Rating on GoogleReviews often mention
oxtail(16) chicken(16) drink(16) candice(13) recommend(12) plantain(10) cheese(10) caribbean(10) flavour(10) mac(9) poutine(9)The food was really good. I ordered the Mac & cheese with oxtail, jerk wings & the Grandma’s Punch cocktail. The Mac & cheese tasted great but it was kind of small for 24 dollars. The wings were delicious. My drink was good as well. Overall the restaurant & atmosphere were great 😊.View more
Kacyann
Need more staff
Food was delicious taste of the Caribbean
Oxtail wanted to cook more wasn't falling off the bone
Need more drinks options
Better seating option
The chefs handle the food properly so delicious
Kacyann
Need more staff
Food was delicious taste of the Caribbean
Oxtail wanted to cook more wasn't falling off the bone
Need more drinks options
Better seating option
The chefs handle the food properly so delicious
Kacyann
Need more staff
Food was delicious taste of the Caribbean
Oxtail wanted to cook more wasn't falling off the bone
Need more drinks options
Better seating option
The chefs handle the food properly so delicious
Kacyann
Need more staff
Food was delicious taste of the Caribbean
Oxtail wanted to cook more wasn't falling off the bone
Need more drinks options
Better seating option
The chefs handle the food properly so delicious
We decided to pop into the restaurant, it was our first time visiting. The food was fantastic, spicy & yummy. We kept ordering additional dishes! In addition, the staff were helpful as well as informative about drinks & dishes. We were lucky to meet one of the owners, again a lovely bloke. This is a fantastic addition to the restaurant culture of Ottawa. Highly recommend.
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I love the atmosphere it was beautiful but the food got me very sick, the service is very slow, drinks are too expensive doesn’t match the food price, Riz coller was sweet & made from basmati rice.. very strange. The goat meat was nice & tender but wte spice they use in it they need to change it. The wings were good. The presentation was nice as well.
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I don't know if I'll be back here. The place is lacking some some key points but the food is amazing & one of the best that I've had. Drinks are way too over priced & they are actually not good. Don't spend money on cocktails. They are not worth it. I believe they are understaffed because service was not good at all. No checkups, finished plates on table for more that 30min. Had to call waitress myself couple times to get an order through.
Again food is phenomenal. Oxtail is great but don't order the sharable since it's mostly bones(not fall of the bone, u literally have to eat them with Ure hands). Jerk calamari was an eye opener & one of the best. Oxtail tacos & jerk chicken was delicious.
In summary, come for the food, order everything right away once u are given a table, & do not order cocktails (any cocktails).
Message for the owner. Ure chef is amazing but u need to do something at the bar level.
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Respectfully… no.
The atmosphere is cute but the food & drinks were not it. My drink tasted like straight alcohol & syrup, it was so gross that I ended up asking for something else (which wasn’t even that great). & the food… whew. The portions are literally toddler sized, & they were out of almost everything I wanted. The wings were dry & when we asked about it, they said they were “out of sauce”, which we should’ve been advised prior to ordering. Regardless, they still charged full price for them & even gave themselves a nice 18% tip. Love supporting Black businesses but this was a huge disappointment.View more
Honest review -
It was a nice environment, but food portion? Is so small compared to what is being charged, I also got charged for what I didn’t eat, which I told the server a couple of times the price plantain was too soft, I liked the Rasta pasta that was served but the portion was like they were feeding kids. The drinks is also amazing, but I don’t think I will be going back because of the pricing & portion.View more
Victoire
Thank you for a lovely night at Tropikal. The ambiance was fantastic, & the presentation of the food was lovely. However my partner & I were disappointed by the food. The mushroom based starter had a good sauce, however the mushroom didn't taste very flavourful. It tasted like it was added to the sauce at the last minute & hadn't absorbed any flavours. We were also disappointed by the size of the very small pieces of garlic bread that came with the mushroom. Secondly, the truffle fries were quite burnt so were less enjoyable. Then, the snapper fish we had as one of the mains was also not very flavourful on the inside. However the red peppers that came with the dish were really good. Finally, the jerk chicken main was the best item we had. The sauce that came with the chicken was delicious, but the chicken on its own was ok. All in all, we would rate the food experience on its own as a 5/10, therefore we wouldn't come back here to eat. This was disappointing given that we have heard many people rave about the food in the Montréal location. The ambiance & drinks were good though so we may come back for that another time. We wish you best of success with your restaurant. Take good care!
Tess
Only putting 3 stars because below 3 stars is a private review & it's important to have all reviews public. This was a 1 maybe 2 stars max experience.
We had a disappointing experience at Tropikal Ottawa. The restaurant's high prices, slow customer service, & lackluster food quality were major drawbacks. The shrimp Rasta pasta, priced at $32, is overpriced compared to similar upscale restaurants where steak dishes are priced in the $30 to $40 range. The mac & cheese lacked seasoning & tasted like macaroni with only shredded cheese, & the ackee & salt fish fritter had no ackee. Although the drinks were good & the ambiance was lovely, the bathroom could use some updating. We don't plan on returning for the food & hope the restaurant reconsiders its menu.
Mikala
We had such a good time. The music was good, the drinks were superb & the food was crazy fast. Now onto my food, I had the Rasta pasta with Jerk Chicken. It was absolutely mouthwatering. The only complaint I'd have is the portion, I wish the serving was a bit bigger but the experience was Fabulous.
Zoe
The food was amazing, the customer service was great, it was taking some time for our food to arrive but they were great seeing it was busy hours & the place was packed, unfortunately we were not aware that at 11 the food service was closing so we didn't get the chance to order our mains & only had appetizers & drinks, overall I recommend this spot for delicious african slash carribean food, the vibe is so relaxing too.