I had a craving for oxtail after watching a tiktoker influence me to come try this place. I ordered pickup through GrubHub because when I called the phone line was busy. the old lady was nice when I entered just said I'm for GrubHub and she it was ready. the oxtail was excellent but I think it was old because I ordered on a Monday. the beef patty was flaky but dry but it was still spicy and seasoned. read more

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The food needs help and the place is sub par It needs improvements in and out It's a hole in the wall place read more

So I ordered from here on Door Dash only because I needed Black Cake for my book club tomorrow and my regular place didn't have any more. However, I got pineapple upside down cake instead of Black cake. That was really frustrating because I would not have ordered from here if I would've known they didn't have it. The pineapple upside down cake was good though but I could've made that myself. The Brown Stew chicken was good. The fried plantains were perfect. I also ordered fried chicken for my son. I was surprised they had it on the menu but it was not regular fried chicken in my opinion. It was more like fried chicken bites. It was good but not what I expected. read more

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This is the best hole in the wall we've ever eaten at. Recommended by my Jamaican neighbor (who cooks up an awesome dish) we decided to try the Curry Chicken. I've been missing something in my life and I'm certain that I just found it! I'm so happy my neighbor recommended this place to me. The food was so good!!! As an FYI, the prices online are not the actual price. They've gone up considerably, however, well worth the cost! We're so happy we tried this place out. read more

I went to Shawni's for my birthday - - food was on point I did not want desert but my husband and myself order a pitcher of a drink - - well after only being at the table for 1 hour and 5 minutes we were asked to take our drink to go (mind you we ordered almost everything on the menu!!) -- what? we were not even there 1.30 hours are you serious!!!! A month later I LOVED their fish when I went for my birthday we decided to do take out (never would I sit down there again after being kicked out) THE FISH WAS HORRIBLE NOTHING LIKE WE ORDERED A MONTH EARLIER ABSOLUTELYLUTELY SEASONING WHATSOEVER. . . I will never order from them again. read more

With the abundance of Caribbean restaurants around North Jersey, it really boils down to just picking the place you like the most. Street parking is all you have to work with here, but there's a small lot next to the place that could possibly fit a couple of cars. FOOD: Large Oxtail Platter ($14): I ordered a large platter to share with someone else, and I personally thought it was just okay; the person I shared it with liked it a little more. The oxtails were tender and had decent flavor, but the sauce was a bit sweet; some of the sauce made it onto the rice, adding a sweetness to it as well, which I wasn't fond of. The side of cabbage was alright. If I were to guess, the oxtails are cooked days in advance, because the batch we received was very dark and a bit dried up; it appears to have been reheated a few times. It takes hours to get oxtails tender enough to eat, so I assume that may be the reason why it looks the way it does. Price wise, it's cheaper compared to the other places I've been to that charge a few dollars more for the same amount. Sweet Fried Plantains ($3.50): Good. It's not the soft kind you can find at Latin American restaurants; it's firmer and not as sweet. SERVICE & SEATING: The owners are friendly and welcoming. Shawni's is small mom-and-pop type of place, but four two-seater tables are available if you want to enjoy your food there. If it interests you, they offer catering-sized trays for multiple dishes. I saw pictures of their brown stew chicken, so if I give them another try, I'd try that or maybe their goat curry. read more

Shawni's Caribbean Cuisine - Side order of sweet fried plantains - Caribbean Near Me - Roselle, New Jersey

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We need more Jamaican restaurants. The few we have are forgetting the authentic flavor. The owners are friendly. And while this spot is a hole in the wall at times they are real good. Last visit the jerk was spicy. Huh. JERK is supposed to spicy and well seasoned. The oxtail was dry lacked flavor, the plantains were bland. Only the chicken curry was made well. And the parties were good. Overall Not irie read more

The roti. Curry chicken in a tortilla shell? Really. I wanted to call and get my money back but I purchased it without reading the reviews. The carrot juice was hot. The oxtail good taste but dry. Please steer clear. This is not Caribbean food at all. $50 wasted. read more

Shawni's Caribbean Cuisine - Roti ???curry chicken in a tortilla shell. - Caribbean Near Me - Roselle, New Jersey

The service was terrible. Ordered it off Uber eats. We ordered stew chicken, bbq chicken and two beef Pattie's with a Kola champagne. Not only did not communicate that they may not have anything we ordered. When we received the delivery, we got a side of oxtails and two orders of jerk chicken. No patty, no drink, no bbq chicken. When we called the restaurant they were passing the phone around with no explaining. Stating they place a ting in the bag and they did not. They stated we should order again the next day. Like WTF kind of response is that. I'm not ever ordering from there. Clearly the people that work there have no true knowledge of service. Pretty illiterate if they can't even read and pack and order correctly. I wish I could give it zero stars because they don't even deserve 1. read more

I went here to get a friend some food because she hurt. She hadn't had a good meal and stated she wanted some Caribbean food. I went in and explained that I was getting food for a friend. They couple there was nice and gave me extra food for friend to help her heal. Beautiful. Friend was super happy!!! read more

Food is amazing all of the time, the lady at the counter is one of the nicest people, she treats us like family every time we come there, excellent service, nice location.... Love this place read more

I don't write bad reviews very often but when I do, IT WAS A BAD EXPERIENCE! This is my first time ordering. I guess my first sign was most likely after 45 minutes in my Door Dasher called to say it will take 30 minutes to prepare the oxtails. I was hesitant as I know good oxtails takes a good while to marinate to get the tender texture and spices... It was tough, not seasoned and AWFUL. The curry chicken was just as tasteless... The rice and peas, had no peas. The rice was more like uncle ben's. The worst carribean food I've ever had! I'm a Panamanian so grew up with carribean food and my mother, grandmother, and father cooked very well... My oxtails is to die for--I was not trying to cook so very disappointing. The cheese patties was falling apart and the roti that cost $5.00 which was very high, was not very appetizing. What a wast of $50 bucks spent not to mention the Door Dash delivery and tip of 15 additional dollars! So disappointing... An American could have done better! Caribbean food is know for their spices--this was AWFUL AND TASTELESS. I try to support the local restaurant but this really was BAD... The rest is going in the TRASH... read more

This is a fantastic restaurant, we always order the oxtail and rice platter and it is always great!!!! I wish we could get more meat on the bones but it is really really good food. The Pattie's are good I tried all of them and enjoyed them. read more

It doesn't look like much from the outside. Which is why I wanted to try it. Hole in the walls is where you can get authentic meals. My only gripe is how expensive it is. $50 for a medium oxtail, Large chicken stew, 2 beef Pattie's and Mac & cheese. The beef Pattie's look like the frozen ones that was disappointing. Mac and cheese is good but the oxtails and stew are DELICIOUS. I will order again but not for a few months. read more

Delicious food with all the flavor you need. Cash only. Friendly staff as well. Curry Chicken is my favorite and they give a lot of meat!

Food is amazing and always great hospitality. Just wish the place would get a nice makeover.

The food was really good ! The prices were reasonable compared to the Places by my area. And they gave good portions. beef patties was really good too you can tell they weren't frozen or the ones you order off the truck ! Homemade well seasoned ! I ordered 1 large oxtail and 1 medium stew chicken and it was I ate it so fast I forgot to take a pic lol read more

We placed a order by phone for pickup and we had a feeling it would not be correct. We got there 20 minutes after the order was made and the clerk could not find our order. The clerk asked what we wanted and we gave her the order again and she said "oh I remember that order" . After she took our order again we asked how long it will take and she said not long. Then we asked if it will be longer than 10 minutes and she checked with the kitchen and said they have to make the cabbage. Not a good customer service experience at all. read more

I got a large oxtail platter and broke out in hives. Never had this problem with other Caribbean restaurants. I'm actually curious to know what they put in their oxtails, cabbage or beans and rice. Other than that though, it tasted ok. read more

Made an order for pickup curry goat (large) and way more than I thought I was going to get with a side of roti skins. Most commercial spots dumb down the spice when it comes tto curry but this place was just right. Not to hit for those who don't like heat but eNough to satisfy you're taste buds if you're used to more pepper read more

This place is horrible, i called them to place an order and a lady answered and the whole time she's talking to other people in the restaurant as if i was not on the phone. I ended up hanging up and then i ordered food through the DoorDash app for pickup and when I got there the guy behind the counter had me waiting for half an hour and then tells me that he could not see my order through the app, everybody in the restaurant was waiting for about an hour and everybody was upset. For the majority of the time the guy behind the counter was in the kitchen and not attending anybody even though there was a huge line and To top it all off I saw a cockroach crawling behind the counter. Maybe the cockroach was an employee, I'm not really sure because the guy behind the counter was gone the whole time and the roach was casually hanging out behind the counter, and i don't know if i was just delusional and hungry but i could've sworn it said something to me, anyways It's a shame because their food is pretty good but their service is horrible and their restaurant is disgusting. I worked with restaurant chemicals for years and have seen kitchens with cockroaches, the fact that this roach was in the front of the house I can't even imagine what the kitchen looks like, I'm never eating here again. read more

I went to pick up food at this restaurant and was disgusted with what I had witnessed. The lady behind the counter saw a cockroach crawling on the wall and she flicked it down so I wouldn't see it. Then there was two other cockroaches on the counter. She was trying to distract me by talking to me but I had seen the cockroaches. I walked out and will NEVER go back again. I figured if the cockroaches are visible in the front of the establishment, I can only imagine the infestation of cockroaches the kitchen must have. Yikes!! read more

I give this spot 2 stars merely for the customer service; the gentleman behind the counter was very kind & cordial; the food on the other hand was mediocre. I ordered the stew chicken; can I just say I've had better; to me it didn't taste fresh, sometimes leftovers are better than day 1; however, this didn't taste like leftovers, it tasted more like it had been reheated several times as the chicken was over cooked & a tad bit dry. There was more rice & peas & no cabbage which should have been included; eating all that rice & peas is entirely too much carbs, I need some veggies. I read the reviews prior to going, but nevertheless this was a huge disappointment. Not sure if I'll give them a 2nd try, I rather drive the distance to Newark or Irvington to get something that I will enjoy, hell worst come to worst I'll drive to Brooklyn & endure the $15 toll for some great Caribbean food. The Linden/ Roselle area could truly benefit from some good Caribbean food ( this come from a non Caribbean chick). Any suggestions for my occasional cravings within the Linden/Rahway/Roselle area. read more

Shawni's Caribbean Cuisine - Caribbean Near Me - Roselle, New Jersey

The wait is horrendous and none of the staff wears masks. While I waited over 2 hours for my food I saw roaches crawling all over the place and I can only imagine how they look in the kitchen. Would never eat there again. read more

My favorite Jamaican restaurant. Authentic flavors, always fresh. 4 stars not 5 because they do not have all items I want at once. Usually no Mac n cheese. Otherwise good size portions, spicy jerk chicken. And tender oxtail, tasty beef patties. And Bob Marley music keeps everyting lively read more

Disappointed for a few reasons. While the service was super fast, I wasn't blown away with the jerk chicken platter. Don't get me wrong, the chicken wasn't tough, dry or tasteless, it simply wasn't seasoned at spice level I normally would like it to be. More importantly, the jerk chicken was not done on the grill. It was done in the oven. Too bad, because I would've been back over and over again for the char flavor. The rice and peas missed the fragrant use of thyme and coconut milk. Dry. The cole slaw was cooked, under seasoned and not fresh. Bland. Another gripe I had was no credit cards. Supposedly, the machine was broken. I don't buy it. It's annoying that we live in a modern world where everyone, including my nieces who are in their early teens are swiping! I like to swipe too. Parking. It is very limited so most people take out. If you do eat in, too small of a place to have 4 or more people. read more

Ordered from Grubhub and not only did I wait for well over an hour they canceled my order without explanation or even an apology. Extremely horrible form and unprofessional. read more

This is a great food find. I had Spicy Jerk Chicken. It's a dive, No Menu, 3 tables, take out. Perfect!!! Enjoy read more

Shawni's Caribbean Cuisine - Jerk Chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Roselle, New Jersey

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The food was phenomenal and tasted made to order. It was well worth the wait! This has been the best Jamaican Food I have had since moving here from Florida's. It definitely gives you an old time feeling in the establishment. read more

I moved to the area a few months back and finally found a place for oxtail that meets my expectations. Small place but the food tastes like someone's mom is back there cooking it to order, it's just so delicious. Pleasantly surprised and will continue to return when I have my oxtail cravings. read more

Shawni's Caribbean Cuisine - Oxtail, rice & peas, plantains and cabbage- SO good. - Caribbean Near Me - Roselle, New Jersey

DO NOT ORDER FROM HERE THROUGH DOORDASH and dashers do not accept orders from here unless you want to waste an hour waiting for the food. Unfortunately I learned this the hard way. I was the only one there when I entered and had to wait almost a full HOUR. To top it off, they have ROACHES. The other reviews are true. I saw at least 2 while I was waiting there. It skeeved me out having to sit there and wait. I was absolutely disgusted. Also the staff had their masks down and customers came in and out without masks. Very unsanitary and unprofessional establishment. read more

Love their Jamaican Beef and Curry Chicken patties!! Crave it every time I come to Jersey :) read more

Sad I wanted to try out their actual food but was turned off by a bad encounter. Got some cow foot soup and I was so watered down with no taste. Instead of the lady behind the counter offering the small of it wasn't enough. She suggested the large which was a bad choice on my end. 10 dollars down the drain for some soup with no taste. Now i didn't get to taste their actual food. read more

If they served boiled dumpling and filled their to-go containers, they'd deserve more stars. Always take cash in case the machines are down.

Ordered jerk chicken. The jerk has bbq sauce mixed (don't know who likes that, but I hate bbq), the cabbage is cooked well but not seasoned, the rice is undercooked and hard. Took 2 phone calls, 5min of repeating myself in each, just to get the order taken. Still didn't get plantains (after specifically asking for them in BOTH phone calls). They ran out of chicken and it took 45 min to place the order before we called. Only 7 min away and I'll make sure to never return. Wasted $30 (2 orders). read more

A friend recommended the jerk chicken and it was delicious. i didn't expect it to be so spicy but it was still very much worth it. the plantains were even better. definitely coming back for more read more

Loved it thanks great food nice ppl sure to visit again and again small restaurant but food is cooked with love!!!! I would recommend to anyone trust and believe read more

Really good Jamaican food. The oxtail and curry goat were perfect. The dining area could use some cleaning - reason for not giving 5 stars. Also, watch out, the lady here might insist their card reader does not work and would want you to use their ATM for cash ...but the card reader actually works. read more

So im an elizabeth native and i am always looking for somethin good to eat because the selection in elizabeth isnt very good. So i looked on yelp for a jamaican spot and found this place. It had fove stars! Mary was so sweet she cooks the food fresh and for 10$ you get a huge plate of food! I couldnt even make a dent! I had the curry chicken which was packedddd with flavor and comes with a heaping helping of rice and peas cabbage and fried plantains....simoly delicious not to mention Mary is as authentic as it gets! I will deff be back! Dont be fooled by the dive appearence this is good eats! read more

My teenage son brought me some oxtails from this place and I must say that they're some of the best Jamaican oxtails I've had in a really long time. Tender and full of flavor -each bite had me wanting more. Needless to say, I'll definitely be eating here again and again. read more