The best Jamaican restaurant in DFW, hands down. Food was amazing. No other words. 10/10 food. 4 stars because Only downside to this place was the food wait time. It took 45 minutes for our food to come out, which we kind of expected to happen so we weren't too worried about it. So don't come here for a "quick bite" and if you're ordering to go, order 45 minutes ahead. Our waitress was really sweet but it did take her 10 minutes to bring the check after asking for it. Overall I recommend this place. The portions are plenty & definitely get better for leftovers. read more

The Island Spot - Joyce's Oxtails, Jerk Chicken, Plaintain - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

If you're in the mood for some authentic Caribbean food, you have to check out the island spot! They offer a variety of handcrafted cocktails and delicious island entrees. You get a taste of Jamaica right in the backyard of Dallas, TX. I enjoyed a refreshing drink, the Spanish Town Hussla, and for apps, Fried plantain and Jerk Nachos. For my entree, I got Mama Joyce's Oxtails, which were seasoned very well and heated up great the next day. Overall, the service is ok, it could have been better (there were times when we were without someone checking in which is why I'm giving 3 stars) . The ambiance is great. I recommend you check them out. read more

The Island Spot - Spanish Town Hussla - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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Delicious food Strong drinks And island style service The ambience made me feel like I was on vacation My favorite were the jerk wings Smooth to start with some spice on the back end They were perfect Not to take away from everything else we got Beef patty was tasty Oxtail was scrumptious (from what I'm told) I tested the gravy and it was really good The drinks were all better than any island bar I've been to They have a small patio and fun music Will definitely be back read more

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Location Madison and Jefferson Parking Street Atmosphere Island getaway Seating Tables, booths, bar-good for groups Service Attentive and friendly Menu Happy hour til 7! Specialty drinks, beet, no wine-rum flights. The happy hour menu is terrific and priced nicely. We had the lit hurricane, rum punch, Jamaican tea, standard beer plus red stripe. The mixed happy hour drinks are yum!!! The chicken wings are real spicy but flavorful. The nachos are fantastic-very healthy with lots of lettuce and tomatoes. The pattie is like an empanada but not much filling. The key lime pie is delicious. Summary Terrific happy hour menu and hours, delicious menu, great service, refreshing drinks. Very chill vibe-love this place! read more

The Island Spot - Beef pattie, Jerk Wings - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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It's a vibey place. IMO they specialize more in drinks and appetizers. I tasted heavy tobasco sauce in their jerk chicken. I've never had jerk chicken with tobasco sauce in it. Not a fan. When you enter they welcome you and allow you to sit anywhere. From the time we sat down and placed our order, it took over an hour for us to get our food. Not good!!! We were told that they were out of rice and peas but we kept seeing entrees coming out of the kitchen with rice and peas. So we asked another waitress if they had rice and peas and she said "yes"! At that time we were perplexed . We asked if we could order some and sure enough, we got some rice and peas. Very interesting exchange just to get some rice and pease . Here is my rating of the items we ordered: Curry Chicken 7 outta 10 Jerk Chicken 5 outta 10 tobasco sauce? Really! Jerk Wings 5.4 outta 10 Very spicy and spicy Plantains 8 outta 10 Beef Patty 9 outta 10 Saffron Rice 6.3 outta 10 Rice and Peas 4 outta 10 after all that! Mid! ‍ Brown Stew Chicken 7 outta 10 Cabbage 9 outta 10 Rum Punch 5 outta 10 presented well. Taste ok Overall Rating not including the drink, out of 10 = 6.74 read more

The Island Spot - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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The food is inconsistent between their locations. I frequent their Carrollton location often so I know what their food is supposed to look and taste like. This one, even though it's closer to me does not make their food like Carrollton location. I ordered jerk wings and idk why it's dry here. The wings are wet at Carrollton and flavorful. These today had little flavor. Plantains and chicken patty were consistent and delicious read more

The Island Spot - These wings don't look like the wings I get at Carrollton location. I order the same thing everytime - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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the food and service here is great! food is delicious. I came here to celebrate a 50th birthday. We all ordered an assortment of food, and it was all good. I especially liked the fried chicken and waffles and beef meat pie. I'll try the shrimp and grits next time. Heard it was good and spicy. read more

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I stopped by to try their Caribbean food. Cute space with decor that gives off island vibes. They have an upstairs seating area which I wanted to go up and look around. Service was fast and friendly which was appreciated since I couldn't get the parking meter to work with me. I tried their oxtails, and cabbage. It was all SO good! Everything good about this place except parking. I drove around the block a few times trying to find a parking spot. I ended up at the parking meter which I couldn't get to cooperate. Other than that, it a great! read more

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I did my best with this place. OK let me start with the positive, this is a beautiful establishment. It is in a beautiful area and the customer service is really really good. I really like what the building looks like I like the option of having up and downstairs and there is much more space in the other location. However, the food did not make up for it. I am born and raised in the Caribbean so when I order a curry chicken, I expect curry chicken, and not curry inspired chicken; I can confidently say that this was the worst curry chicken. I've had in my whole life because it liked flavor, It wasn't seasoned, and it was bland. I even went to the point to ask my server if the chef was Caribbean because I couldn't believe a Caribbean person made this meal. She responded, " the head chef is Jamaican" maybe the chef wasn't there that day but baby I need him there all the time because I was thoroughly disappointed. read more

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food wasn't good, service was mediocre, location on a busy street and parking could be hard to find. Ambiance was mediocre. read more

The Island Spot - Jamaican rum drink - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

I decided to meet a friend here for drinks and we both loved it! I love the Island Sampler because it gives me all my island cravings in one. You can choose 3: jerk wings, coconut shrimp, patty, or plantains. I wanted all 4 so I ordered a separate order of coconut shrimp to share with my friend. It came with a spicy mango sauce that I wanted to dip everything in. My friend had the jerk chicken plate with 2 sides. Not to put her business out there, but she didn't leave anything on her plate! The drinks were good and the drink menu has plenty of options. The service was great and attentive. I look forward to returning. read more

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The service was really great. Our waiter came to check on us and ensure we didn't need anything additional. The oxtails were really good- I just wish it wasn't more meat than bone. The spinach was really good and the cabbage was okay. Ill be back again to try more items. read more

The Island Spot - Oxtails - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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I tried the Island Spot as it was on the list for Black Restaurant Week and let's get real, who doesn't want some going Jamaican food any day of the week. Overall the food was really good and the drinks were even better! I'm not sure if the portion sizes vary from brunch to regular entree; however, my only complaint would be the portion sizes were small for the price I paid. I actually left still hungry. The waitress was very personable and made us feel very comfortable. She gave her honest opinion on all the drinks and I couldn't appreciate her more for that. This is definitely a place I will return to, just not on a Sunday next time read more

The Island Spot - Mama Joyce's Oxtails with Rum Punch - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Check your food before eating it! The first time I came to the island spot I found the food to be amazing. I don't go there often because it is far from me. The second time I went I brought the food home and come to find out it was not cooked properly. Very unsafe to eat. And was very watery. I call to inform the manager of this, tell her I could send her photos as proof of what this is and simply get a refund of $15. I would have wasted 2 hours of my days for nothing. She claimed that it was the same pot from the morning and what she sees is different from what I see and that I'd need to bring the food back. Very unhelpful, this was very disappointing and I will not be returning. The only reason they are getting 2 starts is because the food is as good the first time and that is being Generous read more

The Island Spot - Curry Chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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We went here for lunch; we found parking close by, which was a plus. We walked in, and there was no host, but she came out from the back after a while and asked us for a preference in seating except for 1 table. It was after 1pm when we arrived. We sat down and put our orders in. Everything was going great so far; ordered two beef Patty, which was okay, not spicy, and more on the cool side. It wasn't warm at all. It was just OK. At this time, two more tables were seated. We are still waiting on our order now. We were still waiting for our food when the tables that arrived after us got their food. Then the host told us they didn't have enough jerk pork as she saw us looking around. But okay, okay? We wanted jerk pork, but they can do jerk ribs, so that's fine. We will take it. I've been waiting here long enough. The food came out, and we were disappointed. Our oxtail is cold, and the gravy is as well. I can't even mix it with the rice because I'm guessing my food was sitting while the second order was made by substituting the jerk pork. She forgot the plantain which I reminded her about and she still didn't bring that until after we asked for the check, and at that time, the glass fell with water and shattered to the floor spilling it on the chair, clothes, and floor; the table is slanted where the glass was placed when she left it and just slid right off. At this point, we will leave, not even bothering; we got the jerk wings to go while ordering the food that were were going to eat, only to get home and have it more like BBQ wings. The decor was lovely in the establishment, and the music was great, but the food could have been better; there was no season or flavor. read more

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The staff was friendly and seated us right away. It took a long time to get food but I'm not sure if it's because we asked to get it to go because we became pressed for time while there. I started off with the rum punch which was good - not too sweet. The beef patty was delicious and I wish I had gotten a second one for later. The curry goat was also good but the rice and peas were a little dry. I also ordered plantains which were great. read more

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My husband has been wanting to try this spot for months, we finally made it here and didn't even get to try the food and drinks that we'd ordered. We walked in at 745pm on a Saturday night, it wasn't extremely busy aside from the birthday party that was going on upstairs, so we figured it wouldn't be too long of a wait. Well needless to say the waitress took our drink and appetizer orders but never came back with our food or drinks after almost 30 minutes. They do have a now hiring sign like most establishments so I'm sure they're short staffed but could we have at least gotten our drinks. Maybe we will come back some other time but not sure as of now since I'm starving and we're trying to find somewhere else to eat. read more

The Island Spot - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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Chill vibe and good food. Our server was very nice and we received our food within 15 minutes. All menu items were tasty: Curry Goat Jerk Chicken Plantains I'll definitely be back! read more

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The food was good service was awful the waitress did not understand the menu she did not know what was on the menu it's kind of weird for what I did order was good just no customer service at all. read more

While the food is good, we'll probably never go back. We spent nearly $100 on our meal, and were pretty disappointed. We got the 3-meat plate with rice and peas (fish, curry chicken, jerked chicken), the jerk chicken sandwich, the chicken patties, and the bbq rib plate. Unfortunately, while the menu SAYS you get two sides with the sandwich, you only get one. We ordered this about half an hour ahead so we could pick it up. While we did have to wait a few minutes, it was no big deal and we were happy to wait. The service was rude to non-existent. When we went in to pick up the order, we told them the name. Without a word, they disappeared into the kitchen and didn't come back for a solid 10 minutes. No word about the food, nothing. The restaurant is pretty, and seems like a nice place to sit and eat. Had we not been taking food home to someone, we would have just stayed. After that reception, I was glad we didn't. The good... the jerk chicken was flavorful and tender. A big plus. The ribs were very sweet, but spicy and tasty. Also good. The curry chicken didn't seem like any I'd had before, but the flavor was good. The cabbage was great. The less-good... The chicken sandwich was soaked in sauce. Not really appealing when you can barely pick it up. The chicken patties were not cooked long enough as the dough was raw. The rice and peas were bland and DRY. The key lime pie was basically pudding dolluped on a handful of graham crumbs. The mango cheesecake - while very tasty - was the smallest excuse for a $7 dessert I've ever seen. The fish was dry and bland - the only thing that made up for it was the pickled veggies with it. I love Caribbean food. I eat food from all over the world, and I love to get authentic food from as many cultures as I can. This was just one that I won't repeat. The food is good, but the prices are WAY too high, service needs some heart, and some of the food needs a little bit of salt. read more

Today was the first time I tried brown stew chicken and I was not disappointed. The staff, the ambience, and the food were all on point! The lunch specials are well priced, come with good portions, and it is served quick and hot! read more

The Island Spot - Brown Stew Chicken Lunch - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

definitely awesome food pretty fast service. The ambient is sweet and mellow. it's absolutely a good place to get drinks after a long day. Their drink is pretty strong. All you need is one. read more

Awesome service, food was fast and hot! I had the oxtail and cabbage, saffron rice...yum read more

The Island Spot - Oxtail, saffron rice and cabbage - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Good Caribbean for Texas after having Caribbean food in the northeast . Pretty spacious on the inside, never really seems packed but always people there. read more

The Island Spot - Curry Chicken on the left, Jerk Chicken on the right. - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Food and service are great. Oxtails are on the pricey side but I guess you can do that when there aren't many places serving them.

I was hungry and scrolling thru Grubhub and and saw the Island Spot. They happened to be a five min drive from the house so I decided to drive over and dine in. I started with the chicken wing appetizer. The jerk flavoring is awesome the only thing is the meat is very salty. I think they brine the wings first and might need to adjust the amount of salt in the brine as it was a stark contrast to the amazing jerk sauce. I followed that up with the ox tails, rice and spinach. Guess what! I waited 30 mins for my meal to come out. The spinach came out steaming and hot. I taste the gravy the oz tails are in and it's a lukewarm, I take a bite of an oxtail to discover it is cold. So cold I thought it just came out of the fridge, like leftovers from a previous day. I take a bit of the beans and rice and they were just as cold as the oxtails. I'm truly disappointed. It's as if they don't take pride in what they serve. I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. I don't want to waste anymore of my hard earned money. read more

Had potential but failed. Very cool inside with good music. Only one person working the entire restaurant + bartending ... our drinks took over 30 minutes therefore we only ordered one a piece and we specifically came for their happy hour. The tables were dirty and it looked like no one had cleaned them for hours. They still had peoples leftovers on them during our entire stay. Anyways the drinks were disgusting and pricy. I would not be back! Don't waste your money here. read more

The Island Spot - Mango mint - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

So much better than the Carrollton location. Whatever is being done here, please relay the information to the other location. I think I gave the other location a 2 star because their veggies were hard as I don't know and ridiculously crunchy. There were other issues too, but this location cannot relate. I ordered the jerk chicken with the usual rice and peas, and veggie; it was good. The veggies were the highlight because I like mine extra dead and they were cooked perfect. This plate was provided with 2 leg quarters and I couldn't eat it all....so plenty of left overs. This will be my location if I choose to go to the Island Spot; it's much bigger, service was quick and they cook their veggies. Lol. read more

So it's been a few years since I've reviewed this location. Customer service has improved and the food is still amazing. This time I ordered a Flaming Hurricane Gilbert which per the menu has a limit if 2 per guest, spinach, oxtails, salmon, rice and peas and cabbage The Flaming Gilbert: 8/10 not very strong but tasted great. Spinach: 7/10 needed more seasoning Rice & peas: 3/10 not my favorite, didn't taste fresh and rice was overcooked. Cabbage: 9/10 Salmon: 10/10 probably the best salmon I had in a very long time (highly recommend) Oxtails: 10/10 let's just say I'm going back today to get more read more

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I love this place! The service is decent, the food is amazing, and the drinks are strong. A friend and I go for happy hour often. Sometimes it does take a while to get your food, but just grab an appetizer and some drinks and wait. They're just putting a little extra love in it. read more

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To be totally honest everything was great. The drinks were good and strong and the staff was friendly ! This was my 2nd time visiting and I'll def be back. read more

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Delicious Jamaican food!!! I enjoyed the vibe and food equally. I appreciate that they also took safety precautions due to Covid 19 restrictions. Drinks, plantain, jerk chicken and service was great! We plan to return again! read more

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The oxtails taste just like my momma made them. They are simply AMAZINGGGG! Thank me later

Average from my experience...had the jerk chicken sandwich, was a ton of bread with small piece of chicken and old lettuce...I might try again but probably not read more

Thee BEST Caribbean food on the planet!!! Intimate atmosphere with GREAT service. Personal interactions from the owner, who's mom is the cook. The food is unbelievably delicious. I recommend this place to the heaven! read more

The Island Spot - Oxtails, Peas N' Rice & Cabbage - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

I wanted to like this place so bad but I'm sorry it really is NOT worth it. The food is NOT good. You can't even enjoy the flavorless food because it feels like there's no heat on. Additionally, the service is SLOW. Heroes is 100x better, trust me. read more

Loved brunch at the Island Spot, largely in part to the great service! The bottomless mango mimosas helped, too. I usually judge Caribbean restaurants by the rum punch but I was busy sipping champagne so I didn't get to try it. Normally, I wouldn't order grits from a Jamaican restaurant but I couldn't live with myself if I passed on the opportunity to get Fish & Grits. I'm a bit of a grits snob so I wasn't thrilled with the texture but the flavor of the fish & the gravy made it pretty difficult to stop eating the grits. My only negative during the visit was that someone in my party found pieces of chicken in her Jerk Shrimp and Grits. I'm guessing they used the gravy from the Jerk Chicken but, unfortunately, we're pescatarians so that was definitely not welcomed. While the manager tried to convince us that it wasn't chicken, our server was quick to send the dish back and make sure that it came out correctly the second time. Her concern and prompt remediation was appreciated. As for the decor, The Island Spot manages to give you a good island vibe without being too cheesy. The music was on point and there are authentic elements of Jamaican culture throughout the space, including popular patois terms and their translations. read more

The Island Spot - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

The best kept secret near Bishop Arts. The Oxtails always have the best taste; so tender and very meaty. The Jerk wings taste like you would expect jerk seasoning to taste. And you have to finish with their Rum punch. Have not had everything on the menu but I'm working on it. read more

Great Service! They greeted me and my friend as soon as we walked through the door and had nice reggae music playing. The food was seasoned well, nice proportion for the price and drink was made to perfection as well. This location is better than the other in my opinion (wasn't sure I would try again but happy I did) and i'll definitely be back- very welcoming and chill atmosphere with great food and drinks, thank you for the experience! read more

The Island Spot - Curry Chicken with Rice & Peas and steamed veggies - Curry Chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Dallas, Texas

The place is cool. The beef patty and jerk chicken were very tasty. The cabbage, rice and beans were pretty bad. I would visit again only for the jerk. It was well done! read more