T Roberts

A wonderful spot nestled in the heart of Brooklyn. What a great experience and flashback of when I vacation to Jamaica. The owner Ashley and her mom are amazing and are so sweet. We came during Sunday brunch where there’s a DJ playing a variety of great music from dancehall to afrobeat to hiphop. The food was amazing and filling. The plating itself was beautiful. What an overall great vibe and end to a two day trip.

+5

Des KF

I love Jamaican food and couldn't wait to try this spot! When I arrived I parked on the street nearby! I walked into a dimly lit place and was greeted. Allison was my server/bartender, and she was nice! She sat me in the back area. I started with the Grotto Punch, which was like a sangria, and it was good but a little sweet, so I added some more Merlot. For my appetizer, I got the mussels, and it was delicious! I then had the stewed red snapper with rice and peas, and that was also very good! I lastly had the rasta pasta with shrimp. This dish took quite a while to come out. When it did, the pasta was good, but the shrimp was a bit salty. All in all, I had a pretty good experience!

+5

Regina Cassagnol

The food was really good the service was good we had a great time.the rum punch was really good the wings were good nothing too special about them. The Achee and Saltfish appetizer was amazing the Mac and cheese was amazing would definitely recommend to come with friends family etc.

+2

Annette

I went to this restaurant because I saw it on TikTok. Made a reservation for nothing cuz they paid no mind to that. Walked in and stopped short as the place is tiny. The tables (folding ones) were right at the front door. It was cold from the door draft. They sat me in the back and all I saw were people wearing their coats and hats! It was cold back there. They had heaters but didnt really do justice. It was also tight space and the metal chairs didnt make it easier to sit on since they were freezing. Anyway, it took 1 1/2 hour to get my food. That was way too long. Our waiter/hostess ANDRE was attentive. He was GREAT!!! Too bad the kitchen was slow. But the food was delicious! Definitely worth the wait! If you decide to go there, go in the summer. Because the sitting area had NO heat!

Amanda Wang

Food was good but i wish they had all day entrees instead of brunch until 5pm. Nice backyard seating with heat and sombrero. I had the shrimp and grits. Good shrimp but too much grits for the ratio. Chicken and waffles was nicely waffled, meat nicely fried but was a bit dry. Staffs were friendly and very organized. Qr code menu, hookah not on menu but $40 cash with $20 refill. Good service on that as well. Bottomless $40 per person with flavors to choose from. The pitcher just kept refilling and coming back its worth it!

+2

Shirl R

We ordered sweet chili wings for starters, they were hot n crispy, really good. I had the crab stuffed shrimp& mashed potatoes, curry shrimp n rice. All the food was good. Everything had taste, good flavors. Nice portions. Great local spot. The place is small, the actual dining area is an enclosed back yard. The only thing is that it needs an upgrade, make it feel more like a personal modern dining experience. I felt like I was n a basement. Don'tet the look fool you, the food is good.

AVERY WHITE

First time checking out The Grotto after seeing several reels and great online reviews. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to all the hype. When we walked in the smell of disinfectant like Pine Sol was very high and a complete turnoff. We ordered a few appetizers that they are know for like the oxtail roll which had little to know oxtail at all with duck sauce on the side. Very disappointing. The Mac and cheese was lukewarm with a glob of cheese on top. Another disappointment. The positive was the ackee and saltfish tostones which was decent but the ackee again was lukewarm. The grilled jerk wings were well cooked, great jerk sauce with a good grade of chicken but you can’t tell the chicken wasn’t marinated just seasoning on top. The ambiance in the backyard outdoor dining space was cozy for a summer evening. We didn’t even bother with ordering dinner after such disappointing appetizers. The positives are: they crested a charming outdoor dining space, the staff was very friendly and attentive, the bathroom was very clean and well kept. We were really rooting for them to leave us with a great, wow dining experience but that didn’t happen, unfortunately. Best of luck to them. Cheers 🥂

+4

Sandra A

Decided on this spot for brunch and was a,little disappointed at the ambiance. The system was down so couldn't scan the menu but instead had to read it from the server's phone. The food definitely made up for it though. The ackee and salt fish bakes and red velvet chicken and waffles were very good. The shrimp and grits was delicious as well. The passion fruit bellinis were a little flat but otherwise everything was good. And Lonnie was excellent!

Nadine Juste

Are you ready for the 411? Here we go…another restaurant I wanted to try with the girls! So I need to preface that based off my girlfriend’s recommendations I had planned to give this establishment 5 stars. As you read on, you may best understand why we ended up with 3 stars. I do feel bad as today is there 1-year anniversary. I made reservations off my Seated app and set out to try it. We arrived a little earlier but they did not seem like they were ready. They told us to come back in 5-10 minutes and we actually came back in 15 minutes and still not ready. Finally when they were ready we were taken to their outdoor seating which was in the back of the restaurant and OMG this is what resulted in the 3 stars…it was overbearingly HOT! This is not an exaggeration…the back area was hotter than the actual outdoors as well as inside the restaurant. Part of the issue is the back outside area is covered in plastic to protect from rain however it creates a greenhouse effect with all the heat pulling into the space. It was like sitting in a heated over. And it did not help that it took over an hour to get our entree meal! The heat in that area was enough to take you out and I cannot understand how other people sat and endured it, including an infant baby! Granted the inside space is not big enough to support a large party (and there was only 4 of us)! While the server was attentive, I felt someone could have apologized for the uncomfortable and crazy heat! For the food, it was so delicious. For their anniversary, they gave Us free jerk chicken which was pretty good. The appetizers - Mac and cheese, crispy wings and calamari were all good as well. At about 4pm, we asked how much longer for the food and was told 10 minutes, however, food did not come for another 30 minutes. By that time, my daughters left me to go and sit inside in the AC. We ended taking our entrees to go - lamb chops, snapper, curry goat and oxtails. The food is absolutely delicious but something has to be done with the back. Maybe I will visit again and see if anything changes but today was not a good day! 4:00 - told us 10 minutes more for the entrees to come out

+2

Esther

My sister is visiting from another state, so me and my friend wanted to take her out to enjoy her last few nights in NYC. This was the most horrible dining experience we have ever encountered. We made a reservation for 7 PM. We was not seated until 7:20. Once seated we was given water and a menu. Nobody attended to us at all. Around 7:50, I asked the waiter that was serving another table why we wasn’t attended to and he told us they were understaffed that day which we understood. He then took our orders. Our drinks came out about 10 mins later. The place we were seated at was a closed outdoor shack area that was heated but it was still pretty cold. We was also seated next to a table with a family of small children, which was really noisy. We waited another hour plus before our food came out. When our food came, we only got our entrees and not the appetizers that we ordered. I have never been to a place where appetizers would come after the entrees. We told the waiter to remove it off our bill since we never got it. The food was okay. Honestly I have had better for cheaper. The oxtails were a good portion and was tender and meaty. The jerk chicken was very small portioned but it was good. The curry goat on the other hand was an insult to me. They gave a few pieces with meat and majority of it was just bone. After such a horrible dining experience to finally get your food and not get any appetizers and your meal with majority bones. I was so mad. Then they automatically put a 20 % gratuity for groups of 2 or more. Granted they was understaffed but that service was horrible. The waiter did try his best navigating through many tables and training someone. Gratitude should be about the service you received but this service was horrible. If you’re planning to come, go at your own risk. I dined at many NYC establishments and this was by far the worse experience of my life. I was so upset because it was meant for my sister to enjoy. But who could enjoy such an experience.