The Island Caribbean Cuisine and Drinks

I ordered a 2 fritay couple days ago at the Island cuisine it was a total disappointment. Not only they made me wait for 1 hour because apparently they took my order wrong but tell me why when opened the box the lettuce on the side salad was rotten and the meat uncooked ? When I called the restaurant for service recovery they told me to come back mind you I live in Brockton and they are located in Sommerville, getting another side salad? Like really for 44 dollars? You guys need to work on your customer services cuz clearly it's beyond poor and the food sucks

Absolutely incredible! The Island Haitian Spot is a true gem. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with the warmest hospitality, making me feel like I was right at home. The atmosphere is vibrant and full of energy, with authentic Haitian music and decor that really bring the island vibes to life.If you're craving Haitian food or looking to try something new, The Island is a must-visit. 5 stars all the way!

Saturday special is goat soup with bones $12 or meat $18. My friend got fried beef meat with rice & beans and 2 flattened plantains that seemed fried. Everything tasted good and it was well cooked. The only complaint is that the passion friit listed under fruit juices was not a juice, it came on ice (after waitress specifically repeated my instructions not to put any) and it was made on thick and very sweet syrup. The flavor had hints of almond and maraschino cherry. The decor is from a previous irish bar, all wood a stained glass. The benches are too tall for the tables at back. There are themed nights on Saturday with zouk and other carribean dances. "$10 after 11pm, food served all night long".

I eat here all the time. This place is less than a year old and it looks like people don’t know it’s here yet. The food is delicious! I think I’ve ordered almost everything on the menu, but it ranges from rice and meats such as fish, turkey, chicken, goat, and wings to plantains, French fries, and tasty passion fruit or lemonade beverages. Their choice of music ranges from old school r&b to Haitian tunes. It’s very unique and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. It’s a laid back atmosphere, but on weekends after hours, they move the tables for a dance arena for fun. You can still just come in for a bite to eat if you want. I do eat here a lot because I just love the food. There is nothing on the menu that disappoints me.

So listen., I was hungry and wanted to try something different I see this restaurant everyday on the way to work and wish I stopped by sooner I was so much food I had to rub my feet together and take a nap .. 100 wanted to go thank the cook

This was my first time eating Haitian food. I ordered the veggie melody and it was VERY good. I ordered fried plantains and bean sauce on the side cause duh and they were very good too! Some of the things are spicy, so ask before trying them (the onions in the picture were INCREDIBLY spicy). I'm removing 1 star cause they did take forever to bring the food (a whole hour) so if you're coming, come with time and not too hungry. The place is very clean and the service is good.

If I had a reason to move here, this restaurant would be it. The cuisine at the island restaurant was mine blowing. The atmosphere was authentic and welcoming. The gentleman that served us was knowledgeable about the products and even willing to make adjustments for us. I was overwhelmed with robust flavors, flawless textures, amazing smells, and a feeling of family here at the island restaurant if you have a moment take the time it’s worth it. ...and the prices were absolutely insane. I probably should’ve gotten about 10 meals to go. 😂

My boyfriend and I had went here on Saturday afternoon for our date night and the atmosphere was amazing and are waiter Gerry was fabulous. The food was so damn good and good portions. We will definitely be going back again!

I love it here! It's so clean and spacious! The bar is beautiful as well. The food is excellent! Some of the best Haitian food in the area. I can't wait to come back. I had two herring pates, rice and beans, pickilz, Black bean sauce. It was sooo good and flavorful. Also the passion fruit juice is a must! The service was great and the young lady at the counter was so sweet and patient.

Went here again after a work again and everything was delicious! We got the fried goat, fried turkey, and legim with fried beef on the side, we showed up around 830 and they do take-out only because they close around 9-930. Pikliz is no longer included, and is $1 per container.

I was in Malden for a dentist appointment and realized lunch time was quickly approaching. I had been craving Hatian food for some time and figured I would look up on Yelp if any Hatian restaurants that offered take out were in the area. Upon review, I found one that was just under 5 minutes from where I was. I called and placed a to go order for 2 plates. One plate was chicken, white rice and a black bean sauce and the second plate was rice and beans with pork. All plates come with salad and fried green plantains. I was greeted when I walked in and noticed a few people dining in. They have a full bar and music was playing while I waited for my food to be completed. The service was good and quick. The only reason I took away a star was due to the size of the plates, they were small compared to the take out plates I usually get where the rice is plentiful and more meat is typically added. The food was good and would recommend!

First time trying goat meat and I loved it! The meat was super juicy and tender and melts in your mouth! Lots of flavor and the black bean sauce is so much better than expected! I can literally eat black bean sauce and rice all day it's too good The plantains and the orange dipping sauce goes crazy, I never had plantains like this but it's fried crispy and chewy on the inside. I need more of that orange sauce! Overall this is such a warm and hearty meal, lovely service, and beautiful restaurant inside and out.

Unarguably the best Haitian food in the Boston area! Everything is cooked to perfection--the meat is seasoned just right and firm, but not too dry. The rice and beans (diri kole) and white rice with bean sauce is the tastiest around, and the plantains are cooked just right. They also make good tomato sauce (just tangy enough with a bit of a kick, and not greasy!) and pickliz. If you ask, they have an extra hot tomato sauce they will sneak out of the back--probably made with habanero and ghost pepper, with a bit of a smokey taste. And the little bowl of salad served with the meals is made with actual fresh romaine lettuce, not the boring white kind. The atmosphere is good for dining in--an old wooden bar with liquor and beer from the fridge (they stopped selling draft beer due to low demand). The dining area--raised a few steps above the bar area-is nicely decorated with Haitian art and small wooden tables. The staff is great, and you never have to wait for a table. If you like hearty food that's not too greasy or too spicy, give it a try!

I don't care what your plans are.. STOP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING & give this place a try!!!! I can't believe I've never tried this GEM until today. I did get my food to go however when I went inside to pickup the establishment is adorable with a great vibe and very friendly customer service!!!! The FOOD!!! Absolutely Delicious! I will definitely be a returning customer!

For now, all I can comment on is the fried turkey, rice and beans and plantains and sos. Great flavor. You can taste the love. Good quality. Decent sized portion. I love Haitian food and I would rank the island in the top 5 in the area. Thanks!

This hidden gem is worth the visit. Something distinct about a place that is true to its cultural ties. My husband and I are from South Florida, so we are picky about our Caribbean food, and moving to mass has dwindled our selection due to unavailability. We started with their Akra and Bannan, and both were very flavorful just wished the Bannan was a bit crisper. The fried goat and fried chicken meals were a chef's kiss! The goat was incredibly tender and well-seasoned, and the same goes for the chicken. The diri kole and the djon djon were delicious as well. The drinks were made with fresh juice and made the experience memorable! My husband and I will be back regularly since this is the only place that gives us a piece of home.

This Place Was Amazing. From The Art Work Hanging On The Walls. To The Hand Crafted Wooden Pieces. It Felt Like Home. The Food Though! Heavenly. I Can Honestly Say This Was One Of The Best Meals I've Ever Had OMG! I Want To Return For All Of The Items On The Menu! Lol ILL BE BACK FOR SURE!

The very BEST Haitian food around. So worth the trip. Thank you Island Restaurant, Malden, MA! 1 (781) 605 2212 CLOSED ON MONDAYS Tu - Th : 11 AM to 11 PM Fr - Sa : 11 AM to 1 AM Sundays : 11 AM to 10 PM info@theislandmalden.com

Service nice and laid back food did not disappoint at all !!! Live me some black rice !!!!! Had the " co pilot "and the "drinks on me " also black rice with 10 wings my friends had something else looked super good

My firs time ordering Haitian food for takeout and I must say the woman on the phone was SO HELPFUL and pleasant. Amazing phone customer service I must say. I wanted patties but they must VERY popular because they sold out of the last three right before I called. I ordered the fried beef and the jerk chicken entrees that come with rice and beans, pikliz, and fried plantains. I also ordered the house made fresh passion fruit juice. The portions are generous and it's very much like home made food. I loved my meal and it lasted two meals in fact. Everything was less than $35! (Jenny gave great customer service and I believe when I first called I spoke to Chantal. Both women were great service on the phone and in person)

Checked my purse for before letting us in then took my stuff and promised to give them back and then didn't. Was given the run around about it after and even the owner came out and said they would give me my stuff back but 30 minutes later no one was to be found. I could really care less about the stuff & maybe I shouldn't have had it in my bag but it's the principle about keeping your word as a bouncer and even more as an owner. I told them I would put my thing in my car RIGHT OUTSIDE before going in but was told not to worry I would get it after but they are all liars. it really be your own people.

Visited on a Saturday evening during a date with my bf. Beautifully decorated place and spacious. It was pretty quiet when we arrived Menu items are about $15. I ordered the fried turkey and the fried goat. I would give the food a 3.8. I was underwhelmed by taste & presentation I was hoping to stay at the establishment for a bit, enjoy drinks and food but the service was so inattentive. We never got water, we had to ask for the menus, ask to order drinks, ask for the check. It began to actually ruin our day so we ate our food and left. I think they'd probably be best for take-out meals. I didn't enjoy my time here.

We got there late and they were out of the apps we wanted. Overall, service was on point and the food (fried beef & conch). We will be back!!

Fried Fish ....My sisters, and a few friends and I went there for the first about 3 months, they were very slow, only one server. The ambiance was great, but service was horrible. Music okay. Overall in my opinion the food wasn't that great if you are a person who knows how to cook. I wouldn't recommend my friends.

drinks are absolutely awesome and the employees MAKE this place. 10/10 will be visiting because of Jerry

Absolutely delicious with wonderful service. I brought my husband here, who was born and raised in Haiti, and he was blown away by this place. Everything was just as good as if it was homemade! To add to the experience, the server was excellent and there was Haitian artwork decorating the place with Haitian music playing in the background. We Finally found our spot! A few weeks after we ate here, we had family friends from Haiti visiting for a wedding and needed food in a pinch. We were able to get take out for 8 people for under $100 and everyone was impressed with the quality! So far I've tried their bouyon, fritay, goat, fried beef, fried pork, fried turkey, rice and beans, and sauce pwa and have loved it all. I'll definitely be back....many times!!

Welcome to the neighborhood! We were looking for a spot for a dinner and this came up. Since it just opened there was no line, no wait. We were seated right away in a cozy spot with lots of pillows. The staff was super nice and attentive. They answered all of our questions about the cool drink menu. There was something for everyone. The drinks had fun names and there was even a drink for people watching their calories. We had the French You (delicious!) and the co-pilot (also super yummy). Both were well mad and easy to drink We had the fried pork and creole goat for our meals. Both were great but my pork was soooo good. Can't wait to come back.

I ordered the jerk chicken, it was absolutely DELICIOUS!! Tender, perfectly cooked, and full of flavor. The atmosphere is island like which is a plus, because the meals are hearty and the overall calmness allowed me to enjoy every bite, and surprisingly I was ready for round two. The staff was super friendly and very accommodating.There island drinks pack a punch, but the price was easy on the wallet. I highly recommend this Caribbean establishment. Welcome to Malden!! keep up the excellent work

Did not care what anyone know that they didn't have the right food there instead made me pay for it and when I called to let them know the man was a very apologetic but being apologetic doesn't got me my food back or my money

I'm not thrilled of the portions of the goat and jerk chicken because I been to hole in the walls that gave more for the minimal charge. taste wise it was alright but definitely over priced. I mean we got a small salad, white rice, and beans...lots of plantains. The white rice and beans was probably my favorite but was bummed didn't get to try other rice. They were out of it . The fried snapper was okay, needed more seasoning. Service a little slow. The girls were friendly but I think I'd skip coming back....

You want island food? THIS IS NOT THE PLACE, the SERVICES IS TERRIBLE FOOD taste foul literally sat there for an hour of my life I can't get back, coming from an island myself I'm disappointed. What island has only powdered garlic? Everyone was to busy on their phones to be attentive the waitress never came around to ask if everything was ok then took my plate and still did not ask either... if I want it or not. and then threw it away then said "you didn't say anything" excuse me you didn't ask. Don't waste your life on this place. Would give it zero stars if I could.

A small local restaurant with great service, food, and overall experience! The place is beautiful and staff are super friendly and the food is delicious. I'm pretty sure I order way too many patties and wings but they are so so tasty and well prepared. I usually always get food to go and when I walk in I wonder why I'm not sitting and eating in this great vibe with cute decor but I'm sure I'll make it happen. The food can't get better and the prices are fair for the portion size. Seems like it's always a good vibe a great spot to get great food.

Good hatian food at a decent price I've been here over 50 times in past 4 years. Make sure you know when there's a special

This looks more like a bar w some food offerings and less like a restaurant. We came here for my birthday as I wanted to try the goat which was really flavorful yet a little dry. We ordered malanga fritters as appetizers and they were really good. My husband liked the rice w beans and his cocktail - I was not impressed. We were the only ones on a Th at 6pm. If we come back we will do it around 9 pm as it seems the atmosphere promises to be good.

Beautiful tropical interior and very generous portions of quality cuts of meat for a good price.

Great vibes and decent Haitian food! Found this place coincidentally after a car rental incident gone bad and enjoyed a nice late lunch.

Bar 5/5 Food 5/5 Staff 5/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Parking 3/5 - normal for a city-based restaurant Cost 4/5 Value 5/5 Child-Friendly 4/5 Had a wonderful meal here - much-needed diversity in a restaurant/menu selection in Malden. Good first date resturant in the evening (good atomsphere for getting to know someone).

So yummy I go back a week later friendly staff also Thanks for celebrating my birthday!

Excellent food and drinks and relaxed welcoming vibe! We all tried different rum cocktails -- each one excellent -- and then for entrees had the fried fish, fried goat and fried pork, all of which came with plantains and salad and rice and beans (delicious). The fried fish is a whole fish, super tasty but a surprise when it arrived to the table. Other than working around bones it was perfect. Service is, like in the actual islands, very slow; I think if you were in a rush you'd need to be really clear or just look elsewhere. Staff were helpful in understanding the menu and extremely upbeat and friendly. I was devastated when ferry street closed but I'll be a repeat customer here and hope it does well.

Overall, 2.5 stars...so went with 3 stars rounding up Went here a while back soon after they first opened. Honestly, unless they make some changes, I wouldn't be back unfortunately. Firstly, the service was poor. We walked in on a Friday (or maybe it was Saturday) night and there weren't many people there, but still took the host/manager a while to get us seated. It looked like the manager was hanging out with some of his friends who had stopped by for dinner and even though we could tell he saw us, he took a while to actually get up and come over and get us seated. Then when we finally got seated, it was a while before we even got menus because I guess no one told the waitress we had come in. Honestly, if I were them and had just opened a new restaurant, I'd be bending over backwards to make the service as good as possible since everyone is going to be new to the place. Second disappointing thing was the drinks...tasted like there was barely any alcohol in them despite them not being that cheap. I know they are sweet/tropical and all...but have to be able to at least taste the rum in them or else it feels like they are cutting corners. The food we got (I forget the exact dishes unfortunately), did taste pretty good though. So that's the saving grace. I wish they had more options on their menu though like some small appetizers or something

The drinks are awesome looking forward to events on Saturdays nights! The owner is pretty and she's funny!

Worst place ever. For a plate of fried pork, you get this....4pieces of meat. Chai. We Africans love our meat. So if you selling me this, I'm sorry. We never coming back. Wait time is long too for pick up. Waitress is so rude

The food was absolutely fantastic! I had the creole goat with plantains, rice and beans, and mac and cheese. My group also split an order of the malanga fritters. Everything virtually melted in my mouth. Not to mention the cocktails! One of the best selections I've seen in the Boston (let alone Malden). Finally, the staff was incredibly welcoming and friendly! Thanks Tamera! I will definitely come here again!

We called ahead for carry out and food was ready when we arrived. We ordered jerk chicken, red snapper, goat, and griot. Everything was perfect- however we were looking for a side of pikliz

Definitely no good Haitian food around here until now... loved the food atmosphere and staff.... our waitress was amazing and funny.... the host was very nice as well he quickly gave us a comfortable seat with pillows... this place will be very busy soon enough I need to become a regular before then lol

Love this place! Good Haitian food served up nice and flavorful, they have a nice selection of signature cocktails and a full service bar. The Caribbean music adds to the vibe. Had a bday party here with 9people and the service didn't disappoint. The Island cocktail looks cool and tastes tropical.

The Island restaurant in Malden is clean and the staff is very friendly. The decor takes me back to Haiti- so beautifully decorated. I ordered the Caribbean breeze cocktail sooooo delicious. For main course I ordered the conch/lanbi which came with rice and baked macaroni and cheese and I must say it was alllll delicious. This place has a true Caribbean vibe, I felt as if I was right back to my homeland enjoying wonderful food. I give this place 5 stars !!!!!!

The Island is possibly the best Caribbean restaurant I've been to within the greater Boston area. The drinks are extremely tasty, the food is spectacular, and the atmosphere makes me feel like I'm in the Caribbean. This establishment is highly recommended for anyone and everyone looking for delicious food. The staff was also very friendly, especially our host Tamera. I will definitely be back!

Came to visit with my family and it was a great experience. Friendly and even seated us close to closing which was very appreciated. Food was amazing and will be back!

Service here was great. Everyone was friendly but having been to multiple Haitian food restaurants I can say this place is not at the top of the list. Food didn't taste fresh. You can tell when a plantain was freshly fried and these definitely weren't.

Food was okay, salty. I waited for 35 minutes for not good. Service was a bit slow, so was the attention span of the waitress. I did not like that the cleaning guy was sweeping while I was eating. Overall, it is ok. I don't think I'll return there.

Best spot in town.... feels like home! Love this place and the food is amazing The staff is friendly the place is clean. The prices are unbeatable for a home cooked meal! I could eat here everyday!

Can not go wrong. Ate here last month and had to come to write a review after getting food from another restaurant and appreciating how well made the food is here. Portions are large and well prepared. Rices are firm and fresh. Griot/pork was so flavorful and had the perfect kick of spice. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Everything is good except for the server! She's been rude since the first time that I visited. I don't like that, because I am a very friendly person! Change her attitude or change the server! Please!

Went here for lunch. It took an hour to get our meal. For what we got it is way overpriced. We weren't served what we ordered and it seemed half-assed anyway. Being from Miami and having several friends from the West Indies, I was very excited for this place. I brought my wife and it was a huge disappointment. I hope they can get their act together because this area could benefit from having this cuisine available to them.

In a word, "awesome". Haitian basics done AMAZINGLY well. The portions? THE PORTIONS. Superb drinks (like they use real mango in cocktails). Bartender was helpful, sweet, and on point. You'll notice my picture has 3 completely empty plates. Yes, that good.

This restaurant was absolutely delicious. I had the snapper and it was incredibly flavorful, crispy, and simply delicious. The service was excellent. Next time I would like to try some of the drinks as well, but the food was fantastic! Make sure you go!