From the rave reviews, I just knew I wouldn't be disappointed...no I feel like I must have missed something. Although my friend was very pleased with her food, the jerk chicken (very spicy, be aware), the plantains (sweet and succulent), and the yams (excellent). I was less pleased with the King fish (very dry & tough) and the mac & cheese (cheesy and tasteless mush). BUT!!! The potatoes salad was to die for, and the long island iced tea...the best I've had. Ended the meals with the infamous carmel cake...it was ok too. The service was excellent and while I probably don't have to go back, I'm sure all the great reviews are an honest opinion. My opinion and taste buds are apparently different... read more

Garifuna Flava - The Bill - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have to start by talking about the caramel pound cake. This is now one of my favorite desserts. It was fluffy. Not overly sweet like you would assume from caramel. Decadent. Amazing. The conch fritters had a spice that enveloped your entire mouth, but not in a way that was overpowering. The char on the jerk chicken wings was top notch, though the wings had very little meat. The Belizean chicken stew and rice and beans were my favorite. Never have I had chicken that was so melt in your mouth. The fried plantains were hefty and perfectly sweet. The mac and cheese was fine as was the beef patty. COVID-specific notes: They offer curbside pick-up, but you'll have to sign the receipt. read more

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My job catered a an order for Black History Month celebration, and it was fantastic - usually we have food left over, but this time- most of it was eaten! I'll have to try this place myself. We had the Rice and beans, Jerked Chicken, Cabbage / roasted veggies, and plantains. everything was good! read more

WOW!! I never thought of myself as a jerk chicken fan and was on the fence about going here because of that. SO glad we did and this was the first of MANY visits! Restaurant was very clean, owner's son working front extremely friendly, helpful and quick and most importantly food was DELICIOUS! We shared the conch fritters and the jerk chicken family meal. With the family meal we shared the sides plantains, steamed cabbage, rice and beans and added a small Mac and cheese. All these sides sound basic, right? No..they have so much flavor I was blown away! The cabbage we agreed was the best cabbage we have ever had and the gravy included for the rice and beans are out of this world. Jerk chicken has a lot of flavor but not uncomfortable spice or too much...it was fantastic! Planning on a visit in the next week or two. This place is a gem...if you haven't been mark your calendar! read more

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Omg good. This food has so much flavor and goodness. Bless these people , Lord, to stay in business forever. Great seasoning and flavor . Bountiful portions. Beautifully cooked. I want some more !! read more

Never fails on food. Consistently delicious. Family owned and makes me feel I'm on St. Thomas or one of the Islands I have bee several times and will continue to return. read more

I've had their food before, and it was good. However, this time, it was awful. I had just gotten out of the hospital and had a taste for jerk chicken. Even though they had their delivery app turned off, I called and they were gracious enough to turn the app on for me to order. Unfortunately, I ordered at closing time and the food was terrible. The Mac and Cheese was extremely dry and flavorless, the rice and beans were gummy, and the cabbage was so bland and tasteless. The only thing that was edible was the jerk wings but it was dry like they had been under a warmer all day. The milk cake wasn't good either. I was very disappointed and waisted nearly $45 with delivery fee and tip. read more

Food alone is 5 stars Jerk chicken was the BEST I've ever had. You can tell the chef really takes pride in what he does by the quality and the way it's cooked. The area is Suss and far from the city. So you're going to have to travel out of the way if that's where you're coming from. But we'll worth it. Price for portion was good. read more

Join me as I continue my COVID-19 order-in culinary tour. Today we traveled to Belize. Wow. Wow. Wow. This is fantastic. It's a "let's use our hands and hunch over the plate" kind of meal. The jerk chicken is spicy enough to make your nose run a bit, but not so hot that you couldn't taste everything else. Juicy and flavorful. The sauce tasted great on the jerk tacos, and all the rest of the food, too. I'm always disappointed with Mac and cheese. This was really good, though. They let the roux really darken. It even tasted like they added chicken stock for flavor. Rice and beans were okay. A nice complement for the chicken. Rice and peas didn't seem chock full of peas. Do I even need to say the caramel pound cake was delicious? You read the earlier part of the review. Is this really where you think they dropped the ball? Really great. Definitely will be back. If you order through Uber Eats you can throw a little extra cash at the owners to ensure they stick around in these difficult time. read more

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I have never gone to the restaurant but I have ordered a few time through Uber Eats. We have had the jerk tacos and the oxtail dinners as well as the panades. All were delicious and packaged so well. I definitely have them on my favorites list as a go to when I want a good meal. read more

I've been here a few times I come here when I crave a beef patty. The oxtail dinner is also amazing especially with extra gravy. Great service, good food and even better vibes with a ting on the side. Enjoy! read more

The food is phenomenal. Truly authentic Caribbean flavors. The service is pleasant, and yes it takes a while to get your food, but order a drink and just remember that good things come to those who wait. Worth the wait!! The panadas are their version of an empanada. Delicious! The jerk chicken is "perfect" as described by my fiancé who is first generation Jamaican. Jerk tacos are also divine... juicy, spicy and flavorful. read more

Only thing I can say is OUTSTANDING!!! You can tell the food is made with love and attention to detail and quality. Unfortunately, many businesses did not survive the pandemic, thank goodness this one did!! I will definitely be retuning! read more

I ordered a Snapper dinner with 3 sides. In even called and paid the difference over the phone because i originally ordered the wrong fish via b grubhub. Spoke with a male who said he was the owner. He didn't include 2 of my sides! I'm pissed 50$ for a delivery dinner that's incomplete. I called back and he said he packed my food and forgot the sides. He different offer to credit me or anything! Just an " O well" attitude. Never ordering again from here. I'm over "support black owned businesses" for bullshit service! read more

Loved the panades and conch fritters alike -- lots and lots of terrific Caribbean food for the moolah! Per the website, btw: "Panades: A Belizean favorite, corn patties packed with sauteed buffalo fish and garnished with a sweet (or spicy) cabbage slaw." Best meal I've had in weeks! read more

Good food with thought and care put into it the staff is always nice and helpful the food is not so expensive but it's not cheap either

Great food. A little pricey, and a little far but definitely worth it. We live all the way on the northside, but will travel to the southside to get good Belizean food. read more

We came here on a slow weekday night. There was only another couple dining in, so we were able to sit wherever we liked. We were greeted by an elderly lady to took quickly for our orders started? Was she going be cooking our meal? Sure effing hope so! We started off with an order of their Jerk Wings with a side of jerk sauce. These were seasoned perfectly and packed plenty of heat. I've had jerk wings before that didn't event taste like jerk chicken. These did and were very tasty. the steamed cabbage and fried plantains were also good. It's really hard to get these wrong. Being an Caribbean Restaurants, of course they would arrive Jamaican jerk chicken. But they're advertised as a Belizean as well, I ordered their national dish Belizean Stew Chicken, while my wife ordered their Jamaican jerk chicken. They both came with some sort of rice and peas side, steamed cabbage and fried plantains. The jerk chicken was seasoned perfectly and had a nice Smokey flavor. It was very tender and juicy and tasted excellent. Unfortunately their rice and peas weren't that great. They were a little dry and lacked the heat that I'm used to. The Belizean stew chicken tasted incredible. I'll admit, the chicken wasn't the best, but what saved it was the flavors that were in the stew. It was very flavorful, well seasoned and a little high in sodium. It was so addicting even my daughter kept asking for more. Honestly I didn't really notice how delicious this dish was until the middle of me eating it, as I was focused on the protein and not the entire meal. Also instead of rice and peas I ordered rice and stew beans. Thinking they would be mixed, I received the rice separate and the stew beans in another little bowl. And white rice to makes worse. The beans weren't whole waiter and it was more of a stew. I was also Upset at first and thought I had ordered wrong. But when you get a scoop of the beans with another scoop of the rice, you get another sensational flavorful bite every time. Truthfully a flavorful experience that I wouldn't never forget. I will definitely be back! read more

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The taste of the food is way off. The plantains are cut and fried in chunks which means they are not fully cooked. In addition the prices are so high in comparison to portion size. I don't mind paying for quality food. But cone Garifuna Flava. The potato in the salad needed to be cooked longer. Please do better if you want to generate repeat visits from customers. OMG!!!!! read more

The Garifuna in Belize are the descendants of African slaves and the native Caribs that once populated the Caribbean islands. Fortunately for us, someone brought both their cuisine and cooking skills to 63rd Street! After working up an appetite at the DuSable Museum's Craft Festival, we headed here. A Belizean Ice Tea for Susan, a Red Stripe for me, and we were off to the races. We started with an appetizer combination--delicious conch fritters--followed by jerk chicken with rice and beans and conch soup. The soup was truly wonderful: a combination of potatoes, peas, cassava, onions, peppers, conch of course, and spiced to perfection. Prices are reasonable, portions are hearty, the service is personable, and the place is clean as a whistle. We'll return with friends! read more

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Before I start my review of the food, let me begin with my introduction to the Garifuna. I used to live in Guatemala and being tall & black, I stood out like a sore thumb -- until I didn't. Everyone assumed I was Garifuna! That's fine with me, I found my people in Guatemala City, we shared jokes and I would get my hair braided on the streets often. Therefore, I must admit, I am quite fond of the Garifuna. Fast forward, I have been unofficially adopted by a Belizean family in Burrell Boom "Boom", Belize. They aren't Garifuna but my goodness is the food good. I've also had the opportunity to go to Orange Walk and Caye Caulker. With that being said, I'm not exactly new to this, I'm true to this. Hahaha. So the food.... I think that the food is the best it can be in Chicago. Seriously, it is what it is. In Belize, there are no "fast food" restaurants. Yes, there are houses you can go to and grab some meat pies but it's not the same as driving through Wendy's. So I say that to say that naturally all dishes in Belize are made fresh and with natural ingredients. It takes time. The coconut milk is from the coconut in the yard. Hahaha. Anyways, these things clearly don't exist in Illinois, so Garifuna Flava is fighting an uphill battle and having to work with what they got. And they do a good job at it. I ordered the national dish, the stew chicken and it was good. It came with rice and peas, belizean potatoe salad, and plantain. The portion size was perfect, especially considering that I ordered the lunch special. The ONLY thing I did not like was the plantain. LISTEN. I live for plantain. Fry it. Bake it. Smash it. Whatever, I love it. But this plantain, I did not. It was not fresh and tasted like maybe it was microwaved? Anyways, aside from my plantain issue, this place is nice and worthy of visiting in Chicago. There is a small parking lot next door. The customer service is amazing and the people are friendly. There's no reason to not visit (yes, the neighborhood is not the best, but don't you know the best food is always in these neighborhoods?!) I'll be back again to try the seré one weekend. read more

Garifuna Flava - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had this place bookmarked back when I first heard awesome things about it in 2010. I have a friend that has Belize origins and he mentioned its as good as what he used to have back home. I'm never in this particular area even when I lived south so its very easy to forget about it. Shame on me because me and some friends came by this past weekend and this was one hell of a meal! I drove by and saw that they had a parking lot which is awesome as that means I didnt have to pay a meter to dine here. They had a table ready for our group of 5 which was awesome and we didnt hesitate to start out with the Belizean Iced Tea which was so good, I had 4 by nights end...very dangerous stuff here! I knew I wanted to go with their national dish...the Belizean Stew Chicken which came with plantains, beans & rice and steamed cabbage. This was one of the best meals I've had in quite some time. I love Caribbean food and this may be the best place I've been to enjoy it. The chicken was very juicy and fell off the bone easily..flavor was immaculate! I tried my friend's Belizean potato salad and that was good as well. Our server was a very cool dude that took real good care of us. I would like to thank him and the rest of the staff for putting up with our loud asses as we were happy and full from all the deliciousness going on at our table...the belizean iced tea may have aided in our loudassedness as well LOL! Let me reiterate that stuff will get you a very nice buzz. this place is KING! read more

Garifuna Flava - Very delicious Belizean Stew Chicken, cabbage and rice - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First of all if you haven't came here you need to. I got the jerk chicken , beans and rice, cabbage, and plantains. For the amount of food you get the price is very reasonable. All super flavorful. I will be going back for the macaroni next time. read more

Garifuna Flava - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Spicy a little to spicy for me to enjoy completely. They didn't ask or say they had an option of mild. Meal was decent not sure I'll go back ... perhaps , just to say I gave it another shot. Really can't judge off of one visit. read more

I've eaten at this place many times before and i'm almost positive that I've written a review before however this review will be different because I'm highlighting a new dish that I've never tried before on the menu. While trying to adhere to my "No Meat Friday" dedication, (not Catholic but I attempt to not eat meat on Fridays for health reasons), I decided to order from Garifuna Flava and try out their Sautéed King Fish dish and OMG! This has to be THE most UNDERRATED and OVERLOOKED item on the entire menu!!! So look at The picture and then read this description as you're looking at the picture. Tender pieces of boneless king fish sautéed with onions, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper all in a savory and slightly sweet sauce topped over fluffy white rice!! The side show items (which weren't even touched) were the soft plantains and potato salad! I picked up a plate for my friend and her order was just as FIRE!! Combo Jerk Chicken - Brown Stew Chicken with Rice and Peas, and Cabbage!!! Trust me when I tell you that the next time you have a craving for seafood with a little Caribbean flare, order the Sautéed King Fish Dish from Garifuna Flava!! read more

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It so nasty xoxo do not buy The was a cute place do not buy this I was throwing up my stomach hurt for 2weeks read more

This restaurant is amazing! I have been coming here for years since I first saw it on "check please!" To find a gem that was around the corner from my parents house was a great surprise. Been a fan ever since! This review is for what Hussein and the crew did for my Mom's bday/retirement in October 2020. I did a catering order and called it in for the 4th. The order was accepted and we were good. However, I realized, the day of the party (the 3rd), that I had given Garifuna the wrong date! 2-3 hours before said party!! After realizing my huge F up, I called, talked to Hussein and he said he'd work with me to see what he could do!! I even said "take off whatever you don't have, just give me food!!" Hussein went and got veggies to complete my order as I originally ordered it! In two hours!! I was so happy and more importantly relieved that the hungry people weren't going to eat me! The food is fantastic but the people are better! read more

Absolutely amazing just like Darius went on about when I was watching him LIVE, I really enjoyed everything plus I completely love the plantains. read more

This place is cool but McDonald's is better I couldn't park my car Beef Patties were horrible I almost thought they had pink sauce on them read more

Garifuna Flava - My feeling when I couldn't park my car - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was very good. I did not want spicy so I had the stewed chicken. It was so full of flavor. The potato salad was a nice surprise. I loved it! The cabbage and yams were perfect. I will definitely be back. I walked in, ordered and the wait was not bad. If you're thinking about trying this place, I encourage you to check it out. read more

The chicken was not jerked , it was just baked and thrown together with some old rice.. I tried to order at their location on 63rd, as I stood at the counter in their restaurant nobody even acknowledged me, so I went home and used uber eats to order from them.. The food was disappointing, as if they prepared the meal without a thought of flavor or freshness.. Save your money... read more

Pleasantly surprised! We live maybe 2 miles from here and I have been passing it up for way too long. I think what first caught my attention was that it has a parking lot in an otherwise over LAZ(ed) ticket hungry area. Started out of course with two appetizers; The Conch fritters (oh my, minced conch seasoned just right with spices of the carribean, they give you 4), and 3 fairly large (think of mexican tostada size)Garnaches. Fried round tortillas topped with refried beans (hmmmm almost Mexican), a lettuce sauce (yes you heard right)shredded cheese and a swirl of (can you believe this) a ketchup sauce. Which by all taste and look seems to be ketchup. But what you taste is really something nice. The blending of the ingrediants does take you out of the Mexican tostada quickly. Of course, I keep hearing of this "Belizian Long Island Iced tea" so of course I had to try it for myself. Not bad for an Iced tea but it did put me in the mind of a carribean bahama mama. The glass served was okay, but I would think it would be delivered in a massive glass, but still it was good. Gave me a little buzz while I waited for my meal. Oh and today was Sunday (Bears were playing) so the place was empty, YES! So anyhow, its time for the main entree and of course the menu is not packed with things so this is not that hard. Although I did notice there were alot of fish recipes, and I am so not a fish person. So I ordered the Stew Beef (pot roast)which come with rice and beans (the rice was coconut infused) and the beans were black beans. The rice really took it over the top for me, in a really good way. I thought the serving was really nice and the beans set it off. I did appreciate the fact that the stewed meat was in a seperate dish so that you can add as much as you want to the rice. Oh, how I am savoring it again right now! We also ordered the Jamaican Jerk Chicken which is basically a half chickjen marinated with Jamaican spices and slow cooked on the grill. So the waiter told us that his mom is the cook and this is exactly what they eat at home, so of course that made me realize: "This is real down home cooking", that was the clincher for me. Although we ended up taking some chicken home, I personally do not eat chicken that often so tasting it was nice for me. So the end of the night was creeping towards dessert for me. I had to have the cassave cake but changed my mind when the waiter told me that the pound cake with caramel was really good. And it was, no regrets here. I was reminded by the waiter (but I was ready beforehand) that I could use my YELP coupon to save 10% on the meal. That my friends is what it is all about, saving and tasting and of course tipping for a wonderful meal. I would go back for sure. read more

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I have passed by this spot several times over the years. I wanted jerk chicken so I decided to stop by. I placed my order by phone. The male answerer was nice, friendly. I ordered a jerk chicken dinner w/3 sides & an order of conch fritters. Jerk din was $14.95 & conch fritters was $9.95 plus tax & a bag tax(???). I made a plate when I got home to taste everything. It smelled good in the car but that's where it ended. I opened the chicken container, it had fewer pieces than I'm used to plus the rice looked different. More like Mexican rice. It had gravy for rice which looked more than soup broth. Not a fan, kinda salty. The cabbage had a taste as if it was mixed in the same pot sweet potatoes were made. The mac & cheese did not taste cheesy, more mac than cheese. The chicken was drier than I have been used to. Only 1 jerk sauce for the chicken dinner but I got a gravy sauce & 2 ginger containers??? Wait!!!!!!!! No Jamaican bread?????????? Stunned. The conch fritters were ok. They tasted more like corn meal, less conch. My last 2 fav jerk places have closed(Kingston Jerk on 95th & Fire Jerk on 55th). I guess I am spoiled to their set up, taste. There must be a difference between Belize & Jamaican food. At least i patronized a local business. read more

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First I would like to note I am Belizean and visiting from out of town. This place from my visit deserves negative stars but 1 star is the lowest. I didn't really want to write a bad review just because its my culture/people but when it's as bad as this I have too. The food was terrible, no care or love in the food at all. I got the panades which was over priced and old and fried in old oil, the stew chicken was flavorless and overcooked and more like it was just baked. The rice and beans was mushy and soaked just terrible like why would you serve this??? Then the potato salad was old and spoiled not cold and left out of something, you knew with the first bite of it. The lack of care shows, I would never eat there again and hope they change. read more

We ordered take out via Postmates. The food was delivered early and was still hot! No need to reheat :) Both food items were packed with flavor. So delicious. Must check it out. read more

Garifuna Flava - Jerk chicken and oxtail. DELICIOUS! - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was taught, if you can't say nothing nice, don't say anything at all. The customer service was nice. I personally thought the mild seasoning was still too hot for my taste buds. Anyhoo, to each their own! Give it a try, you may think differently. read more

4 stars for my previous experience. 2 stars for my latest experience. The food is generally good. But most recently, I found my food to by dry and taste like reheated leftovers. I was moreso disappointed bc I brought my friend their after hyping the place up during our 45 minute drive there. I won't make the drive anymore, but hopefully they are more consistent in the future. read more

Garifuna Flava - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had actually never eaten at this location (I know, I know), but we got delivery from the Garifuna Flava flagship earlier this week. We ordered beef patties, a jerk/stewed chicken combo, and the red snapper meal. Yes to all of it. Beef patties are almost always good, and these were tasty. I'm generally not the biggest fan of jerk chicken because I find that it's often dry. Not so here. Both the jerk and stewed chicken were tender and very flavorful. The red snapper meal was also delicious, and I enjoyed the rice and beans that accompanied both meals. The only thing I didn't care for was the side of cabbage, and I would not choose that again. But I'm already looking forward to the next delivery! read more

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This is authentic Garinfuna food. I visited Hopkins in Belize and fell in love with the food. There isn't any where I live, so I try to enjoy this food whenever I visit a city with a large population. There are several in LA and Houston.I'd never been to Chicago but knew there was a large population there. When I looked at the menu, I was amazed. The one thing I have been craving for years, Hudutu Baruru Falumuo, is so hard to find. It is a magnificent coconut based broth with a kaffir lime leave and flavor like no other. The fish was cooked perfectly and the uncooked plantain that you drop into the soup was spectacular. From the Garfinua Flava website: A weekend/special occasion dish of the Garinagu, this wonderfully flavored soup consists of King Fish cooked in a coconut milk stew and seasoned with black pepper, garlic, onions, oregano and other spices. Comes served with a mixture of ripe/green plantain (similar to "Fufu"), boiled & blended to serve as a soft bread for the soup. The owner Rhodel, was awesome. Turns out he is from Hopkins too. Sounds like we might be staying in touch. If I lived in Chicago, I would use them for catering or call up uber eats to pick me up some food. This place is a hidden gem!!! read more

Garifuna Flava - Hudutu Baruru Falumou - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Authentic...Fresh...Homemade This place is for real. It may not look like much from the outside, but the food is fantastic. read more

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