Food absolutely slaps. Flavor is so good I could eat here everyday and not get tired of it. Try the chicken Tri-plate and the curry chickpeas and potatoes. read more

Literally best Caribbean food in the valley and the customer service is always outstanding, support local bomb businesses y'all !! Real authentic food and fresh. read more

Desert Island Eatery - Meat pie - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I absolutely loved the food, it was so delicious! I'll definitely be coming back for more in the near future, thank you for having bomb vegan food! read more

Desert Island Eatery - Jerk BBQ Tofu and Vegan Mac and Cheese - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Love the food and the people! Their vegan bbq tofu and johnny cakes are to die for! I wish they were open earlier but it's worth it whenever you can get it!! read more

Desert Island Eatery - Jerk BBQ Tofu, Vegan Mac and Cheese, Cabbage - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Delicious family owned restaurant. Everything is very flavorful. The jerk chicken and johnny cakes are my go tos!

Tucson is fortunate to have more than one good Caribbean food place. Cee Dee's Jamaican Restaurant and D's Island Grill Ja spring to mind. Now, another one can be added to that list: Desert Island Eatery. Located in a tiny strip mall on the West side of Campbell Avenue betwixt Grant and Glenn, one can spot it by the various flags of the Caribbean that hang above the storefront. I could spot the flags of Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Haiti and La Republica Dominicana, amongst others that I knew. Also, there is a brightly-coloured painting's advertising lunch specials on the glass panes in the front. Desert Island Eatery offers both traditional Caribbean fare, as well as Southwest-influenced fusion dishes and vegan plates for those who do not dine on meat. I certainly do not count myself amongst that latter grouping. However, it is on offer for the Tofu Set. Mom does not like her food too spicy, and she does like seafood; therefore, we asked about mild seafood dishes, and we were advised that the Curry Shrimp and Potatoes would be a good choice. I myself decided to opt for one of the fusion arrangements: Jerk Carne Asada. The Curry Shrimp and Potatoes turned out to be a good pick, mildly seasoned with curry and enriched with coconut milk, quite tasty overall. It was served with platanos, which Mom and I both love, and rice. If you have ever known any Bolivianos or Peruanos, you would know that they would have been in Food Heaven. Both rice and potatoes on one plate: How can one beat that? My dish had platanos and rice, as well, and the Jerk Carne Asada was nicely seasoned, just spicy enough. To go with it, I had the Ginger Pineapple drink, a tasty Caribbean concoction in which the bite of the ginger blends perfectly with the sweetness of the pineapple. The friendly staff and workers, some family members, are happy to advise the diner and help him make selections from the menu, and they will happily answer any questions that he may have. It is, in addition, fun to talk to them about their family and where they have lived in the Caribbean. 'Tis a fascinating region of the Americas. If you like Caribbean food, or have never tried it before, you should definitely drop in and pay the folks at Desert Island Eatery a visit. read more

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I have absolutely fallen in love with this place, and it's more than just the food. The energy and kindness of the owners and restaurant radiates throughout the building and shows in their food! I called for a pick up order on a Saturday night. The phone was answered quickly and the man who took my order (who I presume is one of the owners) was super helpful by giving suggestions (since he knew it was my first time ordering). I got the following: -Curry with chickpea and tofu -rice with peas; replaced side with Mac n cheese -dessert (spiced apple thing) Taste buds = blown away. Man is that curry good!!! It also tasted amazing mixed in with the mac n cheese, which I highly suggest everyone try (curry mac n cheese as a new menu item???). I keep really loved the spiced apple dessert. It was warm and soft. The apple topping is like apple pie filling but with a much more forward flavor. Beyond the food though, this place has a super positive vibe!!!!! As I was walking out the door I noticed myself smiling for absolutely no reason. The positive, loving energy of the owners, their family, and their food can be felt the moment you walk through the doors. It's truly something special. I can't wait to come back and try more stuff off the menu. Their ginger pineapple juice has definitely caught my eye! read more

I ordered the vegan curry nachos, jerk lentil balls, and the curry chickpeas and potato's all of them were amazing. This is a great small business everyone who works there is incredibly nice! I love that they have vegan options and I will definitely be returning. read more

Desert Island Eatery - Curry Vegan Nachos - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Very happy with our first visit! Food was delicious, staff was great! Lots of vegan options. We will definitely be visiting again! read more

Desert Island Eatery - Vegan jerk tofu, coleslaw, vegan mac and cheese, curry chickpea potatos - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

It's easy to drive by this place if you aren't looking! I highly recommend stopping by for dinner. They have the best jerk chicken I have had in Tucson (which you can totally get as nachos w/ black beans, cheese, cabbage, salsa, and avocado). They have a good selection of vegetarian and vegan options like curried chickpeas. Do you self a favor and stop by this family owners business! You won't regret it. read more

Pretty, pretty, pretty good. Shoutout to LD. Real talk it's really good. Portions are great. Taste is fire. Not mad at a $15 plate when the portions are worth it. Great vegan options as well. read more

The manager was very rude , they have a six year old running the front counter who has more customer service skills then the manager.

This place is so amazing!!!! I had the curry chickpeas and potatoes with rice and peas and cabbage. Amaziiiiing!!! The owner is so sweet and her son is an amazing host. If you want great vegan/Caribbean food...come here!!!!!!!! read more

Hidden gem! We sampled several things. All were delicious! - Chips and salsa - the chips were served warm with red and green salsa. Loved the green! - Curry chickpeas and potatoes, served with rice and peas and mixed veggies. Nice, big portion and all very tasty. - Plantains - can't have Caribbean food without these guys! - Mac n cheese - this was AMAZING! Excellent spice profile. - Dessert - Johnny cakes topped with apple chutney. The cakes were nice and crispy. And I really liked the slightly spicy chutney. Only 3 tables inside, just so you know. I'll definitely be back for takeout! read more

omg - seriously amazing food. The set up is a bit intimidating but once you walk in you get the family vibe. The little one helped us go over the menu and tell us his favorites. We got the sample plate, plantains, potato salad, vegan Mac and cheese, apple chutney, pepper sauce, & mango limeade. it's took 20 minutes to prep so it was fresh, and everything I was expecting and more. the Mac and cheese blew my mind. all meats were falling off the bone.I have never eaten any of this and I feel now I have been missing out on a bit of heaven. This food was an orgasm for my mouth! I'll be a weekly customer read more

Omg the food was yummy!! Was looking for a place to bring my mom cause she wanted some ital Jamaican food... although we showed up a few mins after closing they still took our orders for take out instead of dine in... I ordered the curry chicken plate and my friend ordered the jerk chicken. My mom ordered the jerk tofu plate and a curry chickpea plate. My daughter sampled everything from our plates but ultimately ate my mom's tofu and chickpeas. Oh and she killed the plantains. Love this family owned/operated restaurant will definitely be coming back... also saw a preview of the special menu they have for the next couple weeks leading up to just the day before Thanksgiving... fried jerk turkey here I come! Yup went back to order the fried jerk turkey and stuffing and gravy.... everything was great!! They helped to make my first time hosting thanksgiving a success. Everyone enjoyed the food! I'm from California and our family usually orders a fried jerk turkey from a Jamaican restaurant out there. I was so happy to find this restaurant to help me keep the fried Jerk turkey as part of my holiday tradition! Thank you!! read more

Oh my goodness I'm so happy I found this place. I had the Jamaican chicken patty which was delicious. Then the curry mash up with some serious coleslaw. I will definitely be back. read more

Ok this is for the food AND the awesome service and hospitality. My cousin told me this place had good reviews of the vegan and non-vegan food. We walked in and were immediately greeted by an amazing and sweet woman who explained the specials for the day and the menu. We had never tried Johnny cakes and WOW! Not too sweet. Not heavy. Perfect as an appetizer. Then we decided to try different dishes to taste more. I had the potato and chickpea curry with rice and peas, he had the jerk bbq tofu with yellow rice. We both had a side of plantains. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT ALL! I decided I may need to come try their homemade "cheddar cheese" and the vegan nachos. Our meals were brought out promptly and got, the restaurant is very clean, and the server checked in on us regularly. This place is a gem and a must try. Vegan and fresh. read more

Desert Island Eatery - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Wow! We are putting this place in our rotation. The food was incredible! We got the BBQ tofu, mushrooms with rice, vegan Mac and cheese, and chicken curry. We also got the Apple island dessert. I am vegetarian and my husband is not; he said the curry was good but he actually preferred the vegan options! Mac and cheese was exceptional, cole slaw was exceptional, bread reminds me of a deep fried carnival treat but better quality and fluffier. I never saw myself as liking "island" or Caribbean inspired food but I was wrong!! Can't wait to eat this again. Kudos to this place for such innovative and truly awesome food. If you're vegan, this is a MUST try!! read more

Thank god for Desert Island Eatery being near to my house. Authentic home cook food with REAL ingredients is hard to come by especially in the west side where every corner is fast food or chain restaurant, no thanks! You can taste the freshness of the food, full of flavor and cooked to perfection. The jerk shrimp is amazing but spicy, my favorite is the curry chicken and rice with peas, it is to die for! I'm salivating as I am writing this review. Thank you Desert Island for bringing your fabulous food to the west valley! read more

Very lovely family run business, food was amazing I got the vegan curry nachos and vegan Mac and cheese both delicious! Will definitely return to try the other vegan items, note if you want it to go order vegan stuff ahead of time as their menu indicates it can take 15-20 minutes for preparation. Applaud these business having vegan options and this restaurant has choices for everyone. read more

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It kills me how good this place is! It was closed Sunday and Monday. I set a reminder to order it for dinner tonight. When I ate it last week I was blown away that there could be ethnic food that good in this area. Loving the Vegan options and the portions are well worth the money. Everything tasted incredibly fresh and definitely was homemade. I'm hoping to try their sweets as well, but we'll see! read more

What a pure pleasure. This place is a diamond in a tiny of shops, you walk in and are transported to a Caribbean family kitchen. The reggae music, charming children (took our order and served us food), and amazing food made our day. The women who run the place are so friendly and showed us the "sea moss" ingredient which is a healthful neutral tasting seaweed that they put into smoothies. The POG is fantastic- gingery and fruitful. Can't wait to make this a regular spot! read more

Desert Island Eatery - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Extremely good food! We got the Shrimp and Potato Curry, plus the BBQ Chicken. The plates were a good size and the food was really well seasoned and yummy. Highly recommend! read more

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This place is amazing! We tried it the first day they opened and have been hooked ever since. I am so glad to have a great vegan option close by our house. The BBQ tofu is delicious and my go to always lol recently my husband has been getting the curry nachos and they are sooooo good! The family who owns the restaurant are the sweetest people and always super friendly when we pick up our orders. Do you self a favor and eat here! Also don't forget to try the Johnny cakes, yum!! read more

Tiny place, but large on quality, service and taste! Really great flavors! I had the curry chickpeas and potatoes with yellow rice...friends had the jerk bbq tofu, Mac and cheese, and jerk mushrooms...ALL really yummy! Highly recommend!! read more

First visit - started with Ginger Pineapple drink that was so refreshing, and our friend had an Island POG ( secret ingredients) that we all really liked.... our waitress was really efficient and gave us tips on the best dishes to try. We really enjoyed our dinners, service was great and the music was wonderful. Would recommend to anyone !! Can't wait to try more offerings. Thank you !!! read more

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absolutely phenomenal! 10/10 can't wait to go here again! and it's vegan highly recommend!

Haven't tried the food yet but I feel at home. We be jammin' about to enjoy some POG and good ol curry and ooh wee they make it spicy for me. Very clean set up and definitely gonna try the vegan soul food option on Sunday! read more

Stopped in for lunch and got the lunch special today. There were several choices and I opted for the jerk chicken, rice with peas and potato salad. I was quite pleased with the food. Everything tasted fresh and the jerk chicken was very flavorful with just a hint of heat (I would have loved a bit more though, but no complaints). The ginger limeade I had with it was spicy and the perfect match. I'll be back to try some of the other interesting offerings including jerk burger or jerk fish or even the curried items. read more

Desert Island Eatery - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Best Mac n cheese ever! Bonus that it's vegan! I ate it driving home it lasted about 2 minutes! We got the mushroom jerk and that did not disappoint, had lots of flavor! Chickpea and potato curry with rice and peas was amazing. Plantains and the Johnny cakes were classics! This place is the real deal!! Definitely coming back and brining my whole family! Thank you, amazing food! read more

Desert Island Eatery - Vegan Mac and Cheese - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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So freaking good! Got the seafood dish. My new fav spot, I'll literally be trying everything on the menu!

As someone who enjoys Caribbean food, I looked forward to trying Desert Island Eatery and because I was disappointed, hence the two stars, I'll keep this short. Granted, I could've caught them on a bad day - I'll give them that. But first impressions are first impressions. Their menu has a nice variety and I waffled between the Jerk Chicken plate and the Curry Chicken. "Jerk" chicken is - as I know it to be, supremely flavorful. So naturally I opted for the Jerk and it left me thinking I was the jerk for trying it. So yes, I was disappointed. The chicken, while being moist, was lacking that punch that jerk chicken is known for. On top of that, the portions were small, meaning I got a breast or a thigh (I'm not sure), but whatever it was, it was small and obviously cut in half. In either case, putting the half and a drumstick on the plate was disingenuous (in my opinion). That's a full ding. The 30lbs of rice that accompanied the chicken was about as enjoyable as visiting the dentist. It was dry, and the sauce that was tossed over the top was equally uninspiring. What do I mean by uninspiring? Well, there has to be enough of it to taste it right?? There wasn't and what little there was didn't leave me with that, "ooooh, if there was more of this, maybe it could save this rice." There wasn't, soooooo. Last thought about the rice. Making rice isn't complicated. Dry rice either means you don't know what you're doing, or you don't care. I doubt they don't know what they're doing and the thought they served this and didn't care is disappointing. That's another full ding. Plantains are equally not complicated. Although these weren't dried plantains, they certainly weren't succulent. I've had better from restaurants that are not Caribbean based. At this point, what's another full ding. Ding. Ding - and Ding. And that's game over. read more

We did take away and we were really impressed! Best vegan Mac and "Cheese" ever. I really enjoyed everything we had. So glad to have this place in the neighborhood. read more

Delicious vegan-friendly restaurant!!! I ordered the jerk tofu and substituted vegan Mac and cheese and ate every. Single. Bite. The portions are extremely generous and flavor was out of this world. I live out in Scottsdale but this place is WELL worth the drive and I am already excited at the thought of visiting again soon. They also do a great job with keeping safe social distancing and have very clear instructions on how to pick up your takeout order. Please support this local business-you won't regret it! read more

I never leave reviews, but i had to for this spot. It is amazing! Haven't had decent Caribbean food since New York and Ga. So glad i found this jewel! Get the sea moss drink, it will change your life! read more

Got here right before closing time. I was in the area and couldn't resist. Oxtails, rice and peas and plantains with mango limeade to wash it down. This spot is a legitimate contender for the best Carribean spot in Tucson. Service is usually a key drawback with jerk spots, but they seem to get that completely. Now if I could just find some coco bread and patties... read more

Love their vegan nachos!!!!! And the jerk spices are amazing! Since the food is uber-fresh it does take a little longer than other counter restaurants. But it is worth it! If you have vegan friends, this is the place you should go. No one will leave unhappy :) read more

Desert Island Eatery - Can't wait to dig into this take out! - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I cannot believe I didn't know this place existed until today after seeing an article via Edible Baja Magazine. I drive by here all the time, and they've been there for 2 years! I was so impressed - the staff were so nice, gave me suggestions on what to order. They were out of the curry chicken, but suggested a juicy and delicious stewed chicken mashup with shrimp and potato's. I took everything home - vegan mac and cheese (not as fond of this - I'm just more of a real cheese girl), Johnny cakes - wow!! Addicting!, the fish burger for my husband - fantastic!! Thick juicy fish with coleslaw! My chicken mashup and rice was great! Something different, and I love that the rice had a surprise - capers in it, and the chicken stew sauce to flavor it up! I was told how long my wait would be, and it was correct. It was so cute inside too, right blue chairs, tiles, a Bob Marley quote, reggae music playing, cute signs and suggestions to post on social media - loved it all!! It's so funny - I eat at Goodness all the time, and it's right across the street - so definitely look for this place!! read more

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Man we desperately need some vegan restaurants in Tucson! I had high hopes for this charming little place. It bills itself as having vegan dishes but the selection was weak and the vegan salad I ordered was so lame, missing ingredients and way overpriced! 14.00 for a paltry portion of lettuce garnished with 3 half slices of a underripe tomato, A teensy sprinkle of grated carrot, a few cucumber slices and a some pieces of chopped apple! On the other hand, my carnivore husband really liked and devoured his brown chicken stew with rice and slaw. The owner was also the server and the cook. So she was busy in the back and our water was never refilled also we had to wait an inordinate time for the check because she returned to kitchen to prepare the other customers food. They were out of several menu items and she related how when she makes these items no one ever orders them?! If you have to use the facilities you have to go out around back past a smelly dumpster and wait to be let in the back door! At least everything looked clean. I'd like to support businesses that serve vegan dishes but this cafe needs improvement in that department. I had a better vegan salad at the nearby Frankie's cheesesteak for 4.00! read more

Desert Island Eatery - "Vegan Salad ' side of beans - Caribbean Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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