Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The Grotto

    3.9 (80 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Order The Grotto Takeout or Delivery

    The Grotto Photos

    THE GROTTO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - The Grotto

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Oxtail Mac
    Lorian T.

    A nice hangout spot with flavorful food! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is pretty small, so expect a wait if you go during busy hours![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The wings are a must get and the calamari actually was pretty tasty! Pleasantly surprised. The oxtail mac and cheese really hit the spot. Would definitely come back here again just hang after a long day of work!

    Kim D.

    10000/10 wouldn't change a thing.. I had the best time at Grotto this past weekend. The food was absolutely delicious, it was the best brunch I had in a long time. Our server Deshaun was great as well , he checked on my table periodically to make sure we were good. I highly recommend Grotto!

    Devin T.

    *THE WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE* This is one place that I will never recommend, and wouldn't go back if I was paid to go! The entrance is very distasteful with a bar that had nothing on the shelves. There were only two tables for seating, but if you are aware, there is a seating area in the back which is like a patio. I waited a while to be seated because this night in particular it was crowded. Once seated in the patio area it was freezing cold. They had two portable heaters to heat up the place. One heater was so close to someone's chair that the jacket could've potentially caught fire because actual flames were ignited. The waiter came and took our orders for drinks and food. The drinks took forever and he came back with one wrong drink which was mine. Didn't want the drink that he had so I just said to cancel the drink all together. He never came with water for the table though we asked. He went over to another table who came AFTER us and told them he was coming back with a shot on the house for them because of the long wait. Didn't offer us the same treatment though we waited EXTREMELY long and he came to me with the wrong drink. Food was taking forever and a day. While sitting in the cold of the patio waiting a worker came with a big bag of garbage to dispose on the side door of the patio (near the patrons dining). ON ONE OF THE COLDEST DAYS OF WINTER THE STENCH OF DEATH & ROTTING MEAT Was upon us! It smelled so bad omg their garbage disposal was right near where we dined. Imagine if it was the summer with that smell that lingered! Eventually the waiter came and offered us a shot of our choice. My friends and I told him Casamigo shots. He came with the shots and we drank it and they were in fact NOT Casamigo AT ALL! It was a different cheap tequila. Once the food arrived all of our entrees were COLD! Like everything on the plate cold! He had to then take all of the plates to be microwaved! Atrocious. I will say my food was okay once heated but the service, HORRIBLE. Would never return, never ever-ever!

    Desiree F.

    I love Jamaican food and couldn't wait to try this spot! When I arrived I parked on the street nearby! I walked into a dimly lit place and was greeted. Allison was my server/bartender, and she was nice! She sat me in the back area. I started with the Grotto Punch, which was like a sangria, and it was good but a little sweet, so I added some more Merlot. For my appetizer, I got the mussels, and it was delicious! I then had the stewed red snapper with rice and peas, and that was also very good! I lastly had the rasta pasta with shrimp. This dish took quite a while to come out. When it did, the pasta was good, but the shrimp was a bit salty. All in all, I had a pretty good experience!

    Jerk Lamb Burger
    Kenya W.

    I really enjoyed my experience at The Grotto! I went a few months back with my friend on a rainy Friday evening. We were treated with such kindness. Our waitress Ally was patient in explaining the menu to us and the happy hour drink special. Ally suggested the rum punch which punched us indeed! The Wray & Nephew was hittin'! Lol. My friend followed up with a sorrel mimosa, which she also liked. As for the food, it was super tasty and well seasoned! I had the jerk lamb burger and my friend had the salmon grotto pasta. The lamb burger was superb! I've just started getting into meat again after some years and this was a nice treat! It was so rich in flavor. I wish I'd ordered one to take home. It was juicy, tangy, and cooked to perfection (not raw nor overdone). My friend liked her salmon pasta. Nothing was left behind! The restaurant has limited seating but it's always the cozy spots that I find has the best food. Ally made our chill, rainy Friday night special with her warm hospitality. Loved this new Caribbean option in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood. Hope to be back soon!

    Ackee Toastones
    Kyle H.

    Dinner with the family and The Grotto BK did not disappoint! We started with drinks and then the ackee tostones along with the Octail spring rolls were delicious. And then we moved to the main event of dinner which brought on Oxtails with rice and peas with fried plantain, crab stuff shrimp, steam veg and fried plantain and a rather tasty baked Mac and cheese with oxtails..... Yes we love oxtails very much. All in all we loved the entire experience and the service was amazing.

    Amber P.

    It's nothing i love more then going to Brooklyn and stopping by a Restaurant give you The feeling like your right at home. I was a party of 3 and we sat at the bar the bartender was so Kind and sweet. Her Customer service was A 1 the food and drinks was great , and this night they had hookah. The Hookah lady name was Kim and it's a small business as well, she was Very delightful the Hookah was perfect and she kept checking to make Sure we was more then satisfied that's what i mean by service was worth every dollar. The restaurant is picture perfect and The Music was perfect Please check them Out 10 out of 10

    mackerel
    Amanda W.

    I would like to go back to this place for their dinner menu after 5pm. Their pasta sounds good. Hookah thank you!! Flavors were good and pulling nice. The service was immaculate everyone was very attentive and nice. Shrimp and grits were good but a lot of grits ratio to shrimp. chicken and waffle was crispy but a bit dry. Drinks were strong yet tasty. Very cute place.

    Guys, this curried shrimp, rice and peas, plantains and steamed cabbage was finger liking good.

    See all

    Review Insights

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 3

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Desiree F.
    796
    1995
    14295

    2 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 1
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kyle H.
    0
    41
    224

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 2

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 2
    Photo of Chen M.
    0
    31
    60

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 3

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of K_nyc B.
    21
    106
    29

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of DJ W.
    65
    22
    34

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Grotto

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Caribbean 23,157 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    The Islands

    The Islands

    4.2
    (834 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    "Deep in Brooklyn, hides the Caribbean"…read more Came here on sleepy Tuesday. Not many people in the restaurant but lots of take out going on. The friendly one woman staff helped seat us, recommend the dishes, made the drinks, prepped and served the food. It was all tasty. What's to cheer - Nice not to too sweet homemade rum punch - Solid, flavorful oxtail. Very island spiced and cooked well - Goat was also really strong - Reasonable prices - service with personality What's to jeer - they were out of the jerk chicken unfortunately which I really wanted to try - place is pretty low key and not swimming with ambience

    We found this gem of a spot after visiting the Brooklyn botanical gardens for the Lightscape show…read more(see my next review) Chris the owner was warm and welcoming! Great Jamaican hospitality. Service was excellent, we felt like we were visiting an old friend who happens to have a great restaurant. The food was delicious, we had the home made sorrel perfectly sweetened and the right amount of ginger. The oxtail with rice and peas with cabbage was on point. The meat was perfectly tender and the gravy was savory, the rice and peas was moist and delicious, the cabbage had a nice flavor and texture and the side of fry plantains were perfect, the right level of soft and sweet. Do yourself a favor and visit Islands. Cool .

    Photos
    Jerk chicken
    Jerk chicken
    Upstairs dining area at The Islands
    Upstairs dining area at The Islands
    Stew chicken.  so good, craving it now

    See all

    Stew chicken. so good, craving it now
    The Simpson Restaurant & Bar - BK

    The Simpson Restaurant & Bar - BK

    3.8
    (568 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$$

    9.5/10 for the vibe, ambiance, and service -- and a full 10/10 for the food…read more I'm not a picky eater, but I've had some really disappointing oxtail lately, so I was hoping for the best here. I'm Dominican so I know oxtail pretty well and have made it myself. Thankfully, this place absolutely delivered. The oxtail was perfectly slow-braised, tender, and falling right off the bone -- exactly how it should be. Absolutely amazing. Of course I had the rice and peas, plus some veggies. A few of the veggies were slightly overcooked, but still flavorful and enjoyable. The drinks looked incredible, but I went with the rum punch and loved it. It was a little sweet, but super flavorful, strong, and definitely worth ordering again. For dessert, I had the Hennessy cheesecake, which was rich, decadent, and unbelievably delicious. There were three of us dining, and we all left completely satisfied -- with take-home containers because the portions are VERY generous. The only thing that bothered me a bit was that our server seemed to focus most of her attention on my friend. She is Jamaican, and because I look like a white American woman, I felt a little overlooked at times, even when I had several requests myself. We also had to look for her a couple of times while she was sitting with a group nearby. That said, everyone overall was very nice and welcoming. The bussers especially stood out -- they checked on us often, kept everything clean, and even greeted me in Spanish, which I appreciated. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience and will definitely be back with more people next time.

    The moment we walked in, I knew we were in for an amazing culinary experience. It was my birthday…read moreweekend, and we were in New York for an extended stay. For my hubby, Brooklyn is home - and we always love exploring the new places the city has to offer when we visit. We had reservations, and were seated within 10 minutes, which was reasonable. The place was packed - everyone was in high spirits, and I was ready to taste some of the best Caribbean cuisine in the region. My hubby's best friend - a Brooklyn resident, joined us. He had been to the restaurant a few times - and had good things to say. We were not disappointed. I had the Brown Stew Red Snapper - *chef's kiss*. Hubby had the iconic Jerk Oxtail over Macaroni & Cheese Pie! The English language cannot convey the beauty of that combination! Tender, tender oxtail, falling off the bone with the creamy, cheesy mac & cheese! He wanted to savor that dish another day, so he got a to-go bag and took it back to the hotel! (I couldn't help but clean my plate - I was obsessed with the fish!) Our friend enjoyed the Hennessy Fried Shrimp (not pictured) - one of his favorite dishes at the restaurant. It looked delicious as well. For drinks, I had the Bob Marley cocktail. A colorful drink - flavorful - and effective! There were people celebrating their birthdays throughout the night - and the wait staff goes IN! I was enjoying watching at least 10 people receive the Stevie Wonder "Happy Birthday" song while we were there. Imagine my surprise when it was my turn! My birthday was the day before, and we had already celebrated in Manhattan. Having two special recognition events made the evening that much more special! Shout out to the Simpson crew who came with the song, the rhythm, the sparkling cake, and the good vibes! My 70th birthday was exceptional - without a doubt. The Simpson added the touch I needed. We'll definitely go back next time we're in Brooklyn!

    Photos
    Jerk chicken tacos
    Jerk chicken tacos
    Jerk Oxtail Over Macaroni & Cheese Pie
    Jerk Oxtail Over Macaroni & Cheese Pie
    Slow Braised Oxtail and Butter Beans

    See all

    Slow Braised Oxtail and Butter Beans
    Flamingobaby Kitchen

    Flamingobaby Kitchen

    4.3
    (279 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$

    I am still thinking about this food. It was so good, flavorful and fresh. We cleared those plates…read more We were full, but not sluggish at all..just completely satisfied. This is an intimate and cozy space, great to sit and talk without the noise of a loud space. Music was played, but not obnoxious and there is a tv. Service was great, food was tasty, no complaints at all! Quick heads up, this is a cash only spot, but so worth it. Will definitely be back!

    I scoured the internet and my old photos trying to find this restaurant again. It had been about a…read moreyear since our first visit, so it took some digging but we eventually found Flamingobaby Kitchen and off we went! For the table, we ordered the oxtail stew, fried chicken, yams, collard greens, and mac & cheese. I also had a Peach Bellini for a little bubbly. Everything was exactly as I remembered -perfectly cooked and well seasoned, large portions with more than enough to take home. The chef stopped by our table which was a nice touch. Service overall was great. They also make great use of such a small space. It is indeed well worth the visit. Side note, we ordered the same exact items off the menu as we did a year ago...only one thing was missing which was the biscuits with the flavored butter jam. We were told the biscuits were replaced with cornbread. I didn't order the cornbread this time around but would like to see the biscuits return at some point.

    Photos
    Southern Fried Chicken + Waffles
    Southern Fried Chicken + Waffles
    Sweet & Spicy Chicken Tenders + Fries
    Sweet & Spicy Chicken Tenders + Fries
    Menu

    See all

    Menu

    The Grotto - caribbean - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...