My wife and I have been going to Kallaloo for almost two years now and thoroughly enjoy it. The restarant is well-located a half block off the Columbia City main drag (Rainier Ave) - right across from the main public parking lot. In the warmer weather they have the windows open, which is delightful, but even in winter the wall of windows allows a lot of light in. They are always playing great island music; sometimes it's live.\r
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Their lunch and dinner menus are so different that it's almost like eating at two different restaurants. :) At lunch, the chicken Roti with a Ting drink just cannot be beat, and they often have wonderful soups at both lunch and dinner. For dinner I can't recommend the grilled jerkpork chop highly enough, though I prefer their black beans and rice with sofrito instead of the red beans and rice as a side. We enjoy the Jamaican stuffed patties and fried plaintains as well, though the fried plaintains can vary a bit depending on the season. They also have some wonderful bar drinks - the rumpunch named (I think) after Gail's mother, is particularly tasty.\r
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One thing to note about Kallalo is that it IS a family run restaurant. One owner (Kal) is the cook and the other (Gail) is the main waitress. This can occasionally result in somewhat long waiting times to get your food - especially if there's a big crowd. We've never had our food served cold; it's usually piping hot. We consider the quality and taste of the dishes to more than compensate for what is occasionally a bit of a wait. We've also been going there long enough to have seen the service quality and speed improve overall - it has gotten considerably faster than it was during their first few months of business (which is the timeframe of a couple of the earliest reviews).\r
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If you enjoy (or want to try) Caribbean food, and have a bit of time to wait in case they are running a bit behind, I very highly recommend this restaurant - particularly the dishes & drinks referenced above.
Pros: terrific food, great drinks, good ambience, great location, can handle special requests
Cons: Not the best choice for a really fast dinner or for a large group
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