I thought I was gonna Chow down!!!! NOT! I hate when restaurants don't use ripe fruit! The plantain was so unripe and dry. The jerk gravy was spicy as it should be but thick and tasted like vinegar. I should be able to see herbs in this gravy if it's done right. It shouldn't by so thick and cloudy. Oh well....... Never again....they have gone commercial with there food cutting authentic corns. RESPECT. read more

MP Island Cafe - Soul Food Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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There online ordering is frustrating you can't order dumpling, plantain, banana allot other things that are available in store. It's almost impossible to order over the phone. The ordering assembly line on-site is just a mess. You have a minimum of four people touch your order and then the cashier. This food is fantastic operations and customer service need to get it together. read more

I am getting very sick and tired of you guys having older people running the line. I understand everyone needs work but I feel that you should find something else for them to do. I can't get mad at them that they move entirely too slow. They can't help it. But you guys clearly know your lines be too long. I've been eating here since you guys were down the street. So I love the food and I only eat here every once in a blue now because you guys are too slow and there's been more places like this opening now. Please fix this. read more

I visit this location frequently for the grocery side which I would rate a 5 star but the food is what I am reviewing today and I only give that 3 stars so I met in the middle at 4. As far as Caribbean spices and ingredients this is a one stop shop. Anything from empanada dough to scotch bonnet peppers. I typically come here because of the scotch bonnet peppers because that is just one thing you will not find at any of the supermarket chains in this area. That is a necessary ingredient in a lot of Jamaican dishes that we make in my home. This location also has a small restaurant inside as well. Ive only eaten the food once and was not impressed. The ox tails which is the most expensive dish on the menu is also what they give you the least of. For the amount the dish costs you would wish you got more than 4 pieces. My huge disappointment on this visit was the curry chicken. They absolutely didn't use enough seasoning. It was the lightest runny curry chicken I have ever had. I have even eaten at the other MP's in Virginia Beach and never had anything this bad. The only good dish was the stew chicken but that would not be enough for me to pay to eat here again. I will continue to come for my grocery items. read more

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For years my husband and I have waited for the days when we are both off work and could enjoy MP islands lunch buffet. The food was always amazing our absolute favorite Caribbean place in the area. So when we heard they were moving to another location and they were not going to be having the buffet anymore we were a little taken back. But happy to say their new set up is not only nicer cleaner also more convenient. As they have a for countertop lineup where you can get your favorite foods in combos all day long for great prices. So glad I made it out here today can't wait to bring the husband back some yummy food read more

MP Island Cafe - Curry chicken, Mac and rice & peas - Soul Food Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

The food was delightful and fulfilling. I must say the taste is like u are already in the the carribean. The portions are more than enough. I was bisiting from charleston sc. ive traveled to jamaice and several carribean islands and i can tell u its right on taste!! read more

To my chagrin, I'm sad to say that I didn't live up to they hype. I ordered the jerk chicken (heavy sauce), mac and cheese, yams and a beef patty. I ate the beef patty first. The outside was nice and flaky. The moment I bit into it I had a nice crunch. The inside however was good but lackluster. I could have gotten the same thing from Costco. The mac and cheese was really soft and mushy. They cheese said didn't taste like cheese but rather like processed yellow goo. As a mac and cheese connoisseur I was highly let down. The yams were nice and sweet. The texture was nice and soft. I would recommend those. I also sampled a little bit of my boyfriend's rice. It was good, just a little salty. The jerk chicken was amazing. The spice was just right and the flavors were all there! I can tell that they jerk wasn't rushed like the side dishes. **the location has changed. They are now down the street from the original** New address: 6109 E Virginia Beach Blvd Overall it was a good experience. You get a really good bang for you buck. I would go back to check out the selection of groceries. I just wish they served fired plantain. read more

This place prices is very expensive and they are very slow. The don't have customer service and they count your for and forget about the soup all they give you is the juice now what's in it. They they will ignore you if you ask for a certain piece of meat you want. read more

YO!.. hands down this the best yard food around in Virginia. Unless you comparing to your Kitchen then thats debatable lol. Seriously been coming to MP since before they move and a meal nor customer service has disappointed me. Love the market that's attach to get my Caribbean fix with drinks snacks fish you name it they have it. read more

They have a great grocery section with the foods and drinks that we use back home in my country. Awesome

I have been eating MP Island food for a couple of years now and recently noticed the quality of these dishes have gone down tremendously. Two weeks ago I bought some OX-Tails and it was awful, the only thing it had was color, there were no seasoning, it was just Blah. Today I wanted Ackee and Saltfish but they had no bananas, yams or dumplings to go with which is strange for a Jamaican Restaurant. I bought Curried Chicken.... this was so blah, no seasoning and again only have a little curry color. Come on MP you have got to do better............ read more

The wait is way to long for food that taste alright. Waist of tim e and money if you ask me. They got too big too fast so now all they want is your money. Plus they don't wear mask in the back. read more

The patties and sweet potato pie! That's all I got to say, order ahead of time also to not be in the long lines. And this place is open on Sunday. read more

The level of "We don't care" is astonishing. No chicken tenders so instead of calling the customer to see if we would accept a substitute, they just scribbled a note on the receipt. I ordered oxtails with cabbage and rice/peas. They completely drenched my cabbage in gravy which was absolutely disgusting...and no the gravy didn't accidentally spill in. They were completely drenched and obviously deliberate. To make the soggy mess edible I had to rinse, drain and season. Just wow....... read more

My last visit to MP was several months ago and I am just now getting around to writing a review. I've gotten takeout food here a couple of times and it was okay so I thought I would try the dine-in experience. Whatever you do don't dine in and get the buffet. The service is pretty hands off so if you need something you can't find you'll probably have to get up and look for someone to help you. Maybe we picked a bad night but my wife and I both agreed the buffet was absolutely hideous with dried out food that had been on the steam table way too long. Everything was bland and tasteless, we couldn't find one single thing we really enjoyed except for the cornbread. The place is dark and dreary and the fact you're eating with a plastic fork on disposable plates only enhances the decidedly low budget experience. I'll give them props for the cornbread though, it was delicious. Based solely on my last visit I would rate it one star but since I've gotten decent takeout here in the past I'll bump it to two. read more

MP Island Cafe - Jerk chicken, cabbage, rice, mac and cheese. Average. - Soul Food Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

It was real packed and the workers was real confused and nervous didn't even get my order right can't find a park and hard getting out I wouldn't let my pet rat Charle eat here and Charle eat anything. read more

This place is a rip-off, true ting! I went on two separate days within the same week. On my first visit, I had a dark meat jerk chicken dinner which comes with 2 sides. I chose plantains and mac and cheese. They use a styrofoam container with 1 large section and two small sections. They asked me if I wanted more mac and cheese or more plantains. I was a bit perplexed because the two smaller sections of the container are exactly the same size. I chose more mac and cheese. They put the mac and cheese in the LARGER section of the container and then took the container to the back for the jerk chicken. I didn't catch on fully about this little trick until my next visit. The jerk chicken came chopped into pieces. I was so hungry that I didn't check out my container until I was home. The plantains were dry and not the sweet, moist plantains I am used to. The mac and cheese was nothing to write home about. The jerk chicken was very good, not too spicy but...how do you chop a leg and thigh into smaller sections.... bones and all... and fit it into one of the SMALLER sections of the container?!?! And got the nerve to sell that for damn near $20?!!! After taxes, it IS $20! And THAT is supposed to be a large! I didn't figure all of this out until I went back to get some oxtails. Those were a joke. We all know that an oxtail is already about the size of an average woman's palm with very little meat. MP Island has the audacity to CHOP UP THE OXTAILS..... and give them to you in THE SMALL SECTION of a 3-compartment container!! The serving they give will fit in the palm of my hand!! Are you kidding me?! And charge $20 for a serving of bones.... in BEEF GRAVY... because their recipe is NOT the Jamaican dish of oxtails! There is no spiciness... no distinct flavor... very few butter beans... it is a wanna-be roasted beef and gravy! And don't get me started on the attitude of the servers! I felt like an uncomfortable stranger carefully walking through a hostile environment. There were no smiles, the atmosphere was heavy, no friendliness... no "thank you, please come again".... I barely got a "how can I help you?". And when I tried to get double sides... I was told I couldn't do that. If I get a choice of two sides, why can't my two sides be the same thing? Sounds like they are rationing food. When I asked for the oxtails ala carte, they told me it was $5.99 per oxtail. Say what?! She must have meant per serving. I asked how many oxtails in a dinner, she said "four". Okay, give me the four oxtails, keep the sides and charge me for a dinner. Now, I'M thinking 4 regular oxtails. Insert laughter HERE. She said she couldn't do that. Say what?! So you are going to force me to take your sides that I don't want .... all because you only give a handful of chopped up bones... you fill up the large section of the plate with filler sides to distract from the fact that the main course you are paying for.... well.... you are being ripped off!! Let that sink into your money.... you are serving a handful of ... bones in beef gravy. No thanks! Mine taste more authentic than theirs. It takes a while to cook but I'll stay home. read more

Been coming here intermittently for years and every visit has been acceptable. It's definitely my go-to for Jamaican Cuisine, spices, & produce! Only place I know who serves Ackee w/ salt fish. I crave Ackee about 2-3x's a year & this spot satisfies! I'm always served with a smile. I prefer Ackee Saltfish with rice, peas, & greens. Last time I ordered it with rice & greens, I was scolded by my Jamaican friend about how that's not the way to eat it! LOL On this visit, I chose to get the traditional, yams, dumpling, banana, & fried plantains just to see if I liked. Yams & fried plantains were delicious. Dumplings and banana I believe are acquired tastes. These sides could be the equivalent of what steamed rice is to Asians. No flavor, but, have to have it with every meal. A day without rice is like a day without sunshine. This could be the case with dumplings and bananas which I can respect. I like that bananas are healthier than rice. I LOVE MP's Ackee but, will divert from traditional next time and stick to greens & rice. Good stuff & well worth the price!!! Believe me, I almost collapsed when I saw the price of one can of Ackee. The grocery. It has been awhile since I've been to the grocery section. There are great deals and unique finds. Everything appeared more organized and fresh than previous visits. I did a quick walk through and got what I needed(garlic, bundle of thyme, scotch bonnet peppers, Jamaican Curry seasoning). It seems like they've added more produce. I saw some veggies I could use for Asian dishes such as chayote aka cho cho. My father(Filipino decent) used to come here 10 years ago for his meats & produce. He was an outstanding cook. I think he was onto something... read more

MP Island Cafe - Ackee Salt Fish!! I opted for traditional sides this visit but, prefer w/ greens & rice. Ackee craving satisfied!! :) yumm! - Soul Food Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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The outside appearance definitly needs a good cleaning, coat of paint and inside needs major updates from to to bottom BUT i live for their happy hour.....i go at least twice a week for their $4 wings && $5 Soul punch. Mac is my favorite bartender, always so generous and food is always hott!. It sucks that this place gets so many bad reviews. Ive never had a problem here and will continue to come back. read more

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Food was absolutely delicious. Those cabbage...baaabee!! Please go and grab you a plate!!!

My order was curry goat, rice and peas, cabbage and a cup of soup. Let me start with with soup, there was an obviously rotten potato in the soup, just molded green and purple. I saw this after eating the goat which was bland and rice that was dry, the cabbage was decent. Needless to say, I was sick for two days after eating here. Full blown vomit and body fatigue food poisoning situation. Very disappointing. read more

Let's start off by saying the food here is only so-so. I have given this restaurant multiple tries, and after my last stop in I won't be back. I'm clearly aware that they cheat me on my portions size, whether or not I order a small or large size I get cheated on my meat. You'll get a box full of rice and a few pieces of everything else. I have done this multiple times. I would order a small meal, then go back the next day and order a large only to receive the same amount as the small. Along with that there is absolutely no concern or since of urgency when dealing with customers. The workers very obviously don't want to be at work and it clearly shows. They are always out of something, workers have attitudes, and extremely slow service. CARIB SHAK in Virginia Beach is far better and worth the drive. Prompt, FRIENDLY service and amazing food! read more

Can somebody say happy?! I'm so glad that this place was recommended to me by people I Lyft'd around. I ordered a Lrg Curry chicken (heavy sauce) w/Rice & Peas,Cabbage, Mac & cheese, & a coconut muffin. I was sad they ran out of plantain (fried banana) at the time, but I'm sure they're good too. The only things I didn't like was the location (no parking space, difficult to get in & out) & how long I stood in line, but that was understandable when I noticed they were putting effort into providing fresh, hot food to the long line of people. I look forward to making many visits back here in the future! Very nice people, but please don't make the mistake of being on your phone while ordering (there's a sign that clearly says it too) or you'll earn yourself a good ol' Jamaican "hello?!" & that's not a good thing... LOL read more

My friends and I were excited to check this place out, only to be shocked at the quality of service we received. We wanted to dine in instead of getting take out, and were quoted a 10-15 minute wait time for just menus by the bartender, Winston, who didn't seem enthusiastic about us sitting in the bar. The entire restaurant and bar barely had five people in it all together, so the thought of a wait was questionable. We sat down for about 5-6 minutes before even being greeted by said bartender again with menus in hand, who blatantly told us from the start, "I don't feel like serving today. You can always just go to the other side of the restaurant and get take out", even though we had explained that we specifically wanted to sit down and experience the restaurant and what it had to offer. We thought he was kidding at first, but he seriously did not want to serve us for some unknown reason. Maybe it was because we're young and he didn't think we would tip him, which we always tip at least 20%, or perhaps, he was having a bad day. Alas, he obviously and very reluctantly took our drink and appetizer order, and didn't bring us anything to drink while we waited for our food for nearly 15-20 minutes. He barely checked on us during the time we waited, it was more like he was avoiding us. We wondered why a few little appetizers were taking so long, especially when the restaurant was practically empty. Along with that, we had simply ordered water, which we didn't receive until nearly 10 minutes after we had received our food. My friend basically had to beg to get a glass of water. There were no plates given to us, barely any silverware, and he practically threw our food onto the table in paper bags, and had to guess which appetizers belonged to each person. By then, we didn't think our experience could possibly get any worse. It couldn't, right? He forgot one of our orders, but by that time, we didn't want it anymore and politely asked for it to be taken off of the tab. On top of that, he got all of our tabs mixed up with the wrong orders on them. We felt insulted enough as guests, but as people who work in the service industry ourselves, we were appalled at the quality of customer service. We had to eat off of the small amount of napkins given to us. The coco bread, plantains, and patties we ordered were great, though. We were interested in ordering alcoholic beverages, but decided against it considering the rude and terrible service we had experienced over just ordering simple appetizers. Instead, we just paid for our food and ordered our entrees at the take out register, to which the bartender said, "Thank you for ordering over there. I appreciate it", as if it were a burden to serve us. We were incredibly shocked at the blatant response we received. We felt unwelcome and ignored the entire time we were in the bar. We simply wanted to try out a new restaurant. On another note, the employees up front were much friendlier and helpful, thankfully! The food was amazing- which made the experience way better than it had started! The curry chicken, jerk chicken, corn bread, and rice and peas we ordered were fantastic! We would definitely try this place again because the food was great, but stick to ordering take out, and avoiding the bar. read more

THE FOOD IS ALWAYS GREAT!!!!! I travel to eat at this restaurant an hour and 20 minutes. Best Jamaican food I had from Richmond Va to Norfolk. If you love GREAT Jamaican food, this is the place. read more

I am disabled and can't drive so I got my food delivered to me and they had the NERVE to scam me and put the oxtails in the part of the container where the side goes!! They don't have to EVER worry about me patronizing this business again especially after waiting almost an hour for food 15 mins away and paying $20 read more

MP Island Cafe - Can u believe this ish!! - Soul Food Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

The servers were very friendly! I enjoy the authentic Caribbean vibe that they had at the restaurant my food came back to me pretty quick the portion sizes are big as well I ordered a regular and it was more than enough for me to have to eat I highly recommend them if you are looking for an authentic Caribbean experience read more

MP Island Cafe - Soul Food Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

This like my 3rd time trying this place. Nope no more. I had stew chicken, rice peas, and cabbage. The chicken was pretty good, the rice always tastes somewhat hard and old (third time), the cabbage is too mushy. The two stars wasn't for the food it's for the slow clueless ppl behind the counter. The line was long and know one had any urgency to move the line. One young girl who was taking orders was fast. The old man he's too slow and makes a constant mess. And the girl at register, whooo attitude. Customer service is not for her, no sense of urgency. Never again will I buy food from here again. I will try another Caribbean spot. read more

The food was just okay..... Both of my to-go plate was one big Caribbean GOULASH ....once I got home. The gravy from the oxtails was combined with my other food ...I had macaroni and cheese with oxtail gravy goulash. MP Island, you got to do better with your to-go containers... things with gravy, should be in a separate container. read more

As I am a huge fan of this place.. they recently upset me with serving the most dry, bland rice I've ever tasted here. There chicken was dry too.. I use to enjoy coming here and I hope the next time (if any) they do 10x better ! read more

Good food good people! Oxtail is awesome, fried chicken insane! All good Caribbean groceries. Love this place

So ive grabbed food from here twice, once via delivery and the other time I placed a pickup order, both times my food was alright, not great, not bad, just in the middle. Portion size is good, the food seemed fresh it just lacked the flavor I was expecting. My in-store experience was good overall, the line was reasonable which made me feel a better about going in before the dinner rush, This made me feel as though I would for sure get fresh food. The people in front of me took a while to decide which gave me plenty of time to look over the menu and items in the hot bar which I definitely needed. The staff was professional, helpful, and observant throughout the ordering process, everyone was well mannered and seemed to genuinely care about what they were doing which was reassuring as well. I had the oxtails, macaroni and cheese, rice & peas, and cabbage this time, last time I ordered oxtails as well with yams and macaroni and cheese, they were out of yams so I was substituted with plantains, they were a little dry and blah but I tried to not focus on that too much. Would I come back/try them again? For Sure. read more

Delicious. I love this place. If you are looking for a full hardy meal this is the place. I love that la tienda attached! I am able to find seasonings that regular stores just do not have. The line is usually long but the food is worth it. Just about everything on the menu is bomb. Can't go wrong here. It is a little pricey though. But hey it's Virginia‍ there's not a lot of food options here so places like this tax on it because they know this. I ain't mad at them this place can get all my moneys. read more

When you get your platter in the store, the food is good. When you Door Dash it, its like they do not season anything. I ordered a few times and had to doctor my food with seasonings because it was bland. read more

Truly worth trying. I wasn't expecting much as my Caribbean pallet had not found a place in Virginia that I loved or even liked. The food at MP is the real deal. The thing that will keep me coming back is the curried goat. All the right flavors and just the right amount of heat to warm the heart and the pallet. The lines were long and continued to be long as I ate but moved quickly. I am happy I found this place. I will certainly be back for rice and peas and curry goat. There is also a market attached to the restaurant where you can find new and old favorite snacks and beverages from all over the Caribbean. Mi belly busss!! Happy eating Yeeps!!! read more

Pretty good food not a fan of their fried chicken jerk definitely has a kick though clear those sinuses right up

They always have great food here. Always have different spices and products in the grocery part to get . It's very refreshing to have something from the normal. This is my go to spot for a very Hardy meal . And the food is always hot and ready when you get there so there really never a wait . I love not wait for the food to be cooked . Only thing I didn't like about my veggie combo was the plantain wasn't good like there other location in Norfolk . But it's no biggie just might have be a off day for plantain lol. But I love the people there so nice and genuine. They make it where you want to come back read more

MP Island Cafe - Veggie combo is awesome - Soul Food Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

In all honesty the only problem that I found with this place was that they were very slow. The food was good but expect a wait 15 minutes while the food is sitting there already cooked in your face. Another thing I didn't like was the cabbage was really hard. The food is very affordable and that is definitely another positive. I'll be back but it would definitely be a while read more

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My husband and I love this place!! Everything from the menu is amazing! The ladies that work there are very friendly. Stop by! You won't regret it!!!!! read more

Thanks for ruining my dinner because there was no sauce added to the dry ass jerk chicken! read more

MP Island Cafe - Soul Food Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia