Coley's Caribbean-American Cuisine

06/08/09

A Bad Day at Coley's?

by boy6 at Citysearch

I was a dedicated fan of the old Coley's on Crenshaw Blvd that closed a few years back. So, I looked forward to a nice meal at the North Hollywood location on Sunday with my brother.

We planned on enjoyning the Champagne buffet brunch advertised on their website. When we got there the place was deserted. Yet the service was still surprisingly slow. There was only one table occupied. There was no buffet offered. When I inquired the hostess/waitress simply stated, "We don't have a buffet anymore."

They only offered the dinner menu (which is a bit pricier) although it was only 2pm. We both ordered the jerked chicken dinner. My brother ordered the goat soup. I ordered a tossed salad to begin the meal. I had to try the goat soup, which was very tasty.

The main course arrived. The jerked chicken, which is supposed to be grilled chicken marinated in seasonings was served drenched in sauce. The meat was dried out and was definately not fresh. Likewise the side dishes, plantains and peas and rice, seemed dried out and not fresh. The fried bread served with the meal was so stale it was inedible. Overall, the meal was a complete dud.

Then came an added bonus. I awoke at 3am queasy and feverish. I spent much of the night praying to the porcelian god. My brother suffered a similar fate. We are pretty sure the meal was the culprit because neither of us ate much of anything after the meal on Sunday. and the meal was the only one we had shared in common that day.

Needless to say I will never dine at that location ever again. I hope that this was a bad day at the restaurant and not representative of how they do business. On that visit I felt like I was in an episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" with Chef Ramsey.

• Pros: Quick seating
• Cons: Stale food

10/19/08

Not as good as I thought it would be

by jes346 at Citysearch

I absolutely love Caribbean food, so I ventured into the valley to give this place a try. Although i cant say anything bad about the experience, it just wasnt memorable to me. the Curry chicken was so-so and the sides were just ok. So far Kassava on 3rd is the best Caribbean spot in LA so far that I've experienced!

09/23/07

Best Jamaican Food in LA!

by bratluv57 at Citysearch

Greatest Jamaican food this side of the US... Brings me back home every time my family and I visit...

• Pros: Delicious food and clientele
• Cons: none

07/31/07

Nice place to try new food.

by los_critic at Citysearch

What I had: Chicken Soup

Crab Cakes

Curried Goat

The Authentic Jamaican Cuisine with the feel of the Caribbean. The service was good. and Don the owner was very inviting. They have Reggae music on Friday's so be ready for some good tunes and possibly a wait. I however went on Monday also, it was slow so service was tip-top. The chicken soup I had was great. Great pieces of Gnocchi. nice tender chunks of chicken, carrots and celery. The flavor was great and it had a nice kick. Second I had the crab caked which had decent flavor but too mushy for me, the presentation of the plate was cool though. 3rd the curried goat came in a huge portion with plantains, veggies, and a hush puppy. The goat was succulent and tender, but it was too salty. Couldn't really enjoy it. The hush puppy was really tough. Probably pretty old. The plantains were fair at most. Over all I gave this place a 3 for average. It's a cool place to go have a drink and try new food though. If you have any other questions about dining in LA please email me at los_critic@hotmail

• Pros: Big Area. Lost of parking
• Cons: Just needs a little work.

Editorial Review

by Contributor at Citysearch

Family-owned Jamaican and Carribean restaurant serves jerk chicken, curried goat, banana-stuffed chicken, plus Sunday brunch and weekday lunch buffet.

02/12/07

Great atmosphere and service

by shuateen at Citysearch

I used to go to the Italian Restaurant that was here before it became Coley's so I was a little surprised at the new restaurant but decided to stay and give it a try anyway. I thought the new owners did a great job of redecorating the restaurant. It looks good and there is a great vibe. I've never had Caribbean food before so I don't have anything to compare it to. I ordered the curried chicken and was very happy with the good. The portion sizes were huge and the food tasted wonderful. The restaurant wasn't too big when I was there so I don't know what it's like when it's really busy, but I thought the service was excellent. Overall, I would definitely recommend Coley's!

• Pros: Great food and service
• Cons: I can't think of anything negative to say!!!!