Calypso Cafe

Contributor

Citysearch

The Scene
Walking distance for most of downtown's nine-to-five residents, this noisy restaurant gets slammed by regulars. Wait staff can hardly keep up with turning tables at the height of lunch hour, and there's a continuous queue for takeout. The focus here is food; no Reggae or island-view murals embellish this dining experience.

The Food
From Jamaican patties to curry conch, the menu caters to large appetites. Jerk wings and veggie and meat patties lead to entrees such as golden brown stewed chicken and steamed flakey snapper cooked with okra, tomatoes and onions. Recommended sides are rice and peas (a mound of rice studded with black beans), plantains (roundly sweet inside, caramelized outside) and the rich homemade macaroni and cheese. Seasoned insiders opt for the oxtail marinated in brown gravy or curried goat. Never-fail favorites are the tender shrimp in garlic broth and crispy fried bites of fresh conch.