't an expensive meal though.. 5.99 for the Chicken and 1.50 for the drink.. I've had better though. This experience made me be at this location twice at one time, first time was my first and at the same time it was my last. read more

I had a craving for oxtail so knew of this place but had never been in. I knew I just wanted take out so had perused the menu beforehand as I like to be prepared like that. The oxtail was awesome...so tasty and the best Ive had so far in Vancouver. I got the large so technically would have been two meals in itself if I wasnt so hungry! Will definitely order from here agsin! read more

Riddim & Spice - Caribbean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Very good friendly service Awesome food big portions Familial restaurant simple and cheap prices Will definitely go back read more

The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is that the staff was nice and the place was clean. Other than that the food is trash. There is nothing authentic about this place. Jerk chicken is basically a roasted chicken and they added spices. The beef and chicken patties are dry and nasty. Sorry, I know authentic Jamaican and this is not even close. read more

Carribean cuisine is largely gluten free by nature. The food relies more largely on potatoes to thicken dishes, not wheat flour! This is bad news only if you are Pale-o! My lunch mate and I decided on their $5.99 lunch special; I did jerky chicken and he did curry chicken. Our dishes arrived promptly, delivered by a Chrissy Teigen look alike. Our dishes had nice balance of flavors. With mine, it was a little bit sweet, a lot of spicy and a touch of savory. I even tasted cinnamon in there, very good. It was served with a nice side of rice and a small salad. The dish cost around the same as a fast food meal but it is definitely better healthier for you. It was interesting seeing a lithograph of Bob Marley while dining! Good friendly service. read more