At the office building where I work, we have a pop up restaurant that is occupied by a different restaurant every day. Well I hope Garifuna will be here every week. It is such a challenge to find real Jamaican and Carribean food in the northern part of the country. These guys came over and served jerk chicken, stewed chicken, plantain chips, and other local favorites. I went with three small pieces of jerk chicken along with rice and black beans, and a fried plantain for $9.00. The chicken was moist and juicy and well seasoned, though it could have used a little extra heat in the seasoning. Then I added some of their jerk salsa onto both the chicken and rice and beans. That is what took this meal over the top. The salsa had some burn, but was still manageable. It added punch, without overpowering the chicken or rice. The rice and beans also had nice texture as well. I don't know if I would head down to their locaton, but I can testify these guys know how to make some good jerk chicken. Load up on that salsa! read more

Love this place! Absolutely the best food for flavor, quality, and service. Worth the trip! read more

Garifuna Flava - Thursday special - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This spot is amazing! The food is phenomenal. God bless the hands who put this food together. I closed my eyes and took the first bite of the jerk chicken and my soul left out of my body, Caribbean music started playing in my ears and I knew at that moment Ja-making me fall in love :). I Highly recommend it. I will be going back for sure. To everyone at the restaurant thank you and keep up the good work. read more

Everyone knows how much Babe and I enjoy going out to eat at new places. Well, we find a place that more than satisfied our taste for Belizean cuisine. DAMN this was good. Babe had the pig tail stew, oxtails, plantains, cabbage and rice. I had the Jamaican jerk chicken, oxtails, rice with black beans. I encourage everyone to make a trip to this wonderful restaurant. Serve was very good. Clean restaurant. Friendly wait crew. read more

Garifuna Flava - Very good Jamican Jerk Chicken. - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Talking to someone about Jamaican food totally made me want some and we made a beeline to this place to check it out. We arrived on a Saturday night at about 7:00 pm. The place was empty. I was afraid they were closed. But no, they were open. This place was reviewed on "Check please" about six years ago and usually, that brings hordes of people. But I guess it's been six years. Eventually though, a couple of other tables filled up. They had a tv playing the cubs game which endeared it even more to me. Felt like eating at home. We ordered the chicken plate with jerk and braised chicken and the oxtail stew. We also ordered the panadas and the conch fritters. The fritters were better than the panadas but they were still good. We really enjoyed the chicken. It was very moist. And the rice options were so delicious. One was with beans on the side. The other had the beans incorporated. So good. If anything, the food was a little salty and you need the rice to cut the salt. We were so full we ordered dessert to go. Both cake options were really good too. I will definitely come back. read more

I haven't been to the physical restaurant, but I've enjoyed Garifuna Flava's take out when they pop up in the cafe in my office. This food is perfection. I literally ate it every day for the week they were popping up in my office's cafe. I usually get the combo, and I alternate between the jerk chicken or veggie (cabbage) combos. Their rice is always cooked perfectly with delicious spices. The sweet plantains are heavenly. If you see them in your office, try it! The portions are generous and the food is filling. I'm hoping to make it down to the restaurant soon, but until then, I'll keep an eye out in the loop. read more

Garifuna Flava - Veggie combo take out (cabbage, rice, plantains) - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

After my local jerk chicken spot went down hill, I was craving something new and good. Garifuna was what the doctor ordered, excellent jerk chicken, great sides, excellent seasoning. Worth the drive from the northern suburbs. read more

It was ok. A bit overpriced for the amount of oxtails i got... the flavor of the rue for the oxtails also was a bit off. Too salty and tangy for my enjoyment. I wouldn't eat here again. read more

I literally love everything on their menu! The food is always made to order and seasoned perfectly!

This is a place that I been trying to get to for a while. I FINALLY made it. Once you walk in the wonderful smells just hit you right in the stomach. I ordered the jerk chicken with cabbage and rice and peas. It was worth the effort. It had great flavor, nice size portions. I recommend it, very much! read more

Delicious food and very professional staff/owners. I loved the panades and the beef patty. The jerk chicken is one of the best I have had in the city! The candied yams were very flavorful and a bit different than what I'm used to, but I really enjoyed them. The rice & beans were amazing, I'd eat it by itself. Everything was fresh and tasty. 1 item I ordered was forgotten and I got an apology by phone call and a credit. Very sweet and honest people. I highly recommend. Wish I took pictures of the food, unfortunately I was too hungry! LOL. Next time read more

This place is nothing short of amazing! I had a New Year's Eve party and my catering plans fell through at the last minute. A friend recommended Garifuna Flava because she said the food was amazing and they had great customer service. Not only were they able to fulfill my catering order for 35 people with less than a week's notice, but they also delivered it on New Year's Eve at 8pm in the middle of a heavy snow!! Everyone loved the food! Will definitely use them again for catering!! Thank you!! read more

Always love the food from here! Loved the jerk chicken, rice and plantains. I ordered through their website and delivery was great.

This place never dissapoints! In had the stew chicken, rice and beans, macaroni, and cabbach

One of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. Crazy, but, I was in San Pedro, Belize last year for a week and only had one meal that compared to Garifuna Flava. I ordered from them last year to cater the VIP Room for The Silver Room Block Party in July of 2017. I am STILL getting compliments on the food. People want to make sure they will be there this year! Smiling service. The food takes a bit to prepare, but it's all fresh and amazingly tasty. Oh yeah, and worth the wait. My current favorite is the Ox Tails. MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm. read more

Jerk chicken was really good. I also liked the jerk chicken sauce. However, the rice and peas were a bit dry and the gravy was not so much a gravy and lacked flavor. I also found the Mac and cheese to be bland and mushy. I did appreciate the family deal. I'd order the chicken again but that's it. read more

Omg, their food is so delicious! I ordered their rice and peas and oxtail and it more than fulfilled my craving. Well-seasoned, hot, decent portion. I really enjoyed my meal and look forward to ordering from them again when I have the craving for a home-cooked Caribbean meal. Can't wait to try their jerk chicken and other Jamaican inspired dishes. read more

I've been visiting Garfuna Flava since about the summertime. Absolutely delicious food and great customer service. I got their email 2 weeks ago about them doing jerk turkeys for Thanksgiving. Pre-pandemic, my family always makes it, but because of how things are, there was many changes in our family. Add to that, a brand new baby boy we just had and this was an absolute life-saver! Aside from it being very delicious, the process was so easy and stress-free. I highly recommend them for your turkeys next year or to visit them throughout the year! read more

I first tried their food when they had a few pop ups in my office building. Im not sure as they still do this. Nevertheless I love their vegetarian options, the veggie patty, macaroni and cheese, plantains, and cabbage are all delicious. read more

We have eaten here in the past and have always been satisfied with the entire experience. Today we ordered curbside pickup...and ot.was another perfect meal. This time we had jerk chicken which was tender and delicious. Plantains that were sweet. Beans and rice that was full of amazing flava. And the best conch I have ever tasted! We will be back again. You should order now! Oh...and the staff are extremely friendly. read more

Placed an online order for pick up at 1:00 pm was ready on time ordered 2 item combo oxtails, stewed chicken, plantains, and an extra order of Mac n cheese everything was very well seasoned and tender the only reason not a five start review the strawberry smoothie was made with just a daiquiri mix super sweet instead of fresh strawberries especially since people were selling them fresh right down the block other than that wish they did make them with fresh strawberries read more

I took a friend here for his birthday on his suggestion. what a lovely suggestion it was!!! We started with a beef patty. my first that was scrumptious!! I ordered the oxtail stew dinner which came with a LARGE plate of rice and beans, choice of salad/veggie/something else I can't remember and delicious side dip. my friend orded the chicken stew. Everything was delicious!!! I am not familiar with Belizean culture and food but it was a pleadure visiting this establishment and I certainly will do so again. read more

The Belizean Chicken is it! It's good. So tender and falling off the bone. It's also really flavorful. I didn't care too much for the plantains- they was a bit soggy for my liking. I haven't had the jerk chicken but I hear it's good. read more

The waitress was super nice but I think there's only a few workers here as she also was responsible for cutting vegetables. We got: Conch soup - pretty good but I think we should just get a side order and order the conch fritters. Cabbage side accompanied to the soup- This actually was flavored really well combo appetizers - These were pretty good, the flat looking one was the best. Lunch special jerk chicken - there was one wing in the combo appetizer so this probably wasn't the best one to get. It's spicier than we expected. read more

Garifuna Flava - Conch Soup, Jerk Chicken Lunch Special, rice and beans/ cabbage sides - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Let me start saying that I have not been in their restaurant, but they go to my office building like once a month (under the Fooda program) were they set a little "restaurant" in the lobby. The offering is limited but hands down this is one of the most delicious food I've tried. I just asked for their address and I will be visiting since I just discovered they are not that far from home. Try their fried sweet plantains - always sweet and their jerked chicken and rice...to die for! read more

I love this place. I really do, but recently this love has been put to the test. I think they might be spread a little thin because of their new location in the French Market. I was enjoying the ability to have their delicious food delivered through not one but two delivery delivery services. However on several occasions they are "too busy" to process orders. On other occasions they are randomly closed for "special" events. I genuinely am happy that business is going well for them, but I can't help but feel some kind of way that they aren't as available to regular local customers. read more

Absolutely the best jerk chicken! Juicy, tender with just the right amount of heat to warm up the body. The hours can be a bit inconsistent but always worth a trip! Wish they had a location closer to downtown Chicago. read more

We saw this spot on TV on the FoodNetwork or Travel Channel, looked up reviews, and had our mouths watering for some home cooked food, during our visit to Chicago. Thankfully, we didn't catch an Uber and decided to drive, (saved $50) because when we arrive at 12:30 on a Friday, they were closed. We called- no answer- and as far as we could tell, they were supposed to be open. So- the 1 star is not due to the food, but for lack of professionalism Strongly suggest calling before going out of your way like we did. read more

So glad the Englewood community has such a wonderful restaurant, with some of the tastiest food in Chicago. I've been meaning to try it for years and I'm so glad I finally made the visit. Well worth it! We had the conch soup - which was so wonderfully flavorful I almost grieved when my bowl was empty. We also had the conch fritters, jerk wings, cabbage, jerk chicken tacos and the vegetable patty. The highlight was definitely the conch fritters which paired really nicely with the extra jerk sauce brought over for dipping. I also added some of the side cabbage to the conch soup as well. The service was friendly and the restaurant itself is large, warm and inviting. Hope to return soon! read more

I got the jerk chicken taco family platter with beans and rice, cabbage and plantains. It was so good and the guy working there was very nice. The gravy for the rice is worth the trip alone. I'll definitely be back. read more

Do yourself a favor, stop whining about how far away this is and make a trip down to Garifuna. The food is more than worth the journey to the south side. The stew chicken and rice and beans were excellent. Tender, wonderfully flavored, and a break from the monotony. Nothing special about the restaurant itself but the staff is friendly and their lunch specials are a great deal. Go and go now! read more

Garifuna Flava - Stew chicken, rice and beans, potato salad - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great taste and much flavor. Awesome customer service and fast service. They didn't have long lines. Nice decor with style and class. Reasonable prices. A great place for dinner or take out. read more

Found this place on yelp and decided to go because of the great reviews and low prices. It was definitely a great experience the food was good and the staff is friendly read more

Garifuna Flava - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really good food, but order carefully. Also be prepared to wait a long time once you've ordered (over an hour for us). My jerk chicken + beans and rice + plantain + potato salad were all delicious. However my wife ordered the Hudut Baruru Falumou (kingfish in coconut broth), and the fish was well travelled. Not spoiled, just old. read more

This place visits my job often and the food is always flavorful and hot! They are very well-priced for having to come downtown. I'm used to visiting restaurants jacking up the price because they come to us instead of us walking into their establishment. Anyway, my only complaint is that they never have the Jamaican bread, but bread be damned, I'll have this anytime. read more

Garifuna Flava - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent food. Only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is the employee wasn't wearing a mask when I came in.

Ordered jerk chicken dinner with rice and beans and a sweet potato cake. Came with the wrong cake but he caramel cake was nice and moist. The chicken was very good, not burnt nor undercooked. Plantains were delicious very sweet and soft. Cabbage is amazing as well. Staff was nice over the phone. Other than my wrong cake I had no complaints. A must return! read more

Garifuna Flava - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I keep trusting this yelp reviews for the food and once again for was definitely not what was expected. Won't be coming back to this place.

I've been wanting to try Garifuna Flava for a long time, and I finally got my chance today. I was previously married to someone from Belize, so for several years I was eating Garifuna and other Belizean cuisine on a regular basis. I miss those unique Western Caribbean flavors, and this restaurant was like a mini-homecoming. I took home the Belizean Stew Chicken lunch special with stew beans & rice and potato salad; the Taste of Belize appetizer platter; an order of Jerk Wings; and a slice of Caramel Pound Cake. The stew chicken was tender and savory. The stew beans had an inexplicable sweetness to them, but I might not have minded it as much if I'd stopped to reheat the food. (I wasn't able to resist the aromas long enough to wait.) The panades, conch fritters, and garnaches were superb, and the wings spicy and tasty. I was a little frightened by the caramel pound cake; it was richly flavored, perfectly sweet, and of just the right consistency and texture. If diabetes and hypertension weren't real hazards for someone my age, I'd have a slice with every meal. For those dining in, there is a refrigerator holding a modest selection of both common soft drinks and some colorful Jamaican brands. There are bottles of Marie Sharp hot sauce available, too. Also, the restaurant has its own adjacent parking lot, and plenty of seating. It isn't a fancy place, but it's clean, homey, welcoming, and unpretentious. It's also easy to find, being just west of Western Avenue on 63rd Street. I highly recommend Garifuna Flava to anyone, especially to anyone hungry for some homestyle Caribbean cooking with a variety of flavors and spice levels. If you catch me in there, the next slice of caramel pound cake or sweet potato cake is on me. read more

Yes! Yes! 1000 times, yes! Garifuna Flava, you taught me to Belize in life after lunch (after lunch after lunch after lunch). Everything was completely on point and I will gladly come back over and over to show people what true eating (ahem, grubbing) is all about. To begin with... parking. They have a parking lot! This means no roaming side streets looking for non-permit parking. No confrontations with angry meter maids, h#ll-bent on giving you a ticket. None of that. A parking lot. A glorious, private parking lot. Ach. 'tis a beautiful ting (yes, ting. More on that in a bit). After I did a happy dance for the parking, I was psyched to walk into a large, brightly lit and colored dining room. The tables are nicely spaced, so you have room to move. The wood is light. I recall a lot of yellow. It wasn't 'Big Bird on a Springtime bender' amount of yellow. It was more like 'Heather McNamara sports her first day of school' yellow. Classy. But, I wasn't here to gaze at colors. I was here to eat. A lot. Our waiter came to take our order. I mentioned that I had designs on eating a lot. He told me to slow my roll and to order less than I planned. Hmm, we'll see about that. Prepare to be shocked! I began the meal with Ting soda. The name alone made me order it. The taste kept me coming back. Ting is a lemony/grapefruity soda with real pulp/juice in every delicious green bottle. It's like Orangina decided to go Jamaican and b!tchslap Squirt back to Dr. Pepper headquarters. Not content to just slurp my lunch away, I needed appetizers. I got them in the form of conch fritters and panades (sort of like fish empanadas). They came with two toppers: slaw and hot peppers/onions. Got.D@ng. Take a moment to luxuriate in the flavor sensation. Then, take another to slap someone at an adjoining table because the food is so good. Then, take another to get slapped back (just 'cuz). Then, sit down and resume eating. Since I was with my ethnic-eating Girl Friday, we had two lunches to share. She got the stewed chicken. I got the jerk chicken (dark meat. That's...it's played out). Both came with rice, plantain (maduro-like) and juice for the rice. Goodness. The stewed chicken was tender, super spiced and full of veggie goodness. The jerk sauce was HOT, well spiced and meaty. Delicious. Our waiter came up to our table expecting defeat. What he got was a request for dessert. Man, you don't even know! Shocked, he suggested the coconut tart or the pineapple pound cake. We ordered both. And a pineapple juice. I wanted to order the BRIGHT GREEN lime juice, but I resisted its neon siren's song. Dessert was the perfect end to the meal. The cake was warm, fruity and topped with caramel icing. The tarts were light, flaky and packed with coconut. So, two sodas, two apps, two lunches, two desserts, one juice, tax and generous tip: $20 a person. You don't hear me. TWENTY DOLLARS. You'd best believe Garifuna Flava is becoming a new member of my lunch rotation. Re.dic.U.lous. read more