Caribbean Village Cafe

Having noticed this place on skip for a few years now, l I finally got a chance to try. Outside it does look really inviting almost like a nursery. But upon entering, yeah not so much. Even the owner seemed really tired and I decided to lower my expectations. But as we're aware, never judge a book by it's cover as I was simply confounded with the awesome spice and flavours in every bite. I had the jerk chicken with rice and beans, upon reading the reviews, and everything on the plate was spot on. I've had jerk chicken several times, yet this time it was unique...like home food vibes! One of the best meals this year I'd say. Rustic and without too much fuss.

Rolled into the place and sat there for 5 minutes waiting for someone to show up. Then I noticed two brass bells sitting on the counter. Soon after I gave one a shake, a pleasant looking fellow showed up and asked me what I would like. "Lunch", I offered hopefully, "curried chicken or beef?" He smiled and said "I've got jerk chicken." Not wanting to be difficult, I agreed. He thought for a moment and said, "give me 8 minutes." True to his word he showed up with a plate of very tasty jerk chicken, rice with beans, curried potatoes and a mason jar full of water. The potatoes were a little cold, but other than that it was fine. The price was $24.

Place looks a bit run down and needs an update, no one was inside and had me a bit worried, but the craving for jerk was stronger. Glad I did, the jerk chicken itself was great, tender and juicy, could be spicier, but the flavour is there. The sides and the rice left more to be desired, maybe sitting on hot plate too long. The beef patty was a bit dry, heated by microwave, but it was loaded. Overall it was good, I can see how it was on newspaper in the past being the best Jamaican on the island, still tastes good and I would try again.

The beef Jamaican patty I had which was warm was quite good, much better than the other Caribbean place I tried near Tillicum. However, the one that was cold was dry and difficult to swallow. Perhaps this may have been remedied if the gentleman at the counter offered to heat the other patty up; he did not. I'm certainly no authority on Jamaican patties but I highly recommend the warm ones, just steer clear of the ones that aren't heated.

Hi James! Thank you for your great hospitality yesterday. I warmed up the pockets and Carribean/Jamaican lasagna thing this morning at the B&B where I am staying. They were all great😚 My boyfriend liked the veggie pocket the most, and I liked the salted fish and the fruit one the most. The lasagna was very similar to what we have in Canada, but the creaminess of the cheese compliments well with the veggies inside!! ✨ Thank you again and we will definitely come back when we visit Victoria.

Great little place with by far the best Jerk Chicken on the island!!! Wow! James the proprietor is an awesome friendly fellow and talented chef! Lots of fresh baking daily, tasty treats and great menu, an excellent place to buy Caribbean soft drinks as well as traditional Caribbean favourites! If you are on the island take the time to visit this place, you will not be disappointed!

Stumbled upon this cute litte hole in the wall while visiting Victoria, BC. We ordered the Jerk Chicken Plate & Salt Fish & Ackee Patty. Omgoodness, the chicken was fall off the bone tender & the Jerk sauce was bursting with flavour. It tasted like it had been simmering for hours, as the flavours were so well developed. It had a nice kick of heat to it without being too spicy. The Vegetable Curry & Spanish Rice side dishes were well seasoned while not overpowering, allowing the Jerk Chicken to really shine. The Salt Fish & Ackee Patty, was delicious. Not pictured, we also ordered 2 Chicken Patties which our son said was delicious. We also took a few cookie sandwiches to go & oh my they were so good! James, the chef & I'm guessing owner, was a lovely host who treated us with great hospitality. He gave us complementary chutney, claiming it was the best chutney & he wasn't wrong. It truly was delicious & a wonderful accompaniment to our meal. This place is a little off the beaten path & not in the touristy area of Victoria, however, it's definitely worth checking out. It's probably the best Caribbean food I've had outside of the Caribbean & I was married to a Bajan man for almost 20 years, whose mom & Aunties are amazing cooks! @inspiringfoodie

This place is the bomb. I started eating here back in 2013, and I haven't found better Caribbean food. Try the veggie patties or the chicken Roti. Now I'm craving the patties....

This place was awful Rude and under cooked pastry, only went into support local business Also only got the Yelp app to complain Never again (There was a very nice older lady who was super sweet, silver lining)

Dropped in the other day for beef patty. The menu is all displayed on the wall in the restaurant. I stood there checking out the menu and no one was to be seen. I could hear sounds coming from the back of the restaurant. After a while I noticed a bell on the counter. I dinged the bell and up came a man. He didn't seem happy at all. I placed my order for a beef patty and he asked if I wanted it heated. I told him to go ahead and heat it up. After I paid him he disappeared into the back again. I sat down at one of the tables and ate my patty. First bite I found it very tasty but also very salty. The crust had a nice curry flavor too. The place is dated. The food is all freshly made. There is only street parking.

Host is super social and loves having a good chat over profits. Food was good. Jamaican Pattie's we're slightly dry.

Food was decent but man...James the owner really needs people skills. Brotha can't be on the front lines with that crusty ass attitude, acting like I was bother him by getting food in his place. C'mon man you gotta do better James dig deep brotha

A proper West Indies shop. Seems to be all made in-house by an old school baker. It's a one man show, and, it's nice to see him surviving and baking some beef patties. Keep it up!

My partner and I stopped in once looking for anything Vegan they might offer. Master James (as we now call him) came out looking stone cold, but I held my smile and asked the man how he was doing. It took a hot minute, but his personality just glistened in no time. He had no Vegan options that day, but after talking about Veganism, the environment, politics, google, and anything else that came up during the 2-hour chat, he made us some iced Americanos to enjoy while he grabbed a fresh cabbage from the garden and treated us to our very own specially cooked dinner on the house. Another man who was in the cafe who looked right at home referred to James as "Master James" and we could see why. Master James has a great sense of humor and a truly unique style with his customers. His great conversation is worth going in for, even if there is no Vegan food.

The place does not look like a restaurant that serves food on the outside but voila as you enter you see nice hot food warmers which if they are steaming you assume that goodness is below.... Well. Sort of in this case. Its also a good sign walking into a restaurant called Caribbean village and see a guy with a Caribbean accent and white chefs jacket or it should be... In this case its all just a nice outter shell hiding mediocre food. Its not bad but its not knock your socks off.. They did not have half the things on their menu. Had the curry chicken. No rice and beans as offered, just "spanish rice". Which they basically took curry powder and put in the rice to give it colour. Curry chicken was good and so was the rice. It tasted like homemade. Cheddar potato Patty tasted like freezer burn. Ting was warm.. No washroom. Don't trust the hygiene.. That must be truly caribbean... I would have to try something different next time to see if its got more potential.

I've lived in the Quadra Village neighborhood for almost 5 years and avoid this place like a plague. James (the owner) is always very grumpy. The place is very dirty. He consistently has high hazard ratings from the Vancouver Island Health Authority (check the healthspace website). Sink, dishwasher, etc not working. He fixes the problems, VIHA checks again in a few months and it's back to its disgusting state. The cycle continues.There's much better Caribbean food in town (downtown and in Burnside). Stay away from Caribbean Village.

This is one of the restaurants in my neighbourhood and I eat here regularly. I have never had a bad meal and more importantly my kids think this place rocks. The owner has a great sense of humour and makes every visit a real joy. If you want a casual place with good Caribbean food, this is the place.

I love this place with all my heart and a gem in the heart of quadra village , i have been a return customer on the average of visiting once a week for over 10 years , my advice is to go in and talk to James the owner and you will see what im talking about

Went here with three other people. Got 2 meals that seemed so old that not sure if we should eat them, one meal that was so salty it was inedible, one meal that was very nice. The floor was dirty, dust on furniture, dead plants hanging above the tables.