Daniel’s Caribbean Kitchen

The wait it killing me. Said 15. Now it’s more like 30+.
No rum cake
No brittle.
Limited drinks
Kind of slipping

The wait for the Saturday flea market was terrible — roughly 30 to 40 minutes.
The food is not impressive at all. The roti was rather plain. The jerk chicken is basically chicken with some type of sauce similar to A-​1, served along with rice and salad.
Why this has 5 stars is a mystery to me.

Loved it!!! Please don’t water down the pepper sauce that’s it everything else is great!

Fantastic chef! Today, I ate here for the first time. My first impression was this was a little pricey, but when I tasted the food, which came as a generous portion, I realized it was a fair deal. Tender, juicy jerk chicken served over rice with a tasty fresh salad. Perfectly spiced, pleasant to eat with a heat that grew slowly throughout the meal. I’ll be back!
The only thing that would make it better is if there were a few more tables and plants around this truck. Fine weather today, and plenty of space at the one table.

I have been coming to this spot for more than a decade now and I’m SO glad it’s still around. The wait can be eternal and prices have gone up a bit but this food is made with LOVE. The roti, the patties, the shrimp on rice… just so damn delicious!!!

Bottom line: great, authentic, island food. Don’t be afraid to try anything. You won’t be disappointed. My personal favorite, though, are the roti. Chicken, shrimp, or vegetarian doesn’t matter. Once, Danial was out of curry chicken chicken and used jerk chicken in the roti and it was bomb! The meats are moist, dishes well seasoned and flavorful, good portions. He’s definitely worth the trip.

Where the hell is this guy?! He keeps strange hours, and sometimes his mini cart is there but closed. There are no set times and it’s so sad to see him not open when I want some of that heroin he’s selling.
I’m not a fan of the roti dishes, but holy shit the Jerk Chicken and Shrimp rice plate is intense! The rice is flavorful, and he drenches everything in their respective sauces. The Jerk Chicken is spiced like he was preparing it for his loved ones and incredibly tender.
He also has special sauce that you can order on the side.
A little expensive but totally worth it. Get there early because he’s a one man show and it’s hard for him to handle all the little grubbers who want a piece of Carribbean life.

Incredible food that leaves me feeling clean and perfectly full. One of the only places in town that gives me this feeling. Most other foods around make me lethargic and feel heavy in my stomach.
I’ve ordered the jerk and coconut chicken!

THIS IS DEFINITELY… THE SPOT… To go to. My first time here. I ordered chicken, veggie roti, shrimp, fish over rice plates and roti skin… Everything was on point!

So glad to see this place getting more visits and ratings on Unilocal,4.5 stars ain’t no joke. I was so lucky to find this place within the first month of moving here to the Bay Area from DC almost 2 years ago. The roti is amazing and Daniel is most hospitable. Thanks for all of the deliciousness!!!

I’m happy to have had finally come across this place. There was once this place downtown Oakland on Telegraph that sold roti. I fell in love, but they shut down and I’ve never found a replacement… until now, I think.
I got the chicken roti, with pepper sauce on the side. It was good reminded me of when I first had one. My only disappointment was the ratio of meat & potatoes. As you may have guessed it was more potato than meat. Lastly, I’m pretty sure that it was wrapped in a tortilla, but I still ate it.

I finally caught them open! I have been looking and trying to work around my schedule to catch them and I finally did. I had the fish over rice and chicken roti. It was well worth the wait! The food was fantastic! Seasoned well and mahi was the best! It came with a big serving of a special rice with beans and a side of salad. This portion was enough for two meals. The man that whipped up the food was very nice. I hope I catch them again soon!

Thank you! I have been constantly searching good, authentic roti in the bay. From one closure to the next it has been an epic journey.
Being of trini descent roti is a staple and had become a luxury until finding Daniel’s. Now I don’t have to worry. When I desire one I call ahead and pick it up.
This rotti is done right. Forget the comments about there not being enough meat and the potatoes are crucial and delicious anyway. The skins are perfect and I grab a patty for the ride home.
I try to avoid the weekends because it’s less hectic on the weekdays away from the flea market.

Been meaning to try this mobile food stand for some time but until today unable to connect — think recently they have been keeping a more regular schedule.
Anyway it was worth the wait — I can’t comment on how authentic but the roti and rice dishes are very good. Had the fish and chicken, salad and roti. All very good and a fair portion for the price. FIsh was tender and moist, and the chicken curry flavorful with moderate heat. I asked for the chili sauce but they forgot it and I had mine to go so will want to try that as I love it spicy. Guy in line behind me told me to be careful with it so likely it will suite my tastes.
There were several devotees there, a couple waiting on food and several in line behind us, which was good be cause it took some time for her to plate our food (over 20 minutes with only one order in front of us). Given the style of cooking, curries and sauced items over rice or wrapped in Roti, side salads, the kitchen should be set up for faster turn around which of course means more revenue. Or maybe they are just on island time.
But I don’t mind the wait when I have an open schedule on a sunny Berkeley day like today. Had fun chatting with the other folks waiting on their orders. The food is really good and I will be back for sure.
Thanks Daniel for a great add to the local scene!

As a Trinidadian, I was anxious to try this place. I drove from Mountain View to Berkeley to check it out and I was not disappointed! I had the chicken roti which was very authentic and delicious. Daniel was very friendly and it was nice to see a fellow Trini.
He has a bunch of other Trini stuff on the menu like pelau, currants roll, rum cake, sorrel etc.
I’ll definitely be making it a habit to head up there often and get my fill of roti.

I am a product of my travels and the places where I have lived. We have had the good fortune to live in some amazing places and the food, music and people are always intertwined in the real description and memories of those places– none so much as Trinidad & Tobago.
The people of Trinidad are an amalgam of races and religions that have blended together and given the world (and this white boy) amazing music and the most consistently delicious food that I have experienced in my life. I long to return to T&T and have another Shark & Bake at Richards in Maracas Bay (life changing… see Andrew Zimmer’s T&T episode), sit in a carnival tent soaking in the beats & double-​entendres of the calypsonians, and eating roti & doubles with extra pepper sauce.
Now we live on the wrong coast for anything Trini. Miami, Brooklyn, DC– I have had roti in all of those places– but it is almost nonexistent out here.
However my wife googled «roti» on the way back from SF the other day. Daniel’s Caribbean Kitchen came up and she found that he’d be in Berkeley at the Flea Market. Two exits after the Bay Bridge later we are walking the flea market and amidst the pirated hip-​hop we hear strains of soca! Sure enough, there is Daniel in his blue trailer serving up all kinds of Trini delicacies! Heaven…
I had a chicken roti with pepper sauce. I must have looked like a gringo to him as he didn’t put much in, but it was savory, delicious, and probably spicy to someone who hadn’t been to Trinidad. Phenomenal. He makes his own roti skins– kind of like a tortilla but made with spices and crushed peas. Hard to explain– super delicious and healthy though. My wife had chicken pelau and she loved both the chicken and the rice. Along with a ginger beer, we were in heaven.
It was so good we got 2 more roti to go and ate them that night home in Reno.
Daniel was very friendly– so nice to speak with a Trini once again. He told me that many people come from all over to get a taste of his authentic Trini fare. I know whenever I am headed through the Bay Area in the future, I’ll look Daniel up on Facebook and see where he’s set up shop that day. If you are looking for something different and inexpensive, give him a try. If you are looking to recapture the amazing food, culture and warmth of the Eastern Caribbean, search him out. You won’t be disappointed!

I was so excited to find a Trinidadian food experience close to home! The chicken pelau was delicious, a little saucier than expected, but did not make the dish any less enjoyable! The roti was also tasty, but a great improvement when paired with some hot pepper sauce!
I am excited to come back here in hopes of trying some promised doubles. Although not on the menu, when I called in, Daniel (I believe that’s who answered the phone) said he will be making doubles in two weeks.
After passing this information down to my boyfriend, he told me it’s a Trinidadian go-​to response for basically any question– «lt will be ready in two weeks»… Still, I’m hoping to fulfill my doubles craving sometime soon!

I saw the new location on San Pablo recently. I actually didn’t ever know about Daniel’s Caribbean Kitchen before so I wanted to try it. I was not disappointed at all. I split the Trinidad Chicken and Rice and the Trinidad Fish and Rice with my wife. The rice with black beans was delicious. I liked the fish a little bit better, but the chicken was excellent in it’s own right. We also had some beef patties. They are the best I’ve found in the East Bay.
To top it all off Daniel is a nice and friendly guy working his butt off to serve delicious food. I’ll be back for more.

David’s has a camper in the parking lot of Jared’s Pottery.
menu: rotis, rice platters, patties, pastries, drinks,
eats: shrimp roti
–large whole crunchy shrimps, mushy & whole potatos with spicy sauce in a large tortilla wrap. (6.75)
–looked like a large version of «sweet rice chicken» (cantonese-​nor mi gai)
–filling, not too spicy. 3.5 stars
foodnotes:
–one man show
–food prepped to order, takes a few minutes.
–some parking on street.
–jamaician (?) music playing when food is being prepped.

New location! Not just at the Ashby Flea Market anymore.
Sooooooo delicious! The rotis are large and filling for eight bucks or less. Not like Indian roti, more like a burrito filled with a curry sauce, potatoes and meat of your choice (or not). The chicken is always moist and delicious.
My favorite are the patties though, meat pies filled with ridiculously well spiced beef, or spicy veg. This is what I just plain crave sometimes.
And if you like heat, ask for the pepper sauce!
For drinks I recommend the sorrel (sort of like Mexican jamaica), or if you’re in more of a smoothie mood, the peanut punch.
The prices are also totally reasonable. Patties are three bucks each and two will fill you up. I can’t imagine why people aren’t knocking down this guy’s door, cuz there’s a serious dearth of GOOD Caribbean food in the Bay…