EM H.
Yelp
I have been eyeing Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant & Bar for years and finally got to check them out with my friends for a late lunch on Saturday, June 10, 2023. We had an awesome time.
Venue: B grade/3 stars. Located on Ramona Street in downtown Palo Alto, the restaurant is conveniently located across the street from an underground public parking lot. Metered parking is also available along the street and in the neighbourhood. The venue, itself, is composed of several dining rooms with mainly yellow walls with vibrantly colourful mural paintings. Bar seating as well as private room dining are available. For sunny or warm days, they have a narrow patio for dining al fresco. We opted for an outdoor table which was nice, especially when they started playing music. Not sure why the music wasn't playing all day. I wish it was. I can't speak for the men's restroom, but the women's could have used some tidying up.
Food: A-/B+ grade/4.5 stars. Coconuts serves generous portions of yummy food at great prices. Below is what we ordered:
DA PAIN KILLER - We shared a virgin pitcher, with the rum on the side. The alcohol servings were generous. Insert smiley face and two thumbs up emojis here.
BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD - I'm usually not into cornbread because it always seems to be dry. Coconuts' version is THE MOISTEST cornbread I have ever had. Surprisingly, I am a fan of this!
JAMAICAN PATTY (beef) - A delicious pastry containing meat and spices baked inside a golden yellow flaky shell, similar to an empanada or turnover. Very good.
COCONUT CURRIED TOFU - I didn't taste it, but my friend, Jasmine, almost finished this dish on her own. I assume that the curry is the same as the one for the CURRIED SHRIMP & VEGETABLES, which I ordered. If I am right, then this is a tasty plate.
TENDER BRAISED OXTAIL & JAMAICAN CURRIED GOAT - My friend, Benny, really liked this Combo plate. According to her, "Everything was great on its own, but having the sauce WITH the rice was delicious."
CURRIED SHRIMP & VEGETABLES - I enjoyed this very much. Although I found the curry sauce to be a little bit on the thin side, I did wish that I had more of it to drown my white rice in.
JERK CHICKEN & TENDER BRAISED OXTAIL - This was Tracy's order. I had a little taste of the RICE & BEANS which was good. Benny tasted the chicken. She said that, "The sauce on the JERK CHICKEN was flavourful. Had a little kick to it, but it was a good kick."
WARM SWEET POTATO PUDDING - Our server surprised us with this dessert on the house. The accompanying scoops of ice cream were served in a separate bowl since our waiter heard that Jasmine has been trying to be vegan for a while. I didn't try the ice cream, but the WARM SWEET POTATO PUDDING was very nice; thick and rich. My husband would love this.
Service: A+ grade/5 stars. I didn't catch the name of our waiter, but according to our receipt, Marcus served us...excellently. He was very friendly, accommodating, and, at my request, demonstrated how to pour the rum float on my DA PAIN KILLER. Very fun guy with great energy. As I mentioned before, he served a WARM SWEET POTATO PUDDING to us as a complimentary surprise. Oh, and I should add that we were also at our table from 2:45 to 6:45 PM with no issue. We could have closed that place down without complaints from the restaurant staff. Such a hospitable and welcoming place this is!
Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant & Bar is an awesome place for enjoying cocktails and eats, especially at their outdoor patio during sunny days with the reggae music blasting. Definitely my kind of place. I will be back...and will need to bring my husband at my next visit. He would dig their food and drinks for sure.