Island Grill

Nice restaurant with very friendly service and great atmosphere, would definitely come back. :)

Our monthly Supper Club had the pleasure of eating at this restaurant last night. Had the Cod fish fritters. They were amazing. Flavorful and crunchy I am not a big fish eater. This app had me wanting more.
Main dish tried was the Curry Goat with Island Mash potatoes. I fell in love with this dish. The goat meat was tender and just malted in my mouth. The flavor oh my the flavor. The spices the Chefs mix and use are the best. They prove that spicy is delicious. Honestly I am ready to go back today. Crying and eating never tasted so good.

This review has been a work in progress for about eight months. Mostly because every time I think about writing it, I run over to the restaurant and grab a meal instead.
Serving up one of the best Caribbean menus this side of the GTA, Island Grill quickly became one of my favourite spots to grab a quick bite or impress people with my culinary choices.
Chef Carleton and his staff are great to talk to, and have always been more than happy to help my friends figure out what they want.
Island Grill boasts a reasonably diverse set of menu items and specials, and having tried them all I can honestly say you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Whether you’re looking for something warm and comforting (try the curries) or a strong kick to the taste buds (grab the jerk chicken and some Kleenex), you’ll find something to suit your mood.
I’m not gonna say this restaurant was the only reason I moved downtown, but I’d be lying if I said the thought didn’t occur to me. I could go on and on about how great Island Grill is, but I’m just gonna cut myself off and say you should try it.

The roti is the best I’ve found in Ottawa. Not too dry, and not super bland. The available hot sauce is also excellent. This place is a beacon of flavour and heat in a sea of bland restaurants.
Unfortunately the place always looks empty, I hope they can hold it together.

Super delish, always wanted to try this place out and well glad that I finally did today! Super awesome!

Amazing! Chef Carleton (local hot sauce guy at the Landsdowne farmer’s market) opened his own restaurant in Centretown! Had both jerk chicken roti and platters many times. So solid. The candied plantains are so awesome — such a good reason to get the platter. My friend is vegetarian with lots of allergies and they accommodated to his needs with an amazing personalized dish. And tonight, there was a crazy delicious homemade apple based hot sauce on every table (+ some of the other favourites). Nice people, good food, not crazy expensive and good reggae playing in the speakers. Highly recommended for eat-​in and take out.

I love this place! I’ve tried the jerk chicken entrée and the curry chicken roti, both are fantastic! The plantains are absolutely perfect, too!
If I get a full entrée, it usually lasts me 2 meals.

From plantains to jerk chicken, curry goat and even oxtail (super tender), Chef Carlton’s Island Grill is delicious! Even the rice is amazing. Highly recommended!

The jerk pork was really tasty! I’ll have to go back to try some of Carlton’s other offerings. It was takeaway tonight and it was hard not to eat it while driving, the smell was really distracting.

I live nearby and decided to check it out for take-​out. I couldn’t decide what between the jerk chicken and the curry goat, so the owner offered to give me a large order with both for 15.50. Entrées are priced at $ 11 – 12 for regular size and $ 13 – 14 for a large, so I paid a bit of a premium to get both, but I got a ton of food.
He brought out my order pretty quickly, which is good for take out, but it also means they must have the food already cooked.
The jerk chicken was nicely spiced, not too hot, and the curry goat had a good flavour and was mild in comparison to the jerk. The meat was served on the bone and both had been cooked for some time because the meat came off the bones easily.
The combo also came with sweet fried plantains, coleslaw and rice with beans (rice and peas). The plantains tasted great but we’re definitely not crispy.
Overall I’d say the owner is a nice guy, and the place gives good value for money. Next time I’ll try their rôtis

This is a great new place. I’m so happy it’s in my neighbourhood. Easily the best roti this side of Scarborough.
I went for lunch today with my friend, who ordered the Jerk Burger and gingerbeer. The burger came with salad and mango dressing (he had a choice). He loved it.
I am of Trinidadian descent and it has been difficult for me to find a place I like for Caribbean food. I think I’ve found it. It’s been a long time since I’ve had an auntie I could visit for delicious roti that melts in your mouth and Island Grill is it. I went to Caribbean Sizzler a few times when it first opened, but the servings are really large and the roti is too thick and the goat curry is a bit on the tough side, and it’s take out only. No such problems here. The goat roti is tastefully served in a nice sized portion. It’s $ 10.00, which is I think, cheaper than the goat curry further on down the menu. The daal is perfect and the goat is tender, tender.
I added the 4.00 $ side of plantains to my order and was not disappointed: sauteed to light, crispy perfection, they were not greasy at all and sliced into nice sized chunks. No extra sugar needed — these were deliciously ripe and like eating a warm cookie.
The service was great and the ambience much improved over the weeks since they opened.
There is a daily special for $ 20 which includes salad/​soup, main course and dessert. We found our a la carte order was plenty with side and Ginger beer (Grace brand — yum!). I’ll definitely be back. You should go, too.