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Tropical Bites

3.8 (190 reviews)
Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Order Tropical Bites Takeout or Delivery

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TROPICAL BITES ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for kids
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Tropical Bites

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Caribbean Stew Oxtail
Bert L.

Attitude, attention to your food and some sort of customer experience would be great. Besides just being curt to the point of rude, your food is suffering from the lack of joy usually found in the tropics. Not even water for customers? Good thing the bland curry chicken had no heat. $50 dollars for no joy or good food. It was better over the summer but your attitude really made it bitter. Your prices are inflated $5.25 for a slice of cake? But really you really should not deal with the public. Literally told me to order from Uber eats. PASS all the way around. I would give one but the fatty ox tails were my craving tonight. Drove all the way from Fredericksburg to be treated like some bum asking for freebies. Nothing cheap in here but the lighting.

Lovely restaurant.
Mike R.

"Caribbean food" in Northern Virginia? *side eye* "Buffet style"? *Double side eye* Needless to say neither of these terms really resonate with any degree of relevance with most Carribean food enthusiasts, including self. But for the fact that I had another networking meeting with a group I recently joined, I would certainly never have found myself here. At this random strip mall - in Manassas, no less? No way, no how. They picked it so I showed up. Like others have mentioned here I was a little put off by the fact that it's "per pound" after I read the $10.99 and got excited. Too late, box loaded. The reality of what you've done hits as the cashier rests your gluttonous box atop the scale right next to the register. $26 comes up on the register. I got a Jamaican Kola Champagne soda pop, so now I'm up to $30 and change. The weighing of food harkens back to a couple of Chinese restaurants I used to go to back in day in DC during college. If nothing else it's a great reminder how greedy you're being. I had a nice sampling of rice 'n peas, stew chicken, jerk chicken, oxtails, curry goat. I even had a healthy portion of chicken pelau - which I'd never tasted before. A VERY tasty dish. Almost taste like chicken fried rice only more flavorful. The owners are Trinnie, so their take is a slight variation from the traditional Jamaican spin I'm used to. Another place I typically go to is owned by Guyanese, so theirs is another variation. Anyway, the food here is excellent. Oxtails are succulent and soft and all the food was well seasoned. Everything was fall off the bone tender. Owner said she slow cooked, not pressure cooked them. I expected a slight toughness like most people give you, so I was wrong. Apparently the owner's mother is in the kitchen cooking a lot of these dishes on the daily. Yup, granny is back there throwing down. I'm super impressed and delighted that the food here is as good as it is. I even had some sorrel to go. Since I cook all this stuff at home myself I'm very critical of it and I can say that this food deserves five stars. The sorrel here had (much) more ginger than the one I make and the oxtails are more brown gravy than curry (like mine) but I'd gladly come back here to dine - and I plan to soon. They even have gluten-free, paleo, and assorted vegetarian options. Update: Today; 6:14p I just consumed the other half of my meal so the 2 lbs that I felt guilty about ordering earlier really was only one because you end up taking leftovers home. Oh, and the jerk wings got some some nice goat pepper/habanero on them - if you're into spice. I am, so it was a nice surprise.

One  Oxtail for $30 + dollars
Dana H.

$30 for 1 tough oxtail 1 under cooked plantain, rice for a toddler and a stolen appetite! Thieves and liars. There's no way that there is gold in this food to be worth that much money and to be so bad. In NY I spend close to that amount and can feed up to 4 people and then some. This is ridiculous and the worst experience I've ever had with food. Don't order from here. Period.

Spicy spare rib, jerk chicken leg, curry chicken thigh, ox tail, spicy coconut shrimp, plantains , and white rice with beans.
Jeff E.

You don't see a lot of Caribbean restaurants around this area so I had to give it a try. The restaurant is small and somewhat dark, with the majority of the light coming in from the windows at the front and has limited seating if you decide to dine in vs. carryout. You are greeted by a staff member who will guide you though the buffet of different meats and sides and they will explain what is in the buffet. The buffet is charged by the pound at $11.99 per pound so with a lot of the meats having bones in them you will blow past a pound quickly. I built my meal with the spicy spare rib, jerk chicken, curry chicken, ox tails, and a spicy coconut shrimp, I also added on plantains and rice with beans as you run out of room quickly with the tray. The meats had great flavor and heat to them and the ox tail was awesome. The spicy shrimp was my favorite thing though in the meal. I washed it all down with a mango juice and peach Arizona tea.

I usually come here every few months when I don't feel to cook on a Sunday! today I got a chicken roti with extra potato. Really had chicken feathers in my food. the taste is very bland. i asked for a refund but Sean the manager didn't understand why I was upset. stating he is not there but would not allow the cashier to refund my money. I will not go back. the cashier was also very rude.

Jerk Chicken Jamaican Patties rice and peas

Don't go to this place. Seriously. I paid $44 for 1 serving of jerk chicken, rice and peas, cabbage, a drink, and a beef patty. I could tell it wasn't gonna be good by the look of it. But I decided to still give it a chance since the worker was Caribbean. I barely put a dent in it. I should've told her never mind when she told me the price. And I still tipped 20% even though it was self serve. I just felt bad because there was nobody else in the restaurant. I came here after class, and was starving. I should've went to the Caribbean place by my house that would've charged me $20 or less for more/better tasting than what I got here. Or the Teriyaki restaurant right beside it. I was gonna grab a donut from Texas donuts next door, but after that $44 I couldn't spend another dollar on food. When I saw that rice that's when I knew. The rice tasted like 5 minute rice. The plantains were hard. The cabbage was not good. The jerk chicken wasn't very good just extremely spicy so you can't taste anything else but that. The best thing that I got from here was the beef patty that they probably didn't make there and ginger beer that I know they didn't make because they sell the same one all over. Trust me when I say to go somewhere else. Unless you don't mind flavorless non authentic Caribbean food that's overpriced. I got this food to have for lunch and dinner. But instead I'll be throwing my $44 in the trash

Caribbean Stew Oxtail

This is the smallest plate of oxtails I have received from any Jamaican restaurant ever. $35 for this and Mac and cheese is insane.

Oxtail and lamb
Shawn M.

Wow! The food here is amazing! Try the oxtail and the shrimp are also incredible!! I'm trying to stay away from carbohydrates are for me this was exactly what the doctor ordered! Highly recommend!!

Oxtails, Jerk Wings, Jerk Chicken, "Rice and Beans," Cabbage, Curry Shrimp, and Macaroni and Cheese
Xandra A.

Yes they allow you to self serve and choose your own variety of different sides, meats, and deserts. BUT.. for $10.99/lb and ZERO flavor in anything, y'all have completely lost your minds. This is the hospital version of Jamaican food. If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, on a strict diet that require you to have no salt whatsoever, this is the "seasonless" place for you. How is even possible to take the Jerk outta Jerk and the Curry out of Curry And another thing.. WHO THE HELL OUTS CELERY IN RICE AND BEANS?? I tell you who!!! The same people who don't use mawfuck'n seasoning Oxtails, Jerk Wings, Jerk Chicken, "Rice and Beans," Cabbage, Curry Shrimp, and Macaroni and Cheese $23 that I should dispute on my card

Moldy dessert
David P.

The food wasn't bad. Then I got to dessert and I was surprised there were pistachios on it. Wait...That's MOLD! Then of course you start wondering about the food you just ate and was it really fresh or just masked by spices? I don't think I want to know. Obviously won't be returning here. Really disgusting.

Ox tail!! Plantain
Yurie H.

This is a hidden gem in manassas. The first time I had it, I ordered through ubereats and I got the jerk chicken w/ rice and plantains. The jerk chicken is so flavorful with a nice spicy kick to it and the plantains are sweet and delicious. I've been to the actual restaurant several times since then and it's a very casual place, but the food is so comforting and delicious. I like how it's pay by weight so you can choose how many/ which foods you want. The price is not bad at $10 per pound. My favorite is the ox tail because the meat is so tender and seasoned slightly. The chickpea/potato side is also delicious, reminding me slightly of Indian food with the spices. I would definitely recommend trying this place out for yummy food!

Jerk chicken

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4 months ago

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3 months ago

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7 months ago

Food was old, plantains dried out. OVERPRICED awful food. I don't recommend this place a waste of money.

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4 years ago

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10 months ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Food is okay. I've had better but good enough to come back. Overpriced in my opinion.

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6 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

Love this place , and love the food! And the service is also good just wish it was a bigger restaurant!!!

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Ask the Community - Tropical Bites

Is this place halal?

Hi Farzana B. - Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Yes the meats are Halal and there are Halal certificates on the wall of the restaurant from the suppliers.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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Jamaican Breeze - Curry

Jamaican Breeze

(67 reviews)

$$

Was so glad to see this neighborhood Jamaican staple has their own brick and mortar restaurant…read moreafter moving out of Epic Food Hall. There is a small dining area with a couple of long benches, but mostly wooden tables. There is a TV on the walWas greeted by Bree's friendly smile and placed my order for the jerk ribs meal. Bree came to tell me that my ribs would be a little longer because they needed to be perfect. Happy about service like that! The ribs were delicious with a little bit of heat. Mine came with rice and peas and the mixed stir fry vegetables. Rice and peas can sometimes be a little dry, but that's not a worry here- they were really good! Some Jamaican restaurants in the area give you a couple of slivers of fried plantains to accent your meal. I was informed, "we don't do that here." Maybe they'll consider adding that little touch that would've taken my meal over the top.

I recently ordered the brown stew chicken from Jamaican Breeze with a side of mac and cheese and…read morerice and peas. The chicken was tender and flavorful, and the mac and cheese was decent--especially since I wasn't sure what to expect. The most disappointing part was the rice and peas; I was hoping for a bit more flavor. Overall, given the lack of Jamaican restaurants in NoVA, this spot was decent, and I'd return to try some of the other sides. Customer service was great. Initially I chose mixed veggies as a side but changed it to mac and cheese with no issues at all; the staff was more than willing. The restaurant itself is spacious compared to most Jamaican spots and is located right next to BJ's. Lunch prices are reasonable, though the regular entrées are on the pricier side in my opinion. That said, the lunch portion was more than enough.

Caribbean Corner - Menu

Caribbean Corner

(308 reviews)

$

Old Town Fairfax

Was craving Caribbean food and decided to give Caribbean corner a try!…read more This is located in the downtown area of Fairfax, there's no seating indoors so this is definitely a grab and go place. The menu has some varieties of options to pick from! I ordered the Jerk pulled pork and curry chicken. I was really hoping to try to jerk chicken but it wasn't ready when I came so I opted for the pulled pork! Current chicken was very flavorful and had definitely the curry taste to it (not like Indian or Asian curry though). The jerk pulled pork surprisingly had a Smokey taste and the sauce was flavorful! The only con for me was that I found the rice that came with the dishes a little too over cooked for my taste. The veggies that was paired was great!

Urgh normally I never give a place 1 star but I give up on this place even know I use to love they…read morefood. Been here couple of times and they were close with out any notice. Finally got the chance to get there since it been a while and I was truly disappointed. The worst parking it suck already and to be disappointed I want to cry . I walk in some and some guy yelling will be right out , i am like ok he was out smelling like MJ which I don't mind I smoke too here and there but the place just look ran down even more. Oxtail 1/5 $21.99- The oxtail texture was cook perfectly but omg it was salty like eating pure salt even the rice was extra salty maybe from the gravy. Mind you I love salty food but this tasted like eat sea salt . This was not edible not sure if he was too high and mess it up. Trying call but no one pick up. End up throwing away. Also the cabbage was over cook to mush and no plantain. I normally give business couple of chance but this place just ran down hill Never coming back eve again

Island Flavourites Food Truck - oxtail with rice and lentils

Island Flavourites Food Truck

(6 reviews)

This food truck came to our neighborhood pool as part of our swim team and community bonding…read more My daughter devoured their fries after her time at the pool. I ordered the curry crab legs with the side of mac and cheese, and the oxtail with the side of rice and lentils. Both dishes were amazing. The curry sauce for the crab was tasty and flavorful. The crab legs were steamed well and perfect when dipped in that luxurious sauce. The oxtail was fall off the bone tender and paired perfectly with that flavorful rice and lentils. We would definitely order from this food truck again. Service was kind and hospitable. Food came out at a reasonable time, especially with so many orders at the same time!

This food truck came to our building today. Since we never have had food from Trinidad and Tobago,…read morewe decided to give them a try. We knew that food from that region can be spicy and we knew that we would like to start with something tame. After looking at their menu board, I decided to go with fried chicken wings with a side of potato salad. My husband ordered pineapple chicken with a side of rice and peas. The people who work the truck are friendly and gladly answered any questions we had. It didn't take long to get our food. When we got the food upstairs, instead of getting fried chicken wings, I ended up with fried chicken tenders. Also, we were both surprised to see that each dinner comes with a small, undressed salad which consists of iceberg lettuce, red onions and a slice of tomato. They give out some sauces/dressings and I chose the one that wasn't spicy. As it was described to us, it was supposed to be "tingly". Okay...well...it was a thin sauce with a little bit of kick to it. I put it on my salad and it worked well with it. I found the chicken tenders to be on the dry side but certainly edible. My husband's pineapple chicken consisted of fried chicken tenders with a pineapple sauce that was simultaneously sweet and spicy. He enjoyed the sauce, and, thus the chicken. The potato salad had sweet undertones to it and had some peas and corn in it. I enjoyed this unconventional version. My husband liked the rice and peas, even though it was on the dry side. The peas were actually pigeon peas, which we both liked. My husband was pleasantly surprised by the food and said if this truck comes by again, he would gladly order from them. I, too, agree but now know to add the pineapple sauce to my chicken.

Jas & Fam Caribbean Flavor - Jerk Chicken

Jas & Fam Caribbean Flavor

(40 reviews)

More than happy to have a closer place for beef patties and curried goat! The service was great, I…read morewas curious on how spicy their jerk chicken was and was able to try a sample (tastes great btw, a little sweet, tangy, and some heat). Everything I ordered had a great little kick and was enjoyable (I like spice, so take that to account). The Coco Bread was made to order, fluffy and delicious. Very happy this here. Gonna buy as much beef patties as I can!

When we are feelin good Jamaican food we've had to drive to Maryland as there is a go-to spot we've…read morebeen hittin up for over 20 years now. When I heard a new Jamaican spot was opening in Fair Oaks Mall I had to give it a try. We got there after 8pm on a Friday night and there was nobody there. Not gonna lie...was a little nervous that the food would not be fresh because it has been sitting out till closing time. We took the chance and ordered the large Chicken Curry w/peas & rice and the veggies/cabbage. It's $23 bucks so not cheap for mall food but it is a pretty large portion. The food comes out and we dig in. Yes...it is spot on tasty...the chicken is fresh, tender and we got some choice pieces. The peas and rice combine nicely with the cabbage and curry chicken. I am very pleased. Fire If you need a bit of a kick they provide a spicy vinegar based hot sauce which is pretty good (but not the best hot sauce I've had at Jamaican joints). Overall, I'm ready to come back and try the oxtail and jerk chicken. If you are in the mall, stop by and try em out. You won't be disappointed.

Tropical Bites - caribbean - Updated May 2026

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