Spices From the Caribbean

Josh L. I feel you bro. Restaurant is extremely stingy with the shots. They dont even use a measurer. Givin out raindrop shots and shit. Bartenders are rude as hell. Waitresses are beautiful and very nice. Food is ok but condoments are hard to come by gotta beg for ranch smh. All the drinks come in this skinny ass chemistry tubes!!!

I have a good time here, however, the drinks are way overpriced and they aren’t proportionate at all! They are stingy with everything here including ketchup. You have to ask for a lime if you get a corona. I suggest you stick with the beer because liquir is a rip off!!!

I had a craving for Jamaican and Spices from the Caribbean really hit the spot. I was in Columbus visiting so I Unilocaled and the reviews were half good half bad but we tried it out and was pleasantly surprised. Both my fiancé and I order jerk chicken and cabbage. I had beans and brown rice and he had white rice. Mine was much better ;)
The cabbage was a little. cold but delicious and sweet. The jerk chicken was not saucy like I expected but it was spicy and delicious. The beans and rice was cooked perfectly. The meals were affordable and filling, I believe he only spent $ 20.
The only thing I didn’t like is that it’s not «family friendly.» It’s a bar and hookah lounge. The lights were dim and the space seemed small, the windows had red tent on them. I ordered and then sat in the car so that’s why it’s a 4 not a 5 but key point is: Food was great. We will be back (minus the kids).

The curry chicken is excellent! Very tender, great flavor, a good amount of spice. I had it with rice and beans, which fit perfectly with the chicken flavors. I also had a side of potato salad because our server recommended it, and it was good, but it didn’t really go with the rest of my meal. My friend ordered the jerk chicken, which he described as «pepper with a side of chicken” – very, VERY peppery and spicy, not a lot of other flavors. He got the cabbage with it, which he said he enjoyed, but it was also pretty peppery so he didn’t really get much of a break from the pepper.
The atmosphere feels slightly like a lounge – dim lighting, early-​2000s hip hop playing on the TVs. The service was great, very friendly and personable. Our server offered us samples of the homemade lemonade, and neither my friend nor I ordered it because it was very sweet, though not bad.

I give the service 5 stars. Very friendly and upbeat people here.
The name is appropriately named because the food had SPICES but it lacked FLAVOR! I had the Jerk chicken rice and beans and cabbage. The rice tasted like kerosine. The chicken was just spicy. I’m not a fan. I’ll come back and try something else just because the service was good though. Food 1 star

Great atmosphere! The food is good and the employees (ladies) greet you with warm smiles.

Not worth the drive. Jerk chicken tasted like sweet and sour bbq’d sauce. Rice and beans cold over cooked too soft. Oxtails seemed to have been in crock pot all day with no spice or taste left. And forget ordering a long island ice tea. Bland and weak. If you like real Caribbean stay away.

I went to Spice today. I was driving home and finally decided to stop in for a bite.
Let me first say that I really wanted to give this place a good review. If only because its a Caribbean place that I have found in Columbus, GA. I was going to give them a pass because I already knew that I was not going to find the level of Caribbean food that I am use to. Being from the Caribbean and eating real Caribbean food MY WHOLE LIFE (thanks to my Haitian mother), I have very high expectations. I already prepared myself not to expect much from a Caribbean place in Columbus, GA. So I went to spices with low expectations. A am so sad to say that they met those low expectations. And even worse… made me lower my expectations.
I view the menu and saw that they had short selection of typical Caribbean food: Rice and Beans, stewed chicken, curry chicken, jerk chicken, goat, and seafood. I decided to play it safe and order the curry chicken. Now please know that most places make a passable curry chicken. Even if its not the best you can enjoy it and be okay. So I ordered the chicken, rice and beans, and macaroni.
(SN: Caribbean macaroni and cheese is not the same as American styled baked mac and cheese.)
The food came out pretty quickly: Good
The waitress was nice: Good
The food was: Bad.
Like really bad. Bad like it was flavorless. The only reason I would know that I got curry chicken was because I ordered it and because it was in a yellow sauce. But it tasted like nothing. And the rice was artificially dark. (Please know that i know my rice. Haitian are know for their rice.) And it was too soft (overcooked) But the absolute worst thing was the macaroni and cheese. Even with the rice and chicken I would have been willing to give this place a «Just OK» rating. But the mac and cheese just could not be forgiven. They served me IMITATION KRAFT MACARONI AND CHEESE”. I’m talking about the kind you make for little kids on the stove top. AND THAT JUST COULD NOT BE FORGIVEN.
With all of that said… I would be willing to go back and try something else on the menu. But I will probably be a while.

Service is moderate, but the food is excellent. Try the jerk chicken!

Spices From the Caribbean (also sometimes listed as Spiced Caribbean Bar and Restaurant) is budget food for a healthy price. Spices is located across from Columbus State University and the lack of college kids stopping by this bar and restaurant says a lot about the food, drinks, atmosphere.
Upon entering one will immediately notice the sand floor which is a nice touch and adds to the Caribbean feel. The décor, art and even the tables all add to the tropical vibe and feel of the place. Unfortunately most of it ends right there.
FOOD:
Prices are steep considering the quality, portions and other nearby options. All of the food, except fried offerings, is made early in the day or even days before. It goes from the steam table to the microwave so their is no consistent quality and some days the food may be okay and others it may be downright awful. Everything starts in a frozen state (except salads and cabbage) and finds its way to your plate via fryer, boil or microwave.
The beef and chicken patties are some of the best offerings on the menu, even though they are just heated up pre-​frozen boxed patties. The jerk chicken can be an absolute delight if you get it «fresh» (made less than 24 hours ago). The rice and beans (you will notice the servers strangely call it «rice and peas», however there are no peas in it but red beans) can also be fairly enjoyable but it all depends on when it was made and who made it. Overall the only consistency in quality is with the frozen and heated and/​or fried items. Things like chicken curry, oxtail, rice dishes or curried goat are too inconsistent to risk. Most of the dinner entrees and sides have been made 12 to 72 hours before and you will never know what you are gonna get.
DRINKS:
Spices has some authentic Caribbean drinks on the menu that are actually worth trying. However that would mean you would have to go here and do nothing but try peanut punch, which would really not be worth it. The bar is limited and severely lacking anything that would draw the local college clientele or anyone who has a taste for anything other than cheap rums, Nuvo and Hypnotiq. This is not the place to hang out with friends for a drink, the offerings are too few and the atmosphere does not lend itself to socializing.
SERVICE:
Service here can depend on who is working, who is managing and simple random chance. Spices seemingly prides itself on it’s all female staff of less the «outgoing» servers. There is a real sense of «I don’t know you and want nothing to do with you» from the moment you walk in the door. Asking for anything seems like a big deal and you might actually get better service at a Waffle House at 3AM, which says a lot since some of the surliest people in the industry work at Waffle House, the home of bad service.
ATMOSPHERE:
The regular clientele is largely locals since this place has no real draw. Their seems to be a «clique-​ish» vibe with each group keeping to themselves and seemingly sitting back judging the other group. You can immediately sense the strange vibe in the place and no amount of Caribbean décor can make it any less comfortable. Combine the customer vibe with the server/​employee vibe and you get a strange amalgamation of discomfort and creepiness. From the shady crowds in the back alley to the visible «dealings» going on inside and out, this place is uncomfortable and it wouldn’t take you by surprise to see a task force come smashing through the front door.
Overall this place offers overpriced lackluster microwaved or fried foods in an uncomfortable setting. The staff is less than friendly and the business itself is the epitome of the term «shady». Taking «taxes» from employee checks, while the IRS has no record of them. Disappearing timecards, no check stubs and worst of all (and also criminal) no Workmen’s Compensation Insurance and now an upcoming lawsuit. We can’t be sure how long this place will exist but we can be sure to avoid it until it meets it’s demise by gross mismanagement or legal action.
Visit at your own risk.