Hot On D Spot

Five stars based on food and service. This is a foodie’s kind of place that emphasize good, hearty food over pomp and circumstance. No professional chef in the back formulating new dishes and decorating the plate for eye-​candy. This is great hole-​in-​the-​wall strip mall dining. Forget atmosphere and décor, they don’t make food taste better. You place your order, you come pick up your food at the counter. The gentleman behind the counter can give order suggestions. This is more like cooking from mom or grandma, making tried and true delicious meals that you can never say no to. Very friendly people!!! The homemade hot sauce has a very good kick to it yet is tasty. I’m going back for more…

I only had one dish, so I am limited in what I can review. The staff was friendly and courteous. Since it was my first time, they made suggestions. Roti is their specialty, so I got the shrimp. They made it burrito style for me. Not sure how it is served otherwise. It was huge and easily is 2 meals worth. Many shrimp and a nice level of spice. The roti itself was tasty. I might have preferred it ‘deconstructed’ to better sample the flavors. I think if I sampled more I could easily bump the stars up. I’d go back for sure.

I don’t have many opportunities for Trinidadian food in this area. So when I discovered this gem I was excited and it did not disappoint! The food was freah prepared and appropriately spicy. The portions were generous too. I have only tried the shrimp roti so far but will update with other menu items

Mmm mmm mmm! This place is great! The roti is fantastic and nicely portioned. Service was very upbeat and accommodating. I drove from Philly to go here and don’t regret it for a second!!!

We love this place. The spinach and pumpkin roti and the doubles are amazing. The pelau (rice, peas and chicken) is the greatest rice dish we’ve ever had anywhere. Goat is also excellent. Meat is generally on the bone so keep that in mind. Also, a little hot sauce goes a long way.

Before I talk about the food, I have to say that every time I’ve been here, the owner has been terrifically nice to me. Warm and friendly, excited that I know about Trini culture (my girlfriend is Trini).
I love the food here. Chicken roti is my go-​to, but I’ve had all of them, and they’re all great. The oxtail is really good, the stew chicken is very nice, and I love seeing the Trini stuff in the cooler. The Solo sodas, Peardrax, and the homemade peanut punch and mauby punch. Even stuff like the poster of the Trini fruits and vegetables hanging near the cash register makes me smile because I remember looking at the same one standing in line at Richard’s Bake & Shark in Maracas. A great, authentic Trini experience in the middle of New Jersey. I recommend it completely. Wonderful.

Not bad! I’m originally from NY and I would purchase rotis a lot in Brooklyn. In other words, I know a good roti when I taste one lol
I came here as a recommendation by a colleague. I am somewhat still a vegetarian so I ordered the chickpea and potato roti (I guess that’s their veggie one). It was pretty good. I asked for it to be extra spicy… it was mildly spicy but that’s okay.
I started to get tired of it as I got half-​way through. Maybe it became boring or I was getting full… Nonetheless, I wished I had some shrimp in there at that point.
I look forward to trying some of the others, esp the shrimp. The customer service wasn’t top notch or anything but at least the gentleman serving us wasn’t rude or anything. He was serving someone else so there was about a 10 – 15 min wait to order and then another 5 – 10 to get our order. Guess that’s typical of most restaurants.
I would recommend this place to others.

Wow, just had this place for dinner and I’m still amazed by how good that meal was. Was looking for another gluten-​free option in Trenton so I grabbed the pumpkin and spinach curries with a side of chickpeas. Everything was just so super flavorful, with an intriguing array of spices that was unlike anything I’d ever had. The pumpkin wasn’t overly sweet but super flavorful and creamy, the spinach was great too and the chickpeas were just so well seasoned. I would rank this up there with any Indian, Pakistani, or Afghani food I’ve had. Period. Absolutely can’t wait to go again.

Oh Trenton, even though you are the state capital, you are tiny as far as cities go. But you are certainly broadening your food frontiers. Now along with great Asian and Latino choices, not to mention Eastern European, you can boast a very interesting Trinidadian spot. But in the interest of accuracy, the place is technically situated in Hamilton. In recent years the boundary between the 2 localities has been somewhat blurred I will admit.
Thanks to a review by intrepid Unilocaler Gerald S., this place was on my to do list. A desire for something completely different steered me here finally. Upon entering I was enchanted by the aromas. All chefs were busy in the kitchen so I was not pressured into making a rush decision. I decided on a double, the boneless chicken roti, and a dessert in the small case intrigued me. The owner says it is called cassava bone, and looks a bit like pumpkin pie (it contains cassava, coconut and a small amount of pumpkin)
The roti was tasty and very filling, I was pondering that this is a perfect chilly weather meal, esp for a meat n taters type of hunger. The seasoning was interesting and I did like the roti part of it too, and found that the powdered chick peas in between the layers to be a tasty if somewhat messy treat. The double was even better, I would considering buying several and freezing to use as a side dish or snack. The dessert was pumpkin pie-​esque, but with hints of coconut. I imagined how good it would be with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, sadly, I had neither
Roy, the owner is very friendly, and very confident in his food. He was sure that I would come back again, and I think he is right. Even though the menu is small, there were still several items I was curious about. I’m thrilled to have been able to sample such an exotic cuisine only a few miles from my house, 4 hot Unilocal

My first Trinidadian experience! I was down in our Hamilton office and found this gem on Unilocal so decided to give it a try. The end result? My stomach was happy!
The shop is small and has about 5~6 tables. I got the boneless curry chicken roti and it was soooooo delicious! And spicy! The roti was freshly made and soft, soaked in the curry which makes it even more flavorful.

In the Trenton area for work and recalled I bookmarked this place– so glad I stopped. Clerk was super nice, the place was small but clean and my food came out fairly quickly. My plan was to eat my two rotis and two doubles when I got home but the intoxicating smell made me eat both doubles on the turnpike. The rotis were delicious when I got home. will definitely return!

Great Trini/​Caribbean food. Awesome fellow behind the counter, really cool.
Doubles are great tasting and cheap… Get them before he runs out
Pumpkin mash – HOLY S — !!! I think i found the best there is. so garlicky and buttery. Melts in yo mouth.
Spinach– Very well made, Great tasting.
Curry Chicken & shrimp – Fresh homemade. Just done right Caribbean cooking.
Try and get there, wont be disappointed.

Wow! I don’t know what took me so long to get here. This is one terrific Spot. We had the boneless chicken roti, spinach and pumpkin roti, fried plantains, a double filled with chickpeas. Everything was delicious– One of the best meals I’ve had in ages. And that’s exactly what took me so long to get here: fear of disappointment. So many places just don’t measure up. It was such a relief to find that this one did.

First off, the owner and staff were extremely friendly. You really feel welcome the minute you get there. As it was my first time there, I went with the chicken roti for starters.
Being Indian, the roti that I’m usually exposed to is quite different. But I was blown away! The spices and flavors were different but also very familiar. The roti was excellent! Loved the filling. Next time I’ll have to get some extra hot sauce on the side. I’ll be back very soon to try the goat and some doubles.

I never would have known about this place if I hadn’t gone one day with my cousin. I ordered the vegetarian roti with spinach, dal and chickpeas and I was hooked… It’s sooo delicious and addictive! It’s not a big establishment, more of a take-​out but Yummm :)

Met up with a friend the other night at Hot On D Spot, a Trinidadian Restaurant at the western end of Nottingham Way in Hamilton, tres close to Trenton. Don’t know about you, but I had never tried Trini cuisine before; and in fact while I knew that Trinidad was an island in the Caribbean, I knew little of its history and culture. My loss.
Trinidad was settled by a mix of folks who really did not want to be there — African slaves and Indian indentured servants (almost slaves). They mixed together into a very interesting and spicy society. The food evolved into something that did not look or taste like either’s home cooking. It was sort of like Indian with similar breads and curry orientation, but with meat on the bone dishes that were of a different continent.
Regardless, the food was great. We had some Doubles — basically Chickpea and Potato mash with Curry in small round Naan-​like soft breads. Very tasty and definitely a cousin of Samosa. Next I ordered Roti with Boneless Chicken, while my companion went with Roti and Goat. Both had a side of the same mix of Chickpea and Potato found in the Double. I thought the Chicken outshined the Goat. It was tender and in small pieces long cooked in a spice pot. The Goat was still on the bone. It required more work to eat it, and to my palate, was darker and more gamey than I like.
The accompanying Roti was superb. It was large and folded up on the plate, but as it was taken out and ripped apart to be used to pick up the meats and veggies, it had elasticity and a ground Chickpea and spice dusting on the inside that added taste and a curiously fine grit to the experience. I could not finish it.
I hope to learn how to eat with one hand without using utensils and just pinching the food with the Roti. It is much harder than it looks, especially if you try not to get your hand dirty.
The owners and staff were very friendly. We engaged in a running conversation about the food and life in Trinidad. Fascinating. The house only has four tables and a fridge with cold drinks. I stopped beforehand to pick up a six pack of Red Stripe to add to the festivities.
This one is a definite keeper.

Ok so it looks good and roti was nice and soft and moist. I selected the boneless chicken seasoning was ok a bit salty thou. But I don’t cook with salt so I maybe a bit sensitive to salt. There was a good amount of chicken potato curry balance. Cost was about right for the size $ 8.49 you could split one and not feel bad about it. Over all I would give it a three out of five stars. I’m not shouting from the roof tops but it was good enough to go back and try something else.

Friendly owner and the food is awesome. If you like spicy food, don’t forget to ask for the hot sauce. Cheap healthy filling food!

Loved it! Got the doubles and a roti with spinach and potatoes. They were both so good that I’m still thinking about the food the day after.
The roti was so impossibly large that I can’t believe I ate the whole thing. Seriously, I wish I had a scale. It wouldn’t surprise me if it topped two pounds. And really, that’s my only complaint. I really wish they offered a smaller version of their roti so I wouldn’t have to feel like such a pig after I’ve demolished both that and an order of doubles.
You could say, «Just skip the doubles, then.»
In which case, I would be forced to smack you. There is no skipping the doubles. The doubles are fantastic. So soft and comforting. So deeply flavorful.
Without a smaller roti, I might have to make do with just getting a double order of doubles and making a meal out of those. But I do really want to get back and try the goat, so I guess it will just be another day when my giant HODS lunch kills my appetite for dinner.

A Trini friend of ours had recommended this place but for various reasons, it slipped off our radar for many months. We ordered take out today (finally!) and boy the food was actually hot on d spot!
In the Caribbean, the combo of bread and curry is called roti unlike in Indian cuisine where it refers to the hand made bread alone. The roti could be served either in a wrap form or separate from the curry.
We got an order of the chicken roti, one order of the stew chicken (comes with a side of rice and choice of vegetable) and two orders of the vegetarian roti. Each order of the vegetarian roti has a choice of two items. So we decided to get Pumpkin and Spinach in one order and Channa (Chickpeas) and Potato in the other.
Chicken curry was very flavorful so was the stew chicken. The spinach, potato and channa were nice. The pumpkin was a bit too sweet for us.
The roti was enormous and filled with a dry mixture comprised of channa dal (split chickpeas) and spices. Hence the full name Dhal Puri roti. Makes an excellent vehicle to soak up the curries.
The owner Roy is very friendly and he gave us this home made scorching hot sauce made out of Moruga Scorpion peppers (which displaced the bhoot jolokia for the title of spiciest pepper in the world at 2 Million Scoville heat units). This sauce definitely deserves respect. We are chilli heads but we felt that a little was enough. Very flavorful hot sauce but a little goes a long way.
Last but not the least we tried two of the traditional drinks. Sorrel and Mauby Bark juice. Both are very acquired tastes from what we felt (especially the latter) not likeable at first try. Mauby Bark tastes a bit like root beer but has a very bitter aftertaste. Sorrel is a sour drink with notes of cinnamon.
Overall this place deserves to be high on the charts for serving really tasty ethnic food from Trinidad and Tobago. Looking forward to the next visit and to try the doubles (a famous trini fast food snack comprising of fritters and curried chick peas).