Calabash

I was visiting Tampa and decided to stop by—and let me tell you, I did the happy dance! I ordered the oxtails with peas and rice, and it came with steamed veggies (cabbage and carrots) and sweet plantains. Every single bite was bursting with flavor. The oxtails were tender and seasoned to perfection, the rice had the perfect texture, and they did not skimp on the gravy! The entire plate felt like a warm hug from the islands. When I first walked in, I didn’t expect it to be such a small spot, but it smelled like an island home and truly did not disappoint. The only reason I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because the person at the counter wasn’t very service-oriented—no “hello” or “how can I help you,” and I’m big on friendly service. But honestly, with food that good, they could say nothing and I’d still come back. Total cost about $19 I’ll definitely be returning next time I’m in Tampa!

Beautiful people, beautiful food!!! First time eating ox tail, but lemme tell you they have the flavor! Very good food for a very good price!!! And miss Velma was a delight to speak to and laugh with! Definitely a must on a visit!!!

We stopped by today for the first time this place was amazing. If you’re looking for the real deal bussin authentic food with a ton of leftovers, go here. Velma was the sweetest person I just loved this experience. 10/10

Yum! I’m not sure why I waited so long to try this…so flavorful and when she says their hot sauce is hot, it is HOT! Which I appreciate. Give it a try- generous portions and very nice people. I’ll be back.

Loved this place and Mr Mike's recipes are amazing! They have a small menu, and it's fantastic. Loved the oxtail, chicken curry, and the jerk chicken is incredible. They're great people and I was super happy to meet them. Glad I have so much leftovers!

Second time visiting St. Petersburg. Me and my husband both from the caribbean and was looking for a nice caribbean restaurant to eat lunch at. We decided to stop at Calabash. And I much say th⁰e food was great. They have a outdoor seating and let me tell you we was full and tried once we finish eat. A much to go and eat. Be back again

OMG!!!!! The food was delicious I had the oxtails regular plate. Everything was delicious my family enjoyed their food as well. I will definitely be back to this restaurant again.

Amazing food with incredible flavor and huge portions! The vegan plate is so good and has so many veggies. Highly recommend!

Went back and even though I'm usually against getting the same thing over and over at the same restaurant i HAD to have those oxtails again. Also brought a friend who got jerk chicken so we split and shared - she's also obsessed now. And the jerk chicken was soooo tasty and tender and juicy. We only got plastic forks and no knives and didn't even need them for our meat. There were more seating options this time on the little patio area so we ate out there. Really quick and friendly service both times.

I am de captain now. Dey call me da Caribbean tiger. I mash up place. I tear off ya face. Seamoss. Oxtails from outta space. Booyakasha.

Spicy curry chicken or goat, peas & rice, plantains. Yum yum yum! The owner, Ms Kitty Mann, is a sweetie who wants people to relax with sidewalk dining and enjoy healthy food. The kitchen is open and very clean. I like the vibe here... and the food!

This is my first time here. I am choosing the vegan option. I was the only one here so service is good. It's takeout only. Will let tou know what I think later. So far carrot juice is good.

I've been to this restaurant a few times to get takeout and truly enjoyed everything I ever got from them. I felt like having their food for dinner tonight so I stopped off on the way home and was sorely disappointed to see that the place was locked up there was in fact a padlock on the door by the doorknob. So I guess they're out of business, because I can't see any restaurant at 5:00 in the afternoon on a Thursday not be ready to start serving for dinner. I'm truly sad.

This is one of th best oxtail stews I've had! They make a nice vegan rice for my husband.

The service was extremely friendly! Donna greets you with a warm smile and takes your order. Mr. Mike provides the tasty dishes from Jamaica (loved the tender jerk chicken and brown stew chicken). I love that he cooks the rice and peas perfectly, just like my Jamaican-born grandmother, with a hint of coconut! Many of the Caribbean restaurant in the states do not add the coconut to the rice. I will frequent this local business when craving traditional Jamaican dishes!

My husband and I stopped by for oxtail and curry goat and we were not disappointed. I ordered the oxtail with veggies rice and peas and the flavor of the oxtail was savory and the meat was tender. The veggies were delicious with a hint of vinegar and a spice of the scotch bonnet pepper. My husband had the curry goat with yellow rice and veggies and the flavor was amazing. I had to have a taste. the meat was very tender also and perfectly seasoned. We sat outside and ate until we were stuffed. We washed our food down with jamaican ginger beer and pineapple soda. I am definitely returning to this awesome place. Not to mention, the portion for a regular size was enough for leftovers for dinner. The service here was very nice and welcoming. I'm glad we stopped in for our first visit here. I didn't know its been opened for 3 years. It was worth the 25 mins drive from Clearwater.

The curry goat was divine, I absolutely adored the complexity of flavours and the deep spice that I miss in other Caribbean restaurants. The service was very quick and the lady at the front desk was sweet as can be. The outdoor seating was also an added plus. I absolutely recommend!

I mean, seriously, so good. Finally open again after COVID. The staff is so friendly. But the food...oh my. We had the jerk chicken and the spice was perfect. We also had the oxtail. I was literally sucking on the bone. And the sauce/gravy-I got some bread so it wouldn't go to waste. Incredible portion sizes that are well worth the price.

I found this place on a happy accident and I am SO glad I did. Had the oxtail dinner and it did not disappoint, it was so flavorful and delicious. It was my guests' first time having Jamaican food and now they're hooked and I have yet another reason to visit St. Pete!

I wanted to give it a 2, but I couldn't even do that.... I ordered a $18 vegan plate. That's a little pricey to start with, without description m. But I have had many many great vegan dishes that are fun and not basic, that was just labeled vegan plate. So that price was good.... But was I wrong! I received my order (quickly. It was heavy box. I got excited. Thinking about some bean curry, some jerky flavored veggies, some rice and plantains, and just some different exciting dish...Nope nope nope . A platter stuffed with rice. I mean rice a week. And then littler plantains and little cabbage. Plus no flavor, no nothing. I called to make sure I got the right thing. The lady said yeah you get all veggies.. she said rice plantains and cabbage... Fault should fall on me for trusting a new business. --- I did call back after trying to eat it. The lady was nice and giving a refund.

Customer service was amazing. Front counter lady was very nice and helpful. Food was very flavorful and delicious i literally ate the whole plate and they give you big portions too so I'm stuffed for the rest of the day & I ate around 2 pm lol. But anyways amazing food go here .

I've walked by this place more than a couple of times and picked up their menu a while ago but never got around to it until the pandemic. I was pleasantly surprised that this new "mom and pop" shop was still surviving and open with both delivery and pick-up service since the block they are located on Central Ave is still going through major development with construction and they wouldn't get much foot traffic. Sorry, I digress. Before leaving from work, I placed my yelp pickup order with relative ease (thanks Yelp and Apple Pay!) and received a 30 min time estimate for pickup. I noticed that the Yelp online menu was very basic and didn't give as much detail but I remembered their real menu and knew what I was getting (I've seen this for a couple of other businesses too: compact Yelp ordering menus, but more offerings and descriptions on the real in-person menus. Is this a Yelp limitation?) Anyways, I dropped by a bit super early on the off chance the food was ready and the gentleman at the counter and the cook gave me a 10 min estimate and we chatted a while (super friendly guys). When I ordered the goat curry lunch online I was a little hesitant cause the prices are more than I spend for a lunch ($14.99), but the large amount of food more than made up for it. This became 3 lunches for me! I love Caribbean goat and ox-tail stews and I was not disappointed. As with many authentic Puerto-Rican, Dominican, Cuban, or Jamaican places, you will get rice. It's more than the typical low-carb American appetite usually looks for, but that's the real deal. Americanized Caribbean places usually reduce the rice, this place does not. All the better to absorb and soak up all the delicious, curry-licous, stick-to-your-bones stew broth that came with the goat. I absolutely had to stop myself from eating the entire platter in one go. Another FYI for the uninitiated, the goat meat comes on the bone (just like ox-tail), as is authentic, so be careful in your gorging. Lastly the dish came with 3 small-medium wedges of maduros (sweet plantains) ripened and cooked to caramelized perfection and an unexpected crudo/ undressed slaw of chopped cabbage, mild red and green peppers, and carrots which rounded out the textures. Overall I was very happy with the customer service, timeliness, authenticity and execution of the food. It reminded me of the neighbor shops I could walk into in NYC and Philly and which I sorely miss in St. Pete/Tampa. I'll definitely be eating here again! Ox-tail next time... Yummy!

Insanely good! The jerk chicken, rice and beans with ox tail gravy is amazing. The customer service is also great

Very tasty Caribbean restaurant right on Central. My wife and I got takeout for lunch yesterday after walking by it a million times and being curious. I was especially pleased because the "Vegan meal" had tender and tasty seitan in it. The meal also included lots of nice, fresh veggies and a nice rice with red beans. The price was higher than I would normally do for lunch, but it's probably three meals worth of food, so totally worth it. The only thing that would have made my meal better would have been some kind of savory sauce. I read the previous review and it's clear they really stepped up their vegan meal since then. I ordered from yelp, which meant, like the prior review, there was no description beyond "vegan meal," but that seems to be a common scenario ordering from yelp. I was really happy with the quality and quantity of the meal and look forward to eating at Calabash again. Nice job!

My sister came into town from California and I wasn't sure based on the reviews, but she says it's one of if not the best plates of Caribbean food she's ever had! She had a vegetable plate with chicken gravy and it was a large portion for less than $9!!! She said everything was tasty and not too dry. Give them a try!

I just ordered from this place is nothing like Jamaican food or cuisine food I ever taste before it was terrible no seasoning on the oxtail the oxtails was very greasy and fatty and boyfriend ordered jerk chicken it taste like the chicken was boiled and cabbage wasn't cooked all the way and no type of flavor.. it's a no for me and on top of that they are expensive