Moe Ahsan

GIVE THEM THEIR MICHELIN! I had my birthday dinner here a week or so ago and I am still thinking about the food and the service. From the moment we sat down to the moment we left we had an unforgettable time. Canje has to be one of the best restaurants in Austin for their unique menu, attention to detail, and their service. The Jamaican patties are to DIE for, the ceviche and pink pineapple are must try options. Overall the food was amazing and it really lives up to the hype. I would highly recommend going here especially if you have a special date, anniversary, birthday, or any other celebration. They will make it very special. We will now be regulars!

Wendy Blacutt

Trinity (Tri) took my reservation over the phone, super friendly! When we got there early to score some drinks we were seated right away, our waiter was Falon and she was so sweet and knowledgeable. The ambiance is casual and brings us back to the Caribbean, I really like that they expanded recently and bought the business next door, great move! Tri gave us a mini tour and we felt included We had a party of four and we ordered the ceviche, escabeche and the patties...delish as usual! Our main dish preference has always been the wild boar, we added the pork shoulder and the sweet potato. Everything was extremely delicious and the flavor combination is incomparable. We added the roti and the pineapple/cucumber chow....a must! We will definitely make the trip to come back as usual!

+3

Walter O'Neal IV

Man the food is top notch everything we had was delicious and just insanely good. It's not very often you go somewhere in Austin to eat and the food isn't mediocre, isn't overpriced, isn't mixed with bad service. They deserve all the praise that they get and I will be personally telling folks to eat here cause the food is phenomenal

+6

Matthew Hughes

When Good Eats Austin asks its readers to suggest one place to take visitors to eat who are in from out-of-town, Canje consistently makes the short list of "go-to" spots. The restaurant is the brainchild of Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph who took traditional dishes from his country of Guyana (just to the east of Venezuela), along with flavors from other countries in the region, and added a modern flair in what he calls new age Caribbean. The menu itself is very approachable, with a total of 23 dishes. It includes a Wah Gwaan (appetizers), Suppa (entrées), Tryating (sides) and Likkle Muore (desserts). We tried the Ceviché ($18) and the Wagyu Beef Suya ($16) as our Wah Gwaan. The ceviché featured Amberjack fish "cooked" in a sour orange sauce, with tri-colored peppers and peanuts. The nuts provided a nice crunch to the dish, not normally found in most cevichés. The suyas were small, but melted in your mouth and were perfectly cooked with a sprinkling of blend of hot African spices. For Suppa we tried the Jerk Chicken ($34) and Pepper Fish ($28). We had the Roti ($6) and the Grilled Cabbage ($9) as sides. The jerk chicken is marinated for 48-hours prior to cooking and is served with a Jamaican Pickapepper sauce. The sauce is a blend of sweet and spicy. Canje's jerk chicken is one of their biggest sellers. Their jerk rub has the heat level to smoke many not familiar with it, but still satisfy those of us who like like it hotter. For the fish dish, the chef mixes two distinctive favors including ata dindin, a Nigerian pepper sauce on top, and roh, a Senegalese parsley underneath to season the fish along with fennel and onion. It's a beautiful presentation, as are all the plates at Canje. Roti is a cousin of Naan bread. Both come from Asia, but Roti has become a staple in the Caribbean as well. Canje uses a Gyanese version of roti which tends to be softer and flakier, which it was. Rounding out our dinner was the cabbage, which was grilled with raisins and cashews. We really loved the restaurant's use of nuts in our choices, providing another layer of flavor and texture. Our server Alex was great all evening, even when the restaurant filled and she was running hard. The bar was on point too. Check out their First Dance and Frozen Guava Colada drinks, or one of a hundred other choices. You can't go wrong. The noise level in the restaurant is loud. Music was booming even when it was not full at the start of our meal. Add in a cacophony of regular restaurant sounds and it was a bit hard to talk at times. The space is beautifully decorated in theme matching the delectable new age Caribbean fare. #MattGoodEats

+4

Patrice Evans

5 stars alone for the service. I tried to snag a last minute reservation online and in the midst of booking it disappeared. I called and the person on the phone was so kind and did everything to find room for my last minute reservation. We were seated at the bar, which I prefer and the bar servers were wonderful. Absolutely attentive and knowledgeable and very pleasant. I was excited when the menu showed they had Presidente beer and just to be sure asked to see the bottle - yayyy, they actually had presidente. Not an island beer but one of my faves, so I was instantly excited. My spouse had the Arnold Parmer with Whiskey cocktail, which was tasty and they didn’t skimp on the whiskey 😁. We started with the patties. No oxtail but beef cheek in its place. I definitely wasn’t disappointed - I mean I’d like 3 instead of 2 😆 but that’s minor. The sauce was incredible and I asked for extra. For mains we opted for jerk chicken and the pork griot. I’m very familiar with Haitian food so was a little skeptical but it was delic. The pork was very tender and flavorful. I’d say a bougie version of griot but it hit the spot. The jerk was a little too spicy and we enjoy spice. It’s a large portion but the spice level can be taken down a notch - don’t want to lose flavor with spice. We also had the plantains, which were perfectly prepared. I’d absolutely visit again. Great space, staff and food SOLD

+5

Jess W

I was able to snag a last minute reservation at the bar on the same day, and I’m glad I was! The most delicious food and drinks here! Chef is a James Beard semi-finalist in 2024. He brings a lot of his inspiration from his Caribbean heritage. It’s delicious! A must visit! Staff were so friendly and kind too. We had the Ceviche, Wagyu Beef Suya for appetizers. Devine! For the mains, we had Haitian Griot and the West Indian Curry. You got to try these! Paired with the Guyanese Style Roti, the Curry was SO good. Would’ve tried dessert, but we were so stuffed! Definitely going to come back to try the dessert!

+5

Valeria Sanchez

Staff is so friendly and treated my mom’s birthday with so much love!! The patio seating was relaxing, the bathrooms are nice, the postcards are a cute touch, and the food was flavorful! We especially loved the boar and tres leches. <3

+4

vincent xue

Canje was just alright. The place is rowdy, the service is nice, and the staff's recommendation were pretty neat. But the food wasn't a complete home run. The complementary pink pineapple was pretty good. I'm a fan of pineapple, so this starter was very refreshing. The sweetness, acidity, and spices melded brilliantly, making me devour the fruits quickly. The Wagyu Beef Suya was easily the best thing I had. The presentation was cute, but the cook on the Wagyu was simply superb. It phenomenally seasoned and juicy, and the surrounding spices gave it a nice kick. The onions weren't too strong to make an impact and were pretty scarce (maybe make them pickled)? The Wild Boar Pepperpot and Guyanese Roti came together. It makes sense because Rotis go well with a sauce, and it would be a waste to throw away the leftover Pepperpot sauce (apparently they use it to make their Cassareep Ice Cream). However the Pepperpot would've definitely matched better with the coconut rice because the sauce was quite sweet and not viscous. The Pepperpot is extremely similar to Szechuan Braised Pork Belly, so this dish had a very familiar, but welcoming feeling. I was still hungry so I got the Jerk Beef Patties, but they were just over priced empanadas. I prefer the empanada to be gushing with flavor instead of having a dip. I wasn't impressed by the tastes and sizes, so I was pretty disappointed. The Tres Leches was also just alright. I've had some pretty good ones, so I might have a preference in how they are prepared. The cake was light, airy, moist, sweet, and had notes of sourness from the seasonal jam. With all of that said, none of it fully delivered. I think the cake could've been at least 50% more sweeter, and the seasonal jam made the dessert more interesting/different instead of more tasty (to me at least). Overall, I'm satisfied with the 5 dishes that I had and the price that I paid for. Although I had some good bites, I wouldn't give anything I had a strong recommendation. Do I regret coming here? No. Would I strongly suggest others to come here? Also no. I can see the appeal, but it wasn't for me.

+2

Ibrahim D. Bahati

Canje came highly recommended as Carribean restaurant. The food was aamazing. The customer service was also top notch despite the many people who were there that day. The place which they took us first was so noisy but they were accommodating and moved us to a less noisy place. Definitely one of those hidden gems to check out.

+3

Cam Rivera

Took my husband out for a celebratory dinner here. I was really excited to share the experience of the food and very happy that he absolutely loved it. He said it was some of the best food he has ever had. We had the Geera and boar pepper pot. Unfortunately, the service was deserving of the one star. We were there for nearly two hours. We waited more than an hour for our appetizer because of a "misprint in the ticket," and our order was being treated as a rush order an hour later... interpret that as you will. We were really contemplating walking out and then our starter finally arrived. Due to our long wait, we were given a free appetizer but we were not told that it was free so we were worried that another item was added to our check on accident. Training for service can be improved because this is not like my previous experience months ago.

Miguel Fernando Asensio

We found the food just ok and very pricey, while the menu pretty was limited. We started with the avocado escabeche and the pink pineapple plates. I found the escabeche pretty lackluster while the pink pineapple was much more interesting. After that, we had the Geera (pork shoulder) and $26 for that was about $13 too much. It was ok but certainly not something I’d go back for. Overall, very disappointing and expensive.

Jason Kim

Canje is okay, the food you’re getting for the price isn’t worth it in my opinion. Presentation and service is amazing, but the actual entree dishes that we had weren’t great. The roti was the best thing there (actually really good, I would order two), then the ceviche and then the pink pineapple. Jerk chicken was dry, fish was eh. Ice cream was good, probably not a good idea to pour the rum on it. Overall has a lot of potential, but they need to work on their main dishes.

+2

Jorge Velasco

First time coming here was amazing! Bar staff was phenomenal, every bite of food was delicious, and the ambiance was top notch. After the first time I've been so excited to return and share that experience with someone else who hadn't been there, so I took my sis on my birthday. Food was every bit as good as I remember it but the service dropped significantly. I've never had service ruin an experience that much but wow. She just seemed bothered by anything and everything going on. Luckily the rest of the waitstaff was extra sweet and helped us out with little things like water to help us feel like we weren't forgotten. Boar Pepper Pot and beef patties always hit though and the Guyanese Style Roti goes good with everything! I'd still recommend but given the option only bar seating for me from now on.

Sharon Roell

Husband went with some friends and brought me home takeout. He did mention that some of the food was much better there but I can only rate on what I received in take out… - Pepper Fish was a minuscule portion for $28 and dry and rubbery (the serving my husband shared with his group was almost double the size he said, and delicate and well prepared). Roti that came with it was generously sized and very good. - Amara was delicious but not sure if I am thrilled at 3 medium sized fritters for $16 - Jerk Chicken was good but nothing to rave about and no one liked the cinnamon sauce it came with. My husband did say the standout dishes they ordered were the ceviche, wild boar, tres leches and mango pudding. I’d try the food again in restaurant, but the price point is pretty steep and I’d worry about being disappointed again.

Kelly

New review: I was really disappointed by my most recent visit. This place used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Austin, but the quality has taken a serious dip. The new menu feels confused and unfocused—there’s nothing distinctly Caribbean about it anymore. It’s a mix of Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Caribbean influences, but none of the dishes we tried actually delivered Caribbean flavor. Everything lacked seasoning, balance, spice, and depth. The akara was soggy and overcooked, and the Indian curry was especially disappointing—basically just meat and potatoes, without much flavor. For the price, it felt like a high-margin dish without the quality to match. I genuinely hope they bring back whoever was leading the kitchen a few months ago, because the food used to be much better. Unfortunately, it’s no longer my favorite restaurant in Austin and cannot recommend it to anyone anymore. ——— It was my first time trying Canje, and I’m disappointed that I didn’t come here sooner! Hands down - the best restaurant in all of Austin! We tried the Akara, Ceviche, Pepper Fish, Haitian Griot, Pepper Rice, Roti, Tres Leches, and Cassareep Ice cream. Each dish was perfectly cooked, prepared, and seasoned. There was not a dish that was underwhelming, which is hard to find. I would come back here every weekend if I could. Whoever was cooking on 7/12, please keep the food quality and flavor the same - I want to experience it all again!