The food speaks for itself!!! If you want delicious Caribbean food that warms your soul, this is the right place you are looking for. They recently remodeled the place, but some of the decor are newer compared to some of the older pictures seen on Yelp. Staff are very nice and the restaurant in and of itself gives a very quaint, family restaurant vibe. Spice levels range from 0 to 10, so there's a wide range of spicy here. As for drinks, Chez Olga is bring-your-own-wine. I tried the shrimp pasta ragu at a spicy level of 4, and was very happy with that! Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to try their other dishes (and dessert!) since the kitchen closed. But this won't be the last time I have dinner here. Definitely would recommend for a date, group of friends, and/or family dinners. read more

The plantains with spicy cole slaw!! They were perfect. A thin crunchy layer on the outside with a soft sweet inside, when you pair it with the coleslaw, I have to say it, they're the best plantains in town. And the coleslaw is spicey! Made me sweat but I loved it. Although, they were part of the sampler, they're also sold as a separate appetizer, and deserve some special attention. Ended up ordering a second batch. The all dishes were delicious with a nice spice at your level of comfort. The rice was perfectly made, a bit sticky, firm & gummy, the way I like it. Most people don't pay attention to it but it's a huge part of the meals. The noodle soup, had a wide variety of veggies and a cocinar base which gave it a distinct taste. In the past I had the jerk chicken which is a must. The complexity of flavor is unique. Kids had the tropical fruit drinks and we all loved them. Service was excellent. I think Olga herself was our server & walked us through the food. Five stars people, do yourself a favor & stop by. I know you'll put it into your rotation. read more

Chez Olga - Creole noodle soup, avocado salad, creole style tilapia, creole chicken. - Caribbean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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This place was the first Caribbean place I've ever been to, and it left a great first impression. When I first walked in, I already could tell the food was about to be Great. The Owner greeted me and gave me my order right away (ordered through phone) and let me tell you, it was heavy Dont let the picture fool you, the plate is pretty deep. There were 3 pieces of chicken and a heavy load of rice. the chicken was fall off the bone and for someone like me that doesnt usually eat dark meat, I demolished it. The price was 14.84. Even though that's a little expensive, I gladly paid and tipped when learning only the owner worked there, and to be honest its not too bad of a price either! Definently coming here again sometime, maybe to try something different but am gonna most likely stick with this. :) read more

Chez Olga - Caribbean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

It's like coming into your Mom's house - relaxed and welcoming. Mama Olga greeted us cheerfully and she was attentive the whole time. We had the plantain appetizer with spicy coleslaw - so good I could just eat the coleslaw. I ordered the chicken curry with a spice level 2 and I could feel the heat. It was perfect for me. My husband got the Creole chicken spice level 3 and he said it was the perfect kick but he might go for a 4 next time. Now the spice level goes up to 10 - but Mama Olga will guide you in picking your spice level. As she said sometimes kids come in thinking they are bad @$$ and get level 10. I can't even imagine. Oh! You can bring your own wine and beer which we did not know but will do next time because there will definitely be a next time. There is so much to try still. read more

I was skeptical of this place, because I knew exactly what I wanted to eat that night. Jamaican cuisine. So, I wasn't willing to take any chances on eating something I knew wouldn't fulfill that craving. To my surprise Chez Olga blew my expectations. I ordered shrimp fried rice at a spice level 6 and the curry chicken at a 9 (they were out of goat ). I also ordered beef patties for an appetizer. The spice was there and I enjoyed every bit of it! However, I didn't quite enjoy the beef patties as you can taste that the beef was old. I didn't allow that minor detail destroy my overall perspective of this place. The customer service was phenomenal, the portions were great, and the place has a very distinct entry. If you're in the Grand Rapids area, check them out! Go early though so you can enjoy food before it runs out! read more

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The food is delicious!! Super spicy though. For first time I would not recommend going over a 3. I ordered the curry with vegetables at 3, and it was more spicy than I thought it would be. I also ordered the mango and papaya drink which was delicious and highly recommended. As a table we ordered the sample appetizer, everyone was great. The shrimp was a bit greasy. The service is okay. We ordered drinks but had the appetizer before the drinks. It took a long time to get our food but it was worth the wait. read more

It was our first time there and we were looking forward to a relaxing, warm-me-up Friday night dinner with friends. Everyone working was very friendly and OMG, were they working hard! I think they actually brought some extra reinforcements in as the dinner service progressed because they were really getting slammed and very little was coming out of the kitchen. With that in mind, I don't know if this was an abnormally busy night for them, but needless to say, I wish I hadn't worn my watch. It took over an hour for our food to arrive (although drinks came quickly). Unfortunately, we had arrived pretty hungry. There was much confusion throughout the restaurant as to who ordered what. I was nearing the point where I would accept whomever's dish was brought to our table, even if it wasn't what I had ordered. Good news is that I refrained from doing that. We unfortunately received our appetizers well after our entrees arrived, while others with our group had been served dessert. Note on the appetizer we chose - the fried plantains were not to our liking, with much more fried coating than plantain. We also didn't really get the cole slaw being served with it, thinking that the strawberry (?) dipping sauce we had seen with other appetizers might have been a better choice. I admit that my reference point is not enormous, but we've had fried plantains enough to know that we prefer more flavor, more plantain, and less batter. As far as the meal itself goes, the sautéed spinach with shrimp (served with rice) was good. Having been warned, we ordered it on the mild side which worked for me, and for a wintry night, it served the purpose of a stick-to-your-ribs dish. The shrimp gumbo was disappointing, and it could simply be a case of expectations and taste buds. We prefer it served like a thick soup, and frankly, it's the only way we've ever had it before. This was plated (with a side of rice) and was simply not as stellar as expected, based on other reviews we had read. We ordered it at a 4, which was pretty much our spice limit. They definitely take their "hot" seriously. The spiciness of the cole slaw was on my lips for hours. :-) We didn't have room (or time) for dessert, but the cheesecake looked amazing. We loved the Haitian coffee, so perhaps next time we'll just return for some coffee and cheesecake. The evening was a bit chaotic, in a fun Friday night kind of way. Enormous kudos to the staff who were making the best of the situation. read more

Awesome spot for Caribbean food. I love this place. The food here is excellent. I've tried a lot of dishes from the menu, and my favorite to order is the Caribbean fried rice, Creole chicken, pork ragu, jerk chicken and the chicken pate. I believe the heat levels hour from 1 to 4, I always order a level 2. read more

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Best place to eat in town and it is always worth the wait . So if you have not tried Olga lovely dishes you better .

Everything I have ever had at chez Olga is amazing. For the first three years I frequented Grand Rapids I would come here for at least one meal per trip and always get the goat curry with the plantains and pikliz. The pikliz is a very spicy Cole slaw type salad and goes amazingly with the crispy and savory plantains. They were both so good I never wanted to order anything else. Recently I branched out (slightly) and also ordered the pates (beef, chicken, and veg) and they were amazing. I mean, really amazing! I think about them all the time. The beef and chicken have a similar seasoning (savory, well spiced but not spicy) , and the veggie is greens and mushroom based with so much flavor! I could never recommend this place enough. read more

The chez pasta is absolutely delicious I just love her food. Always fresh ingredients great sauce you can tell she puts her heart in her dishes. read more

I had been told by a colleague to check this place out. I was not disappointed! We ordered the curry goat, jerk chicken, Creole sampler, Caribbean fried rice and the Hatian cheesecake. Everything was phenomenal. The chicken fell off the bone. The goat melted in your mouth. The cheesecake was so creamy. I can't say one bad thing about our food. My wife went to pick up the food and Olga was so inviting. We will definitely come here again. read more

It'd be nice if they would answer the phone especially if they are closing early so people don't drive out only to be told their kitchen is closed. The food great food comes second to proper customer service. read more

So glad I finally got to check this place out! I ordered off their specials board, the curried goat dish. It was fantastic. Sauce was delicious and the goat was very tender and fatty. Awesome. It was served with beans and rice, which was good, but next time I'm going to ask for plain steamed rice. I feel I can enjoy sauces better that way. I'm Asian. Makes sense. I tried their fried plantains and spicy coleslaw as well. Also great. The restaurant is small, casual, and cute. Very much looking forward to going back! read more

Chez Olga - Curried goat. - Caribbean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

The food is great and the costumer service is outstanding. I recommend this place to anyone

Boss took me and Jason here last week. Tim loves his hot Caribbean food . He definitely found a treasure here . I had the curry chicken. The waiter asked how hot I wanted it on a scale of 1 to 10. He said the typical American likes a 2. So I went with a 6. Ow I didn't know it was a logarithmic scale! It was just too hot for me but I could still taste the sweet embrace of the curry underneath the heat. Yumm. We ate slowly and enjoyed?? the sweat seep out of the pores on our forehead, nose, and upper lip. Next time I won't be so brave and I'll order a 4. The waiter and cook are great -- so fun and friendly. The building is a small yet astonishing work of art that should be included in the city's annual art prize. read more

Chez Olga - Caribbean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

I always love to support this business! Some of the best Caribbean food that I've ever tasted. The staff are always so sweet and welcoming. Food and environment is A1! read more

Had veggie entree spice level 2. Was delish. Huge portion. Caribbean fried rice was also good. Will be back.

I try to get Chez Olga whenever I'm back home in Grand Rapids. Incredible food and enormous portions. Heed the warnings about spiciness - if you can't handle heat don't try any higher than a 1. My go-to meal is the Creole Chicken with an iced ginger tea. I've recently tried the Tofu Fried rice which was unique and well seasoned, and the jerk chicken, which is super tender and flavorful. I now live in an area filled with authentic Caribbean food, but Chez Olga remains some of the best I've had! read more

I have been going there now for years and it is some of the best food in town. It is still slow but I realize that each dish is freshly made. So take off your watch, relax with friends and enjoy incredible food Ps watch the spice level you order. Start with a low number the first time read more

This place has really good Caribbean food and tons of options to choose from. The service, however, was not so good. There was only 1 person working the front area when we went. The sign in front says, please wait to be seated, but we stood there for 5 minutes until i just sat down at the table that is closest to the door. It took about another 20 minutes for us to get our waters and our order taken. I understand that it is difficult to manage when working by yourself but i think she could have handled things more efficiently. When our food came, it did not disappoint. My husband and i got the fried plaintains to share. I ordered the seafood gumbo and he got the curry goat. The food is amazing and there aren't very many places in grand rapids that serves this variety so it's definitely worth a try if you have some extra time to spare. read more

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The star of the show is Olga herself. She is the restaurant. We are such regulars there that she has our order placed before we sit down. The cole slaw is incredible and we get the largest bowl every time. read more

This place is a favorite for my friends and I! Kinda shady looking on the outside but don't let that deter you from the amazing food inside. Service is slow but they don't have many cooks and waitstaff, however everyone is so kind so it's easily forgiven. Food-wise, off the charts!! Not many Haitian food in the area so can't really compare but each bite I eat is filled with spice and my mouth is just watering thinking of it. I always get the chicken and broccoli dish with a spice level of 3-4 (out of 5). It's a very generous portion for the price and I always finish my plate without fail. The fried plantains with spicy coleslaw is also an appetizer worth getting. read more

Came in from Chicago and tasted this awesome Caribbean food! Curry chicken, creole chicken, jerk chicken and shrimp gumbo all to go. All of this was made with love and you will be so happy after eating it. Every bite i said "mmmm this is so good". The meat/ shrimp and bed of rice sitting in the sauce was perfect . Would definitely come back here the next time I'm in town . read more

Chez Olga - Shrimp gumbo ( bottom left) , creole chicken (top left) , jerk chicken ( right top) , curry chicken ( right bottom). - Caribbean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

My boyfriend is from Grand Rapids, and every time I visit with him from Seattle, we always go to Olga's. I don't care what the "Restaurant Impossible" show had to say, it was all BS. This food is spicy, flavorful, and worth traveling across the country for. Personally, I am completely fine waiting 45 minutes to an hour to eat her spicy and delicious Creole dishes and vegetable soup. I'm glad Olga and her kitchen don't cut corners to serve faster/less delicious food. I have never had anything remotely similar to Olga's style of Haitian cooking anywhere in the country. This place is awesome! Thank you Olga and her family who cooks for us :). Good food is well worth the price and the wait. read more

At first when walking up to this restaurant, you may miss it because of how the store next to it overshadows it. Once you get inside the restaurant, your opinion of the outside won't matter much once you get in the inside. The inside has beautiful Haitian paintings, and that warm, inviting, caribbean restaurant feel. When walking in, you just pick the table you would like no sit in. (All tables no booths) After picking where you would like to sit, you then will be provided a menu with "Haitian cuisine", which is really just carribean food items. It is a Haitian restaurant, but it doesn't offer customers many Haitian dishes. Them not having as many haitian dishes that I am familiar with was a dissapointment. I'm Haitian, and have been to many Haitian restaurants on the east coast, so I expecting a little more variety. The Haitian food that they had wasn't even up to par. I ordered the griyo ak bannan (Fried pork and plantain), the most haitian thing they had on the menu. The griyo was not with what I'm familiar with, it was a little salty and not tender enough. They also added a strawberry sauce to it, which made it too sweet. Griyo is a meat that isn't supposed to be sweetened. The plantain on the other hand, were perfect to what I'm used to. I went a couple years ago, and their plantain was too sweet, but now it had the right amount of crispiness and crunchiness. They provide spicy coleslaw to go with it, to add to the taste. The spicy coleslaw had little to no spice. The spicy coleslaw is supposed to be really spicy, but it tasted more like normal coleslaw with a drop of red hot. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. The owner, Olga is very welcoming and makes sure that you leave here satisfied. Even though I had better Haitian food before, her hospitality was hard for others to match. Knowing that someone cares and takes their time preparing the food, means a lot. Since this is the only Haitian restaurant in Michigan, I will be be back sometime in the near future. Even if that means traveling 2 hours everytime. I hope others will enjoy this visit as much as or better then I did. read more

Chez Olga - Interior Design. - Caribbean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Easily one of my new favorite restaurants. You're met with a beautiful storefront, only to enter what seems like a hole in the wall. One of the few restaurants I can think of where you can experience the Caribbean Heat. Drinks were excellent, food was delicious (and had an accurate spice scale). Easily the friendliest waitress I've ever had. Really adds to the experience. It's clearly run by a small crew that puts their heart into their craft. The people and atmosphere made it well worth the wait for the food. I can't wait to come back soon. read more

I've wanted to visit Chez Olga for a long time, ever since I saw the crazy exterior of the building! It was a short drive from the ArtPrize events downtown which was perfect for us since we knew we'd have to wait forever to get a table anywhere in that area. It's very casual on the inside and we were seated immediately. We ordered the creole sampler and the shrimp soup. The sampler had a mix of different fried Haitian appetizers and even though we're not into super fried food, we really enjoyed them all! The soup was comforting and yummy but a bit too salty. The sampler was great! My one gripe with it was that the cole slaw had such a unique and delicious flavor to it (I'm not a big cole slaw person) but it was crazy spicy to the point where the heat stays on your tongue for a while and you can't taste anything else. We couldn't take more than a few bites. If you like spicy food that's legit painful you'll like it lol. The prices and portions are quite reasonable. read more

I haven't been here since Covid ( need to go!) Chez Olga is one of my favorite spots to eat, especially when I'm looking for a go to comfort meal for myself. The staff is incredible, and the food is amazing! read more

My favorite restaurant of all time . Olga is the best. Nicest person and best food. I hope your recipes carry on forever.

This food is tasty, there's no two ways about that. Where Chez Olga is severely lacking is in he service department; if you're wanting a long leisurely meal, you may not mind this; however, if you're impatient you may want to do take out! At the end of our meal the waiter literally came and asked us what we ate so he could calculate our bill! Odd. Anyway, we came in on a Friday evening around 6P.M. - we left at 8:45- and we're seated immediately. They have some interesting and very sugary drinks, like peach iced tea and thick, sugary fruit juices- delicious! We started with fried plantains served with a slaw that is absolutely nuclear level spicy. I ate one shred of cabbage and that was all I could do! Out of our group, 3 were able to eat the slaw and 2 of us couldn't, and I know I'm a sissy about spice, so it's worth trying it. The fried plantains can be ordered with a spicy sweet and very tangy strawberry sauce, which I highly recommend. It is a .50 upcharge. For dinner I had chicken curry, which I ordered at a level zero spice and it was perfectly spicy for me! It was delicious, complex in flavor with lean meat and perfectly cooked rice. My wife had a seafood dish - I think seafood gumbo- which was spicy and sweet, with well cooked seafood. The food was good. I'm giving 4 stars because the food was good and I don't care as much about service. read more

I wanted to try the caribbean cuisine, and chez olga was highly recommended. It is located in grand rapids. The place is authentic and not too big. We tried the appatizers sampler which contain most of the appatizers offered. It was really good, and I liked the one with deep fried banana. We then had shrimps with rice, but we ordered the spice level to be medium and apparently medium is so so spicy! So if you dont handle spicy food order it with level 1 or 2. Recommended :) read more

Chez Olga - Caribbean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Chez Olga's is a amazing non-chain restaurant to visit. From my very first visit I was welcomed as soon as I came thru the door and I go so much now that I don't even have to say my order. Ms.Olga and her daughter Dodlie who helps run the business are great people. If you are looking for a suggestion my go-to is the Creole Chicken dish, it's a mix of peppers and onions with chicken in a sweet red sauce made fresh to order. They offer spice levels 1-10 and I suggest starting off low if you are not good with spicy. I think the highest I've gone was like 8-9 which was and a big difference from the 4-7 that I had previously tried. Another dish I tried is the Chicken and Broccoli that features this chicken and broccoli in this teriyaki/coconut sauce I believe (hard to imagine but try it) and it's pretty tasty. I have friends who love the gumbo as well so lots to choose from. While your there get a Papaya & Passionfruit drink, so sweet. Hope this helps read more

Chez Olga - Creole Chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Best restaurant in Grand Rapids and an Eastown staple. If you like Caribbean flavor this place is for you. My favorite dish is the pork ragu. The chicken curry is also amazing. The building is awesome architecture and the prices are reasonable. The heat is hot here too. I guarantee your 5 out of 10 is a 2, maybe a 1, here. I go whenever I can. It's kid friendly and Olga is always there taking good care of folks. Check it out and thank me later. read more

The only place I can go that will actually give me my food at the spice level I want it!

Cute spot. Decent portions. FYI parking meters stop at 5pm on the street out front. Definitely have some spicy options if you're down for it. They do 1-10 (mild to spicy) for their spice levels. We were warned someone had ordered a 4 recently and couldn't handle it. I got a 6. Friend went with 7. Both were in the range of what I'd consider medium to medium plus spicy and not overwhelmingly hot. I'm assuming the Grand Rapids Dutch American pallet isn't used to things much spicier than a boiled potato. Service was a little challenged, confused and slow when we went. There was also a strong smell of weed coming off somebody. I'm hoping we just experienced an off day. Would definitely try it again. read more

This was a very nice find for us... especially since we were coming to grand rapids for a musical.. it's located very close to downtown. The ambience is casual and pleasant. We had the vegetarian pate which was really tasty with the spicy ketchup...my husband had the chicken and me being veggie had the Creole tofu with a spice level 8... which I will equate to thai extra hot.... the food was served fresh and piping hot. The food was flavorful...! Good find indeed and a refreshing change in palette from the usual.... the place has sufficient vegetarian options.. And couple vegan options.. so I would say this would be highly recommended if you are a veggie looking for some flavorful spicy cuisine read more

Chez Olga - Creole Tofu.. - Caribbean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Large portions of delicious food at a fair price. Wouldn't recommend for people that can't handle spice, but so worth it if you're adventurous. We always get the plantain appetizer with the spicy coleslaw. Love the curries and gumbo. After going many times over the past 5+ years, I've never been disappointed! read more

One of our favorite restaurants in GR for many years now. Food is incredible, ambiance is great, and the chef is really friendly.

We, my daughter, myself and her college roommates had lunch and everyone enjoyed their food. Everything was delicious, big portions and fresh. We definitely will be back. read more