Stopped by Karibbean Cuisine after seeing an Instagram review and was looking forward to having…read moresome good Dominican food, especially because it reminded me of my summers spent with family in New York and visiting the DR.
When I got on Yelp, I saw mixed reviews, especially comments about a woman being rude or having a bad attitude. Thankfully, we did not have that experience directly. I did briefly see her come out from the kitchen, we caught eyes, and she walked back inside.
The ambiance was ok, good music , no customers at the time, but a few tables were dirty. The young man cleaned it right away . To be fair, I don't think the issue is primarily the young man taking the orders. He was kind, apologetic, and seemed to care, but the overall operation felt unorganized. Our order was incorrect three separate times. First, the drink order was wrong, but he fixed it and apologized. Second, we paid extra for mayo ketchup and garlic sauce in small 1 oz containers, but they were not placed on our tray, so we had to get up and ask for them. Again, he apologized. Then, when we received our tray, he let us know they had run out of lettuce and gave us potato beet salad instead, without offering us an option first.
We ordered the goat stew plate and the grilled chicken plate, both served in to-go containers. For the plates, you get your protein, then a choice of green salad or potato beet salad, along with either white rice or moro rice, which is rice cooked with beans. We chose the moro rice. I've had Caribbean/Dominican food many times before, and it is usually packed with flavor, so I was honestly surprised that this was bland. This definitely feels like a coaching opportunity for the cook to taste the food throughout the cooking process, because a little seasoning and balance can make a huge difference.
The grilled chicken portion was generous, and the plantains were delicious. The guanábana/soursop drink was also delicious, and the tamarindo had good flavor, though it had a lot of pulp/flesh in the cup.
That said, the chicken and onion sauce were very bland and needed salt. For the prices being charged, the guest experience should feel more polished. Our total came out to $78 for two plates, two drinks, a small side of beans, and plantains. Pretty costly for what we received.
Another thing that stood out was the napkins. When we asked for more, we were only given two additional napkins, which felt very stingy, especially when eating saucy dishes like goat stew. It just didn't feel like the best way to treat guests.
As a chef and food safety professional, I also noticed behaviors that need coaching, including apron use when going into the restroom, lack of visible handwashing afterward, and bare-hand contact after scratching the head before touching food containers. These are important food safety habits that should be reinforced immediately.
Overall, Karibbean Cuisine has good flavor potential and generous portions, but they need stronger operational structure, better order accuracy, improved guest communication, and tighter food safety practices. At this time, I personally would not come back, but I do wish them all the best in their business. I hope they take this feedback as constructive criticism and apply it in a way that helps the restaurant grow, improve the guest experience, and build long-term guests. If I see changes in the future, I would gladly give them another try. Until then, I truly wish them success.