As Caribbean Flavors demonstrates, not all Caribbean is Jamaican, and not all Caribbean is created equal. This is a Virgin Islands joint, not something easily determined from the outside. It’s located one block north of the intersection of Webb Ginn Road and Scenic Highway (Highway 124), a block past Poblanos and Bonefish Grill. It’s in the same strip mall as Lavender Asian Bistro. Inside, it’s pretty, clean and neat, with a nice yellow and orange color scheme (that seems loud I know, but the colors are well coordinated and muted) and there are a few tables surrounding the kitchen area.
One thing that’s just true about Atlanta food writers, professional, blogger or just aggregation site fan, is that Caribbean restaurants are seriously underrepresented in their writings. People either don’t talk about them, ignore them, or forget to talk about them. Jamaican and Caribbean stores and restaurants abound on Memorial Drive and Covington Highway, and how many of these can even be found in the discussion of best Caribbean in the city? Even in other places where these eateries have expanded into, they’re not well represented. People would rather talk about the new bar in Grant Park, or a new paint job in Two Urban Licks, than find the next hole in the wall while headed to Stone Mountain.
I’m guilty of this too. I saw this restaurant while reviewing Lavender and then waited a while to check this one out. And wow, was I in for a surprise. For one, no frozen patties shipped in from New York here, and microwaved. The patés, as they call them, are hand made:
That’s true of all the food here. It’s made from scratch. As this is a Virgin Islands restaurant, there is no jerk chicken. Dishes are things like rotí, or conch stew. Oh yes, and Johnny cakes, can’t forget those. These are a kind of fried donut, and Caribbean Flavors has good ones.
They have a decent sized salad if you eat in.
The conch stew is quite good
But the chicken rotí is heavenly, bliss wrapped in a chickpea tortilla.

as served.

opened and half eaten
And they do a nice dessert too. This is made from scratch rum cake. They don’t fly in their desserts either.
I took patés home, and when my daughter tried one, her response was,
“Oh my god, this is really good.”
And the words aren’t as important in gauging her response as the pitch of her voice, which drops when she wants to emphasize a point. It seemed as if my daughter’s voice dropped an octave when she was talking about Caribbean Flavor’s patés.
If I had any advice for those near Snellville, I’d say you have to try this restaurant. For those a bit further out, I can’t gauge what you should drive for. A great Caribbean restaurant could be around your corner. You won’t know until you look.
Service here is good and relaxed. The chef is in on nights and weekends and approachable.
Verdict: Good to excellent from-scratch Virgin Islands food. Very highly recommended
Caribbean Flavors
1195 Scenic Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
(770) 978-6800
Notes: easiest way here from, say, I-85, is to exit at Pleasant Hill and head east. Go to Ronald Reagan highway. Head to Snellville. Exit on Webb Ginn Road and take a left. At the intersection of Webb Ginn and Scenic Highway (Poblano’s will be on your left), turn left and go one block. At the the gas station, turn left and immediately enter the strip mall-gas station on your right. You won’t see Caribbean Flavors at this point, but this is the right place to turn. Head to the far end of the strip mall.
September 11, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I am totally guilty of ignoring Caribbean and Jamaican food in my blog… primarily because most of the time I find it to be lacking flavor – so it’s not a restaurant type I seek out. I like your reviews though!
September 11, 2009 at 3:13 pm
For bloggers, I think it’s partly a consequence of location. Memorial Drive or Covington Highway are places I can get to, but it’s not as easy to get to as Pleasant Hill Road or Scenic Highway. It’s partly, as Barney@Urbanspoon says, that these mom n’ pops don’t do the things to bring in newspaper reviews (such as write boilerplate for newspapers to publish) or otherwise attract attention. Some of it is unfamiliarity with the cuisine.
In my case, I like spicy and I want to find some good simple spicy chicken places, and so I need to put more effort into exploring the cuisine.
September 21, 2009 at 10:55 am
I drive right past this restaurant three days a week on my way to work. After reading your review, I’ll give it a try.
It’s funny – the strip mall restaurants sometimes lack visual appeal but some of the best family owned restaurants can be found in them.
September 21, 2009 at 11:25 am
Just an opinion, but one of the things smaller blogs should do is point out places like this. You’re getting food prepared by a chef and you can talk to him if you wish.
It’s a rare opportunity in a world where so many eateries are chains.
October 20, 2009 at 3:11 pm
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January 19, 2010 at 2:00 pm
We were actually going to Lavender Restaurant in the same strip mall but they are closed on Mondays so we saw the Caribbean restaurant and we decide to try it we had some pates a chicken,a conch and a vegetable one and they were delicious. Made fresh while we waited and we were able to talk to the owner who by the way is very friendly
January 19, 2010 at 7:47 pm
I would agree! They are very friendly at Caribbean Flavors.
FnS.
June 7, 2010 at 10:29 am
[…] Macky’s Caribbean Cuisine is in the same complex of strip malls as Lavender Asian Bistro and Caribbean Flavors, and so if you’re heading down 124 from Snellville to Lawrenceville, remember to turn left […]
November 5, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Can you please send me a menu with nutrition information and calories?
Thanks so much!
Maureen
November 6, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Maureen,
The restaurant (see contact info above) is the place to ask for menus. Good luck!
FnS.
March 17, 2011 at 3:07 am
This is a good piece of content, I was wondering if I could use this blog on my Caribbean Wedding stories, I will link it back to your website though. If this is a problem please let me know and I will take it down right away.