Ali's Roti Restaurant

10/10, big portions for about 14 bucks. I got the stew chicken with some squash n cabbage. The Jamaican pineapple soda was also a good pick. Shoutouts to Fatima + kitchen staff for being the best!

So glad I came upon this place during my visit to Boston. I would categorize it as a chipotle style restaurant featuring Caribbean/India food. You pick the meat or veg option and the up to 3 sides and all of it comes wrapped in a large roti (wrap). I recommend going with rice as one of the sides. The chicken curry was very favorable! Note that the food can be a bit tricky to eat with just a fork.

Food looks great and taste just as good . Lots to choose from I got the stew chicken and rice with a side of goat . I made some great decisions today

Ali's Roti is my FAVORITE restaurant in Boston fir a Trinidadian Roti. The curry goat, beef, chicken, and shrimp are all delicious here! They also serve King Fish and Red Snapper but will sell out of it by the afternoon usually so keep that in mind. There is a very limited number of staff here as it is a small family owned business so sometimes you'll have to wait in line, but the food is always worth the wait!

Excellent west Indian food. Love the Roti. Have been enjoying their Roti for long time, started from there original branch in Mattapan. Prices are gone little expensive now perhaps due to everything being costly.

First time I'm having food here. Food is good. Staff(all ladies) is very friendly and respectful. Answered all my questions and helped me to choose my food.

Roti was delicious we tried both the chicken and beef. Love how you can add your own sides to your roti. They have potatoes, yellow and white rice green beans etc. The 2 ladies helping are super friendly

Good guyanese food. Not much options of guyanese food in the area. Dont go for the ambience because the place isnt a looker. The food is good and the chef/host is. Very sweet lady

It's always exciting to find a Trinidadian spot, especially since this is the only place in town serving roti! The roti is solid, and it's nice to have a little taste of home right here in Boston Looking forward to trying more of the menu and seeing how it stacks up to the flavors I grew up with!

This was my first time trying Trinidadian food/Caribbean food. They have plenty of vegan/vegetarian options. The food was very delicious! The roti was a little dry but very flavorful. All of the toppings potatoes, rice and beans, and veggies were so tasty. The Jamaican pineapple soda was refreshing but a bit sweet. The lady who took my order was very friendly and had a great sense of humor. The only downside is that the location doesn't appear to have any AC. So, best to get your food to go on a hot day

Went here for the first time last week, while I was in the vicinity. Very stripped down atmosphere, but there was ample seating.in booths, and the women working there were very friendly, and, charmingly, a bit shy. I was told that I needed to get there earlier in the day in order to have more choices of dishes. That said, read on... I got the boneless chicken stew over yellow rice, cabbage, chickpeas, and an excellent homemade green hot sauce. Food was excellent - flavorful, fresh, not greasy. I ate more than I should have because it was so good.. This will be a go-to for me when I'm in the Sourh End/Roxbury area.

Food was delicious! Ate up the roti and promptly took a nap afterwards. Highly recommend you stop by here for a meal.

Oh my god! So good. It's always the same order. A small roti with chicken curry. You get two sides with a small roti - I go for the spiced potatoes and the mango curry. The chicken curry is flavored really well, even a small bite is like an explosion of flavors in your mouth. The chicken is seasoned well and tender. As for the sides, the mango curry is a wonderful balance of sweet and spice (and everything nice). The mango itself is cooked well and has a hint of sour to it - goes superbly well with the chicken. The potatoes help balance all the curries. There is a little bit of heat in the curries, some days more than others! I'm not sure what the roti is made of (it's not like the tandoori roti you get at Indian restaurants) but, oh my, it goes well with the curry and the sides. Also, one time, they were out of the roti (we got there 15 mins before closing time). So the staff substituted rice for the roti, which was delicious too!. Don't let the outside fool you. It may not look like much but give the food a try and you'll want it every day. The staff isn't very talkative but they are very nice and accommodating. This is definitely a favorite!

Great hole in the wall Caribbean spot. I wish these more commonplace in Boston. The lady working was really friendly and she joked with me about them not serving doubles. Also they are halal, big plus. I got a medium roti (plenty big), with boneless curry chicken, channa, cabbage, and pepper sauce. Probably the most classic roti combo. AND an ginger beer. For the uninitiated here is a quick history/cultural lesson. Caribbean/West Indian food is food from countries like Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, and Jamaica, NOT India. There is an overlap of seasoning, flavors, and dishes because when Caribbean countries were colonies of the British Empire, indentured servants were brought from India to work the fields since slavery had been made illegal. This lead to Indo-Caribbean's bringing their food and culture to the new land. And so roti exists in a much different form here than it does in the Indian subcontinent. It's NOT a burrito, don't eat it like one. You can eat it with a fork and knife or unwrap it and rip off pieces and scoop the filling with your hand. ~the more u know ~

We are visiting from NYC and stumbled upon this place after a college tour. The restaurant is very bare bones but I did not come here for the decor. I came here for the curry goat and curry chicken. Both were delicious in the large roti with 3 sides. No pics because we ate it all. My fingernails are still stained from the curry.

I LOVE Caribbean food. I've been trekking to Singh's roti shop for months and I finally looked into a roti shop closer to home. Ali's looked great! Close by, a very similar menu, and cheap! I came in on Saturday around 4pm and they had everything ready to go. I got one goat curry roti and one chicken curry roti. Both were delicious! I ordered small for both and it was enough for 1 meal per person. I had a really hard time saving any of it because it was too tasty. I'll order large next time! The price difference is about 4 dollars between the small ($10) and the large ($14). The sides I ordered consisted of string beans, potato, and chickpeas. You get to have 2 per roti. I thought that the sides were only okay. Singh's sides are definitely better but this is a decent substitute. Anyways, the curries were PERFECT. Less bones in the goat and the chicken was amazingly soft. Only downside was that neither roti had a ton of meat. BUT, they had enough. I will be coming back all the time!!

Delicious food, Wonderful service. Loving attitude from start to finish makes this place my top favorite in the neighborhood. Convenient location, easy to park, great menu. My favorite thus far is their vegetarian roti, I have tried other roti and there is nothing like Ali's roti. Highly recommended

I love this place so much thats why I give it 5 stars. I been coming here for years and still the same Caribbean taste. You have to get in early to get the boneless curry beef, but they are awesome. Service is great and food is always good. Many may have their own opinions but this is mines. So you can leave any comments to yourself. Thank you!! #Ali'sRoti

Customers service is horrible i travel 2 Boston to receive a roti Ali's Roti in Mattapan the younger women are so rude and don't have patience the owners really need to address this issue extremely disappointed don't think I would be going back there ever again

This is a small restaurant that serves delicious, authentic Caribbean food. The store is painted in an orange/red color. Inside there are couple of tables and seating available, but people usually get their orders to go. They serve HUGE portions. There are two sizes, the small(~$10) and large. I always get the small size for myself and even then I can feel my stomach expanding. Their Roti is of amazing quality but messy to eat. My go-to order consists of the tender and perfectly simmered lamb, wrapped together with potatoes and veggies into a BIG roti. I actually eat roti the same way I eat naan. I peel off a piece of the wrap and use that to scoop up the contents. But then again, you can always just use a fork and knife! Word of advice: GET READY for a mess, indulge in the mess, and clean up after! (or not) If you are not feeling like cleaning up, you can go for the rice platters. They have the same choices, but are put inside one of the white plastic boxes. There are also plenty of other protein choices (curried chicken, stewed beef, etc.). They change up the protein choices once in awhile (I remembered they even had fish this one time). Cons: The store is only open 4 days a week, with short daily opening hours. The lamb runs out near the end of the day too (that's how good it is)!

If you are looking for a quick lunch or take out this is the place to come . Several hot food selections to pick to go with your rice and veggies. Oxtail , curry chicken , shrimp , curry meat , goat etc. prices are decently priced and there's only one lady to serve you of your selection . Overall it's a good pit stop for a quick eat.

Ali's Roti is my FAVORITE restaurant in Boston fir a Trinidadian Roti. The curry goat, beef, chicken, and shrimp are all delicious here! They also serve King Fish and Red Snapper but will sell out of it by the afternoon usually so keep that in mind. There is a very limited number of staff here as it is a small family owned business so sometimes you'll have to wait in line, but the food is always worth the wait!

chicken curry roti was sooooo good. enough food for two of us. also great to have another delicious halal option on this side of town.

When I lived in the city, this was one of my favorite places to get a good cheap delicious meal. The menu is West Indian Caribbean. I loved the curried chicken, stewed chicken, goat, red snapper, oxtail, and I think stewed beef. They serve the above all on a huge bed of delicious rice and it comes with a side veg...I always liked the braised cabbage. THere used to be 2 more Ali's. 1 in Rozi Square and the other on Blue Hill ave. but i am not sure if they are still there. Totally delicious!!!

Ali's never disappoints,if you are craving flavor this is the place to go. Beef roti and chicken roti both are out of this world. The prices are unbeatable. Overall great place.

I had my first Roti today and it was fabulous! my boss was in Boston and she picked us each up one - Curry Chicken with steamed potatoes, cabbage, onion and carrot --- the bread was so delicious and it was like a smorgasbord in my mouth. MMMMMMMMMMMMM You open it up and the steam, aromas and flavors just burst out at you! 5 stars!!!!!!!

I've been all over the Caribbean and Ali's still has my favorite roti. Get the large with curry chicken, potatoes, chickpeas and cabbage with hot sauce on the side - it's perfect.

This little place in South End is really close to Northeastern, which makes it a convenient place to stop by for lunch or dinner. The first time I went, my friend and I had the chicken stew and the chicken curry. Personally, I liked the chicken stew better, although the chicken curry was decent as well. The potatoes that came with the meal were really good, flavorful and the perfect texture. I've never had roti before, so I didn't quite know what to expect, but it was a good complement to the meats it was wrapped in. I feel like the roti would taste better if it was warm, but it's a minor complaint. The next time I was there, there was actually goat curry. I tried that, and personally, it didn't really live up to the hype for me. It wasn't flavorful enough and contained too many bones. My friend got the beef, which was really flavorful and tender, so that's what I'll be trying next. We also tried to rice pilaf this time. It didn't taste as good as it looked. It was strangely sweet, whereas I expected it to be salty. This food is messy and I probably looked like a hot mess trying to eat it, but it's good comfort food and is very filling. For under $10, that's a pretty good deal. It's in a kinda sketch area, but that's the South End for ya. The lady at the counter is really nice as well.

Love this place. Let's start with the basics. A roti is somewhat like a west indian/indian burrto. It's has a wrap and it's stuffed with meat, potatoes and other veggies and sometimes rice. I've been going to Ali's for years and stopped when I moved. I haven't been here in ages and thought their would may have dropped in quality. It has not. The food tastes just like it did 10 years ago. So filling, so flavorful and so cheap. I always get the goat roti and the meat is always tender and seasoned. I love that their potatoes are seasoned and then mixed in which I say is a game changer. A roti costs about $10 which is a good price. Definitely try it out, and make sure to get a ting with it (grapefruit soda) to wash it down!

This place was really sad and disappointing. the prices fell off the menu board, and I didn't know what I was going to be charged until I was at the cash register, and the store was cold inside. I love south indian roti and malaysian/indian roti, and I love indian food, so I was looking forward to something similar. Reviews on here encouraged me too, so I got a chicken roti wrap for $13 and change. Wow, that was bad! The aroma of the seasoning spices was nice, but the texture of the wrap was pasty, mushy and kind of dry. There was no detectable chili pepper, and it didn't really have much going on in the flavor or subtlety department either. The roti wrap itself was more like a poorly made pie crust than like anything I had in Asia, or in indian restaurants. The cabbage inside was limp and mushy, so it didn't really help. It has been sitting in my stomach for hours as a heavy leaden ball. It was huge, which would have been a plus if it were good, but it just seems like quantity over quality

Today 04/22/2021 @ 4:40 my experience: The customer service is really lacking one short older lady with red hair decided not only to make me wait 20 minutes but when it was my time to pay she decided to take a customer that she knew (who just came in"after me") ahead of me and then ...started making food for the person behind me ... before checking me out I was there for 30 minutes while my husband waited outside anytime I asked her for anything she just acted like she didn't hear me and then said wait underneath her breath. I shared this with my husband and he said he had the same experience I don't care how good the food is if I'm going to be treated like I don't matter. I was just ready to leave the food and not even support the business.

Loved Ali's! Walked from NEU to get some roti to go for lunch. Read about the Roxbury Crossing address on www.yelp.com so heaed over. SUPER good Trini roti. I had chicken with chick pea curry and cabbage and carrots. My daughter had the plain chicken and potato roti. Both were excellent. 19.00 USD with one soda. LOVE this place.

Hidden gem! Perfect for a quick lunch, great price. Definitely suggest getting the mango chutney with the beef.

She is stingy with the portions, and changes the prices. I would not come here try the one in Mattapan

Um yeah. I LOVE Ali's Roti. Gawd. Love it. Their potatoes are probably the tastiest (non-fried) potatoes I've ever had at a restaurant. No lie. They're soft and kind of half mashed, half chunky, and the flavor is perfection, just like a nice savory spice blend that never tastes too heavy and just elevates the flavor of the potatoes to a god-like level. Now, I had never had a roti before. But looking on this here yelp page people seemed to describe it as somewhat similar to Indian food (debatable). But, being the Indian food aficionado that I am, I investigated in my favorite way, which is mouth full, only stopping to breathe. Now, some people compare the roti to a burrito, but I think there is a very important point some may have missed. This is absolutely a knife and fork kind of meal. The roti wrapper is seasoned and deliciously slightly greasy and stretchy and flaky, but it is no match for all the heavy moist foods stuffed inside. If you tried to pick this up with your hands you would be eating an exploded roti off of your lap. Which you would totally do because food that good should not go to waste. The first time I went, I had the chicken stew with chickpeas and potatoes. I liked the chicken stew but didn't love it (just personal preference), and I thought the chickpeas and potatoes, while both delicious, had too much of the same texture and similar flavor to be the only veggies you choose. So next time I got a vegetarian version and added cabbage and green beans to the roti. Highly recommend this, it was delicious. Also they have large and small rotis. A small will cost you about $10 and is about the same size as a human stomach. So I mean, unless you've been training for competitive eating I wouldn't recommend a large. These little mamas are HEAVY! They gave it to me in a little paper sack, and my arm hurt from carrying one small roti back to work. So I mean, what I'm saying is you can work out with the roti, then eat the roti. Can life get better? I submit that it can not!

Very delicious roti. Never disappointed. The women there lie sometimes about what they have in stock. Like I wanted a roti bread by itself and they told me they didn't have any extra but they had literally just opened up the store. If I'm a customer and I come to buy then supply me cause I'm paying don't lie because your saving it for yourself or your favorite customers. Other than that the food is really fucking good. Period.

Delicious, deliciousness Ali's roti hit the spot. Best Caribbean restaurant in Boston. I recommend everything and definitely the curry mango, curry beef and pelau

It seems the price of roti has gotten quit expensive. Bought 1 chicken curry with pepper and 1 extr side and a champagne cola $19+. That's a bit pricy. It was not the best that I've had but it was tasty.

A little stingy in the meat for a small chicken plate. $10..U could get more food elsewhere for the same money. When their open. Which is sporadically. The foods not bad . It's the only Jamaican food in the Ruggles area and it's quick food. Which is the only reason i tolerate the prices.

Finally found an authentic Caribbean place that is as good as the ones scattered throughout NYC. Had their goat curry with seasoned rice and chickpeas. Goat was so tender and perfectly seasoned. Hole in the wall spot, friendly and quick service, extremely good food. Wish I had found this place earlier

Don't go! The food was very spicy, old, and tasted horrible. The prices are not that cheap at all, but the people were friendly. My mom and I had a very bad experience with the food :/

After hearing about this place from a friend -- and getting over my deep sense of shame that for all of the time I've spent in Roxbury Crossing, I'd never been -- I took my first trip to Ali's Roti last night and was very pleasantly surprised. The woman behind the counter was wonderful; it must've been obvious that we'd never been, because she took the time to explain the menu items behind the counter, and let us stand and stare while we came to our decisions (the goat and the snapper). We ordered, and she went back into the kitchen, rolled out a couple of flatbreads, and grilled them up right in front of us, which gave us a lot of confidence that we'd be getting some high-quality food. It ended up being delicious -- the fish was especially good (it was moist and flaked right off the bone), as were the freshly-cooked flatbreads, the curried potatoes (so good), and the rice we ordered. The goat was flavorful, and the meat was very tender, though I'd caution that a goat roti might be just a little too salty if you don't have something like rice (or a drink) to cut it with. It was a nice little surprise in an area not necessarily known for quality restaurant options. Great food, friendly service, neighborhood roots. Skip New York Pizza and grab something a little more interesting.

If you want a small hole in the wall restaurant, not a hipster place trying to create that ambiance with faux hole-in-the-wall decor, with excellent food at a cheap price, Ali's is a great choice. Ali's has an outstanding selection of savory meats and vegetables that you can have in a roti, which is a wrap somewhat like a burrito with warm fillings. Ali's is a bargain, especially for a pricey city like Boston. I'm a big guy, and the small platter option still seemed like a huge quantity of food. This place mostly serves working class folks in a run-down but safe part of town, and inside you'll find old menu boards stained yellow with years of accumulated grease and grime and a dining table that wobbles even though a folded newspaper has been propped under a leg. In short, this isn't the sort of place you'd probably go on a first date. Remember that if this sort of dining experience isn't your thing, you always can get a take-out order, but I don't mind the authentic if worn atmosphere of this neighborhood restaurant. Ali's is less than a 10 minute walk from the Museum of Fine Arts if you cut through Northeastern University and cross the train tracks. With great prices, excellent food, and friendly service, Ali's will get my return business.

For all ye who have succumbed to the convenience of Bolocco or Qdoba, your excuses are nil. May I introduce to you an AUTHENTIC place that wraps meat and rice and veggies in stretchy bread items. I have gone to Northeastern for CENTURIES and never realized that goat curry, stewed chicken, roti, and pelau were hiding out on the edge of campus. Grab a box to-go and have a picnic in the quad. Now, you have to play by Ali's rules if you want the goods... It's only open the latter-half of the week, and the oxtail isn't ready until Thursday, but just roll with it.

Went to Ali''s on Sat. for lunch. Place had a line out the door. Carribean music blarring away. The food is fresh. Goat Roti. Shrimp Roti. Chicken Roti. Ali's Roti the people's choice. Worth the trip. Check it out.

This is a great place to eat right next to Northeastern University! It's down the street from the Coventry dorms on the corner of Coventry st and Tremont very close to Ruggles. The food is pretty good and it's very affordable. You can create ur own roti customized with whatever u want. The flavors are very interesting and mild. I wouldnt recommend it for every day but it's good once ij a while when u want some kind of fast food, go get this. it's homemade and better CASH ONLY!!

The rotis are good. I liken this place to Subway with roti. You get to select what you want in your roti as you move along the line (i e. Choice of meat, potatoes, chickpeas, cabbage...etc). I believe you can choose 2-3 fillings for your roti depending on the size you want. The line moves pretty fast when it's packed. However, the run out of staple foods frequently. There has been a few times where I've had to wait 10 min or more for curry chicken. If you like Caribbean sodas they have a vast selection.

If you are a curry loving foodie. This is the place for you. Sounds odd but a roti is a think crepe like tortilla with a rice, and potato filling with your choice of meat. Amazing authentic west indie food.

Cheap, delicious food you KNOW was just made by the father/daughter duo in front of you. Decide if you want your food wrapped up in a delicious roti or separated into compartments in a styrofoam container. Whatever your decision, you won't go wrong with authentic Trinidadian food. I won't even tell you what to get here. Whatever your heart fancies. Don't let them skimp on the hot sauce though. Nowhere near the spiciness I expected! Oh but get the cabbage. Please? ZOMG and they take credit cards. (And it's down the street from my apartment. I'll miss you.)

I've never been to Ali's Roti Restaurant...so why am I writing a review? My friend got fabulous take-out from there to celebrate her birthday and it was so good, I had to get the name of the restaurant. My friend is originally from Mauritius and she says Ali's food is the closest thing to home cooking for her. The delicious stuffed rotism, stewed veggies and chicken / goat curries are delicious and very flavorful mix of Indian / African cooking that's apparently found on islands all over the world! I can't comment on the actual restaurant location since I never visited, but the take-out is fantastic and very reasonably priced (for us, $8 per person)!

Who are these people leaving negative reviews?! The place is clean - may not have the fancy ambience that you may be expecting in more expensive places, but you pay for what you get. And here, you are paying for fresh, hot, extremely tasty food. You can see all the way into the kitchen, which is spotless. I walked in today and couldn't decide between the oxtail and the goat curry. The lady said you want to try both? And I nodded excitedly. SO I HAD A GINORMOUS DINNER BOX WITH RICE, CURRIED GOAT, OXTAIL STEW AND CABBAGE FOR LUNCH. GAH HEAVEN. I make a mean oxtail curry so this oxtail stew was a little bit lacking for me, but in all fairness it wasn't a curry and was a stew. So the flavour profile is a little on the sweeter side. It was cooked well and tender. If I have a craving for Oxtail again I'd go back, cos who wants to spend 3 hours cooking oxtails all the the time?! The Curry goat though is soooo good. Just enough of the spice, and oh so tender. IM TOTALLY GOING BACK.

Solid solid solid! Went here for a curry chicken roti (partially because they were out of a lot of other stuff, but that didn't matter! All I needed was one good thing, and this was it.) The place is not much of a looker, but the food is really good and really cheap. And the portions are sizeable. Maybe a little bit less than a chipotle burrito. It's pretty much everything I need in a place to convince me that I should just go there instead of cooking. Their hours are pretty lean though - definitely check before you go, because i went there at 7:30 last Thursday and discovered closing was at 7. I substituted Sunrise chinese instead, which is too bad because I really wanted roti.

I love Singhi's roti shop, so thought I would try another Trinidadian restaurant. I went on a Saturday afternoon and the place was empty and forlorn. All the food was kept at a steam table. I ordered a vegetable roti, which was okay, but the bread itself wasn't made fresh. They pulled it from the sort of cooler you'd use from a picnic and it wasn't very good. The restaurant also seemed overpriced and the menu was very limited. If you want roti, I'd suggest going to Singh's roti shop in Dorchester, was has a more diverse menu, fresher food, and more helpful staff. It is outstanding in every way.

I just went out here on Saturday with a friend and his wife. It was our first time. There isn't much parking there, so we got the food for take-out. My friend and I both ordered goat curry with 2 sides of vegetables: garbanzo beans and potatoes. I had it in roti format, and my friend had it in roll-up format, which is basically the same roti but with the curries and vegetables inside it. The food was definitely Caribbean peasant food, but it was made professionally. The food didn't look as good as it tasted, and the ambience there was awful. The lady working there was nice, and we talked a little about Nazir Ali, the owner of this restaurant. For 3 orders of food, it could easly serve 5 people, and we paid $26.

I went there Saturday she didn't have much selection I ordered the Roti chicken i was not impressed I go to flames Route 9 much better cheaper I pay $13 including soda I'm not happy I will not go there again

I absolutely love the original location on Blue Hill Avenue, they sell true authentic Caribbean food. But this location is no way like the original location. The food doesn't compensate for the decor, the service is friendly but slow, and the quality of the food I wouldn't recommend to anyone! The roti skin is thin and bland like a white flour tortilla, the chicken is dry and under seasoned, the rice was over cooked and mushy, and there was no flavor to the undercooked chic peas, and overcooked potatoes.

This place is a bit of a hole in the wall but it is delicious. The basic concept is you get roti (which is more like paratha than roti for any South Asian carb aficionados, aka it's yummy and greasy) that you can then fill with curries like potatoes, chicken, lamb, rice, etc. The portions are huge so bring an elastic waistband.