Aneal’s Taste of the Islands

Great place to fullfill your Chicken Curry Roti cravings! I must say this is the one of the best in the GTA. Found this joint on Facebook last year and have been coming here since. Aneal the owner is very nice, which is also a plus! There’s street parking northbound on Yonge. If you’re running late, you can always give them a call and they will have your food ready for you.

really good, spicy food. our first time there, i ordered the chicken roti, my wife had the jerk chicken.
the jerk chicken: kicked me in the face and then kept the heat on. tasted great, although i would have liked more peas in the rice and peas.
the chicken roti: firstly, let me say that i REALLY LOVE chicken roti. i used to live downtown, and loved the roti at ghandi’s around bathurst and queen. ever since i moved uptown, i have never had roti that didn’t make me go «not as good as ghandi’s» on the first bite, UNTIL ANEAL’s. i cannot say for certain which one i love more, for that i would need to eat them side by side. but a slow heat, potato packed yellow curry with chicken wrapped in an awesome roti, exactly what i love about roti!
BONUS: the next day, i had really warm farts. i noticed because i went out for a walk early in the morning when it was still a bit nippy outside, but thanks to Aneal’s my shorts were nice and warm. i will need to try it again to verify that it wasn’t just a freak occurrence.

This is a tiny Authentic Trinidadian restaurant in the heart of Richmond Hill. The goat roti is outstanding and the Fried Shark and Bake is absolutely delicious! Aneal and his wife are great hosts — the wait is well worth it.

Take a chance on eating real island food in York Region.
Aneal’s is a hidden gem in the heart of Richmond Hill serving quality, mouth watering, authentic Caribbean food originating from the Island of Trinidad & Tobago. Great curries, roti, pepper sauce and stews plus weekend specials make you feel like your on the island and just need a cold Carib to wash down your meal.
One visit will lead to two and then many. Don’t be in a hurry as each meal is prepared only when the order is placed and not a moment before. Trust me when I say it’s worth the wait.

Was in the area after a doc appt and was happy to discover a ‘jerk’ restaurant in the Hill.
There’s all the standard fare that you’d expect from a ‘jerk’ house but on Saturdays they serve Shark and Bake (when fresh shark is available). Yum!
Anyways being a weekday I had the jerk chicken for lunch. It’s nice that they offer both a small and regular order. The small is a perfect size for lunch.
I’ve tried a lot of jerk places in the city and I have to say Aneal’s is one of the best. Chicken is moist and flavourful. Rice and beans are also top notch. You could see and taste an abundance of fresh herbs and spices used in the food.
Establishment clean, service friendly. There are also a few proper tables where you can eat in a relaxed atmosphere.
All in all a nice surprise to the standard ‘chain’ fare you normally find in the Hill. Well worth a visit.

Great place, food is great. Very friendly!
I will be back for sure. If you are looking for parking when you stop by, it looks like you can park on the n. Side of richmond, in what looks like a business complex, or gov. type building.
The restaurant is small, or you could say only as big as it needs to be. I would imagine most of their business is takeout.
For the trini’s out there, they make shark and bake on Saturdays, sometimes Fridays.

I was in the area yesterday and noticed that the former restaurant that inhabited this location was no longer there — in fact it had been gone for just over a year. In that time Aneal’s Taste has opened bringing a little Island flavour to a virtually one dimensional and kinda drab, Village of Richmond Hill.
It was slightly after the lunch hour and empty (even of staff upon first look). After a short wait Aneal himself came out to give the other customer in the store his order and take mine. I went with the large jerk chicken lunch meal and decided to dine in. After taking my order he went to the back and I was alone out front.
The décor is simple but clean and classic, everything nicely organized and everything in its place. The music was a little strange as it sounded more like traditional Indian pop music rather than the Socca or Reggae I might expect from a Caribbean restaurant.
The food came out soon there after with about a half chicken (in dark meat) of Jerk chicken, a healthy portion of rice and beans and a small salad. As Erwin mentioned in his review, it’s a baked/​roasted version of jerk chicken (not grilled) but it was very moist (fall off the bone) and had a great spicy flavour none the less. The seasoning was great but I was missing that fresh off the grill taste that goes so well with Jerk Chicken.
The real surprise for me was the Rice! Wow, not something I get excited about all that often, save for a good Mushroom Risotto, but the rice and beans here are excellent. Jam packed full of beans and flavour, and moist! Not mushy, not dry, a perfect balance. You can tell they use fresh ingredients here as there were several fresh bay leaves scattered throughout the rice.
My only complaint would be the salad, plain, no dressing, small portion. Not that I need a lot of salad but there wasn’t even an option for a dressing (I mixed it with my rice so I could get some flavour on it). Fresh produce though, I’ll give them that!
Overall, a good experience and if in the neighbouhood, I’d certainly come back — I recommend you do as well
Eatcrest Out!

Came here for take out. Was really excited to find out there was a place like this so close to me. Its a small place but cozy. Parking is across the street or there is street parking. Ordered the shark and bake and curry chicken. It was really good! Rice and peas was made perfectly. Really nice people. Make sure to ask for cutlery. Watch out for the pepper sauce! Very tastey but has a real kick!

Richmond Hill was lacking a proper West Indian restaurant to add to the many different ethnic choices in the Town. Thankfully Aneal’s answers this with great quality food, complimented by reasonable prices and a friendly (and cleanly) atmosphere.
Only comment: Would love to see this restaurant engage a delivery service in order to capture more clientele.
Overall, this is well-​prepared healthy comfort food fit for the family dinner table; and that speaks volumes.

I ordered food to pick up and it was ready very quickly which was convenient. The owner was extremely friendly and pleasant. I ordered the oxtail for myself and my BF and a friend had the jerk chicken and curry roti. The food was great! Exactly how described. Being Jamaican and used to eating Caribbean foods I’m a hard critic but I can say I’m definitely ordering from here again!

This restaurant is a mix of Trini/​Jamaican/​Indian with a fusion of New Orleans! We ordered the oxtail and the jerk chicken combo and it was delicious! You have the option of having the non-​spicy and spicy. We obviously had to order spicy! This ain’t your typical tobascco spicy. If you can’t handle the spice then just order the non-​spicy.
The oxtail was just Devine. It is fall off the bone goodness and is perfectly seasoned. The jerk chicken was also a delight. But if you asked me, I am all for the oxtail! I have to mention that he sells his hot sauce. He always makes a fresh batch and it always taste uniquely different each time.
They have a small and large portion option And I’d highly recommend the large! It’s too good to eat only a small. This isn’t a restaurant where you should be thinking about your diet. The restaurant is clean, the chef is friendly, and the food is good. What more could you look for in a restaurant? Did I mention that they serve all halal? The chef has his certification to prove it!
I will be coming back for more to try the other dishes on his menu! It’s one of the best Trini/​Jamaican/​Indian food I’ve ever had! I highly recommended it!
I give it a 5 thumbs up! I will see you soon Aneal!

Ate here two times now and food has been excellent. I’ve tried the roti and the jerk chicken. Both were very good and tasted authentic.
Owner was playing some nice tunes the day I was there which created a nice Caribbean atmosphere. This place would be even better if it had a patio to enjoy the beautiful summer weather.
Can’t wait to come back and try rest of menu!

unfortunately, this place did not have any of the elements I like in the Jerk places I frequent.
1) they skimp on the serving size. The oxtail we ordered had very few pieces and each piece didnt have a lot of meat on it.
2) the Jerk chicken was obviously baked. However it was prepared it was definitely not grilled. It was as if they got bottled jerk sauce from the grocery, marinated and baked the chicken in it. If that was the case its a lot easier to make it myself.
As much as I like jerk chicken it appears I will still need to drive down to Toronto to get my fix. This is unfortunate as this place is rather close to where I live.

This review is for takeout.
I really really wanted to like this place since it is close to home and I like to support local mom & pop restaurants every chance I get. It’s a shame that the food did not stand out. I ordered the chickpea/​potato roti and it was bland, even after smothering it with hot sauce. Mr Leny said the same about his jerk chicken dinner.
We were quite disappointed and not sure that we will be back.