Island Flavors Caribbean Cuisine isn’t an easy spot to find. The restaurant operates out of the old Nickel Diner which closed in 2023, and the facade hasn’t changed since. The only indication that one on the hunt for Haitian food is that the right restaurant has a sandwich board out front with Island Flavors’ menu on it.
When I visited Island Flavors, I was one of only three people in the establishment. To my right, a lone man cooking; to my left, another lone man eating. At any Haitian restaurant in New York where I’m from, this would be a bad sign. Then I remembered that this is LA. And there are very few Haitians out here (only about 2,000 compared to New York’s 187,000). Maybe one lone man at a table eating a plate of poulet frit et diri blanc (fried chicken and white rice) was a good sign—the food was at least edible, and he seemed to be enjoying it.
I opted for the tassot kabrit, braised and fried goat, with a side of banan peze, fried and pressed plantains, and diri djon djon, black rice flavored by the djon djon mushroom indigenous to Haiti. I also wanted macaroni au gratin, baked macaroni and cheese with onions and bell peppers, but it was sold out. Another good sign.
As I awaited my meal, I sat at a table not so far from the other diner that he felt I was avoiding him (that’d be rude) but not so close that he felt I wanted to chat (I did not). A nearby table had a stack of board games available for any customers who wanted to play. Of course, there was no one around to make use of them, and I certainly wasn’t going to ask my dining counterpart if he wanted to play Uno.
I waited about 20 minutes for my meal. For some, this may be an egregious amount of time to wait at a restaurant this empty. For a Haitian spot where long wait times are just par for the course, this, to me, was nothing.
My standards for Haitian food are high. I grew up eating Haitian recipes passed down generations. Of the three U.S. cities with the largest Haitian populations, I’ve lived in two. I’ve written two different pieces on the cuisine for Eater. And I’ve eaten at Kann, the 2023 James Beard Award winner for Best New Restaurant, not once but twice. All this to say, I know Haitian food better than any other cuisine.
The food at Island Flavors Caribbean Cuisine held up to my standards. The goat was tender and flavorful. The smaller pieces had a nice crust to them from being fried and the larger ones came off the bone with ease. The plantain had a crispy exterior and fluffy interior. The vegetables in the accompanying pikliz (a pickled vegetable condiment) were minced as opposed to the julienned I’m used to, but the shape didn’t matter as they were a perfect balance of tangy and spicy.
Admittedly, the rice was not as flavorful as I expected and it was more brown than black. However, knowing that djon djon is incredibly hard to source in the States, I gave Island Flavors a pass. The rice itself was well cooked and with some gravy from the meat, it tasted great.
In the end, I ate all of the goat and plantain and most of the rice—I would’ve finished it but it was too large a portion.
As I paid, I informed the man behind the counter that I enjoyed my meal and that I was happy to live near a restaurant that could give me a taste of home. He thanked me for my patronage and told me that he hoped to see me again soon. I told him that I’d certainly be returning. It’s a promise that I intend to keep.
Island Flavors Caribbean Cuisine
Cuisine: Haitian
Address: 524 Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone Number: (818) 477-8076