It was my favorite Jamaican place to eat but the last three times I've gone it just hasn't tasted the same. What's happened. Is it under new ownership? read more

The food is AMAZING! I love their curry chicken and oxtails. When you go inside the restaurant, it's very nice and inviting. Try the Long Island Iced Tea. You won't be disappointed. read more

I am extremely disappointed by the treatment I have received from Carena's. I understand the importance of customer service and treating customers with respect. I work hard for my money, and because this restaurant is conveniently located, I have been a loyal customer who has supported this establishment regularly. Several months ago, I experienced unprofessional behavior from staff at the drive-thru window. As a customer, I felt it was appropriate to leave an honest review regarding my experience. Since then, when I recently called to place an order, I was informed that I would not be allowed to do so and was refused service altogether. When I respectfully asked the manager for an explanation, my questions went unanswered, and the phone was repeatedly hung up on. I then attempted to speak with the owner, only to be told that no one knew when the owner would be available or how I could reach them. The level of disrespect and lack of professionalism I have experienced is unacceptable. At no point have I been disrespectful; I simply spoke up about my experience and exercised my right to leave an honest review. It appears that this may be the reason I am being denied service. What makes this situation even more disappointing is that businesses should value and respect the customers who consistently support them. I genuinely enjoy the food and have patronized this establishment frequently, which makes being denied service without a valid explanation even more concerning. I believe customers deserve to be treated fairly and with respect. Based on my experience, I can no longer recommend supporting this business. I intend to pursue the matter further and explore the appropriate channels to address these concerns. Customers should spend their hard-earned money where they are appreciated, respected, and valued. I would love to speak to the owner I heard she's in and out so who knows read more

The staff was very rude and unprofessional. I assume that's what happens when the owner is not present and leave their business to be operated by people with language barriers and nasty attitudes. My first and last time visiting this establishment. This is how you know the business doesn't care about customers. I left my business care for the owner to contact me and I never heard back from anyone. read more

We were seated immediately however we had to wait for the server Ama come to the table. Once she arrived , she was friendly, courteous and professional. To our surprise, server returned to the table with our food so quickly. I relocated to Virginia almost 6 years ago from NYC and finally found a Jamaican restaurant that serves authentic food that is beyond good. I ordered curry goat and my husband ordered the combination which was oxtail and curry goat. The 1st thing that left my plate was the cabbage then made my way to the curry goat was so tender - had to watch out for the bones. Everything was good and quite filling and could not finish the "small" order and took the remaining home. -If you're in the that area - go to Carena you won't be disappointed. We plan on returning especially since we are usually in that area. Now I know where to get some good Jamaican food. read more

This place is a vibe!! The decor just make you feel like you are on an island.... I ordered oxtails and they were perfectly tender and flavorful. The rice, peas and cabbage also very good. read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - Oxtails - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

May 16, 2026 This was our first time at Carena's Jamican Grille. We ordered Ox tails rice & peas and cabbage. The servers were attentive to our needs. But I was totally disappointed because the rice was dry and hard, the ox tails were mostly fat, and with very little meat, there was not enough gravy to cover the rice. No refills on the drinks Limeade and Fruit Punch. I know they are affiliated with JAMICAN HOUSE on Broad Street. When I go there I am NEVER EVER Disappointed the food is absolutely delicious and flavorful "DA BOMD.COM" We will not be coming back. read more

This is the first time I've been there in a while. I don't live close by but I was in the area and had to pick up something for dinner on the way home. The young woman at the take out window was the worst I've seen in a long time. She talked and acted like I was bothering her. She was impatient and borderline rude. I thought maybe she was about to leave work and was in a hurry. It was only 7:30pm so I know they weren't closing. I didn't say anything. I paid and waited in my car. The food was ready in the 15 minutes she told me. So I returned to the window and told her my name. She walked away, got my bag dropped it on the counter and continued looking at receipts. No thank you, good evening nothing. Torie D is the name on my receipt. If I ever go back and see her at the window I'll leave. I couldn't fully enjoy my food thinking about the experience. read more

This is my go to place when I travel home for authentic Jamaican food. I got the pick two oxtails and jerk chicken and my family got the curry goat and jerk chicken. I didn't get my family's food pictures. The portions were large and the food was flavorful as always. The oxtails were very tender. We ordered our food online for pickup. When I arrived they were busy and there was no parking so I rode around until I found a spot. When I entered, the young lady appeared a little frustrated by the crowd. I asked a question because I wanted to add a new order but decided not to after she brushed me off. I have been living in Texas for a while now and when I visit, we usually eat in so I didn't know what the process was for takeout. I understand that they were busy but rudeness is not acceptable. Yes I will visit again because everyone can have a bad day. read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - Pick Two--Jerk Chicken and Oxtails - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Hit or miss sometimes flavor not so good, sometimes a little better. No where as good as when they first opened. Last two times I ordered for pick I was very disappointed. The meat was like the pieces at the bottom of the pot when it's almost all gone. Out of order for what you pay. As for beans hard time finding any. I've tried week days and weekends doesn't make a difference no improvement. Used to be my favorite but that was long ago. read more

First time I ever had bad food my pregnant wife also had island fried chicken and had a bad sour taste. read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Recent food today and the oxtails were all fatt.. only 1 was edible. I called to speak to manager was placed on hold for 25mins and no one came to the phone. Worst experience ever here read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - Oxtails all fat no meat - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

My friend and I were visiting Richmond and decided for an early birthday dinner we wanted to have some Jamaican food. We were looking for authentic and the two spots we preferred weren't close to where we were so we decided to give Carena's a try. Like any restaurant experience-- it begins when you walk in. We were greeted by the man behind the bar, told him we were dining in and didn't get greeted by anyone else for a bit. When we were finally seated we automatically noticed the fans were blowing on high and this is in December. There was no need for EVERY fan to be on. After being seated, truthfully we did not see a waiter for over 15 minutes. No water, no "we'll be with you in a second", nothing. Waiters came to every table around us but never approached us. Most of the wait staff seemed to be having a bad day as well. Nobody wanted to help you. When our waiter finally came to the table, he took our orders. We should've gotten up and left as we were looking for other places to dine but were hungry and had already been waiting long enough. Trying to get our waiters attention was difficult, the food coming out took just as long and once again we contemplated getting up and leaving but didn't feel right doing so -- being that we had already ordered. With the fans blowing as high as they were, our food being hot didn't stand a chance. My friend who had the oxtails commented that they were decent. I think we probably took two bites and packed everything up. At that point we were over it. Not sure if we'll give it another try in the future, but if we do-- hopefully we'll have a completely different experience. read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - Fresh Grilled Salmon Veggie - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Placed an online order. Their food is decent. Jerk chicken was very spicy and kinda dry. Next time I'll get dark meat. Plantain were good. Fruit punch was too sweet. Staff - Rude! read more

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Amazing food, I was nervous to get anymore Jamaican food from around Richmond but this is great. The food was hot and fresh and the cabbage was cooked to perfection. Good prices for the portions. read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - Small Curry Chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

It's just... Good. It's not fancy, it's not trendy, it's just Good. For the days you need oxtail or pigeon peas and rice or beef patty, they have you covered. I've never had a bite I didn't like here- even a rather picky friend brought along admitted the quesadilla was tasty (though personally I recommend the curry goat or something). Carena's has been here for a while and people come from all over Richmond for the food. It's high culinary nostalgia for those with roots in Jamaica (I've heard this from multiple people, not just making it up) and for the rest of us it's a trip well worth taking. Always clean, staff is always sweet, and the food is delicious (and makes for great leftovers). read more

The oxtails were delicious. We orders them with extra extra gravy and it was barely any graze on them. The oxtails do not come with plantains. I received 3 small pieces and 2of the 3 were burnt. Being from out of town I wasn't familiar with which we trance I needed to go to and you can't walk to through from the call in line. It was raining and I got wet. I also had to ask for my drink that o had paid for. The customer service is bad but the food is very good. read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - Oxtails with cabbage and rice - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Food was alright, I know people love it, but it was nothing sensational that would call me to come back. On the fair side, I will give it a couple more tried to truly provide fair input. Service super fast, ambience and cleanliness of place on spot! read more

The parking lot is small, but you can park next door at Panera and walk over or any of the places nearby. There is an apartment building under construction on this property and it is right behind the restaurant. Plan ahead and come early. It is right off the highway exit 60 west off the Chippingham Hwy. there is also an online order ahead and pickup window on the patio for to go orders. Very convenient. The food was amazing. read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - I am on the patio at Carena's and the breeze is nice! Glad the hot weather eased up. - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Service was fine. Portions aren't what they used to be. Fries extremely dry, tasted like they were from the Kroger across the street. The jerk chicken burrito had barely any chicken in it and tasted bland. The only saving grace was the sauce. I don't know what happened to this place since the last time I went here but the falloff needs to be studied. read more

Came here to have lunch with one of my contractors. I had the jerk chicken, rice, cabbage. Was absolutely fantastic. Delicious, super quick on service, great price. Couldn't ask for more. My associate had the oxtail. Will be making this a usual spot when I'm doing business on that side of town. Our server Lisa was great! read more

The food was delicious and tasty. The service was great and the waitress was attentive. The ambiance of the place represented the Caribbean. This will be one of our go to spots. read more

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In Midlothian off Turnpike. I found this restaurant on Yelp and suggested to my wife. She is never pleased w so called Jamaican grills but come to find out she had no complaints about any of her food. She says it all tasted authentic, this includes rice & beans, curry chicken, cabbage, & Patti. My cup of pumpkin soup was very good. My wife says this type of soup in Jamaica has food in it but here it is a purée, tasty. We did inquire about the Rum cake but the owner says it is not authentically made so may keep that in mind. Also Rum punch had the white Rum so it packed the punch. A rare two thumbs up from both of us, Carena's is doing it right, excellent marks check it out. read more

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I have had takeout several times from this restaurant . However this was my first sit down experience & I was not disappointed. The food was absolutely delicious. The service was courteous & attentive. The atmosphere was warm & welcoming. I definitely plan to return here again & again! read more

We ordered take out and the pick up is from outside the patio window. I cannot speak on what the inside looks like but the food was delicious and fairly priced. I ordered the red snapper with an additional side of plantains and in brown sauce. Everything was delectable and well seasoned without being overly spicy or salty. I would order again. The service was great although the time was delayed for our order. read more

Amazing wings, oxtails, never had a bad meal. Friendly staff. Busy restaurant and takeout but they do their best.

Tasty food, fun atmosphere, good service. We went on a Friday night (early) and didn't have reservations. There is some construction nearby so parking is limited. read more

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I had a few different meals here while I was staying in Richmond for two weeks and everything I had was delicious. If you see the photos I posted from my visits here, you'll see for yourself just how much food I ate here in the short period of time I've been in Richmond. Our waitresses were just awesome and very friendly. I loved their welcoming service. Definitely recommend coming here. If you're every in Greensboro NC Da Reggae Cafe is the spot to be for some great Jamacan food, but in Richmond, Carena's is the spot to be for some great Jamacan food. I'm actually headed over there again in about an hour. I will post pictures of my visit as well. read more

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I've been to Carena's several times in the past, usually a pickup order to-go whenever I'm on that side of town. But this past Friday was the first time in years that I dined in, and first time ever at the bar. I'm glad to say it was an excellent experience. It was mid-afternoon, about 2pm. Wasn't too crowded, but there were a few people seated inside dining-in. Parking has ALWAYS been a hawwt mess, but get in where you fit ‍ Decided to sit at the bar since it was just me. The bartender/waitress BeBe (think that's her name) was wonderful. Rum punches were delicious! Don't know what it is, but the food was the best I've ever had from them! Never have I ever had a to-go order as good as this food was. My favorite from them is the Fried Tilapia w/rice&peas and cabbage. I also had the chance to taste their fried snapper that day, also delicious. This visit was definitely a 10/10, so much so that I'm planning to run it back again this week read more

Things were going good until we got to the very last jerk chicken wing. I attached a picture of the wing that was at the bottom of the pile. On one side, looks ok, but the other side looks like it had been bitten. The manager eventually came over and before we could explain what our thoughts were he said, "but nobody bite it though" then he mumbled something else and walked away. We were horrified and outraged to find that not only did he refuse to hear our concerns, but there was no effort to even ask what we wanted to be done rectify the situation. Minutes later, a server brought us two wings on a plate. We did NOT ask for that! We didn't want more food that had come out of that kitchen! Then, an off duty manager came over and explained that she thought the wing had been "chopped" and not bitten. However, that wing was clearly not cut or chopped. It has been bitten and possibly returned to the kitchen and re-served to us at the bottom of our chicken wing pile. That was disgusting and ridiculous. Two other tables witnessed what happened and they decided to leave after seeing how we'd been treated. Please don't go here unless you like re-heated, bitten-off, re-served food! read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - A jerk wing that someone bit, but got served to us - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

This Miami buoy was shocked to find a Jamaican restaurant on Midlothian Parkway. Well, we had to try it. We walked in to big smiles and a warm welcome. The food matched the welcome (but cabbage needs to be cooked a bit longer). Great variety, quality and friendly, top-notch service. Ask for Amarlin - super sweet, genuine, and helpful. Yea, mon, we will be back! read more

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We just happened across this place for lunch after an appointment in Richmond. The lady who served us was remarkable, professional, polite, quick with checking in and even offered to-go cups for the soft drinks. She made the atmosphere and the experience, amazing service. The food was pretty good overall. Our son has the Burger and Fries for $8 (not a typo, thick, good quality burger and a huge side of fries for $8). I had the panini with fries and as I was indecisive between the veggie and the jerk chicken, the server offered up a 50/50 split so I could try both again with the side of fries for $9. My wife had the 2 item dinner platter with two chicken entrees, rice & peas, and cabbage for $16. The food was a solid 3-star but the amazing prices were a 4-star, however the incredible experience providing server was a 5-star. So averaged out to a 4-star overall experience. Traditional Jamaican, it says so on the cover of the menu, there are bones in the food. It's part of the experience, trying overall you will be satisfied! read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - 1/2 Veggie Panini and 1/2 Jerk chicken Panini with fries - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Ox tail was great yummy, we also tried plantains and a side of ribs. Everything is reasonably priced for the amount of food. I always end up taking some home. We would love to come back and try the burritos or yummy panini sandwiches. Can't wait to go back read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Absolutely love this place Food is unmatched on SS Is just wish it wasn't insanely busy from open to close Honestly I hope this place never closes read more

Carena's offers up a tasty and homey dish of oxtail. It definitely satiated the oxtail craving I had for some time. The oxtail is tender and plentiful (even the lunch portions). It's served on a bed of generous gravy, and I loved smothering my rice in it. The rice had almost a chocolatey flavor from the kidney beans' juices, and the cabbage was scrumptious as well. It wasn't too soggy or vinegar-y, but a great balance of flavors. I really dig the vibe here, too. It's casual and pays homage to Jamaica with a beautiful mural wrapping around the restaurant. When we came at 2 pm, it was bustling! You can't beat the price either at $12 for a lunch special. You could also tell how popular the restaurant is because our food came out in less than 5 minutes so you know the chef has a big batch back there! read more

Carena's Jamaican Grille - Oxtail - Caribbean Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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We went around 6 on a Friday night. The small restaurant was packed. More like a diner, the service was good and the food was amazing! Maybe even better than the islands as the quality of the meat was excellent. We had enough for a small to go box and it tasted just as good the next day. Now for a small negative. The drinks. We waited over 30 minutes for a Rum Punch and a shot of rum. (And the rum punch was amazing) But Seriously? Who has time to order another round. The food came out in like 5 minutes and we were almost done before the drinks came. Totally backwards!!! read more

Very authentic Jamaican flavors. The spice level is perfect on Curry Chicken. The rice & peas with cabbage are delicious sides. Portions were good...not too huge. The homemade rum pound cake melts in your mouth! The prices were fair and the service was good. read more

:: big sigh :: Ok... so when you're on a show like Diners Drive Ins and Dive and then Triple G... you're restaurant is going to be booming. Basically Carenas should just be a take out only restaurant. The line is out the door ... always. But.. what that means for guests inside is really crappy service. Island time is what we're on... and if only we were in Jamaica... it'd be ok. But we're not. Lol we sat in the restaurant a total of 1.5 hours. Our waitress never brought the appetizer. She gave the wrong size meal to one person. And the kids meal came last (and was wrong lol). Food was fine but yeah... definitely will only do take out from now on lol read more

Authentic Jamaican YUM! We got the Jerk Chicken & the Baby Back Ribs and washed it all down with a red stripe! Definitely, we will be going back!! read more

Wow! Recently relocated to the Richmond, Va area and a great friend of mine recommended we try out Carena's Jamaican Grille. The food was amazing. When we first entered Carena's it was very lively and they had a beautiful outdoor eating set up with lights and a bar area inside the restaurant. Dining: Carena's is child friendly. Great atmosphere and was packed on a casual Tuesday evening! I ordered the Oxtail dinner that includes rice & beans and cabbage. The oxtail was cooked to perfection and was very savory. The cabbage was also great. The rice and beans was great as well and portion size was very large. My husband ordered the curry Goat with cabbage and rice and beans. Both dishes were great and we enjoyed our meals and had to take some to go as the portion size provides plenty of food. Drinks: My husband ordered the Rum Punch and said that it was made perfectly. Great taste and the presentation looked great! Overall I would definitely recommend Carena's Jamaican Grille! We will definitely be back! Food was fresh and delicious. There was quite a long wait for our food but it was worth it. They order dine in or carry out! read more

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