Who doesn't love oxtails? Great Jamaican spot in the Toronto area. I appreciated the generous portion and the friendly service. Definitely would return. If you like my reviews, consider "following" my profile for reviews all across the SF Bay Area . Why "follow" someone? It causes the person you follow's reviews to tier to top when you pull up a business. I find this very handy when researching venues. Rod's Review grading scale explained. Essentially I personally base it on the likelihood of a return visit and I try to be stingy with 5 star reviews since they should be "special" in my eyes. Price/Value also play a role obviously but there are $ and $$$$ littered across my grading scale. 5 stars - "I'll go out of my way" (approx 6 % of my reviews) 4 stars- "If I was in the area I'd go here and would recommend", (approx 38% of my reviews) 3 stars "Maybe if was nearby", (approx 37% of my reviews) 2 stars -"Would likely not return, Only if you want to go", (approx 16% of my reviews) 1 star -"No thanks, even if I was hungry", (approx. 3 % of my reviews) read more

Visit for Sunday lunch, it's a takeout only spot in a local plaza with many food options. Space is large with many options cafeteria style. All day special includes main with choice of carb and 2 sides. Order: Jerk Chicken with Rice & Peas (Oxtail gravy over), Cucumber Salad and Pasta salad. Salads were really good and nice to see a place with options other than just coleslaw. Rice with Oxtail gravy was good! Jerk Chicken is cooked nice, fall of the bone, good flavour and hit of hot peppers. I'd come back! read more

Island Spice Flava - Jerk Chicken, Rice & Peas with Oxtail gravy. Cucumber salad, pasta salad. - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

Price increases and quality dropped. Chicken was dry and they don't give enough oxtail gravy. They put a little on the rice. But none on the chicken. Overall flavour was not as good as before 14.99 before tax for lunch special, which included 1 chicken for example. Extra chicken is $7.99/piece before tax. What a rip off. Total was $35 with tax for 1 jerk chicken lunch special and 2 extra piece of jerk chicken. I will not come back. read more

Tasted better than a lot of Caribbean spots I've had. Service was friendly. The employee was genuinely so excited for us to try the food and was vouching for how good it is. (Agreed!) Would I come back? Yes read more

Island Spice Flava - Goat curry, oxtail, jerk chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

Island Spice Flava is a Jamaican restaurant bursting with flavour. A fan favourite for fried chicken, oxtail, curry goat and Caribbean style chow mein. Expect dishes that are tasty, seasoned and spiced just right. Macaroni is spiced properly. Coleslaw so sweet and seasoned flavourful. After doing double shifts at work I was craving yard food like a fiend and the good people at Island Spice delivered. The stewed chicken was gone by the end of the day so I opted for barbecue chicken, macaroni, and coleslaw. The barbecue chicken was sweet and spicy. Macaroni and coleslaw were good. Picked up some jerk chicken, cabbage and coleslaw for the fam. Soda to wash down the food. Some say they have the best jerk chicken in Scarborough? I say give it a try and you be the judge. read more

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I love this place, hands down one of the best Caribbean food spot in gta. Highly recommend on trying it. We love the bbq jerk and jerk chicken with coleslaw it hits nicely. Restaurant doesn't have dine in, it's only take out. We tried few dishes and all of them tasted very fresh. read more

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This is one of the best jerk spot in GTA very fresh and many options !! service is good not a seat down only take out Bbq jerk is so good specially with macaroni and coleslaw read more

On a mission to match a fiery new Trini style hot sauce with some worthy eats, I hit the jackpot with this spot. The portions? Huge. The flavor? Unmistakably bold. Each dish I dived into seemed like it was waiting its whole life for this hot sauce, making for pairings that were nothing short of legendary. We took out BBQ chicken, jerk chicken, and fried chicken, each resting on a bed of rice infused with its own spice melody, far from being mere background players. The synergy between the rich flavors of spices in the chicken and the vibrant kick of the hot sauce was like a well-orchestrated dance of heat and taste. Sure, the coleslaw could have used a bit of a tweak, but it was easy to overlook when everything else on the plate was hitting high. By the time I remembered it was there, I was too caught up in the rest of the meal's brilliance to care. Honestly, if I could have this meal every day, I would. read more

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I was looking for something to go with a new Trinidad-style hot sauce we picked up and found Island Spice Flava. Finding this spot was the best thing that happened to me this week. It was big inside, but there was no seating. It had a fence all around, reminding me of the pandemic times. The staff, speaking from behind their barricade and the food display, paired my three "All Day Special" orders with rice and peas without asking. While they were well seasoned and very filling, I would have preferred selecting my sides. Although they offered salad choices, the lack of labels led me to opt for the familiar ones, which were coleslaw and macaroni. It was a slight learning curve for a first-time visitor. Jerk Chicken: This authentic Jamaican dish boasted spices and tender meat so flavourful, it rendered my hot sauce unnecessary--a standalone masterpiece. Fried Chicken: Despite not being freshly fried to a crisp, its batter and meat paired remarkably well with our hot sauce. BBQ Chicken: This sweet and savoury dish was equally enjoyable on its own or enhanced with our hot sauce. Priced around $15 per item, the value was impressive. Although it was a challenge to order for the first time, the quality and taste of the food justified the visit. I'd like to return to try some of their other items on the menu, especially the oxtail. read more

Island Spice Flava - menu - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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Place opens at 11 am and when I walked in at 11:07 am there were already 4 people in front of me. The ladies behind the counters were so lovely and helpful. Got the jerk chicken with rice and peas and a side of coleslaw and a pasta salad. Also ordered a side of plantain. Food is delicious. Service is wonderful. Ambiance is great! Highly recommend. read more

Island Spice Flava - Jerk chicken with rice and peas, coleslaw, pasta salad and plantain. - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

Ordered the bbq jerk with rice + coleslaw. The food was really good, I really really really enjoyed their coleslaw. I've come here in the past and the food was OK, but returning today it was really good. Service has always been good! read more

Island Spice Flava - Jerk bbq chicken with rice + double coleslaw - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

One of the best in the city been coming here for years learned about it from my father in law best bombaclot

This was my first time eating at Island Spice. With the first review listed as 3/14/14, I'm surprised it took this long for me to discover this place. It was pretty good. My first observation about this place was the lack of seating. Besides a small counter against the front window with four chairs, there was no seating available in the place. There was a piano with no bench, and probably enough room for about four tables of four, leaving a generous amount of space for the service counter and cashier. It could work. Anyway, the main story here seems to be the food. With at least four different kinds of chicken and fish visible in the showcase and several other dishes available in a steam table, there seemed to be enough to satisfy any appetite. Their menu, posted on the back wall, seemed to offer all the favourites - oxtail, curry goat, beef, roti, ackee, saltfish, liver, and more. I chose Jerk Chicken (leg quarter) with rice and peas, coleslaw, and channa (chickpeas). With a little oxtail gravy on the rice and peas, everything tasted pretty good. The chicken was moist and tender with lots of flavour. The chickpeas were seasoned just right and their coleslaw was very good. This was a very good dish. I'll have to come back to try their oxtail, curry goat, and more! Thanks, Raj! read more

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I like the ackee and saltfish! You can get it with two sides or just rice and beans (in which case you receive more rice). If you go with the breakfast option, the ackee and saltfish then comes with boiled dumplings and bananas. The barbecue jerk chicken is pretty good too, and I like it with coleslaw, which balances out the jerk spice with something a little creamier. The line goes pretty quickly even during lunchtime (these people aren't kidding around, so you better know what you want when it's busy). read more

Delicious jerk chicken, definitely one of the top Jamaican spots I've tried!! We got takeout and ordered the jerk chicken with a side of the coleslaw and macaroni salad. We also ordered rice and peas with the oxtail gravy over it. The chicken was super delicious, the skin had so much flavour and it had a really good level of spice to it! It was a little on the drier side though, so next time I would also get gravy on the chicken as well. The macaroni salad was yummy as well and the coleslaw was creamy with a hint of sweetness and definitely helped cool things down! My only complaint was that the coleslaw was a tad on the watery side, but still tasted very good. We also really wanted to try the fried chicken, and holy this might be some of the best fried chicken I've had in a long time. You can tell it was marinated with a lot of spices, and the crunch on it was amazing! We had it sit in the box for 20-30 min on the ride home and it did not get cold or soggy at all! We also had their hot sauce on the side but beware this is actually very spicy!! The jerk chicken was spicy enough on its own that it wasn't needed, but it was really nice with the fried chicken. Overall I really enjoyed the food here and will definitely be getting takeout again at this spot! read more

Island Spice Flava - Jerk chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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This place had the same sort of feeling as most Jamaican food joints, welcoming, and nice. The smell as soon as you enter, lets you know its island food. The music is enjoyable, and the counter is set up like a Chinese joint, which seems smart given how popular this place seems. My only issue was how tiny the parking lot is. But the food was well worth it. read more

My neighbour friend wanted to introduce me to this tried and true local favourite for Caribbean food! Located just off the SW corner of Pitfield Rd and McCowan Rd in the Pitfield Plaza, the restaurant has so many choices available right on their heated counter display. I would definitely come back to try their other seafood options. That's definitely a plus for me with this place, besides how conveniently close this place is to my home. It's just working distance!! Where have I been all these decades? My friend and I both liked their atmosphere and found it to be a clean place with cultural accessories such as mini boxing gloves, wristbands, banners, and Black Lives Matter merch sold on the side. Food quality: The food there had a ton of spice and flavour; make sure to ask for more sauce if needed. The sauce and stew help make the food from mild to having a bit of heat, to pretty hot, and burning! King Fish I suggest people to order the spicier version or specifically ask for more stew/sauce to come along with it, or else the fish itself is a bit dry and bland when asked for mild. Love all the veggies that came along with the combo, on top of the typical rice and peas. Jerk Chicken As always this BBQ jerk chicken never fails to let my friend down the mix of sweet snd spice is just right and with a healthy green salad and brown rice with peas is a great balanced meal for lunch Value: I just love to support local businesses!! The prices were so reasonable. They have both lunch and dinner specials, so do give this place a try! It was the perfect size for one sitting. Not too big nor small for me; just right. Overall: I am aware that after March 1st, there will be a slight price increase on all their items, but it's not easy to run a mom and poprestaurant these days. The fact that it's within walking distance to me and has multiple fish options is a major win for me! Feature video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oVv238y4d5o read more

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One of my favorite places to grab lunch! In fact the "lunch" special is an all day special! Curry Chicken or Jerk Chicken? Peas and Rice always wins over Rice! Garden Salad, Cole Slaw or Chickpea? All really tasty and reasonably priced. Lines are long during lunch time! This always a good sign. Limited seating but most people having them to go including myself. Cash is King here! read more

Absolutely the best Jamaican food in the GTA. Some of my faves: - Oxtail - BBQ jerk - Pepper shrimp - BBQ fried chicken Their portions are more than enough for one person to, staff is great and there's always a lineup! read more

Island Spice Flava - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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I ordered yesterday baked chicken and Jerk chicken with bbq sauce. Both dishes came with choice of two salads. I went back today and ordered Jerk chicken without the bbq sauce. How good is the food? Well, I went there two days in a row. I will be going back tomorrow to order the Fish (Snapper). I am so glad I discovered this restaurant right in my neighborhood. The marinated jerk chicken with combination of spices and pepper reminded me of the food I had in my many visits to Jamaica. I am a fan. Update: June 6 2019. Chris C and I went for lunch today. We ate in the limited eat in space provided overlooking the parking lot. I looked at him and go "it would've been nice if there was a patio out front". I imagined us chilling on the patio eating Jerk Chicken. I felt like I was in the West Indies basking in the Sun with the cool breeze kissing my face, eating Jerk Chicken and sipping on my Cream Soda. We enjoyed the food, and as the Guyanese say " we throw back and enjoy". A great day topped off with good food. I am thankful I am alive. read more

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Big bang for your buck, a authentic Caribbean cuisine that also serve fish aside from jerk chicken read more

Island Spice Flava - King fish - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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Always a delightful coming to this restaurant,The food is amazing and Delicious,The staff are always friendly, Once a week I come to this restaurant by Bus that takes me about 20 to 25 minutes there and 20 to 25 to go home.This is the only place come come for jerk chicken with chow mein and side of pasta,I usually come to pickup for 3 other people as well,Because they love there food too. Best Caribbean food read more

Best jerk place in Toronto. Great food great service. Lots of variety to choose from. I've been there many times and never been disappointed once. read more

Little pricey but food is good, portions fine. The sides are extremely overpriced online, good luck with that. Mac pie and jerk are delish.

My favourite Caribbean join in the GTA. Authentic. Spicy. Flavourful. Great service, great price, great food. Definitely recommended! I got the lunch special $7.99 with Jerk + BBQ and two sides (coleslaw and greens) with some oxtail gravy on top my rice and peas. Added two spicy beef patties. read more

This place has really great food! Just like any local Caribbean restaurant. It's tiny and they only make enough food for the day, so once that batch is done, you're out of luck. I usually get the jerk chicken which is amazing but today I tried the tilapia. Omg it was so tasty! I'm Caribbean so I know good fish when I taste it--seasoned well, perfect soft texture, and not overdone with a million different spices. As for service, it's the kind of service you would expect to get at a non mainstream Caribbean restaurant, so I'll leave it at that. Lol. I always get the lunch special which is just over $6. With that you get the choice between rice and peas or a big dumpling (aka fried bake) along with your meat. It's the perfect size portion for one person. I look forward to my next meal read more

Island Spice Flava - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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Best BBQ jerk with rice peas and coleslaw. Also really like their daily soups, macaroni pie, and jamaican spicy patties.

This is my second time ordering take out from here and boy was it delicious! The ladies are very friendly there. They have a few selection of all day specials that you can choose from but I only get jerk chicken from Caribbean restaurants since it's impossible to make at home (for me at least haha). The specials are $7.99 + taxes and the portion is HUGE. They give you a lot of rice and peas and you can choose from TWO of their sides! (I thought it was only one side so I only chose coleslaw). The jerk chicken had a smoky flavour to it that was not too overpowering. It was perfect. You should always ask for their gravy, it's amazing when you mix it all up. I usually ask for gravy on top of my rice AND a second scoop on my chicken. read more

Island Spice Flava - $7.99 all day special. Jerk chicken with coleslaw. - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

Lovely food here thats been served up for the past few years. Great staff who cares about the customers they cater to!

Oxtail was way more bones than meat. The jerk chicken was dry and had no real flavour. Portion size was decent. Bought a large oxtail dinner and jerk chicken for 55 or so. Very expensive price. Overall value, wasnt happy read more

Expensive yet very mediocre. The prices are ridiculous. I truly don't mind supporting small business but when 2 pieces of chicken and 1 soda adds up to $35, something ain't right. read more

Nice jerk chicken here, with good flavor and not overly sauced . Good portion size and so good value for your dollar. Mostly a take out place but there is bar style seating at the front window. I would recommend. read more

Island Spice Flava - Jerk chicken lunch special. - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

This is definitely one of my go to spots when craving chicken of any sort. The prices are amazing, the people are kind and the food is nothing short of fantastic! The most common meal people purchase when going here would be their daily specials which include one type of protein, varying from fried chicken, bbq chicken, jerk bbq chicken, jerk chicken and traditional style fish dishes with your choice of rice or dumpling. Dumpling is simply fried dough that has a hint of sweetness. With tax this meal comes up to about $9 & it it really filling. I would say you can share, but if you have not eaten you should probably each get your own. My favourite chicken is the bbq jerk, it has the spiciness of the jerk chicken with the sweetness of the bbq sauce to make the perfect balance. The jerk chicken for me is too spicy, as I'm not a fan of spice. The bbq chicken can get very sweet after the first couple of bites, but still amazing if you're in the mood. And the fried chicken is good, but you might as well eat something that has sauce with it. I have also tried one of their other meals, they serve traditional Caribbean dishes including king fish and ox tail. We tried the oxtail, which sadly you can only buy in large. It comes with rice or two dumplings. The flavour was amazing, however for the whopping price of $18.99, your money is better spent on other items on the menu. Overall though, island spice never disappoints! read more

We live in the neighbourhood and often frequent Island Spice for our jerk cravings. Make sure you ask for coleslaw, as they don't automatically give it to you. Lunch specials are a good deal. Parking lot can get busy, and it's a bit of a weird layout. Closed Sunday's. They moved to a bigger locations a few doors down in the plaza, but the last couple of times I've been there they got rid of the chairs and tables... So be expected to do take out- or stand and eat? read more

Island Spice Flava - Jerk lunch special - Caribbean Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

Amazing food, when it comes to Jamaican restaurants I'm extremely critical but they really surprised me, the BBQ jerk chicken was absolutely delicious & tasted like my mother's cooking...need I say more? read more

One thing I love about Scarborough is the Caribbean food. Island spice has reeeeeally good jerk chicken. Coleslaws bomb too. Parking lot can sometimes get packed and is a little annoying but it's worth dealing with for the jerk :) read more

Fast, efficient service, friendly staff. Highly recommend BBQ Jerk Chicken dinner. A must try. Consistent flavours.

Little hidden gem and really the best jerk chicken dinner I have. The slightly charred chicken leg on a bed of fluffy bean and rice, doused with their oxtail sauce. Oh, don't forget to get their homemade chili sauce and sauerkraut! Tangy, sweet and spicy with a tinge of sadness when you realized you wolfed it down too fast read more

Love getting their lunch specials. This was my go to place for jerk chicken when I worked in the area. Was in the area today and had to grab for lunch. The taste was just as amazing as I remembered it being. I enjoy the bbq jerk chicken - so saucy and flavour packed. I also recommend trying their hot sauce! So spicy and so fresh! They make it from fresh peppers and you can definitely taste the difference. Be careful though cause a little spice goes a long way (I've learned that the hard way before lol). read more

This spot is a hidden gem! I've been craving for Caribbean food and this was recommended by a coworker. I had the bbq jerk chicken, stew chicken, braised beef ribs, rice and peas, coleslaw and friend dumpling. All the meat was tender, flavourful and mildly spicy just like how I imagined it. I would definitely return. read more