My besties and I checked out True Island Grille near Waterford Lakes for happy hour (4-8pm, Tuesday-Friday), and it was such a good vibe! There's plenty of free parking and the location is super convenient. Honestly, I was a little surprised it wasn't busier right when they opened because it's definitely a hidden gem. We were greeted by the hostess and told we could sit wherever we liked, which made it feel really relaxed from the start. We were given the paper happy hour menu, while I noticed some tables had a nicer version but it didn't matter much because we came for the food anyway. We skipped alcohol this time and kept it simple with waters. I tried the Jamaican pineapple soda and my bestie had a Coke. For food, we ordered a few things to share, and everything hit. The oxtail loaded fries were sooo good definitely a must-try! We also had the mini oxtail patties, and my besties ordered the jerk chicken pasta, which was delicious. Service was great our waiter was very attentive and checked on us throughout. At one point, I believe the chef even came out, which added a nice personal touch. Overall, we had a great experience. Good food, good vibes, and a chill atmosphere. I'll definitely be back! read more

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I have visited the lovely restaurant and ordered on Uber Eats as well. They have not disappointed. My in person was on fish fry Friday. We went early, not busy. I prefer the earlier time to avoid crowds since they also have a DJ. I'm pretty sure the party gets started later, if that's your vibe. My fish was amazing. I said to my family " this is like I'm on Hellshire beach back home!" If you know, you know that's difficult to top. Don't get me started on the festival-- we had to order more to go because it was that great. They have a full bar and a really nice spot that I WILL go back to! read more

True Island Grille - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

I will start off by saying this place would make so much more money if it was located in a busier shopping center. The restaurant is a nice venue overall. There is a stage big enough for a full band. It looks like they may host events here. Now to the food, delicious!!! I had the jerk chicken, super juicy flavorful, just yum! My daughter had the oxtail and loved it. We also had the min Jamaican patties and they were fresh and delicious. Nice size portions and the service was good too. We will be back here. read more

True Island Grille - Oxtail and rice and peas - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Very exciting to have a Jamaican restaurant on the east side of Orlando! Ever since a visit to Jamaica, I've been looking for some traditional staples and was glad to be introduced to this restaurant by friends. On entry, I found the servers to be welcoming but the space a bit void of any particular ambience. But I understand they are relatively new so hopefully some decor unfolds over time. Once we were all seated, we ordered a variety of plates. We ordered the beef patties for the table-which ended up being served with the main plates rather than the intended appetizer. However, I must say that the beef patties were delicious and maybe my favorite of all. The mini sized patties are perfect for sharing and pack plenty of flavor! Around the table we had jerk chicken, curry goat, and Rasta pasta. The servers had difficulty getting all plates to the table at the same time. We ended up waiting for one dish a significant period of time and had to ask. So while the service could use a brush up, the food really delivered. The jerk chicken had amazing flavor with the perfect spice level. They will adjust to your taste just let them know your preference! The plantains are a MUST as one of your side dishes. It was nice to have a touch of sweetness to counter the spicy jerk sauce. I'd definitely dine again and hope that TIG finds its footing and becomes a long lasting staple. read more

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We came to Orlando to see our family. We needed something to eat. We came to True Island Grille and had great service. The food was hot and fresh. When we are in town we will be back. read more

True Island Grille - Oxtail,cabbage and fried plantain - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

My girlfriends really wanted to try this spot out and as a Caribbean person I'm always open to trying and supporting any Caribbean places in the area. This is kind of out-of-the-way for me, but the girls really wanted to try it for our girls night out, we got Jamaican patties, which were just regular typical Jamaican patties, coconut shrimp, and the mini Jamaican patties as appetizers. Everything was fine nothing really out of the ordinary. I tried the curry chicken and thought it was OK. It was edible, but it's not something that I would order again and they also had very limited options on what we could order and we came in at like 7 PM on a Friday evening. The service was not that great, but that is to be expected when you go to places like this it took the waiters forever to come and check on us and also to bring out our food and drinks The ambience is nice though it is visually appealing. It's in a strip mall, kind of location, but it still look nice and I saw a few other women in there taking photos because they had some places where you could take cute photos for IG. All in all, I haven't gone back and I probably wouldn't. I would have to have a friend tell me that they had a really good time here for me to go back just because the food is nothing that's special. read more

I was craving Jamaican food and decided to take a chance on this spot. The food smelled good as we walked in and ambiance was nice on the eye. There was no one there but I decided not to let it stop me from trying and take it to go. It's in a very competitive food area too and found out it's only been open 4 months. The oxtail meal was 28 with two sides so I was hoping for big portions but it was more of average decent size nonetheless. The food was very home style cooked and hot-just cooked as i enjoy it and I was able to share some of it with my little one too and we ate it right up! Wasn't to into the roti though bit dry. Anyway hopefully they can spread word of mouth because as far as the food is concerned it seems you'll be in good hands. read more

True Island Grille - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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This is a new casual dining restaurant in the Waterford area. If you are looking for excellent authentic Jamaican food, this is your spot. While on this visit we ordered snapper with pickled vegetables, jerk chicken and curry goat. Everything was finger licking good. Great portions sizes filled with lots of flavors. The server was very friendly and provided excellent service. I highly recommend this place. We visited Friday evening and the had a DJ playing island music which was a nice touch, however, the music was extremely loud which made it impossible to have dinner conversations with the other members of my party. Hopefully the owners will do something about this. Check out this place if you're in the area. read more

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Love love love this place! East Orlando needed this (good food, vibes/music and people). Though super busy at times (and they often forget about people sitting at the bar), when they realize you haven't been taken care of, it's fixed almost immediately. The food is delicious and the drinks are strong. It's just a bit on the expensive side (with just 1 person, I'm easily spending at least $50). However, I love the live DJ and music sets. I hope they can stick around for a while :) read more

This place has so much potential. The food was delicious and the venue is so big! I was excited to see a large open downstairs with stage and upstairs was said to be available for private events! read more

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Went to their first karaoke Thursday and what a fun night! East Orlando finally has a gathering spot for the Caribbean culture - more than just the typical takeout spot. The design of the space is charming - with all the elements to transform from a restaurant in the day to a lounge in the evening. The staff is engaging, friendly, and fun. Great singers too. Tried the jerk wings and rum punch. Tasty tasty and the punch with Wray and Nephew packed an authentic punch. I'll come hungry next time so I can try more dishes. I am rooting for this business and hoping to see Caribbean entertainers make appearances. Following for more. read more

I walked in to a great atmosphere, the setting was just so pretty and relaxing. I do wish there was more direction to where to order take out vs if you were just dining in. However I do know it's a new establishment. The food was AMAZING! I got oxtails with white rice and cabbage, the cabbage was very refreshing and not overcooked at all. Oxtails were seasoned to perfection. They do have a full bar if you want to have drinks, they have specials they offer. Make sure to check out their Instagram. I will be back! read more

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The environment is nice! I've loved the Rasta Pasta 10/10! Good Music and service is good as well read more

True Island Grille - Chicken Rasta Pasta - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

This was my second time here. I believe because it was the grand opening, the service suffered. I brought a friend to celebrate his birthday. We waiting forever for our drinks to come. We were even tempted to just go to the bar and get them ourselves. Our food took 1 1/2 hours to come after asking two other servers where "our" server was. She never came to check if everything was ok. Midway into eating I found hair in my food. I looked for my server AGAIN to inform her. She was nice enough to credit me the meal ($14 for the pasta but not the $4.00 for the extra chicken I added, which I didn't eat!). The band was so loud we couldn't even carry a conversation without yelling. Not a very good impression for my friend who is an ER physician who had just gotten off a long shift at the hospital and was HUNGRY. I love the atmosphere inside but not sure I will return. read more

The place is beautiful when you enter. There's even a grassy wall with chairs for photo opportunities. We were looking for True Island food like the name says. My Jamaican cuisine that I cook is way better and I'm not Jamaican. In addition, I drove 1.5 hours because of an IG review. Note to self. No more IG reviews for me because they tell lies. The service was ok. I say that because as a former server and restaurant manager I know that you should check your customers food prior to the plate landing on the table. He did not check. He couldn't have checked. He told us it would be 35 mins for the fried chicken because it is cooked to order. That was fine. That meant hot and fresh right? Nope. There was one drumette and 3 halves of chicken thighs. So a thigh and a half I guess. The chicken thigh had obviously been left over. The drumette was the only thing that was hot. The salad was wet and wilted from a bag of grocery store salad. Not edible. I ordered escovitch fish. Parts of the perimeter of the fish were dried like it had been par cooked or recooked. The cabbage was left over. Every steamed cabbage I have enjoyed was cabbage and carrots, NOT cabbage and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables added. the rice and peas was tasteless. Unfortunately our bill was close to $50 and we couldn't enjoy our meal. If I'm not able to finish my meal, I usually get a to go box to have leftovers for later. Not this time. I left that mess right on the table. I just knew it was not gonna get any better later on. I'll close with this, there were two other tables besides us. You can try the festivals. It's a sweet bread. They were cooked to order. We had those while waiting on some old fish and old chicken. Please save your business and cook fresh and delicious food. Put the amount of effort into the food as you did the decor. It's self correction time. If you fail to self correct. You are planning to fail and lose what you worked for. Don't be that place. read more

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I must say, a Jamaican lounge/restaurant such as this was very much needed on the east side of Orlando. The staff and management were amazing very friendly, helpful, and patient, since it was our first time visiting this establishment. The vibes were definitely there. The aesthetic is tea and they have a cute little photo op that I couldn't resist. They also have a full bar. Drinks were pretty good not too strong, but just enough. The food selection was your standard Jamaican cuisine, but those mini beef and chicken patties were to die for. I did enjoy my fried snapper with festival. My husband ordered the oxtail Rasta pasta and it seemed like we had the whole Ox on our plate. There was so much meat! I believe they have entertainment on certain nights, but when we went back to explore the menu a little more on a Thursday evening, they were closed. Definitely worth the trip. Prices weren't bad either will definitely be back to support the small business and hopefully catch some entertainment on the weekends. read more

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Great food, nice ambiance, live music in the evenings. Only thing is cocktails could be stronger. read more

True Island Grille - Mini jamacian beef patties - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

I had a vague flashback of a video game lounge that used to be in this space, but the location has been updated to be minimalist, modern but still Instagram worthy. The food is amazing...(island girl here, so I definitely am looking for authenticity when I'm enjoying Caribbean food). The oxtail had the perfect hint of heat, and the curry seasoning went all the way to bone on the chicken. Unsung hero of the meal though? The plantain. It's been a loooong time since I've had actual plantain that were sliced fresh instead of the frozen ones most places do. I mean, the frozen ones taste good too...but the flavor and texture of the fresh is next level. The young man working the bar and tables was friendly and knowledgeable (I was being nosy asking questions about the business). I would say that my only complaint was that I didn't get enough gravy with my oxtail, but iykyk - there's no such thing as enough oxtail gravy. read more

True Island Grille - Oxtail - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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Spacious venue with a stage for live music! The food is excellent. Split appetizers with my mom (pepper shrimp, jerk wings, rice and peas -- (cooked in coconut milk), plantains, and cabbage) and everything was so fresh and delicious! Friendly service to match the vibes. Will definitely return again! read more

The food is very well seasoned. This is a little gem, hidden at the back of Waterford Lakes, but worth the trek. Remember if you are ordering the steamed fush , there is a prep time... so have a before dinner drink and chill. read more

True Island Grille - Oxtail - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

We saw this place on IG. Came in to order take out. Good vibes while waiting for our order & food was delicious. Definitely will be coming back. Also, nice staff. read more

True Island Grille - Curry chicken with rice & peas & cabbage - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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We had dined here several times in the past so much so that we recommended friends. However, the service received the last 2 times was unacceptable. Last Wednesday we were there to celebrate a birthday, a party of 11. There was only 1 server. Reservation was made for 7pm. The server was clearly overwhelmed; he tried his best. Although, very polite. We were not fully served until 8:30 & the meals were not served together. Approximately 1/2 the table were served & ate while the others waited. One person food was served after everyone else ate so it was packaged & taken home. Noticed 1 couple left after being seated for at least 30 minutes or more. Noticed others patiently waited for service. Returned last night/Friday. Usually, there is a DJ; no DJ & cocktails took 30 minutes to be served when bartender was visually not busy. This restaurant can be very successful; the food is good & I will definitely return, however, there needs to be adequate staffing & read of the room to ensure that all customers are served timely. Hope management takes this as a feedback on customer satisfaction & not a criticism of the staff or food. read more

Service can be improved. Reasonably priced. Rice portions could be slightly bigger. Overalls food was delicious and very authentic.

Service,was unexpected Staff not tentative Check out process unmanageable Would NOT RECOMMEND!! read more

OMG I have been searching for True Island Grille since Hall on the Yard closed. When I discovered them by my house I went immediately. The food is just as amazing as I remember. I got the platter for two which came with three meats. I got the oxtail, salmon, and curry chicken all of which were AMAZING. The vibe is also so nice as it has a lounge vibe so delicious food and a great atmosphere. The service was also amazing, I was greeted as soon as I came in and asked about my to go ord read more

At the time we went (Saturday early afternoon) we only saw one employee. He was young, handsome and very professional. He did everything by himself. Which means it took good a little longer to come out. Our food was amazing! And a little cold. Flavors were amazing! And yes we can't wait to go back! read more

Food was delicious. Service was nice and professional being our very first visit. Ambiance was great and made sure we were cared for from beginning to end. Would recommend trying out this place. read more

True Island Grille - Curry goat, rice and peas with cabbage. Wonderful food, atmosphere and music - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

When we first arrived, we were greeted with a smile. The food was cooked to order. And the music never stopped flowing. The service, the atmosphere, the food... All A++++ read more

True Island Grille - Curry Goat - Caribbean Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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I'm sure the food is good here based on the reviews that I read, but we never tasted it. We arrived and waited 5-7 minutes to be seated. There were no front of house staff, and the one server working wasn't on the floor. He finally came over and told us we could pick a table. It took 10-15 minutes for him to take our order. We then proceeded to wait an hour, before we walked out. I don't know what was happening in that kitchen, but there was barely any food coming out. Everyone around us looked extremely hungry. When they did bring food out to our neighbors, it was for half the table. It would be several minutes before the other half of the table received their food. At no point in the hour we were there did the server come over to apologize for the delay, offer us a free drink, or do any kind of service recovery. He was a nice kid, but was clearly overworked but no one else was there to help him. read more

As a new restaurant there was no one or instructions to direct you to a table. A man who seems like the owner watched us walk in a went about his biz. There was no service as we had to flag down the server who was the waiter, bartender and busboy all in one. He was an amazing young amazing man who handled all his duties and had time to interact with us. The restaurant was very bright and spacey, seems like they rushed the opening, you can't get the feel of what they are trying to do, there was no particular vibe. There was a live DJ on a stage but the music was very loud had to be shouting a bit across the table, I just kept quiet after a while. Our drink took a long while to get to us and the food took even longer. We were just there looking around awkwardly can't really have a conversation and nothing to sip on but water. They are trying for a thing with man and woman rum punch. The male rum punch was in a slightly bigger stem glass than the female's. Both glasses too small for it been so pricey. The food was good. Very much Jamaican, I enjoyed my brown stew fish. However, My husband ordered fried fish but got escovitch fish instead and the escovitch sauce was peppery hot. The fish was fried very well, but he struggled through the pepper for fear of sending it back as it would take another hour to come out. The place has a lot of potential, it could be a real go to Jamaican spot especially on a Friday night. But it has no vibe, no feel, needs to go back to the drawing board. The owners need to work on personality, it's too new for them not to be interacting with their guests. As I said that young man had an amazing personality for a front staff. I'll be back when I feel like they have figured it out. read more