Vegan-friendly
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Jamaican
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Restaurant is about Jamaican life, culture and flavor, and uses imported ingredients from Jamaica. Menu offers many vegan dishes such as tofu stew, veggie stew peas, and curried hearts of palm, plus fruit smoothies which can be made vegan, and a vegan coconut cake. Reported closed January 2024.
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619 W University Ave, Gainesville, Florida, USA, 32601
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Last update on 15 Jan 2024 by punkmogul
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47 Reviews
First Review by rainfall2008
sarahh913
Points +44
NEW FAVORITE - Edit
This was one of the best restaurants I've ever been too. Amazing cultural food with tons of vegan options! Any meat menu item had a non-vegan counterpart. I got the Mackee bruschetta and the brown stewed tofu with the festival and it was SPECTACULAR to say the least. Huge portions so you definitely don't leave hungry no matter how big your appetite is. The vegan coconut cake for dessert was honestly the best cake I've ever had. Moist, delicious, and beautiful! Pretty inexpensive considering the amount of food you get, a great atmosphere, and our waitress was extremely nice, helpful, and all around awesome. YOU NEED TO GO!
Read moreGuest
ahimsa32fa
Points +40
Reggae Shack - Edit
Fly problem most likely from improper storage of produce or uncovered garbage cans in kitchen.
Read morePros: Friendly help., Huge servings.
Cons: Fly problems., Microwave instead of fresh-made?
Guest
beehivekristine
Points +86
YUM! - Edit
This place is great- we also love Southern Charm (same owners). The portions are enormous and amazing I always have lunch for the following day! There are so many vegan options to choose from. It would be impossible for me to pick a favorite here, but the heaping pile of cabbage and rice that accompanies most dishes never disappoints! Oh yeah, the festivals are definitely a requirement.
Read morePros: Always delicious, Great service, Very friendly
Cons: very popular- can be tough to get in
Guest
Ghanamacian
Points +15
Bigggg up! - Edit
Great food atmosphere, culture love all day. Good tunes, food fresh and superior flavor authentic! Blessings and Jah love to the owners and staff!
Read moreGuest
cwormbley
Points +25
Mixed Review - Edit
Stopped by this place (we were traveling via I-75) based on the rave reviews on Happy Cow, Yelp, and Urbanspoon. The experience was so-so. While it was true that the Callaloo Bruschetta appetizer was delicious, I was disappointed with the Curry Seitan. It was not a curry dish, in my humble opinion, and it was much too sweet. Also, the Seitan was very dense. My spouse ordered the Vegan Steak and there was little difference in the sauce accompanying it and the curry sauce coating my dish. The Vegan Seitan was just as dense. We ordered some Festivals. They tasted like deep fried Jiffy Cornbread hush puppies - too sweet. Granted, if you like Jiffy products, you'll appreciate the Festivals. Overall, our meals were palatable; they just didn't measure up to the reviews. :(
Read morePros: Easy to find, Good portion sizes, Callaloo Bruschetta is delicious
Cons: Seitan too dense, Dishes too sweet
Guest
Lisa
Points +387
There's a party in my mouth and everyone's invited - Edit
I was beyond happy with this place. Friendly wait staff, fun decor, and some of the best food I've ever had in my life! I got the curried tofu, which came with cabbage, sweet plantains, and rice and peas. I couldn't even finish the plate, so I didn't get to try the 2 vegan cakes they had on the menu. If I lived in Gainesville I'd probably eat here every day. Please go to this restaurant.
Read morePros: Colorful decor, Incredible food, The food, seriously, amazing.
Cons: Styrofoam to-go containers
Guest
VeganicMom
Points +34
Jamaican me crazy! - Edit
I saw a billboard with the sign for this place. I did not find it through my happy cow app because for some reason when I'm in G-ville the locator only pulls up the same (only) one restaurant (a to go place). Anywho, it is in a good location and easy to find. I was surprised and pleased that I was greeted, seated, and given a first timer's menu presentation by a nice young man who assured me of my vegan concerns. Great service- I felt like I had 3 servers. They were busy but my food came out in a reasonable time. My appetizer was the Callaloo Bruschetta- freakin amazing. Don't hesitate if you like bruschetta, seriously. I ordered sweet green tea which was free refills thankfully because it was soo good I drank 3. (Yes, I know but I was starving & thirsty from a long day at school). For dinner I had the Escoviech Tofu. It was a hard choice since it all looked yummy but the tangy, sweet and spicy crispy tofu description got me. I swear I was so happy from the first bite. Generous portions and the flavors were just so genuine. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the plantains. I got a good African beer also. I have ventured out of my box since becoming vegan almost a year ago and am so excited to try new things. The other great thing is that this place is for everyone...herbi, omni, and carnivores. Great for me because I can bring my hubs next time. I brought him home Coco bread and my kids the festivals. Festivals FTW! I didn't really want to share they were so great. Reminded me of a krispy kreme type of goodness, but different. I was bummed, however that they did not have the 2 vegan desserts I was looking forward to (carrot cake and coconut cake). I bet they would've been awesome too...maybe next time. On a random note, they had Mrs. Meyers soap in the ladies room- bonus points :)
Read morePros: yummmmm, selection, location
Cons: out of vegan dessert
Guest
mbentz
Points +260
soooo gooooood - Edit
The coconut festivals are AMAZING! their curry sauce was sweet and good, their seitan had a good texture. Our waitress was super nice & helpful. They also have vegan cake!!!!(coconut & carrot)
Read morePros: many veggi options, great service, vegan cake!
Guest
kjachimecki
Points +28
first visit and going back - Edit
I live in Gainesville and font know any I didn't go sooner. My bf and I got the seitan sandwich and the callaloo with tempeh. The portions were huge and the sauces were lovely. Never have had Jamaican, being vegan relay limiting me before, but not at the shack, recommend it to vegans who able some sinfully delicious food.
Read morePros: huge portions, tasty, keep the vegan food away from animal foo
Cons: callaloo was a little oily
Guest
Scott Grenerth
Points +408
Awesome!!!! - Edit
Fantastic selection of vegan dishes!!!
Read moreThey all are great!!!
Smoothies are all amazing!!!
I love stopping here when I'm in Gainesville. It's worth the trip to get off the interstate on head into town.
Pros: Great vegan selection!!!, Staff are always wonderful!!, Vegan deserts too!
Cons: Only con. It's not 100% vegan., Can't rate it "5 cows"
Guest
MrsMustard
Points +26
Delicious And Authentic - Edit
I have eaten here 3 times now and each time has been amazing. Their food is spicy and authentically Jamaican. They also have a great selection for vegans. I recommend the Callaloo Bruschetta, Tofu Escovietch and the Jerk Veggie Burger (VERY spicy).
Read morePros: Unique, Good Prices
Cons: Can Be Busy On Weekends
Guest
little lily
Points +47
Fantastic!. - Edit
We found this place while driving home from vacation. I spied a billboard that said "carribean and vegan food." Seriously? I don't think I've ever seen vegan food advertised on a billboard.
Read moreThe staff were very friendly. The menu states that all vegetarian dishes are vegan.
We had pepper steak (seitan) and jerk tofu. The menu has a warning about the jerk, and our waiter warned us too.
It was ridiculously hot, but good. The seitan was the perfect texture and the sauce was incredible. I wanted to lick the plate.
The sides - rice and beans, cabbage, plantains - complimented the dishes perfectly.
Everyone was so friendly - we were still talking about the experience days later.
I wish I could give it 5 stars - maximum rating for non - veg restaurant is 4.
Pros: friendly, delicious and healthy, good music
Guest
shakes13t
Points +97
Worth the Drive - Edit
We saw this place on Happy Cow, but weren't going to go so far from the highway for a veg-friendly place. The night before we were burned by a veg-friendly that had taken most of the veg off the menu. But then we saw their billboard on the highway, and it said vegan, so we decided to try it, because when do you ever see billboards for vegan anything?
Read moreIt was maybe fifteen minutes from the highway, but easy to find and well worth the drive.
I ordered three entrees because I couldn't decide - calaloo, tofu escoveitch and curried palm hearts. They were all delicious, as were the cabbage and plantain sides and even the rice. The food was salty, but not unbalanced. It was heavily spiced (though not very spicy, to me, though I like spice a lot) and well-spiced. The salt was high to balance and complement the spice. I'm not a salt person, but it was delicious and well-done.
The best thing, to me, was the staff. Everyone was happy, and they seemed to enjoy being at work. They were kind to each other - really kind and caring - and to everyone who walked in, from regulars to delivery men to first-time customers like me. It seems like the kind of place where drama and pettiness are not tolerated. I know that's a strange call to make, but it was really striking to me. When I left, the server who took my order (we took it to go) shook my hand and asked my name and everyone around wished me a good day - not canned, or like they had to, just like they were happy to pass along their good cheer. It was so nice to see in a college town where the kids are often "too cool" for niceties.
They had no gluten-free vegan desserts, but they did have vegan desserts and said that they sometimes have raw cheesecake.
Definitely try this place! LOTS of vegan options, knowledge of gluten-free, very tasty!
I think this place would have five cows if Happy Cow allowed five cow ratings for non-veg places.
Pros: FOOD, atmosphere, staff
Guest
ChrisMetzl
Points +18
Tasty Tasty! - Edit
Everything I tasted was wonderful. A quick warning, the Jerk anything is really spicy if you're not up for that kind of thing.
Read morePros: Great food, Multiple Veg Choices, Jerk is really spicy!
Cons: Jerk is really spicy!
Guest
warino
Points +154
Pass de duchy on de left hand side... - Edit
The first time I have ever seen the word VEGAN on a highway billboard in the US was the billboard on I-75 northbound for this restaurant. Even though it is not a vegan restaurant, the owners clearly understand what vegans want. Choice, taste, portions. Just like death eaters want. I had the vegan seitan steak sandwich, which was doused in a sweet, mildly spicy tomato based Jamaican sauce, whereas my hus had Jerk tofu, which came with rice and peas, and a side order of festival. The jerk is as hot and spicy as they warn you, so be prepared - it was f***ing ridiculously spicy. But both dishes were awesomely delicious. Prices were more than fair, and the service was great. Wort de trip, man...
Read morePros: Food, Price/Value, Service
Cons: It's in Gainesville, not near us!
Guest
ashfnm
Points +83
Consistently Delicious - Edit
This place serves great food. Nice atmosphere. Lots of vegan options. Perfect for lunch, a casual dinner or takeout. I can't stop eating the Curried Palm Hearts! So good!
Read morePros: large portions, Good sides, friendly staff
Guest
RunVeg
Points +151
Eat a festival right now. - Edit
They have an entire vegan section on the menu--you don't even have to skip over meaty dishes to find what you want. I had the Vegan Steak Sandwich (seitan), which came with fries ($9.50). It had good flavor without being too spicy (someone warned me that the Jerk Tofu was insanely hot, even if you like spice). I wasn't absolutely blown away with the sandwich, but it was good. We also ordered Festivals, which are "sweet tropical hush puppies." These are amazing and pretty good sized at $2 for 2 cakes. We actually went back the next day to get another order of Festivals. My friend had the Curry Palm Hearts ($8.25), which was amazingly delicious. I think I'd get that if we went back. It came with quite a bit of side offerings, so definitely a great price for what you're getting. They had vegan desserts, but we were too full to try any. This place just remodeled, and there is plenty of seating space now, and there are sweet reggae jams playing.
Read morePros: Festivals!, Good music
Cons: Sandwiches overpriced for what you get
Guest
RachelLouise
Points +543
Delicious and filling! - Edit
I had the Veggie Mince Special, and it was excellent, and too big for me to finish (although not big enough for two, unless you want something small). All the meals come with rice, cabbage, and plantains. I don't like cabbage much, but this was good, and these were probably the best plantains I've had. My friend got the jerk tofu and it was very spicy, but really good if you can handle that much heat. He was told when he finished that next time he can ask for it "extra spicy". The 4 others I was with ordered non-vegan items, and they were all very happy. I got a slice of vegan carrot cake to go, and it was really good and well-spiced.
Read morePros: Great food, large portions, good selection
Cons: not super cheap
Guest
tamberine97
Points +39
just do it. - Edit
Everything is crazy good. The jerk tofu was too spicy to eat though, and I have never had anything too spicy. The veg mince meat is basically amazing.
Read morePros: service, super tastey, music
Cons: long wait, deadly jerk tofu
Guest
rainfall2008
Points +52
great food, but be aware of spiciness - Edit
I had the vegan steak, which is seitan, and it is excellent! However, my friend had the jerk chicken and almost choked on its spiciness. They really pepper it up.
Read moreDon't try the vegan desserts: not a great selection.
Lots of good food for dinner though
Pros: excellent dinner, friendly staff, big portions
Cons: too spicy on some dishes, lack of great vegan desserts, not nice seating
Guest
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