Trinidad Ali Roti Shop

More murder and mayhem news associated with this business:

If you come here buy a roti and the promptly throw it away and run to Hot Pot up the street. Dry roti, horrible customer service. And now its a nightclub/​hookah bar wth! This place needs have gone away yesterday.

This place is a front. At night it turns into an obnoxious nightclub completely disrespecting neighborhood noise levels. Cops pull up multiple times in the middle of the night trying to control noise but never fully solving the problem. It’s unclear how this establishment can get away with loitering the community. I hope this review will help start a dialogue to progressively impact this establishments place in the community. It’s 3:40 am in the morning on a Monday as I write this. The noise is finally starting to calm down. –1 stars for doing everything possible to turn me off from from ever wanting to go inside.

Love this location. The chicken curry roti was delicious. Brought some for my friends and then were so happy. The heavy set gentleman seems very serious but is a teddy bear deep inside.

Enjoyed some doubles with channa cabbage slight pepper and pepper sauce. Good eats

This is kind of a confusing place. I expected a restaurant with tables and all the things you expect from a restaurant business. However, it said outside hookah place and inside it looked like a mix of club and a hookah bar. There were red leather sofas and maybe what looked like a DJ booth. It was just weird to think that such a good food place exist within this place. They had just a small station dedicated for the roti.
When we got there we ordered two roti with their chick peas, potatoe, spinach, and their shrimp. We got one with tamarin sauce and one without. Either way you couldn’t go wrong. The one without tamarin sauce had also pumpkin in it and my goodness was it delicious. The spices were perfect and the texture was soft. The shrimp as flavorful and juicy. Both were just overall fantastic. The sauce just provided an extra zing to it. The only problem I had with it was that for church a big roti they provide so little. You are paying ten dollars, and it feels like you are paying five for the roti itself. They could definitely try to up it a little in my opinion.

I don’t care if they sprinkle gold in the doubles, the attitudes in this place wreak and i can’t support that. If they was giving it away for free I still wasn’t going in there again.

Food is really good (had goat roti). Service is not the best. Overall I would recommend this place

I have only had the veg roti, but it is delicious. Chana, greens, pumpkin, curried potatoes, and veggie meat. I have had it so many times it is always plump and hits the spot. Hot sauce on the side because I am a wuss.
Sure, the service is surly, but is that really a problem? Just get your food and hustle out of there. Or, now they have redesigned it in a very bizarre way with red lounge seats and a big buddha statue. For the first time, I saw people sitting to eat. There was no menu in sight though — the place looks like it might still be in the middle of redecoration. Also, the big surly man just today smiled at me for the first time ever, which was pretty thrilling.

So, I’ve lived in neighborhood for almost 10 yrs. I went to this place a long time ago and, meh, was my experience then. I’ve gone in several times in the past few weeks, mainly due to the fact that my regular spot up the street was out of food by time I got home.
FOOD: Chix Roti, Veg Roti were both ok. Not, knock your sock off, and not as tasty as my regular place up the block, but good. The portions depend on «mood» or attitude, it seems.
SERVICE: The first time I went the guy only had pre-​made roti’s to-​go as they were almost closed. They were warm and good. AND this guy was super friendly and is the reason I was happy to return here a few more times (as friends from work have me import Rotis to the office, they are West Indian).
however, the last few times I have gone, I was greeted by an ornery big guy (with slightly stray eye), who was less than friendly. Sure we all have a bad day, but common man, lighten up. Is this Ali!!! This last time he was down to the last bits of rotis and just plain indifferent. Just put the closed sign up if you don’t want to deal with the public, or HIRE that awesome night guy (the shortish guy).
I think a smile and/​or a ‘thank you’ are essential to keep a loyal customer. OR you have to have some DAMN AWESOME product. This place does not have enough of either to keep me going back.

It was late afternoon by the time we arrived many entrees were sold out. Ordered the roti chicken, double and pholori. Very similar to indian food a little less spicy but flavorful. Really inexpensive place. Liked the Roti chicken, they added a chick peas to it too. Double is like a flat indian puri with chick peas and the pholori is a cousin of medu vada. Will get the Roti again next time it’s like the burrito in chipotle, soft rumali roti in India. We were the only ones sitting on the table, nothing called ambience exists but definitely value for money. Will try the other trini places next time to judge the taste

Always a bit sour attitude and curt. Food well seasoned but get it early b/​c they seem to cook once a day, not consistent. Doubles, aloo pies and pouhlorie (sic) sell out early. 3 tables for dine-​in though I would advise to carry out. May be cash only.

LOve this place, they serve authentic Indo-​Caribbean food here. Roti (wrapped Borrito style, sandwichs filled with curried meats and potaoes, or you can go all veggie). they also have a #Caribbeanfavorite, «Doubles», a a sandwich of two flatbreads filled with curried chickpeas, it’s sooo good.
limited of Seating and all meats are hallal (Kosher), they offer many many #Caribbean drinks as well.
PS: HOT TIP: they have system, two lines, one the right for ordering and another on the left for pickup.

Trini restaurant that has okay food, not the best but okay. The only thing I get from here is a chicken roti. They’re very skimpy with the portions but always my last resort when hungry.

The doubles are much better at the Fulton St location!
Chana is poorly seasoned here
Also it’s more expensive than Fulton st ($ 1.50 vs $ 1.25)
Glad I live in bed stuy!

The best Doubles and Roti period!!!
Tasty, fast and great prices…

I don’t have very much to say here. As far as Trinidadian food goes, it was OK. If you NEED Trinidadian food and you’re on Flatbush Ave, go there, but don’t make a special trip.
Doubles: Stiff Bara and poorly seasoned chana
Aloo Pie: OK
Pepper Sauce: Bland and no flavor at all.
Service: Slow and uninterested

This location is awful compared to the original on utica avenue. I finally understand why the original is… original! The food doesn’t even taste the same, It was hard to digest. The food looked so… disgusting. Its almost as if everything was pureed into baby food. The skin of the roti couldn’t even handle the purée crap the lady was stuffing into it, it burst and she still gave it to us.
The staff is American? Listen I have issues with American accents serving me caribbean food, it doesn’t feel authentic to me. The chairs and tables were all nice, but you know what, this is my first and last time coming here. They didnt have anything, kept telling customers «no more of this, no more of that» so early in the day. And what they did have was disgusting, came home with a tummy ache. I should have dragged my tail a few blocks to Glorias!

As usual, whenever it comes to most Caribbean restaurants my issue is less with the food (which is usually good to excellent) and more with the abysmal service. For example, everyone knows that Doubles are usually served for breakfast. This restaurant doesn’t open up until 11:30am and from about 10am to that time the gate is halfway open with a sign lit up saying OPEN. That shouldn’t confuse anyone, right?
One day I came into the store at 11:45am, asked for two doubles and the guy behind the counter seemed offended that I actually expected to be able to order doubles at almost noon. He said they «weren’t ready» which took me aback. So, I asked if there was a menu for the restaurant and he pointed to the menu behind the counter. Either he was being a smart ass or he didn’t realize I was asking if there was a take out menu. Who knows, huh? SMDH
Bottom line, I tried the doubles and they weren’t all that. Ok at best. If you really want good doubles you need to go to De Hot Pot further down Flatbush off Washington Avenue or A&A Bake & Doubles Shop on Nostrand Avenue off Fulton Street right next to the Subways Restaurant.
I haven’t tried any other dishes on the menu but they are probably very good. Just expect to be treated like you inconvenienced them by walking into their restaurant to order food. You know… the usual.
P. S. To the heavy set rude guy behind the counter… if you only want to serve Trinidadians your food I have a suggestion. Don’t open up a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY in the United States of America. Just a suggestion. SMDH

So, this is the second time that I’ve strolled into Ali’s Roti Shop, at a reasonable time of afternoon and this is the second time that I was unable to get any Doubles. They were out of Doubles, Aloo Pie and Polourie by 5 PM. Really?
You’re specialty is Trinidadian food, but the things that is notoriously trinidadian, you don’t have. Off to a great start.
Instead of walking out this time, I decided I should get a Beef Roti which is basically Beef Curry in Roti. What it made up for in flavor it made up for in size, it was hella big and it was $ 5.00. What was unusual for me was that they put curry channa in the Roti; I was definitely not expecting that… you could tell though that it was the same channa that they would use if they did have the bara… to make doubles. It was salty, the beef was a bit over cooked and the over all spice content was pretty much non existent. I feel like they just put all the spices in a pot and threw in the meat and water and hoped for the best.
Getting my Trinidadian fare from Liberty ave has always been a labor of love, now I take it more to heart. I was completely let down by Ali’s and I doubt I will ever go there again unless I’m in the neighborhood and I want to pick up some pre-​packaged (not made by the shop) Tambrind Balls.
Get it together.