• Cost: $
• Credit Cards: All Major
• Alcohol: None
• Parking: Street
• Take Out: Yes

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February 28, 2019

Review

For Trinidadian fare, try Caribbean Spice Roti Shop in Scotch Plains, NJ.

It’s nice to see Trinidadian food available beyond the parts of New Jersey, like Essex County, with the most residents with Trini roots. Caribbean Spice brings the many flavors of this distinctive cuisine to Union County, just off of Route 22. (In typical Jersey fashion, the local rabbi tipped me off to Caribbean Spice and joined me there for lunch recently.)

Caribbean Spice offers  traditional meat (goat, beef, chicken), seafood (shrimp), and veggie (chickpeas, potato, spinach) preparations, in “wrapped” roti (dhal puri), as “Buss up Shot” roti (paratha) – torn strips of  flatbread served alongside the filling, or with rice. The chicken roti here is a hefty package, at least a pound of split peas, cumin-spiced potatoes and tender stewed chicken wrapped in the tortilla-thin flaky wheat flatbread. The menu features “doubles” – fried yeast bread around curried chickpeas, a curry mango side, and pholourie – deep fried balls of split pea flour dipped in tamarind sauce. Daily specials include oxtail, red snapper, kingfish and stew chicken on the bone. Both “shark and bake” and “saltfish and bake” sandwiches are available on weekends.

The storefront restaurant on East 2nd Street has a few tables to eat in and does a bustling take out business from the counter. The staff are more than happy to help you navigate the menu if you are new to Trinidadian food.

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