CariSoul Cuisine

I came here once for lunch in the middle of a week right around opening time. We were met at the door by one of the employees who told us they would be opening an hour and a half later than usual due to a «large order». In what world is this an acceptable business practice? Will not be returning.

I love my coworkers and I love their choice of comfort food. They were craving Caribbean and found the closest location to our office. It was a short drive but made for a fun road trip.
CariSoul is located inside the Darlington Apartments. Once you park, enter the large complex and turn down a hallway to your left. It’s slightly sketchy compared to the lobby. It’s the second door on your right, after the Chinese restaurant.
The interior had five tables of two, so our group of four had to wait for a couple hogging the middle table.
One older black man was working and was busy preparing a to-​go order of 8. The wait was pretty long, but we finally were able to place our order maybe 15 minutes later. They were out of the oxtails because «he didn’t have time to finish preparing them.» While we were disappointed, I went to my back up of the Jerk Chicken without skipping a beat. You only get one side with a medium order so I upgraded to a large to get two sides. I asked for the collard greens and the plantains. I noticed they had cans of pineapple Fanta, so I asked for one of those, too. After another 10 minutes, he emerged from the back with our styrofoam containers of food and allotted the containers respectively.
Omg that jerk chicken was phenomenal. It was so tender, it fell right off the bone of the thigh and drum. The spicy jerk juices from the chicken soaked the rice and peas, which I could have eaten alone without anything else. I wasn’t a huge fan of the collards, I felt like more could have been done with them, rather than the quick steam. The plantains were hot, sweet and freshly fried. And I washed it all down with the slightly chilled pineapple Fanta. Perfect lunch, all for under $ 10.
I was in Athens the following weekend and noticed (I’m pretty sure) this same man working at Kelly’s Jamaican Food. I guess he gets around! He was super nice and friendly to our group and while he was very quiet, he joked around with us four girls (he agreed with my girls that my butt looked good in my jeans!!!). Support him and his food, whether in Atlanta or in Athens!

Hot, fresh, authentic and delicious Carribean food. Service is friendly, one of my favorite spots to eat.

The food is AMAZING!!! I had the fried tilapia, cabbage, rice & beans, and fried plantains.

Food is really good! BUT, they’re always out of something, oxtails, fish, etc. Food has always been great, call in ahead of time to avoid a wait. The jerk chicken, turkey wings, and oxtails are amazing! As well as all the sides.

I’m not quite sure why I haven’t reviewed this place before. I actually enjoy the food. Huge portions and decent prices. The curry chicken is usually pretty good and I like the macaroni and cheese. It definitely has a twist to it. Coco bread is usually always good. One star taken off because after a certain time it’s harder to get in.

I was served sale food left over from a previous meal period

The food is «ok» I have definitely had better! The owner is quite rude and not very appreciative of the fact that I could spend my money elsewhere but I decided to spend it at your restaurant. They are quite stengy with their sauce and at glance their food does not look good. They do NOT HAVE CUTOMER SERVICE SKILLS at all. You are an enemy if you ask ANY QUESTIONS about their food or menu. So unprofessional they DO NOT HAVE MENUS, THEY DO NOT HAVE A REAL CREDIT CARD SCANNER. If you pay with you credit card he takes your card and scans it across his cell phone with one of those little portable credit card scanners you stick into your phones. I came in one day to buy some chicken and he told me he’s not selling me 2 side orders of chicken because he’s leaving early today. «i’m like, okay, well what does you leaving early have to do with me ordering chicken sides.» He said because I am only selling whole meals. I’m like but I don’t need whole meals. he says hold on I might do it, let me see… that’s just so unprofessional and this is a reflection to this restaurants success. I’ve eaten here 3 times because I like chicken with sauce and can’t find REAL jamaican restaurant in Buckhead/​midtown so I have went here. but now that I’m on a diet I will not be returning. DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY. This spot is ghetto and wack. not to mention they are located inside of an apartment building. but prices are cheap so YOU DEFINTIELY GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

I ate here for the first time. I was kind of skeptical and I should never go against what my first mind tells me because I end up regretting it. I ordered the bbq chicken, cabbage. sweet potato casserole, and banana pudding. Man I dont know where to start. To sum everything up… I didnt like it anything. But I will pin point one thing me and my stomach were truly upset with. BBQ CHICKEN. Im sorry but that had to be the worst ive ever eaten in my life. It had a pungent funky taste like it had been marinated in sewer water and the sauce was…(thinking)…I dont know even know a good word for it. Anyways, thanks but no thanks.

I miss this place so much I am currently looking for my hometown’s equivalent. And this is definitely a place you go for the food, not for the ambiance. For me, its all about the rice and peas with curry gravy. The turkey gravy is good too, but I prefer the spicy kick of the curry. Greens are a good choice for sides, cabbage too. I would skip the mixed vegetables, and although I love a good plantain, these are just kind of so-​so. But I’ve never had them in house so that could explain why they weren’t as crispy as I’d like them to be. As far as entrees, my fave is the fish; tilapia fried or sauteed, both are winners. The curry chicken is good as well. But once I fall in love with something its what I crave, and that is the fish.
Carisoul is hard to find, and their hours are limited, so look at the website become making the drive to Buckhead. But if you can find the Darlington, you’re almost there! Enter through the lobby and then turn left. This is a jewel in the midst of Buckhead! And say hello to the Tartar Sauce Nazi behind the counter. He’s usually working the kitchen and the front, lol!

If you are looking for table service, fine décor, and restaurant-​style plating, you’ve come to the wrong place. But if you are looking for delicious, authentic, no-​fuss Caribbean food, look no further.
This place is a hole-​in-​the-​wall style eatery and there are about 5 or so tables in there if you want to eat your food right there. The Jerk Chicken is delicious — moist, fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, and spicy as all hell. The collards have a bit of a sourness that I actually love and the plantains are a great compliment to the jerk spices as well. Desserts are homemade; I can vouch for both the carrot cake and lemon pound — both are delicious.
Also, for what it’s worth, the guys that run the place are very nice and helpful.
Give this place a try and you won’t be disappointed. Also a quick thanks to the Unilocaler who provided directions — much needed! As said, just go in the front and to the left of the «front desk» and go through the doors. 2^nd restaurant on the right. Enjoy.

Yummm! This spot is such a refreshing find. The lunch special netted me two huge, delicious pieces of brown stew chicken, rice and peas, mac and cheese, and a drink for $ 5! Definitely the best Caribbean food I’ve had outside of home since moving to ATL.
Hard to find but worth the search. Go into the Darlington apt complex, enter front door as if resident and then take a left. Restaurant is tucked on the right, just beyond a Chinese spot.
Don’t plan to eat in, just order and eat elsewhere…

Today, for the first time, I flew to the Caribbean for lunch! I hopped in my jet, sorry bout that, my Vette and headed South on 400, from Sandy Springs, to 2025 Peachtree Rd. NE, to the Darlington. There’s a Caribbean spot in one of their lobby retail spaces called CariSoul Cuisine. I popped in to ordered lunch to go for my coworker and myself. We found this spot on Unilocal and were lured by the pictures and menu.
Once there, I placed our order, we both wanted the Jerk Chicken, plantains, she opted for the rice & peas and my other side was collard greens. While waiting for the order, the flow of customers was steady and the aroma in there was so enticing that I ordered two additional dinners. One with Oxtails, rice & peas, collards and plantains, the other with Turkey Wings, greens and sweet potato soufflé to have my own personal tasting later.
The wait wasn’t too long for someone that generally stays in the office for lunch, rather than, on a chance, driving 17 miles each way, in search of, a little food for the soul. In addition, I need to mention, everyone around and in the place was so helpful and pleasant.
Now that I have everything, I’m driving back to the office, the food is hot and the aroma is teasing me. I had to smile because the thought came to mind, while approaching the toll, «Are we there yet, are we there yet?» I’ve arrived to the office and my coworker is as hungry, as am I and can barely wait to dig in. I’m back at my desk, so ready to marry the aromas that proposed to my tastebuds, less than a hour ago. The first bite, then halfway through lunch, I realize I’m hovering in that pre-​climatic state of AAH, unaware of my surroundings. Oh!!! Oh! Oh! MY GOD!!! Missed the ceremony and went right to the honeymoon. My lunch was better than GREAT!!! My coworker concurred to validate.
I have dinner too…
Let me just tell you this, I tasted it at room temperature and it was so good. When heated it was downright tastebud organismic!!!

If you are in the mood for some cheap Caribbean food and you’re in Buckhead, then look no further. Today, I had the Brown Stewed Chicken (absolutely wonderful, yet slightly too salty), Caribbean rice, and some tasty Collard Greens. My friend had the Chicken Curry (which had just the right amount of spice) and a Sweet Potato Soufflé. My total bill was about $ 8.20 (totally worth it). Definitely going back soon!

Very good food if you can find them. I just finished lunch of jerk chicken with rice and peas and plankton. If was great I’ll be back now that I know where it is on another day. I used my GPS and didn’t see them from the street I had to pull in, park, and go into the building to find this treasure and it was totally worth it. Nice staff and clean seating/​waiting area but so small. I recommend getting it to go and going back again.

Many thanks to the previous Unilocal reviews, they were absolutely right, there’s no way you would know this place even existed looking from the outside. Its buried deep in the middle of the Darlington Apartments so just park in the rear and make your way towards the middle. If you’ve come for carribean ambiance, or a nice dining atmosphere, then keep it moving. This is not that place. What we have here is a dive, a GOOD dive, a TOGO dive, but a dive nonetheless.
With that said, onto the review… I’ve been searching Atlanta for authentic jamaican food for a few months now. While other places have offered up their take on «carribean» food, no place has impressed me at all for lacking any authentic flavors or finishes. I can not say CariSoul is the best, but they definitely were much better than other places I’ve tried.
To base my judgment, I ordered a few staples. Jerk Chicken, Rice&Peas, Stewed cabbage and Plantain. Any Jamaican restaurant worth it should be able to pull of these dishes without a hitch. CariSoul was a 2 ½ out of 5 for me. The Jerk chicken and Rice&Peas were very good and I certainly would revisit for more. The cabbage however was not seasoned well and seemed overcooked. I was not impressed at all and would not order again. The plantain were ok as well, a little more oily than what i’ve seen at many other places. When I return I may try something else, although from the other Unilocal reviews it seems like the additional side options may be just as disappointing.
At the end of the day a Decent «carribean» meal and a place i would recommend you check out. Not the best, not the worst, but certainly much better than much of the competition.

Not sure how anyone could find this place except for word-​of-​mouth … they’re located across from the Shepherd Center, inside Darlington Apartments — you can’t see them from the front. There’s no signage outside either. Thanks to the other Unilocal reviews for pointing out the location.
The place is pretty small — it looked like most people were ordering take-​out. You order at the front and then wait for your food. We came b/​c of Scoutmob, but even w/​o Scoutmob the prices were pretty inexpensive. My friend and I both got the Jerk Chicken w/​rice and 1 side item for $ 6.75, which turned out to be plenty of food.
Jerk chicken was pretty good although a little on the salty side and very spicy :) I got the fried plantains for my side item, and that was probably one of the best tasting plantains I’d ever had :) The rice was pretty tasty too. My friend’s sauteed cabbage was very good, too.
FYI — they don’t serve tap water, just bottled water.
Overall, food was pretty good. I’d probably get the veggie plate next time. Definitely worth checking out if you work nearby.

With all due respect to my fellow Unilocalers… why you would go to a Caribbean spot owned by Haitians and have mac n cheese I have no clue. Thats like going to an Italian spot and having rice n beans. Then again they do serve it. Anyhow, I had the turkey wings and rice n beans. Delicious! They gave a nice sized portion for the price. plan on going back to try other menu items.

I was glad to find another Caribbean place in Atlanta. I’m not that impressed but not disappointed either. Based on my experience I will try again to finalize my thoughts. This time around I had stew chicken, macaroni and Cheese, and Cabbage along with a Jamaican soda. The stew chicken was moist and fell off the bone but it was too salty. I would of enjoyed it more without the salt. The macaroni was mediocre but edible. I probably wouldn’t order it again as it was bland. The cabbage, not sure how it was seasoned but I could not eat it. Next time I will try different items. All of the food appeared to be fresh. They have $ 5 lunch specials so they are very reasonable and give you a lot of food.

Scoutmoub has CariSoul at 50% off with $ 10 Max right now off so I decided to swing by there today for lunch. They should really thank Scoutmob because there is no way anyone would even know the place existed due to the location. It is in the Darrington Appartment Building across from the Shepard Center on Peachtree. The space is very small 5 tables in all. They have a score of 99 so I was immediately impressed. I ordered Jerk chicken, rice and peas, Macaroni and cheese with Collard greens. I expected to get it and go but had to wait 10 minutes which was no problem just wanted you all know you won’t be right in and out if you go. The Jerk chicken was spicy and moist like I had hoped it would be and the mac and cheese was good not slap your mama good but good. I may go back and try a few more menu items soon since they also have a $ 5.00 lunch special from 12−3PM.