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    Reggae Shack Cafe

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    247 reviews
    #21 of 420 Restaurants in Gainesville
    $$ - $$$, Caribbean, Jamaican, Vegetarian Friendly
    619 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601-5155
    +1 352-377-5464
    Website
    Menu
    Closed Now:See all hours
    All photos (37)
    All photos (37)
    Certificate of Excellence

    Ratings and reviews

    4.5 247 reviews
    #21 of 420 Restaurants in Gainesville, Florida
    Certificate of Excellence2015 - 2018 Winner
    RATINGS
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere

    Location and contact

    619 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601-5155

    Menu

    STARTERS‏
    $11.99
    Ackee Bruschetta
    Jamaica’s national fruit sautéed w/ tomatoes, onions, & scallions on top of a crusty baguette. great for groups, perfect for sharing
    $8.95
    Callaloo Brochette
    tender Jamaican greens seasoned & sautéed w/ tomatoes, carrots, & onions on top of a crusty baguette
    $6.50
    Coconut Shrimp (5)
    Crispy coconut-breaded shrimp served w/ our tropical barbecue sauce
    $3.50
    Reggae Shack Dutty Fries
    You have never had fries dutty like this
    $2.75
    Veggie Patty
    Whole wheat crust filled w/ ground & seasoned seitan. A must for vegans
    $2.50
    Beef or Chicken Patty
    A flaky‏ crust filled w/ ground & seasoned beef or chicken. The perfect start to any meal, beef is spicy, chicken is mild
    $2.50
    Coco Bread
    A soft slightly sweet bread, goes perfect w/ a patty, by itself, or w/ a meal
    $2.95
    Coco Breadsticks
    Coco bread layered w/ honey butter & sweetened coconut flakes
    $3.79
    Breadfruit
    Roasted breakfast fried to a crisp
    $1.99
    Festivals (2)
    A reggae shack favorite, these sweet topical hush puppies have a hint of coconut like fried cornbread, these are a must for cumbered lovers hush
    WINGS
    Four wings for 4.89 or six wings for 5.99
    Add ranch or bleu cheese for 0.89
    Try our cocobread stickes for 2.95
    Four wings $4.89
    Six wings $5.99
    Ranch $+0.89
    Bleu cheese $+0.89
    Jerk Wings
    Crisp & tender chicken wings simmered in our famous supremely spicy jerk sauce
    Four wings $4.89
    Six wings $5.99
    Ranch $+0.89
    Bleu cheese $+0.89
    Caribbean hot wings
    Crispy wings marinated in a succulent hot & sweet sauce.
    Four wings $4.89
    Six wings $5.99
    Ranch $+0.89
    Bleu cheese $+0.89
    Hot Wings
    Crispy wings cooked in our homemade hot sauce, spicy
    Four wings $4.89
    Six wings $5.99
    Ranch $+0.89
    Bleu cheese $+0.89
    Spicy Curry Wings
    fried wings cooked in our spicy Jamaican curry sauce
    Four wings $4.89
    Six wings $5.99
    Ranch $+0.89
    Bleu cheese $+0.89
    Escoviech Wings
    Reggae shack original, tender chicken wings cooked in a one-of -a-kind tangy, sweet & spicy sauce w/ carrots, onions, scotch bonnet peppers, thyme & allspice berries
    FRESH SALADS‏
    $9.99
    Homemade passion fruit
    Vinaigrette
    Bleu cheese
    Ranch
    Caribbean chicken salad
    a colorful blend of romaine & iceberg lettuces, carrots, red cabbagem tomatoes & corn topped w/ hand battered chicken breast tossed in our Caribbean sauce
    $9.99
    Homemade passion fruit
    Vinaigrette
    Bleu cheese
    Ranch
    Caribbean shrimp salad
    a fresh blend of romaine & iceberg lettuces, carrots, red cabbage, tomatoes & corn topped w/ crispy golden breaded shrimp tossed in our Caribbean sauce
    $9.99
    Homemade passion fruit
    Vinaigrette
    Bleu cheese
    Ranch
    Jerk Chicken Salad
    Tender strips of chicken breast simmered in our spicy jerk sauce complements the cool mix of romaine & iceberg lettuces, carrots, red cabbage, tomatoes & corn
    $9.99
    Homemade passion fruit
    Vinaigrette
    Bleu cheese
    Ranch
    Palm Heart Salad
    A crisp blend of romaine & iceberg lettuces, carrots red cabbage, tomatoes, & corn topped w/ pan crispy palm hearts seasoned in our sweet & sour sprinkle
    $12.99
    Homemade passion fruit
    Vinaigrette
    Bleu cheese
    Ranch
    spicy Rastafarian vegetarian salad
    a bed of romaine & iceberg lettuces, carrots, red cabbage, tomatoes & corn topped w/pan-seared tofu & seitan tossed in our Caribbean & jerk sauces
    SANDWICHES
    Served w/ reggae shack dutty fries. Add a likely side salad for 2.50
    $8.99
    Salad $+2.50
    Jerk Burger
    fresh ground beef blended w/ fresh scotch bonnet peppers grilled to perfection w/ reggae shacks famous jerk sauce & layered w/ a jerk-time mayo, American cheese, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mustard, & ketchup on a Kaiser bun
    $8.99
    Salad $+2.50
    Jerk Chicken Sandwich
    grilled chicken breast covered w/ reggae shacks famous jerk sauce, jerk-lime mayo, American cheese, crisp lettuce, tomatoes, or onion son Kaiser bun
    $9.59
    Salad $+2.50
    Tropi-Q Bacon Cheeseburger
    fresh grilled burger layered w/bacon, tropi-q sauce, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, dutty onions, pickles, mayo, mustard, & ketchup on Kaiser bun
    $8.99
    Salad $+2.50
    Roughneck Chicken Sandwich
    hand-battered fried chicken breast w/ tropi-q sauce, American cheese, ranch dressing, lettuce, tomatoes, & onions on a Kaiser bun
    $11.59
    Salad $+2.50
    Down by De Beach
    hand-battered mahi mahi covered in a mango -lime tartar sauce, sweet curry mustard, & ketchup, layered w/ crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, & dutty onions on a Kaiser bun
    $8.99
    Salad $+2.50
    Caribbean shrimp sandwich
    crisp breaded shrimp tossed in our Caribbean sauce, served w/mango-lime tartar sauce. Sweet curry mustard, & ketchup w fresh lettuce, tomatoes & onions on a Kaiser bun
    $8.99
    Salad $+2.50
    Currified Chicken Sandwich
    hand-battered chicken breast in our special Jamaican curry blend & drizzled w/ a sweet curry mustard, layered w/ crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes & onions on a Kaiser bun
    $8.99
    Salad $+2.50
    Caribbean chicken sandwich
    had-battered crispy chicken breast generously covered in a sweet & flavorful Caribbean sauce, served w/ our sweet curry mustard & jerk-lime mayo. American cheese, layered w/ lettuce, tomatoes & onions on a Kaiser bun
    VEGETARIAN SANDWICHES‏
    Served w/ reggae shack dutty fried
    $9.59
    Side salad $+2.50
    Jerk Tofu Sandwich
    jerk tofu seasoned w/ our famous jerk sauce & layered w/ sweet plantains, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, ketchup, & vegan mayo on a Kaiser bun
    $9.59
    Side salad $+2.50
    Brown Stew Tofu Sandwich
    crispy tofu seasoned w/ our Caribbean sauce & layered w/ sweet plantains, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, ketchup, & vegan mayo on a Kaiser bun
    $8.99
    Side salad $+2.50
    Jerk Veggie Burger
    veggie burger grilled to perfection w/ our famous jerk sauce, w/ lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mustard, ketchup, & vegan mayo on a Kaiser bun
    $8.99
    Side salad $+2.50
    Spicy Tempeh Sandwich
    pan-seared tempeh tossed in a sweet & spicy Caribbean jerk sauce, w/ lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mustard, ketchup, & vegan mayo on a Kaiser bun
    $9.59
    Side salad $+2.50
    Vegan Steak Sandwich
    pan-seared handmade seltan sautéed in our Caribbean sauce, w/ crisp lettuce, jerry tomatoes, onions, mustard, ketchup, & vegan mayo on a Kaiser bun
    TRADITIONAL DISHES
    $12.95
    Oxtail
    Our signature dish, tender cuts of oxtail slowly cooked in our special blend of herbs & spices.This is the dish that made us a legend
    $10.95
    Curry Goat
    tender cuts‏ of goat simmered for hours in a blend of traditional Jamaican surry spices
    $8.95
    Curry Chicken
    tender chicken slow-cooked in our special blend of Jamaican curry spices cooked the traditional way on the bone
    $10.99
    Festivals $+1.99
    Brown Stew Chicken
    Jamaican style bourbon chicken cooked the traditional way on the grill. if it ain't grilled & spicy, it ait's jerk
    $9.50
    Breadfruit $+3.79
    Festival $+1.99
    Callallo & Salt Fish
    tender Jamaican spinach seasoned & sautéed w/ tomatoes, carrots, onions, & bits of salt fish
    $12.99
    Breadfruit $+3.79
    Ackee & Salt Fish
    Jamaica’s national dish. ackee, a savory fruit, is seasoned & sautéed w/ tomatoes, onion, & bits of salt fish
    All dishes come w/ rice & peas, steamed cabbage, & plantains.
    CARIBBEAN SEA SPECIALS‏
    $13.99
    Brown Star Fish
    A whole snapper fried crispy, then simmered in a sweet brown stew sauce w/ vegetables & scotch bonnet peppers
    $13.99
    Festivals $+1.99
    Escoviech Fish
    A whole snapper fried, then reducced in a tangy, sweet, & spicy marinade w/ carrots, onions, scotch bonnet peppers, thyme & allspice berries
    $10.99
    Callaloo & Crab
    tender Jamaican spinach seasoned & sautéed w/ tomatoes, carrots, onions & succulent crabmeat for a rich, savory experience
    $12.50
    Curry Shrimp
    eight plump juicy shrimp simmered in our rich yellow Jamaican curry gravy
    $12.50
    Festivals $+1.99
    Jerk Shrimp
    Eight juicy shrimp lightly cooked in our sweet & spicy jerk sauce for a mout-burning, flavorful experience
    $11.50
    Caribbean shrimp
    five golden breaded shrimp tossed in our sweet Caribbean sauce
    BONELESS CHICKEN DISHES
    $11.99
    Boneless Curry Fried Chicken
    hand-battered chicken breast strips generously covered in our savory yellow Jamaican curry
    $11.59
    Festivals $+1.99
    Boneless Jerk Chicken
    strips of tender grilled chicken breast covered in our traditional spicy jerk sauce. Warning extremely spicy
    $11.59
    boneless curry chickengrilled strips of chicken breast covered in our bold & flavorful Jamaican curry sauce
    $11.59
    Boneless Brown Stew Chicken
    Tender strips‏ of chicken breast covered in our sweet brown stew sauce w/ vegetables
    $11.99
    Caribbean chicken
    hand-battered chicken breast strips tossed in our sweet Caribbean sauce w/ vegetables
    All dishes come w/ rice & peas, steamed cabbage, & plantains
    VEGETARIAN DISHES‏
    $9.50
    Vegan Steak
    handmade seitan simmered in a sweet Caribbean sauce w/vegetables
    $8.95
    Brown Stew Tofu
    crispy firm tofu cooked in our Caribbean sauce w/ a mix of vegetables
    $8.50
    Curry Tempeh
    locality made, organic tempeh crumbled & cooked in our savory Jamaican curry sauce
    $8.50
    Curry Palm Hearts
    a reggae‏ shack original, sliced crispy palm hearts cooked in our savory Jamaican curry sauce
    $7.95
    Veggie Mince Special
    Soy chunks tvp cooked differently every time, ask what the flavor is today
    $8.50
    Festivals $+1.99
    Jerk Tofu
    The spiciest‏ dish here. This heat is like none other, ask for it even spicier if you've a reggae shack vet
    $8.50
    Curry Tofu
    tender cubes‏ of tofu cooked in our savory Jamaican curry sauce
    $8.50
    Spicy Tempeh
    localty made, organic tempeh crumbled & simmered in our homemade spicy jerk & sweet Caribbean sauces
    $8.95
    Callaloo
    tender Jamaican spinach seasoned & sautéed w/ tomatoes, carrots, & onions
    $10.50
    Festivals $+1.99
    Curry Seitan
    handmade seitan cooked in a special sweet Jamaican curry sauce w/ a blend of hearty vegetables
    DRINKS
    $2.25
    bottled d & g Jamaican sodas
    Ginger beer,‏ ting, pink ting
    Small to go 16oz $1.89
    Large to go 32oz $2.39
    Fountain Drinks
    Coke, diet coke, sprite, fanta, orange soda, fanta strawberry soda, minute maid lemonade,
    Small to go 16oz $1.89
    Large to go 32oz $2.39
    Iced Teas
    Sweet tea, unsweetened tea, raspberry iced tea, or sweetened green tea
    Show full menu
    DetailsImprove this listing
    About
    Parking In The Back
    PRICE RANGE
    US$5 - US$11
    Special Diets
    Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
    Meals
    Lunch, Dinner
    CUISINES
    Caribbean, Jamaican
    FEATURES
    Takeout, Seating, Waitstaff, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol
    Reviews (247)
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    Traveller rating
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    LanguageEnglish
    134
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    12
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    Show reviews that mention
    All reviews oxtail ox tail plantains peas jerk pork fries goat dulce de leche hush puppies tofu salad jamaican food off campus vegetarian options fantastic food the wait staff just the right amount
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    1 - 10 of 247 reviews
    Reviewed yesterday
    Hadn't been in a while

    Had the opportunity to go to lunch at Reggae Shack. Had been there many times before, but, it's been quite a while since our last visit. Today, the music was a bit louder than normal and it was very difficult to speak to each other....More

    Date of visit: January 2019
    Thank Pascale S
    Reviewed 5 days ago
    Great afternoon with friends

    13 of us rode our scooters over from Jacksonville for lunch. We arrived just as they opened . The waiter and waitress quickly took our drink orders and appetizers. We had an order of Onion rings, they were AWESOME. Several ordered burgers, I ordered the...More

    Date of visit: January 2019
    Thank Deadeye3321
    Reviewed November 2, 2018
    lovely meal

    I enjoyed a great lunch here. So glad I saw it on my way from the airport! Highly recommend the oxtails!

    Date of visit: November 2018
    Thank jas0719
    Reviewed October 8, 2018
    Just the right amount of kick

    I love Reggae Shack! I always get the jerk chicken sandwich and the dulce de leche festivals are to DIE FOR...get them!! Parking can be a bit of a headache as it is downtown. My only knock on the place is that sometimes you feel...More

    Date of visit: July 2018
    Thank Coastal755091
    Reviewed September 29, 2018 via mobile
    Spicy 🌶

    Just a little bit off UF campus, but right to the heart of Jamaica. The staff is friendly and the service is fast. The menu includes everything you can find in the islands, including curry goat and oxtail. The traditional jerk chicken plate was delicious...More

    Date of visit: September 2018
    Thank terrys453
    Reviewed September 25, 2018
    horrible customer service

    burnt chicken dirty place and no customer service.all staff look angry and aggressive and they don't take criticism well .

    Date of visit: September 2018
    Thank MikeETe
    Reviewed September 15, 2018 via mobile
    Jerk Chicken/Smoothie

    Ate here for the first time tonight after the football game. I got the jerk chicken and a coconut mango smoothie. Everything was absolutely delicious. The chicken was spicy but had a great flavor. The rice and cabbage were both tasty and the plantains were...More

    Date of visit: September 2018
    Thank jgriess10
    Reviewed August 22, 2018 via mobile
    I was sadly disappointed

    We drove out to this place from Ocala one night looking for some good Jamaican food. We’d heard it was good. I was very disappointed in the food. We had the fish which was very overcooked and so hard we had to change. We also...More

    Date of visit: August 2018
    Thank Alicia P
    Reviewed July 29, 2018 via mobile
    Just flat out bad all the way around

    To start we weren’t greeted at all so we went to seat ourselves at a dirty table, then someone came over and wiped it down but left the table top completely wet. It took 10 mins for someone to come over and take our order,...More

    Date of visit: July 2018
    Thank Ejay0317
    Reviewed July 18, 2018
    Super yummmy with Vegan items clearly ID'd!

    We love it when we can go in a new restaurant and find interesting vegan choices without having to say, " I order this, but without the cheese or....." Our servers were sweet and chatty. They may have been under some stress as they didn't...More

    Date of visit: July 2018
    Thank macevans2018
    View more reviews
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    Questions & Answers
    Ask a question
    Emily M
    February 17, 2018|
    AnswerShow all 2 answers
    Response from janices291 | Reviewed this property |
    My daughter is dairy free and they had several options for her. I’m not sure about gluten free. Call the location and they will be able to answer.
    0
    Votes
    Anon8815
    June 23, 2016|
    AnswerShow all 2 answers
    Response from Meghan B | Reviewed this property |
    About 10-15 min
    0
    Votes
    Dorie S
    November 20, 2015|
    Answer
    Response from Stuart D | Reviewed this property |
    I do not believe that I have ever noticed on the menu of Reggae Shack Cafe that they offer gluten free bread for the sandwiches that are served there. However all of their sandwich choices are offered as full entree items... More
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