ReCaFo
“I became displeased with the service at Golden Krust on Thomson Ave and wandered into the Falchi Building and have been coming here ever since.”
“I love Jerk Chicken – their coconut rice is great and LOVE LOVE the oxtails.”
“Tasty chicken patties, which are also the best I've ever had.”
ReCaFo
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
7 reviews
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3.5 stars — I see myself becoming a regular at ReCaFo (Real Caribbean Food)!
They have different options daily (Stewed Chicken, Curry Chicken, Jerk Chicken, and Oxtail are some of the choices on rotation). They also have many breads, sides, and drinks to go with your meal.
On my most recent visit, I had curry chicken which came with coconut rice, salad, and plantains. The chicken was tender and flavorful; the coconut rice didn't taste like coconut, but it had raisins to keep it interesting. The salad added some needed greens, and the plantains were excellent– not too sweet or greasy.
The only downside is that everything is heated by microwave because they don't have room for a real place to cook at their tiny stall inside The Food Box.
You can choose between 3 different sizes (Mini, Small, and Regular), and believe it or not, the Mini Size is actually the perfect lunch portion for me. This is because they fully pack the container… and at only $6 after tax, I don't feel too bad about going out for food too often!
Best curry chicken ever! Hands down. Most fresh Caribbean food I have ever tasted in my life. Tasty chicken patties, which are also the best I've ever had. The other food is pretty good, though not the best.
The two patties that I ordered were fantastic. I had a beef and a chicken one. The only reason was they didn't have anymore vegetarian likkle. 🙁 I wanted a bit of food, but not a huge plate. I am happy to try their patties. The pastry shell is so soft and flaky, and very different from other patties I have had. Yum!
Seems like there's a lot of new restaurant popping up the LIC area lately which I'm glad because there's never too many options around the area, so when they reopened the Falchi Building and equip it with a mini food court, I was extremely happy!
RaCaFo is a Caribbean restaurant located in the mini food court inside the Falchi building. It's right behind Laguardia Community College on 47th Ave. You'll see a handicap accessible ramp, go up the ramp and the mini food court is right in front of you!
Parking: Horrible, there's a reason why there are so many parking lots around the area, it's because you'll probably never find a street spot unless you come at like 6am. Weekend your chance might be better.
RaCaFo offers many different options daily but you know me, when I see oxtails, nothing else really matters but unfortunately I went on a day when they ran out of oxtails… TIP: Go early because they do run out of food, and when they do, that's all!
Since they ran out of oxtails, I had to go back to the classic and get myself some Jerk Chicken.
Food comes in 3 sizes: mini, small and regular. I didn't know what to get so I went ahead and got the mini and the portion wasn't bad, they give it to you in a 5.5' x 5.5' styrofoam container and pack it to the top until it can barely close.
The mini combo comes with salad, rice and choice of meat.
The Jerk Chicken was nice and juicy- very well marinated even on the inside. The sauce was awesome aka awesome sauce lol (sorry had to do it ;P ), it was definitely spicy so if you can't handle spice, go with the mild. The sauce had a lot of flavor, it started off a bit sweet then you taste the savory part and just when you think it's all done, the spice kicks in and it's a lingering spice that stay in your mouth for a while! very well made and delicious!
The rice was lacking a little bit, I had the coconut rice and it was very mushy and didn't really have coconut flavor to it.
I also got a Chicken patty (just to watch my figure a little bit), Can't say I'm a big fan of it, I think it was lacking some sort of texture. The patty itself was not very hot, the crust wasn't really flaky and when you bite into the patty, it was very greasy. I guess I was expecting for a crunch in my patty but instead I bite something that's all mushy. The flavor was okay but the patty can definitely use some texture.
Price: $6 for the mini combo, around $9 for the small, personally I think the mini is the perfect size for lunch. Good price considering there's not too many real food options around the LIC area.
Overall: Good Caribbean food with good price point and friendly people. Just make sure to come early so you can get the food that you want!
PS. The lady behind the counter gave me a thumbs up when she ask if I wanted mild or spicy and I said spicy, I think she was impressed with that answer and gave me extra sauce, you know the awesome sauce!
"the jerk chicken store called, and they're running out of you!"
my exploration of the kiosks in the Falchi building continues, but I've definitely found one that I enjoy returning to frequently. while I do miss jamming at Jama's on lunch breaks at my previous job, being able to hit up ReCaFo is a great replacement for when I crave the culinary stylings of the Caribbean.
thusfar, I've stuck to ordering the smallest platter size, which they pack a surprising amount of food in to anyway, to sample the various offerings. the meats are perfectly flavored and cooked – I'm a big fan of their oxtail, though sometimes they've run out if I get there too late, and the jerk chicken is sufficiently spicy for my Fremen tastes. the spice truly does flow.
a small platter is 6-8 dollars, depending on which meat you pick. you also get some rice and beans (and do take them up on the offer to slather on some gravy!), two fried plantains, and some salad with it.
there's a frequent customer card – buy 10 meals, and you get a free one. oh yeah! rack up those stamps!
despite the funny resemblance of the shortened version of their name sounding like some real estate agent's term for a hip new neighborhood, I'm a big fan of ReCaFo. now if only the damn cabbies would free up some tables for me to eat at!
Ugh. I was so impressed and want this to be 5 stars, but.. It's 12:16 and the food is just now arriving. So, now they have to take it all out and set it up. Im sure it'll be 12:30 before I can order. I'm on my lunch break, but decided to wait anyway. So unacceptable. HAVE to do better. The food should be in the warmers and ready to serve at 11:30 waiting on customers. P.s. The music is too loud to be in the vicinity of other businesses.
I've twice been to the Falchi building in search of Khao Man Gai. Both times, they were closed. The first time, I ended up with bibimbap which was advertised with a fried egg on top, and was conspicuously absent when I received my order. I was a little disappointed. The second time, I ended up at ReCaFo, and I had surprise jerk chicken. This was the the best possible outcome, considering that Khao Man Gai was still on vacation.
Their menu is a complicated looking flowchart. They usually have oxtail. They didn't the day I showed up, but the jerk chicken was a formidable contender. It was covered in seasoning, and you get three large pieces if you get the medium sized portion. The meal comes with rice, salad (French dressing is your only option, which seems a bit odd, but I'm sure there are reasons for this I'm not aware of) and plantains, and it's a good-sized portion. You can add spicy sauce to your jerk chicken if that's what you're into.
Less than $10 for the jerk chicken, and if you want the Caribbean ginger ale (which, sometimes you do), add $2. If you are careful about eating slowly and portioning, you can make it last two meals.
I'd still like to try KMG at some point, but I never see them again, I'd still come back to the Falchi building for this.